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Meat-Free Mondays

10 vegetarian recipes ready in 30 minutes or less

red bean salad main, Vegetarian recipes you will LOVE by healthista

Looking for vegetarian recipes – we’ve rounded up our ten favourites from Healthista’s Meat-Free Monday series to celebrate World Vegetarian Day

Feeling inspired? We’ve rounded up our favourite meat-free, veggie-tastic recipes. Plus each recipe comes with a video so you can see EXACTLY how things are done.

Vegetarian paella recipe with summer vine vegetables and almonds

As summer approaches we’re turning to countries with warmer climes for foodie inspiration. This meat-free Monday recipe is a veggie paella from new recipe book Market Vegetarian by Ross Dobson.

This dish is Dobson’s vegetarian take on the classic Spanish rice dish paella. It’s colourful, delicious and bursting with fresh, young vegetables grown on the vine and enhanced with the subtle flavour of saffron – ideal for making in bulk and showing off at summer garden parties. This straightforward dish is easy to make and tastes delicious. We were fighting over the leftovers in Healthista HQ. Here’s how to make it.

Serves 4

Ingredients 

a large pinch of saffron threads

80 ml olive oil

200 g red or yellow cherry tomatoes

100 g green beans

4 baby courgettes, halved

80 g freshly shelled peas

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

320 g Arborio risotto rice

800 ml vegetable stock

30 g flaked almonds, lightly toasted

To make 

1.Put the saffron in a bowl with 65 ml hot water and set aside to infuse. Heat half of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan set over high heat and add the tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the pan so that the tomatoes soften and start to split. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pan and set aside. Add the beans, courgettes and peas and stir-fry over high heat for 2–3 minutes. Set aside with the tomatoes until needed.

2. Add the remaining oil to the pan with the garlic and rosemary and cook gently for 1 minute to flavour the oil. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until the rice is shiny and opaque. Add the stock and saffron water to the pan. Stir just once or twice, then increase the heat and let the liquid reach the boil. When the stock is rapidly boiling and little holes have formed in the rice, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until almost all the stock has been absorbed.

3. Scatter the cooked tomatoes, beans, courgettes and peas over the rice, cover lightly with some foil and cook over low heat for 5 minutes so that the vegetables are just heated through. Sprinkle the almonds on top to serve.

Market Vegetarianby Ross Dobson (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99) Photography by Richard Jung, published by Ryland Peters & Small

Spinach-shiitake salad with yuzu-wasabi dressing

Jean-Christian Jury’s Vegan: The Cookbook is a mammoth of a recipe collection, boasting 450 recipes from over 150 countries. These plant-based recipes include starters, mains and desserts that are made with readily available ingredients that are naturally delicious.

Super simple and easy to make this salad is one delicious lunch with a twist – plus all the ingredients are raw so it’s perfect for your health kick (plus that means no cooking time).

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for dressing 

4 tablespoons yuzu juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon wasabi puree

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for salad

500g shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced

500g baby spinach

125g baby asparagus

4 radishes, thinly sliced

120g cherry tomatoes, halved

To make 

To make the dressing, using a food processor or high speed blender, blend the yuzu juice, soy sauce, wasabi puree, vegetable oil and mustard until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

To make the salad, transfer the dressing to a large bowl, add the salad ingredients, mix gently to coat with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Vegan red bean salad

Don’t let the word salad surprise you – this red bean salad bowl is one substantial and filling dish. And try as we might we couldn’t quite finish the dish when we made it (but lucky us, that meant more the next day). The South American recipe is apparently a traditional dish of Ecuador – a fun fact to impress your veggie friends with when you rustle it up this week. This recipe from Jean-Christian Jury’s Vegan: The Cookbook is not to be missed.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus overnight chilling

Serves 4

Ingredients 

¼ cup (60 g) tomato purée (passata)

juice of 1 lime

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise (non vegans can use regular mayo)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon superfine (caster) sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb 2 oz (500 g) canned red or kidney beans, drained

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 cup (170 g) cooked basmati or other long-grain rice

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (coriander), to garnish

To make 

Put the tomato purée, lime juice, oil, vinegar, vegan mayonnaise, mustard, and sugar into a large bowl, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and whisk until creamy. Add the red beans, bell peppers, and onion to the bowl and toss to mix. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, stir in the rice, mix well, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Chilli and Mango superbowl

Super simple and easy to make this chilli and mango bowl is one delicious midday treat – agave syrup adds sweetness and both chilli and ginger add a tasty kick to this dish.

