Easy Vegetarian

[Celyn]

Ooh, I'de love a carload of free courgettes! Ah, hell, no car. Oh, well.

I'm pleased to hear about Holly's friends' diet simply because it's always nice to hear of people who eat worse than I do - pop tarts for breakfast and burgers for lunch is just astonishing. It's not often such a lazy bad cook as I am gets a chance to feel smug, so I seize it when it comes. Point being, I see bananas for breakfast as being an even easier and faster option those those poptart things.

Good lcuk with sorting them out, Holly.

[Not_Just_DNA]

I have made this bean soup before and thought it was pretty good. I cut and pasted it from the original directions that I used. Good luck to them on cutting their Pop Tart addiction.

1 cup kidney beans -- dried
2 each garlic cloves -- pressed
1 each onion -- chopped
2 each potato -- cut in chunks
1 each carrot -- sliced 1/2" thick
2 each zucchini -- sliced 1" thick
1/4 pound green beans
2 each leek
1/4 pound cabbage
(savoy is best)
1/3 cup brown rice, long-grain -- * see note
3 each tomato -- cut in wedges
1/4 cup parsley sprigs -- chopped
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano

Place beans in pot with 2 quarts of water. Bring to boil, remove from
heat and let rest 1 hour. Then add chopped onion, garlic, and simmer for
1 1/2 hours.

Chop potatoes in large chunks; do not peel. Slice carrots 1/2 inch and
zucchini 1 inch thick, scrub them, do not peel. Slice leeks and cut
beans into 1 inch pieces. Add to soup pot along with seasonings. Simmer
for 1 hour longer.

Thinly slice cabbage and add to soup along with rice or spaghetti.
Simmer another 20 minutes. Add more water if too thick. Add tomato
wedges for the last 10 minutes, just before serving.

HELPFUL HINTS: Kidney beans make a good rich broth, but any kind of bean
also may be used. Soup freezes well, so make a large batch when you have
time and freeze half for use on a budy day. Try using some chopped
spinach, instead of the cabbage.

[kathyv]

Celyn, next time I return to my car to find it stuffed, I'll ship it to you! LOL

[HollyElise]

hahahhaha! Thanks, guys.

Bananas are a good idea. I should talk about Pop Tarts!.... i just had shortbread for breakfast! hahahahha

I'm going to try that bean soup Not_Just_DNA. I have a pressure cooker, too, so i'll be able to speed up the dried beans. I could use some quick and easy recipes, though. The easier it is to make (and delicious), the more likely he'll make it.

[Not_Just_DNA]

HollyElise-
Here is an easier one I found from Whole Foods. It's somewhat high in fat due to the sausage, but substituting a lower fat sausage (or even eliminating it completely) would reduce the fat content. I would think the type of bean could be changed, like black beans would probably be a nice alternative. I put this over brown rice and thought it was good.

Easy Southern Sausage, Beans and Rice
Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Traditionally smoked or fresh southern pork sausage, known as Andouille, is the centerpiece of this Cajun-inspired dish. Pinto beans, onions and green peppers get a kick from fire roasted tomatoes and green chilies in this deceptively simple yet filling meal.

Serves 3–4
1 TB olive oil
12 oz fresh or smoked andouille pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped, (about 11/2 cups)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 11/4 cups)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies plus one can water
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
Heat a large skillet that has a lid over medium heat. When hot, add oil and sausage links and cover. Cook, turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. When cool, cut the sausage into 1/2-inch slices.

Add onion and green pepper to the still hot pan; stir to remove any browned sausage bits from bottom. Increase heat to medium high, add bay leaf and thyme and sauté until vegetables start to soften and brown a bit, about 5 minutes.

Add the fire roasted tomatoes, and then fill their can with water and add that too. Stir in the beans with their liquid and the sliced sausage. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Remove bay leaf and serve over your favorite rice with a slice of fresh cornbread alongside.

Nutrition Info
Per serving (413g-wt.): 400 calories (180 from fat), 20g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 24g protein, 29g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 85mg cholesterol, 910mg sodium

[Celyn]

Originally Posted by HollyElise

hahahhaha! Thanks, guys.

Bananas are a good idea. I should talk about Pop Tarts!.... i just had shortbread for breakfast! hahahahha ............

Never mind - confession is good for the soul. I'm lazy and not really interested in cooking but it isn't that hard to shove some lentils and veg and brown rice together. I suppose the real nuisance for your friends is that we tend to be creatures of habit and it will be hard to change the poptart and burger habit. With your help, they will, though. Tell them they can allow themselves those things *sometimes* but just not as the basic thing that their whole diet depends on.

Tell them also that when one puts on kidney beans to boil (and the blasted things take so long, I only buy tinned ones now), it is a good idea not to decide to go and hang the washing out to try and then lock the door by accident and be locked out for HOURS, and call for the firemen...............

[kathyv]

Ah, that sounds an interesting story. . .