Vegetarian Low Fat Diet...

[vegetarian_bri]

Me and my sister are vegetarians, and my mom can only have 15 grams of fat b/c of her pancreas...So we basically have a vegetarian very very low-fat diet. No avocados or bananas either because of fat content.
As a vegetarian I cant eat chicken broth, or fish. Shell fish however I will eat.


Does any one have any recipes? Suggestions? Anything would be appreciated. Desserts, Dinner, Lunch...anything!

Thanks!

 

[Alix]

Can you be specific about what kind of vegetarians your sisters are? Are they complete Vegan or are they Ovo Lacto? What specifics can you give us to help you better?

 

[vyapti]

Fat Free Vegan is a site with tons of recipes. She doesn't use oil or margarine and keeps all of her recipes low fat. Some are very low. My blog (in my sig) has a lot of low fat, but I do use a lot of nuts, some oil, etc.

 

[jennyema]

Me and my sister are vegetarians, and my mom can only have 15 grams of fat b/c of her pancreas...So we basically have a vegetarian very very low-fat diet. No avocados or bananas either because of fat content.
As a vegetarian I cant eat chicken broth, or fish. Shell fish however I will eat.


Does any one have any recipes? Suggestions? Anything would be appreciated. Desserts, Dinner, Lunch...anything!

Thanks!

Bananas are not high in fat.

 

[Cparkinson]

hello all,
How about some veggie pate, with sunflower seeds and potatoes and carrots? I am not sure of the recipe for it as I do not have a food processor to chop it fine enough.

I do make a lentil one----cook some up with a carrot chopped fine, then chop or grind fine and add seasonings of choice. Low fat mayonaisse or teriyaki sauce is what I use.

 

[Mel!]

What about shakes. You can whizz up some fruit with low fat milk or buttermilk or low fat yogurt and some honey in the food processor. I make those when I could do with losing a couple of pounds and basically have them as meals. You can also put almonds, walnuts etc in them but those probably contain to much fat for you.

 

[Yakuta]

Here are a few suggestions. I am Indian so my recipes are inspired by my style of cooking. You can make adjustments:

Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower:

2 cups of low fat or no fat yogurt (I am assuming you are not vegan).
3 tsps of corrainder and cumin powder (just zap them in a coffee grinder)
2 tsps of paprika
2 tsps of turmeric
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
salt to taste
whole cauliflower cut into florets
2-3 potatoes cut into cubes
1 bunch of green onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro finely chopped
(Note: None of the spices used are spicy, so your mom should be fine eating it)

In small bowl mix the garlic, yogurt, spices, salt. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a roasting dish and pour the sauce over it. Cover and let it cook until the veggies are soft and tender. I normally cook them covered for 30 minutes or so, then open the cover and let it cook some more so that they get nice and roasted. Stir in the green onions and cilantro at the last minute.

You can serve this with any type of flatbread

Dahl (Any type of lentils)
2 cups of lentils (washed and soaked in water)
1 medium onion super finely chopped
4 tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tsps of sugar
juice of 1 lime or tsp of tamarind (if you have it handy)
salt to taste
Chopped up mixed vegetables of your choice (I like green beans, peas, carrots cut up into small chunks)
Lots of freshly chopped cilantro for garnish
Handful of freshly chopped mint also for garnish

Put the pan you will cook in on the stove so it gets nice and hot. Next add the cumin seeds (without any oil) and a bay leaf. When the cumin seeds hit the hot pan they will toast a bit. Next add the onion and let it cook until it's soft (don't need oil). Next add the garlic and cook that until it's soft and the raw aroma evaporates. Now add the tomatoes and let it cook until pulpy. Now add the lentils with salt and lots of water or vegetable stock. Let it all cook until the lentils are almost tender. Next add the veggies, sugar, lime or tamarind and some more water and let it all cook until the veggies are tender.

The consistency of the dahl should be more like a thick soup, not runny. You can then sprinkle cilantro, mint and serve.


Finally this is my ultimate favorite Eggplant recipe and it's a fabulous salad type recipe that is both healthy and delish. I can eat it with a spoon.

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks (remove the larger seed section) and put them in a pot with a cup of water and cook until tender. You should be able to mush it with a spoon. You need this mush for the salad
2 cups of no fat or low fat plain yogurt
2 bunches of green onions
Freshly chopped cilantro
salt to taste
Freshly toasted and ground cumin powder (3 tsps)

Mix the yogurt, green onions, cilantro, salt, cumin powder and eggplant together. Place it in the refrigerator for an hour. You can enjoy it as a dip with pita bread or top it on some baked shell fish if you eat it.

 

[deelady]

Ooooh thank you Yakuta! those sound wonderful!


Would you happen to know a recipe for a tikki masala for vegetarians? I myself am not vegetarian and love the chicken version but I have also had a vegetarian version that used a tofu like substance (one of my students' mother made it as a gift when I was pregnant! delish!)
Thanks!!

 

[vegetarian_bri]

we eat...

Can you be specific about what kind of vegetarians your sisters are? Are they complete Vegan or are they Ovo Lacto? What specifics can you give us to help you better?

We arent vegan. We eat:

• Shellfish-shrimp,mussels,clams,crab,scallops etc. but seafood is very expensive right now, so if you do give me a recipe, it should be with shrimp.
• eggs
• milk and dairy

So yes, lacto ovo.

 

[Yakuta]

Hi deelady, I am glad you like the recipes. The recipe you are inquiring about is for paneer tikka masala. Here is how you make it.

