Pulses including soy, tofu, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy products, sea vegetables and high protein grains like amaranth and quinoa can make for interesting and varied eating. These foods contain most of the important nutrients for vegetarians including protein, iron, zinc and B group vitamins B6 and B12.

You will find recipes here for pulses, nut loaves, salads, dressings and pesto.

Pulses

Soy products

Sea vegetables

Nuts

Dressings


Pulses

• Rich in protein and good source of potassium, calcium, iron, Vitamin B complex
• Sustaining and filling due to slow releasing carbohydrates (low GI due to soluble fibre).
• Can be difficult to digest so advisable to cook with spices such as ground cumin, coriander, ginger and fennel.
• Most digestible are aduki beans, lentils and mung beans.
• Strengthening for the kidneys, diuretic

Aduki bean (canned or cooked 1 cup of dried beans, 2-3 cups of water 1/and 1/2 hours simmered)

• Considered the king of beans in Asia . Used therapeutically for detoxification, stagnant blood and for weight loss.

Aduki, raisins and apples

1 cup of cooked aduki beans
2 medium sized apples
½ cup of raisins
1 tbs of coconut powder
½ cup of water
Strip of Alaria (wakame) seaweed for cooking beans

Simmer the apples in water and coconut powder and add the aduki beans and raisins. Cook for 20 minutes until beans are soft. Serve with yoghurt.


Chickpeas (canned or cooked 1 cup of beans, 3-4 cups of water, 4-5 hours simmered)

• Higher in iron than other pulses, strengthens pancreas, stomach, heart
• Versatile can be used in dips, salads, stews and curries

Felafel

Blend 200gm (1/2 packet) of felafel mix with 200gm of chickpeas, mashed in a mixing bowl and add some water to get the right consistency. Form into balls and place on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven until brown. Serve with tahini or yoghurt.

Hummus

This traditional chickpea dip can also be made using sprouted chickpeas or cooked white beans.

2 cups of chickpeas
2 tbs of tahini
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp of ground cumin
salt to taste

Blend, adding water if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Serve with wholegrain crackers, raw veg sticks and tabbouleh.

Chickpea and sweet potato curry

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of ground coriander
1 large sweet potato
2 medium tomatoes
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tbs of tomato paste
1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons of fresh coriander, finely chopped 

Heat oil in a large pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring until onion softens. Add spices. Add sweet potato, stock, tomato paste, tomatoes and simmer covered for about 15 minutes until sweet potato is cooked . Serve with rice naan or cous cous, low fat yoghurt and fresh coriander. Substitute sweet potato for ½ a butternut pumpkin chopped into small cubes and some spinach. Serves  with rice and yoghurt. Serves 4. 

Lentil and pumpkin soup

1 tbs of olive oil
1 medium brown onion
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of corinader powder
½ a large butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed
½ cup of red lentils rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups of boiling water

Saute onion in olive oil with spices for about 2 minutes. Add lentils, boiling water and pumpkin and bring to a simmer and cook for about ½ hour to 45 mins until the pumpkin is soft and lentils are mushy. Blend and season to taste. Serve with a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and some chopped coriander.

Recipe from Good Food for Men by Gabriel Gate


Beansprout salad

Combine 2 cups of mixed sprouts (chickpeas, lentils, mung and soya) with sliced zucchini, grated carrot, cabbage, 2 shallots and a handful of coriander with some fromage blanc (0% fat) and oil and vinegar dressing. Heat wholewheat pita pockets in microwave until they balloon. Halve and add the beansprout salad

Basic lentil curry

250g red lentils (picked and washed)
1.5 litres of water
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 green chilli
1tsp ofmustard seeds
(optional)
ground tumeric
ground cumin
garam masala
2 tbs of coconut powder  

Red lentils are faster to cook than yellow lentils. Put the lentils in the saucepan with water and simmer for 30 mins or until tender. Add coconut powder. In a frypan heat 2 tsp of sesame or olive oil and fry onion and garlic with spices for 2 minutes until onion is cooked. Serve with rice and yoghurt.

