Healthy "Fast Foods"
The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet is a treasury of healthy fast meals.
What's a great route to a healthy meal in minutes? No, its not calling "Golden Dynasty" for take-out again. Natural food stores (and increasingly, supermarkets with natural food selections) are a rich source of wholesome, foods that are ready-to-use or nearly so. Here's a small sampling:
ASIAN NOODLES: Japanese imports such as hearty, dark buckwheat noodles, jinenjo noodles, or udon noodles are a wonderful change-of-pace from ordinary pastas, but you need not limit their use to Oriental-style recipes. Depending on their shape and size, most take only 5 to 10 minutes to cook.
QUINOA: This grain-like food was once a staple in ancient South American cultures. Quinoa is outstanding nutritionally, providing more and better protein than most other grains, and a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Light textured and nutty-tasting, quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes. Use it:
- as a substitute for rice in
- pilafs and casseroles
- as a base for grain salads
- as a bed of grain for stir-fried
- or steamed vegetables and bean dishes
TEMPEH: Tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food, is made of cooked and coagulated soybeans. Sold in cellophane-wrapped packages, it's even higher in protein than tofu. Tempeh is also quite versatile, but has a more distinct flavor and a dense, chewy texture.
Tempeh may be crumbled and used
- as a ground meat substitute
- Diced and sauteed, it can be tossed
- into grain, noodle or vegetable dishes
- Tempeh may also be sliced and sautéed like cutlets, and served with a barbecue sauce
BAKED TOFU: This form of seasoned, marinated extra-firm tofu defies the definition of tofu as bland and mushy. It's ready-to-use, and sold in 8-ounce, cellophane-wrapped packages.
- Simply slice it and use as a tasty sandwich filling (try it with mustard and lettuce on rye!)
- Sliced or diced, it's a great substitute for chicken or tuna. In fact, if you mash it, moisten it with tofu mayonnaise and add some diced celery and scallions, it's a ringer for tuna salad
- Dice it and toss into stir-fries
QUINOA PILAF WITH PEAS AND ALMONDS
Serves: 4 to 6
- 3 cups vegetable stock, or water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 1/2 cups raw quinoa
- 3 to 4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons salt-free all-purpose seasoning mix
- 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds
Bring the water or stock to a simmer in a large, heavy saucepan. Rinse the quinoa well in a fine sieve. Stir the quinoa into the boiling water along with the scallions and seasoning blend. Cover and cook at a gentle but steady simmer until all the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the peas and margarine, then season to taste with salt.
Transfer the pilaf to a serving bowl and scatter the almonds over the top. If time allows, you might like to lightly toast the almonds, either in a dry skillet over medium heat or in a 250-degree toaster oven. Watch carefully, they toast quickly!
BUCKWHEAT NOODLES WITH SAUTEED SQUASH
Serves: 4
- 1/2 pound buckwheat noodles
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable stock
- 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
- 6 to 8 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup grated organic Parmesan cheese or Parmesan-style soy cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the noodles and cook at a steady simmer until al dente, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain at once and transfer to a covered serving dish.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet. Saute the garlic for a minute or two, until golden, then add the wine and squashes. Cook until the squashes are tender-crisp. Add the spinach, cover, and cook just until everything is well heated through.
Transfer to the serving bowl and toss with the noodles. Add the Parmesan cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss again. Serve at once.
TEMPEH "SLOPPY JOES"
Serves: 4
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 10- to 12-ounce package tempeh, any variety, finely crumbled
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup thick tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon each: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder
- Whole wheat rolls or pita bread
- Shredded lettuce
Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until it is golden. Add the crumbled tempeh and green pepper and saute over moderate heat until the tempeh is lightly browned.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the last 2), stir well, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve hot on whole wheat rolls or in pita bread with shredded lettuce.
"TUNA"-STYLE TOFU SPREAD
Serves: 6
I like to serve this to lunchtime company, and make it often for school and at-home lunches. Even tofu skeptics love it!This is especially good served in warm pita bread. I also like to mix leftovers with macaroni for a “tofuna”-noodle salad. For this recipe, its best to use a baked tofu product that comes in large chunks like Soy Boy's Tofu Lin, rather than the type that comes in small cutlets.
- One 12-ounce package baked tofu
- 1/2 cup soy mayonnaise or reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1 large celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 scallion, minced, optional
Using your hands, crumble the tofu finely in a serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and serve.
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