Paneer - You can buy it or make it at home. It is only available at Indian stores so I would suggest you make it at home if you can't find it.

Just bring some whole milk to a boil. Shut the stove, add 2 tbsp of vinegar to the milk and let it curdle and sit for 15-20 minutes. The milk solids will seperate and you will have some curdled milk solids and some water. Put it through a cheese or any other fine muslin cloth. Roll it into a ball and squeeze out most of the water. Put a weight on the ball and let it sit for atleast two hours or overnight.

In the morning flatten the left overy whey (resembles ricotta) and cut it into strips. Pan fry the strips in a little oil until they are lightly brown and reserve.

Make a gravy as follows:

1 onion finely chopped
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 tsps of freshly minced garlic
2 tsps of freshly minced ginger
1/2 cup of powdered cashews (sweet cashews)
1 cup of cream
spices - whole and then toast them. 2 tsps of corrainder seeds, 2 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp of black peppercorns, 1/2 stick of cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms. Grind all these together and reserve.
2 tbsp of butter
cilantro for garnish
tiny bit of sugar (1/4 tsp)
salt to taste

Cook the onions in butter until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, spices and cashew powder toast until a nice aroma develops (2 minutes or so). Next add the tomato sauce and a small cup of water, sugar and let the flavors develop (about 10-15 minutes). Next add the the cream to the mixture and the pan fried paneer cubes. Stir and let it simmer some more until it's nice and thick. Garnish with cilantro serve.

You can substitute chicken for paneer if you'd like. You can also add any other veggies of your choice in the gravy.

 

[vegetarian_bri]

Wow! Yummy!

Here are a few suggestions. I am Indian so my recipes are inspired by my style of cooking. You can make adjustments:

Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower:

2 cups of low fat or no fat yogurt (I am assuming you are not vegan).
3 tsps of corrainder and cumin powder (just zap them in a coffee grinder)
2 tsps of paprika
2 tsps of turmeric
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
salt to taste
whole cauliflower cut into florets
2-3 potatoes cut into cubes
1 bunch of green onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro finely chopped
(Note: None of the spices used are spicy, so your mom should be fine eating it)

In small bowl mix the garlic, yogurt, spices, salt. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a roasting dish and pour the sauce over it. Cover and let it cook until the veggies are soft and tender. I normally cook them covered for 30 minutes or so, then open the cover and let it cook some more so that they get nice and roasted. Stir in the green onions and cilantro at the last minute.

Wow! This sounds really yummy and we already have everything we need except for the yogurt and cauliflower. I will suggest this for dinner tonight, and will of course ask to make it. Thank you so much. I love potatoes!

 

[deelady]

Thank you, thank you!! One question....I remember her "paneer" had a bit of a ....string like threads in the bites? What were they from? I didnt really mind, I just pulled them out....kind of reminded me of the threads in celery. Any idea what that was from?

 

[Yakuta]

Hi deelady, I am not sure what the strings were. Perhaps it was an older or aged Paneer. The strings could be from the curdled milk solids. Normally you knead the dough like cheese mixture before you cut it into cubes to pan fry so that it's smooth. I have never had paneer that is stringy so I can't help. The one I make is pretty smooth.

 

[deelady]

Well good because the strings got annoying even though the dish itself was yummy! Thank you again so much!!

 

[merstar]

Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower:

2 cups of low fat or no fat yogurt (I am assuming you are not vegan).
3 tsps of corrainder and cumin powder (just zap them in a coffee grinder)
2 tsps of paprika
2 tsps of turmeric
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
salt to taste
whole cauliflower cut into florets
2-3 potatoes cut into cubes
1 bunch of green onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro finely chopped

This sounds great - Is it 1 1/2 tsp each of coriander and cumin?

 

[BreezyCooking]

Why do you eat shellfish, but no finfish?

 

[merstar]

These are all great main dishes:

VEGETABLE CHILI (I use pinto instead of kidney beans, and omit the sour cream/cheese toppings):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/4420

CHICKPEA STEW (Sub vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
(I increase the onion, garlic and spices, plus add curry powder and chili powder):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107549

VEGETABLE COUSCOUS PAELLA (I increase the onion and garlic):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/4688

This is a great main dish salad:
CURRIED COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES
Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries Recipe - Beans - MyRecipes.com

 

[vegetarian_bri]

because...

Why do you eat shellfish, but no finfish?

Shell fish have no nervous system, and they cant feel pain.

 

[jennyema]

Shell fish have no nervous system, and they cant feel pain.

They absolutely do have a nervous system.

Whether or not they feel pain is debateable. Some scientists think they do, others don't, or at least don't think they experience pain like higher animals do. There are many people who believe that they are sentient beings.

Also, you might want to consult a chart about fat content in food. You are right that avacados are high in fat, but bananas are not. They have less fat per gram than carrots.

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Merstar, sorry about how I typed it (had a lot to type) but yes it's 1.5 tsps of cumin and 1.5 tsp of corrainder. Also I only use whole spices. I like to toast them and then grind them. The flavors when you roast whole spices and grind them are just different than the powdered stuff.

For anyone else who wants to try that recipe and are not that considered about spices and fat you can use regular fat yogurt, the best is greek or middleeastern. I would also suggest adding a chopped jalapeno pepper at the end with the green onion and cilantro for some kick. I would also add some minced ginger to the mixture.

The recipe I posted is slightly modified keeping that there is a restriction on fat and spices.