Nargis's lentil loaf

175g(6oz)split red lentils
450ml(3/4 pint) vegetable stock or water
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, peeled
1 red pepper
2 celery sticks
125g (4oz) shitake mushrooms
1 red pepper
15ml (1 tbsp) oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
225g (8oz) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
30ml( 2tblsp) chopped parsley
15ml (1tbsp) lemon juice
175g (6oz) cheddar cheese grated
salt and pepper
1 egg beaten

Put the lentils, stock or water and bay leaf in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are very soft.

Meanwhile, grease and line a 1.1 litre( 2 pint) loaf tin. Finely chop the onion, celery and mushrooms; halve and core and deseed the pepper and then chop finely.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add all the vegetables and the garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 mins or until the vegetables are softened.

Mix the vegetables with the lentil mixture, discarding the bay leaf. Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice and half of the cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the beaten egg; the mixture should be moist but not sloppy.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake at 180 degrees C (350 degrees faranheit) or Mark 4 for about one hour or until firm to touch in the center. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Increase the temperature to 200 degrees Centigrade (400 degrees F) mark 6 and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts. Cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out.  Serve hot or cold, thickly sliced and accompanied by fresh tomato sauce or chutney.

Two bean salad with feta and artichokes

4 globe artichokes
250gm of French beans
125gm of tinned white beans
110gm of goats feta cheese
50gm of walnuts
fresh rocket or salad greens

Toss all ingredients with your best olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Soy products

Rich in phytochemicals and can protect against heart disease, cancer, bone loss, menstrual and menopausal conditions.

Miso is fermented soybean paste and is considered vegetarian yoghurt

• living food with beneficial bacteria that assists in digestion.
• good source of protein and vitamin B complex
• lowers cholesterol
• chelates heavy metals from pollution, radiation
• alkaline along with all soy products
• can be used in soups, as a flavour for stir frys and dressings.

Tofu is a processed soybean curd (made from soaking, blending and cooking soy beans.

• good source of protein, omega 3 fats, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron
• versatile in that its subtle flavours blend with more pungent ones so good with miso, stir fries.

Soba noodle salad

4 tbs of laver (wild nori soaked for 30 minutes) or dulse
4 spring onions finely sliced
250gm of soba noodles
1 small cucumber julienned
20 mint leaves roughly torn
1 tbs of sesame seeds
100gm of hazelnut tofu

Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente (4 mins aprox) then drain and rinse them. Toss the noodles with the cucumber, mint, tofu, spring onions, miso tahini dressing and garnish with sesame seeds.

Miso soup

You can make miso soup from scratch or buy an instant soup and add tofu, spring onions, shitake mushrooms, buckwheat noodles.

Tempeh is made from cooked fermented soyabeans bound together by a mold into patties

• living food with beneficial bacteria to help digestion
• good source of protein, omega 3 fats and Vitamin B12.
• great in salads, stir frys and curries.

Tempeh stir fry

2 carrots , 2 courgettes
handful of green beans, broccoli
sesame oil
sesame seeds
tamari
laver (wild nori) seaweed
150gm tempeh cut into triangles
clove garlic chopped
small piece of ginger minced

Place wild nori in water to soak and marinate tempeh in a little tamari, ginger and garlic. Cut vegetables into thin strips. Heat sesame oil in a wok or frypan and gently fry the tempeh with garlic and ginger until brown. Remove from wok and drain on kitchen towel. Ligthly stir fry vegetables and seaweed using the water from the soaked seaweed to add more liquid. Place vegetables on a plate and top with tempeh and sesame seeds.

Sea vegetables 

Sea vegetables are superfoods in similar ways to sprouted grains like (wheat and barley grass) and micro algae like (spirulina and chlorella). Sea plants contain up to twenty times the minerals of other land plants in an easily assimilated form and the best example of food as medicine.

Good source of all minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluoride and iodine plus protein, carotenes, B complex especially B12 and B6, omega 3 fatty acids.

• detoxifies from heavy metals and radiation
• lymphatic cleanser and
• alkalinizes the blood
• supports thyroid function.

Dulse has a red pigment and is very high in iodine, iron, fluoride and manganese. No need to soak just toss into salad, stir frys and soups.

