Creating healthy vegetarian or vegan diets need not be a chore (NEWS)

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From http://animalconcerns.netforchange.com

 

Parents may freak, but creating healthy vegetarian or vegan diets need not be

a chore

Wednesday, October 17, 2001

 

 

BY HILARY GROUTAGE SMITH

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

 

It all started with a debate project at Jeremy Beckham's house. The

Taylorsville teen was drafting a " bill " that would make hunting illegal when

he realized the content of the imaginary project was giving him more than

just a good grade in debate class.

All of a sudden, he had food for thought. The hamburgers and Hot Pockets

he loved had faces, hearts, flesh and bone.

Beckham quit eating meat and a few weeks later, gave up eggs and dairy

products and became a vegan (pronounced VEE-gun).

" I had never met another vegan or vegetarian when I became one, " he said.

And with that move, Beckham became part of a growing number of teens who

come home and announce to their parents that they're giving up flesh.

Don't freak out if this happens to you, said registered pediatric

dietician Rebecca Kelln of Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake

City. A lifelong vegetarian herself, Kelln said any effort teens make to

adopt healthier eating and exercise habits ought to be embraced by parents.

With a few guidelines, teens can construct perfectly healthy diets minus

meat or animal products, or both.

" Whether it's concern for animal rights, environmental concerns or out of

a concern for world hunger, if a young person wants to be a vegetarian, it

can be nutritionally adequate, " she said.

Variety is the key, she said, whether the diet is vegan or vegetarian.

Sources of calcium and iron must be high on the list of foods eaten every

day.

Dairy products, dark green vegetables, broccoli and fortified orange

juice are good sources of calcium. Iron comes from dark green leafy

vegetables, dried beans, fortified breads and cereals. When eating foods high

in iron, Kelln said it is important also to eat something high in vitamin C

at the same meal.

" That ensures the iron is utilized more efficiently, " she said.

Those who follow a strict vegan eating regime, vitamin B12 might be a

concern. It is found in the form of supplements or in soy milk and breakfast

cereals.

The job of feeding the teen veg-head might be made a little easier

because of 17-year-old Lauren Butts of Medford, Ore. She stopped eating meat

after accidentally ordering a burger made of horse meat while traveling in

France nearly a decade ago.

She was horrified, didn't eat the burger and when she returned home, set

about becoming a vegetarian.

Last year, Butts published a cookbook and handbook for vegetarian teens

called OK, So Now You're A Vegetarian.

" My Dad was, like, 'You're going to die!' He didn't think it was

nutritionally possible to stay healthy. He hunts and stuff, " she said.

" My mother just said, 'If you think I'm fixing you your own dinner every

night, you've got another thing coming,' " Butts remembered.

So Butts started cooking for herself. She read books and met with a

registered dietitian to make sure she could give up meat and stay healthy.

" Being vegetarian is more than just pulling the pepperoni off your

pizza, " she said.

Butts now spends time every Sunday making food she can freeze and eat

through the week -- food that her family is more than happy to sample.

" They say they're not vegetarians, but they're more than willing to help

themselves to my stuff, " she said.

But so far, no one in Butts' family has given up meat.

That is not the case at Beckham's house. His dedication has carried over

to his mother, Colleen Gardner, and stepfather, who also have given up meat.

Now mother and son boast animal-cruelty-free living and attend frequent

meetings of animal rights groups in Salt Lake City.

" I've stopped thinking of vegetables as a side dish, " Gardner said.

" Almost every time I'm fixing a meal in my kitchen I think about how nice

it is not to worry about contamination from meat. "

 

Broccoli Lasagna Rollups

Sauce: (See Note)

3/4 pound broccoli crowns, cut into 20 florets

1 (25-ounce) jar fat-free tomato sauce

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

6 ounces of burgundy wine (fill the empty tomato paste can to measure)

4 fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 bay leaves

Rollups:

1 (8-ounce) package lasagna noodles

3 3/4 cups light, extra-firm tofu, drained

1/3 cup sliced scallions or onions

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 (10-ounce) package frozen broccoli, drained (or about 1 1/2 cups

steamed fresh broccoli)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Dried basil for garnish

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Blanche

broccoli for 30 seconds then immediately plunge into ice water to stop the

cooking process. Set aside.

Mix together next three tomato ingredients in a 5-quart saucepan over low

heat. Add tomato paste and wine and stir; add basil, garlic and bay leaves

and simmer until ready to assemble the casserole.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse in

cold water.

Place drained tofu in large bowl, mash with a whisk, add all remaining

ingredients, one at a time, stirring after each addition.

Cover the bottom of 9-by-13-inch pan with prepared sauce. Remove the bay

leaves.

Spread the cooked noodles out flat on a sheet of aluminum foil. Spread

about 1/2 cup of filling along the center of each noodle and roll up. Tuck a

broccoli floret in both open ends of each roll. Place in the baking pan, two

rolls across and five down. The rolls should lay side-by-side with florets

facing outward.

Top the rolls with sauce, sprinkle with dried basil and cover loosely

with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes.

Makes 10 servings.

Note: Taylorsville mom and vegan Colleen Gardner buys prepared pasta

sauce for use in the recipe.

-- From Colleen Gardner, adapted from Soy of Cooking

 

 

Italian Bean and Cheese Pockets

2 small pita bread pockets

1/2 cup canned kidney or pinto

beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella-type soy

cheese

2 tablespoons chopped black olives

1 tablespoon Italian dressing%% Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Split open one end of each pita bread pocket.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Divide the filling

evenly and spoon into the open end of each pita pocket. Wrap each sandwich

tightly in a piece of aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Makes

2 servings.

-- Munchie Madness, Vegetarian Meals for Teens

 

 

Vegetable Soup for the Teenage Soul

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups diced raw vegetables (asparagus, peas, broccoli, celery, carrots,

onion, mushroom, cauliflower . . . take your pick!)

2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

 

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add

the vegetables and stir-fry until the veggies are wilted, but not quite

brown, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and simmer 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the cream and the eggs. Stir the mixture into the soup.

Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the soup is

slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

-- OK, So Now You're A Vegetarian

 

Wicked Hot Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 jalape-o pepper, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (3.8-ounce) can sliced black olives

1 tablespoon anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 cups V-8 or other tomato juice

1/2 cup water

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, drained

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the

onion, celery, garlic, jalape-o pepper and bell pepper until softened, about

10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up with a spoon.

Mix in the olives, Worcestershire sauce, TVP, chili powder, pepper flakes

or cayenne pepper, cumin, V-8 juice, water, black beans and chili beans. Add

salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered,

stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Serve immediately or cool and store in

the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors to mingle. To reheat, bring

the chili to a simmer over low heat and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

-- OK, So Now You're A Vegetarian

 

 

© Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune

 

 

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