This chilli and mango bowl recipe is straight from the Caribbean island of Guadalupe. It’s the first of Guadalupe’s cuisine I’ve had the chance to taste but if this dish is anything to go off, it won’t be the last. The recipe takes around 20 minutes to prepare and is best chilled for a further 30 minutes before eating.

Serves 4

Ingredients 

3 ripe mangos, peeled and sliced

1 green apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced mint

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon agave syrup

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make 

Put the mangos, apple, fennel, mint, onion, and ginger into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the lime juice, add the agave syrup, and stir well to combine. Now sprinkle over the jalapeños and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

vegan coobook, meat free monday by healthistaJean-Christian Jury is a vegan and raw-food chef from Toulouse, France, who is now based in Los Angeles. He has acquired nearly two decades of experience of travelling and cooking vegan cuisine. In 2007 he opened La Mano Verde in Berlin, which became a celebrated destination for vegan diners. The recipes are inspired by his extensive personal travels around the globe and includes the more familiar cuisines of France, Greece, Italy, Vietnam, China, and India alongside the less familiar flavours of countries like Seychelles, Gabon, Benin, Djibouti, Timor, Moldova, New Caledonia, Suriname, and Papua New Guinea, to
name just a few.

Jury’s book Vegan: The Cookbook (Phaidon) is available to buy for £20.36 here

Coleslaw with maple syrup and cranberries

Super Spiralized: Fresh & Delicious Ways to Use Your Spiralizer is packed with recipes that prove any vegetable can be spiralized. Here is a pick of our favourites.

While coleslaw is traditionally used as a side dish, this maple syrup infused dish from Super Spiralized: Fresh & Delicious Ways to Use Your Spiralizer is far from traditional and makes an amazing lunch time salad with an incredible combination of crunchy textures and sweet tastes. When we whipped this up in the office we were left feeling full for ages afterwards.

Ingredients 

1⁄4 white cabbage

1⁄4 red cabbage

200 g (7 oz) carrots

2 spring onions (scallions)

80 g (21⁄2 oz) cranberries

For the vinaigrette

120 ml (4 oz) cider vinegar 90 ml (31⁄2 oz) sun

90 ml (31⁄2 oz) sunflower oil

75 ml (3 oz) maple syrup salt and pepper

salt and pepper

Using a mandoline, shred the cabbage quarters as neatly as possible.

Peel the carrots, then shred using a julienne peeler or spiralizer Finely slice the spring onions and set aside the green parts.

Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing together the vinegar, oil and maple syrup and then season with salt and pepper.

Put all the vegetables in a large salad bowl, add the cranberries and pour over the vinaigrette Toss to combine and adjust the seasoning as needed and then scatter with the green parts of the onion.

Chef ’s tip

Replace the cranberries with raisins if you wish

Avocado bruschetta

This meat-free recipe is every Instagrammer’s favourite (with a twist) – an avocado bruschetta, also from Super Spiralized. Ready in 15 minutes this classic avocado lunch with a spicy twist will be your new weekday favourite.

Ingredients 

1 firm avocado

juice of 1⁄2 lemon

1⁄2 bunch of coriander (cilantro), leaves picked

6 slices of rustic crusty bread

2 tomatoes, sliced

salt

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 red chilli, thinly sliced and deseeded

fleur de sel

1 lime, quartered

To make

Peel the avocado, remove the stone and slice the flesh into ribbons using a julienne peeler Put the avocado in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent it turning brown Gently stir in the chopped coriander.

Assemble the bruschetta, starting with the tomato slices Sprinkle with salt, then add some onion and avocado To finish, garnish with chilli slices and fleur de sel Serve with the lime wedges.

super spiralized cover, meat free monday recipe avocado bruschetta by healthistaSuper Spiralized: Fresh & Delicious Ways to Use Your Spiralizer (Hardie Grant books, £7.99).

