Hi Everyone -
I think we're pretty lucky here in Santa Cruz because there are a lot of
vegetarian restaurants - I guess because there are a lot of vegetarians in
this town - plus a lot of regular restaurants offer many vegetarian and vegan
options. My husband and I have found a few restaurants that offer lowfat fare
as well and we go to these places again and again. One of them, Hobee's, is a
chain and I don't know if it has the same menu elsewhere, but here it has an
excellent salad bar with a number of ff salad dressings - lowfat soups and
chili - plus a wonderful plate of steamed vegetables over brown rice, with a
soy sauce type sauce over it (nonfat). Another one is also a chain - Planet
Fresh Burritos - they offer various types of burritos and tell you how much
fat is in each. Sometimes when I go there I just order black beans and rice
with veggies. That's something I often order in Mexican restaurants - beans &
rice with a salad. Put some balsamic vinegar on the salad, some salsa on the
beans & rice, mix together and it's a yummy dinner.
I have found a couple of recipes for Roasted Vegetable Salad in a new cookbook
I have - it's called "New Vegetarian Cuisine," by Linda Rosensweig & the food
editors of Prevention magazine. It's supposed to be low-fat vegetarian
cooking, but lowfat to them means 30% fat or under. Still the recipes are
delicious and I can usually fix them up so they're more within my guidelines.
These 2 recipes are yummy and would make great additions to any potluck. Can
be eaten hot or cold.
Roasted Vegetable Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved (quartered if large)
12 ounces green beans, cut into 1" pieces
2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced crosswise & separated into rings
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
(recipe also called for 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil & 8 sliced kalamata
olives)
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with no-stick spray. Add the potatoes, beans,
red peppers, onions, stock & garlic. Mix well. Roast, stirring every 10
minutes, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender; set aside.
3. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl and mash. Whisk in the vinegar, basil &
black pepper. (And oil if you use a bit)
4. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the dressing (and olives). Toss
to mix well. Serve warm or chilled. Sprinkle with the lemon juice just before
serving.
Note: I put many cloves of garlic in this - then I just mashed a couple of
them for the vinaigrette and left the others whole. Yum!
Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Salad
2 red onions, quartered & the layers separated
2 medium zucchini, cubed
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cut into 1/2" wedges
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package (9 ounces) small nonfat mozzarella cheese balls, drained & halved
4 ounces provolone cheese, diced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons grated ff Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Coat a 9" x 13" basking dish with no-stick spray. Add the onions, zucchini,
eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, basil, fennel seeds, black pepper & vegetable
stock. (The recipe called for 1 teaspoon olive oil here instead of vegetable
stock, but I figured I would just use stock like the previous recipe.) Toss to
mix well. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the
vegetables are tender.
3. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella, provolone, vinegar &
Parmesan; toss to mix well.
This could be made quite easily without any cheese at all. In fact next week
I'm thinking of combining the 2 recipes, with no cheese, but using vegetables
from both. They're really quite delicious.
I have a question about exercise and I know it's off-topic here but I'm
wondering if someone can answer me privately, if anyone knows a lot about
exercising. I'm wondering whether exercising a lot can cause my body to "need"
it so that if I cut back on my exercising I'll gain weight easily. Thanks.
Zoe Sodja
Santa Cruz
------------------------------