Vegetarian Dinner Ideas

The thought of a vegetarian dinner would make most people lose their appetite. However, if you choose to traipse down this road for either health or humanitarian reasons, here are a few ideas that will ease the transition.

Vegetables are good for health, and is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Vegetarian recipes need not be bland, boring or unpalatable.

Ideally, while cooking a vegetarian dinner, pick recipes that include vegetables or other ingredients you like. If you enjoy the contents, you are likely to enjoy the outcome. Some tried and tested tasty vegetarian starters are, vegetarian spring roles, vegetarian tacos, vegetarian bruschetta and vegetarian chili cheese dip with tortilla chips. My personal favorite are cheese stuffed mushrooms. While making a vegetarian salad, include the fruits you love and top it with your favorite dressing. A few popular soup ideas include hot and sour chinese soup, vegetable minestrone soup or crackpot vegetarian split pea soup. While preparing the main course, try to include the vegetables you like. The ingredients that make any recipe interesting are mushrooms, corn or baby corn, nuts and tofu. A vegetarian burger can turn out quite well with a potato patty. Most vegetarians enjoy a good vegetarian bake or pasta, which includes vegetables like carrots, potatoes, peas and beans. Here are a few great vegetarian recipes, which would help in planning dinner ideas that will tickle your taste buds.

Vegetarian Lasagna (Serves 9)

Ingredients

1 pound box lasagna noodles

4 red peppers, thinly sliced

6 to 8 zucchini, cut lengthwise into slices

6 cups marinara sauce (you could opt for store bought sauce)

24 ounces low-fat cottage cheese

5 to 6 portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

32 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

2 red onions, thinly sliced

Ѕ cup chopped herbs (basil, oregano, or thyme)

4 tablespoons olive oil

cup chopped onions

4 cloves garlic

2 cans (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

⅓ cup chopped basil

Preparation

Fully cook the vegetables, by sautйing them in olive oil or roasting them in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

To prepare the marinara sauce, start by heating olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Carefully add the chopped onions, and saute until golden brown. Next add the garlic and allow the flavor to set in before mixing in the tomatoes. Allow it to simmer for 25 minutes. Lastly, stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Use a 16 x 12 inch pan and line the bottom with a layer of dry noodles. Add about ⅓ of the marinara sauce over the noodles and then Ѕ layer of the cottage cheese, and over it about ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle herbs over the cheese, and top it off with a layer of vegetables. Repeat all the layers. Finish with a layer of noodles, topped with tomato sauce and finally a thick layer of mozzarella cheese.

To prepare the pan for baking, first cover it with plastic wrap, over which goes a tightly wrapped layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife cuts easily through the lasagna. Take off the plastic and foil, and continue to bake for another 10 minutes at 450° F or until the cheese crust turns brown.

Carefully remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or other fresh herbs.

Corn Polenta with Mushrooms

For Polenta:

2 ears corn, shucked

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 ounces Parmesan/ ricotta cheese (about 1/4 cup), crumbled

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For Mushrooms:

1 cup cleaned portobello mushrooms

Ѕ cup chicken or vegetable broth

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation

Preheat the broiler and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Broil the corn about 4 inches from heat, turning it occasionally, until it is lightly browned on all sides. This process should take about 10 minutes. Cool the corn and cut kernels from cobs.

Stir together the milk and cornmeal in a large heavy saucepan and add the corn kernels and butter. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring constantly to keep it from sticking and burning. One can keep adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the mixture becomes too thick. Mix in the cheese and finally add salt to taste. Pour polenta into broad flat dish and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Soak the mushrooms in immense hot water for 20 minutes and then drain them. Heat butter over moderate flame, in a 10 inch skillet. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan once the foam subsides. Saute the mushrooms and shallots for 5 to 6 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown. Add salt to taste. Mix in the broth and boil until the quantity is reduced by half. Remove skillet from heat and add thyme, pepper and salt to taste. Keep mushrooms warm.

Place the polenta on a cutting board and slice it into 16 triangles or 2-inch squares. Bake the polenta pieces, until they turn golden. Top each polenta piece with mushrooms, and garnish with nuts, if you please.

These are just a few vegetarian dinner ideas that will leave you looking forward to your next vegetarian meal. If you plan to turn vegetarian, one way to try it out, is to start with one completely vegetarian meal, per week. Even if you don't get beyond it, this slight dietary change will surely benefit your health and digestion. Also, eating a vegetarian meal opens up a wide range of food and cuisine options to you.