Vegetarian Meal Ideas

• Why Vegetarian?
• Natural Diet
• Controversies
• Natural Foods
• Nutrition 101
  • Introduction
  • Protein
  • Carbohydrates
  • Fats
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Digestion
  • Daily Requirements
• Meal Planning
• Cooking 101
  • Staples
  • Vegetables
  • Legumes
  • Eggs
  • Knife Skills
• Food Safety
• Healing Diet
• Websites

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

Directions:
This is a simple and quick meal and no recipe is really needed. The trick is to have each of the components finish cooking at about the same time so that everything can be served hot at the same time.

1. Bring 3 quarts of water and 1 tsp of salt to a boil.
2. Break the noodles in half and add to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a low boil (5). Follow the boiling times on the package.
3. Drain in a colander and then move to a serving dish.
    
4. Steam any veggies of your choice. When in season, corn on the cob goes great with this meal. If you have a strainer in a stock pot, the corn can be boiled in the spaghetti water once the pasta is done.
    
5. Sauté the tofu
    
6. Heat the sauce. The simplest way is to pour some into a small dish, cover with a paper towel and microwave it.

Notes:
You can include veggie meatballs (Amy's, Morningstar, Trader Joe's, Veggie Patch) in the sauce instead of having tofu on the side. Optionally, serve with garlic or artisan bread.

Do not add oil to the boiling water or to the pasta. The sauce will adhere better to dry pasta. However, when storing leftovers, tossing the pasta in a little olive oil can help keep it from sticking together when it cools.

Cooking corn on the cob: While waiting for the water to boil, husk the corn. For freshness, this is best done just before cooking, not in the store. Rinse under a faucet to remove silk. When the water comes to a boil, add in the corn and cover. When water comes to a boil again, cook for 1-10 minutes depending on your taste (crispy to well done). Normally, 6-8 minutes should do it. Use tongs to remove the ears. Either roll in butter or rub with a lime wedge. Salt to taste. Enjoy!

Cooking the three components of this meal together at the same time can reduce the overall meal preparation time. Start with the 3 quarts of water. Bringing that much water to a boil takes the most time. Next set up the steamer and while the veggies and pasta are cooking, you can sauté the tofu.