Vegetarian Myth #1 - You won’t get enough protein

This is probably the most frequently asked question about vegetarianism.

Truth: It is easy to get protein without eating animal products. What’s more is that most of us eat more protein than we need.

The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR):

The AMDR is expressed as a percentage of total energy intake. Protein’s lower limit is 10% of total energy intake and its upper limit which is based on the safety and tolerance of protein is 35% in adults.  The balance is made up of carbohydrates and fat.

OR

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA):

Men: 0.8g/kg/day or 56 grams/day

Women: 0.8g/kg/day or 46 grams/day

Food	Protein	Measurement
Whole wheat pasta	14g	1/5 package
Canned lentils	8g	½ cup
Baked beans in tomato sauce	13g	1 cup
Whole wheat bread	7g	2 slices
Quinoa	6g	¼ cup
Vanilla soy milk	7g	1 cup
Brown rice	4g	½ cup
Cashews	8g	1/8 cup
Tofu	7g	3 oz
Cooked vegetables	2g	½ cup

References:

Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide To Nutrient Requirements - J.Otten, J Hellwig, L Meyers
The conscious cook - T. Ronnen

Easy Artichoke & Spinach Dip

An artichoke and spinach dip... the easiest dip to make. It is healthy, simple (and just happens to be vegan!)

Many of the dishes I make, come from what I find in the cupboard or the fridge. Put one can of artichoke hearts (8 or so), 2-3 marinated artichoke hearts from the jar, about 3/4 of a defrosted package of frozen spinach, 2 small garlic cloves and salt & pepper to taste in a food processor and mix well.  Slowly add a little olive oil for smoothness.

Serve this with whole wheat crackers and some of your favourite veggies.  Next time, I will substitue the raw garlic for roasted garlic.

What's for dinner tonight?

I am back for the holidays in Ottawa which means I am in the mood to cook! Since my last vegetable lasagna turned out so well and this being my husband’s favourite meal (minus the meat), I decided to make it again.

I fried sliced mushrooms and crushed garlic in oil then turned up the heat and added a little red wine and salt & pepper (and set aside).

I fried some diced onion, thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini and then added the mushrooms back in and added a jar of tomato sauce.  If you’re not going to make your own sauce I would highly recommend buying a good quality sauce. Once cooked through (do not overcook the vegetables!), I turned up the heat, added a little more red wine and some fresh basil, chili flakes and salt & pepper.

I layered it in a casserole dish, starting with the vegetable and tomato mixture on the bottom, then cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles, a layer of light ricotta cheese then a mixture of part skim mozzarella/cheddar and parmesan cheese.  I repeated the layers two more times.

I baked the lasagna for 40 minutes at 350F and let cool for approximately 10 minutes.

The end result … quite delicious! And I’m sure it will taste better today.

Vegetable lasagna is easy to make and a great way to pump up your vegetable intake by incorporating your favourite veggies while endulging yourself in a satisfying meal.  The best part … you don’t miss the meat! Serve with a green salad and you are set.

Tip of the day: Using whole wheat lasagna noodles increases your intake of fibre and in my opinion tastes the same.

Adequate Intakes for fibre:

Women	Men	Children	Pregnancy
9-18 years 26g/day	9-13 years 31g/day	1-3 years 19g/day	28/day
19-50 years 25g/day	14-50 years 28g/day	4-8 years 25g/day	Lactation 29g/day
51 years and over  21g/day	51 years and over 30g/day	Infants n/a

References: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/table/ref_macronutr_tbl-eng.php

An empty belly is the best cook

I love this website and visit it often as there are tons of wonderful recipes with yummy photos.  Fellow food lovers list reviews and suggest recommendations. Try a recipe and let me know how it turns out!

http://www.allrecipes.com/