Nori (Laver) has the highest protein content, Vitamin B complex, C and E of all the seaweeds and the most easily digested and versatile. Made into rolls, chopped and added to rice, soups, salads, sprinkled onto fish.

Wakame (Alaria) has one of the highest calcium content and rich in vitamin A, B complex. Need to trim out the tough midrib and soak for 5 mins beforehand and then use like a leafy green vegetable in salads, stir-fries and soups (no need to soak).

Noodle nori rolls

100gm of soba noodles
sliced avocado/carrot/cucumber sticks
rice mayonnaise or wasabi
tofu/salmon
2 sheets of nori
tamari for dipping

Cook noodles for 4-5 minutes until tender. Run noodles under cold water. Place a sheet of nori on a sushi mat shiny side down and spread the noodles on the sheet leaving a two inch edge uncovered at the end of the sheet closest to you. Make a gutter in the noodles and put some tempeh strips/avocado/cucumber/salmon on top. Roll up and slice into 6 pieces with a sharp knife.

Nuts

Nargis's vegetable and nut roast

175gm (6oz) long grain brown rice (choose Basmati if possible)
salt and pepper
1 onion peeled
125gm (4oz) shitake mushrooms
2 carrots, peeled
15gm (1/2 oz) butter/olive oil
1 garic clove, crushed
125gm (4oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
125gm (4oz) nuts, finely chopped cashews/walnuts/blanched almonds)
125gm (4oz) mature cheddar cheese
2 eggs beaten
2 Tbs chopped parsley 

Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 30-35 minutes until tender. Drain well. Meanwhile finely chop onion and mushrooms and grate the carrots. Heat butter in a frying pan and fry the onion,  garlic and carrots for 3-4minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, then stir in the breadcrunmbs, nuts, cooked rice, cheese and eggs. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Pack the mixture into a greased 1.1 litre (2 pint) loaf tin and bake at 180 deg C (350 deg F) for 1 and 1/4 hours or until firm to touch and brown on top. Serve warm with fresh tomato sauce or chutney and a crisp salad.


Pesto

Blending herbs with oil, nuts and cheese makes a great sauce for vegetables, rice, pasta and meats. The typical basil pesto from the Ligurian region of Italy can be modified to inlcude spinach, rocket, parsley and a variety of nuts. Here are a few to try:

Spinach and macadamia nut pesto

bunch of fresh dark green spinach
1 clove of garlic crushed
60gms of macadamia nuts
50gm of parmesan, pecorino romano or grana padana cheese
100ml of extra virgin olive oil

Blend rocket and oil for 2 minutes then add nuts and cheese for a further minute. Don't over blend as you will loose some of the texture. Store in a sterilised glass jar with olive oil on the surface of the pesto.

Rocket pesto

1 1/3 cups packed fresh rocket
1/3 cup of flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup of spinach
2 tbs of pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs of freshly grated parmesan

Blend the herbs, nuts and garlic until finely minced. Add the oil and cheese and process until blended. Transfer to a glass jar and store topped with olive oil.

Jazz up your salads with these tasty dressings

Orange and ginger dressing

rind of one small orange
½ cup of orange juice
1 tsp of honey
3 tsp of grainy mustard
2 tbs of grated ginger
1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
2 tbs of olive oil (sesame oil)
black pepper to taste 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.

Tahini (sesame seed paste) is ideal for salads and vegetables. The seeds absorn water so if you find the dressing is too thick after you have left it in the fridge just add some water.

Tahini ginger miso dressing

2 tbs of tahini
2 tbs of mirin
3tbs of olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp of fresh ginger, grated
1 tbs of miso paste
1 clove of garlic crushed

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Tahini pesto dressing

2 tbs of tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs of rice wine vinegar (found in the Japanese section of the supermarket under the name mirin) 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
2 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of flax oil
2 tsp of pesto

Blend all ingredients.

Oil 'n vinegar seed dressing

1 cup of sunflower seeds (soaked overnight)
¼ cup of flax oil/extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup of raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of dried mixed Italian herbs

Blend until smooth and creamy.

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