Watermelon and feta salad

The Fast Days Cookbook by Laura Herring is packed full of recipes to help you eat low-cal meals when you’re fasting on the 5:2 diet.

Watermelon juice provides a sweet dressing for this creamy, salty, crunchy, fresher-than-fresh-tasting salad. This is a great one to pack up and take to work – the red onion will mellow beautifully with the watermelon by lunchtime, and you can’t be sad with a bowl of bright red fruit to eat! Better than a shop- bought sandwich any day of the week.

serves 2

400 g (14 oz/
3 cups) watermelon chunks*

1⁄2 small red onion, very finely sliced

1⁄2 small red chilli, very finely chopped

8 mint leaves, shredded

zest of 1 lime

90g (3 1⁄4 oz/ 2⁄3 cup) low-fat feta

To make

Put the watermelon chunks and juice in a bowl. Gently mix in the onion, chilli and mint leaves. Scatter over the feta and grate over the lime zest. Ta-dah!

The Fast Days Cookbook: Delicious and Filling Low-Calorie Recipes for the 5:2 Diet by Laura Herring Diet (Hardie Grant, £12.99) Photography © Danielle Wood.

Zesty courgette salad with feta and garlic

The following recipes can be quickly assembled at work with the help of Rachel Maylor’s recipe book, Made in the Office: Tasty And Hasty Meals With Just a Kettle, Toaster & Microwave (Frances Lincoln, £12.99). This amazing book is packed with easy-to-make recipes that take delicious. We know that giving up meat can be hard. So that’s why we’ve picked out our favourite meat-free meals from this clever little cookbook which uses only a kettle, microwave and toaster to make your food.

This salad makes the perfect five-minute lunch to whip up in the office.

To make 

In a bowl or mug, mix together the grated garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.Chop the ends off the courgette and using a vegetable peeler, peel once or twice from top to bottom all the way around to remove the skin. Discard this and then peel again on one side from top to bottom to form long, thin ribbons of courgette.

Chop the ends off the courgette and using a vegetable peeler, peel once or twice from top to bottom all the way around to remove the skin. Discard this and then peel again on one side from top to bottom to form long, thin ribbons of courgette.

Keep going to about midway through the courgette and then turn over and repeat the steps on the other side of the courgette. Place the courgette ribbons into the bowl with the lemon and
garlic oil. Sprinkle the chilli fl akes on top.

Sprinkle the chilli flakes on top. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl.

Place a plate over the bowl and give it a shake to toss everything
together. Lastly, crumble over the goats’ cheese, add a pinch of salt and pepper and tuck in.

Vegan chocolate mousse with banana, avocado and honey

Made in a jiffy, this recipe is the perfect chocolatey (and healthy) treat for office snack-time.

Ingredients 

1 ripe banana
½ ripe avocado
1 tbsp almond milk
2 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp honey
a handful of berries
(blueberries, raspberries
or strawberries)
a handful of almonds

To make

Peel the banana and chop it into chunks. Tip the chunks into a bowl and gently mash them with the back of a fork until smooth.

Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into the bowl. Mash as before until smooth.

Pour in the almond milk and whip together. Next add the cacao powder and whip again.

Finally, drizzle in the honey, give it one last stir and top with the
berries and a handful of almonds.

This week’s recipe was a massive hit here at Healthista HQ. Who doesn’t love a sweet treat? The avocado and banana gives this mousse a beautifully smooth consistency, plus the healthy ingredients pack a nutritious punch that leaves us feeling guilt-free after indulging in this chocolatey treat.

Tabbouleh with chickpeas and pomegranate

This delicious and quick-to-make tabbouleh is the epitome of mouth-watering veggie goodness. Pomegranates add a sweet kick.

Ingredients 

¼ mug bulgur wheat

½ vegetable stock cube

1 mug boiling water

salt and pepper

1 large bunch of parsley

1 large bunch of mint

a handful of cherry tomatoes,

quartered

2 tbsp chickpeas

a squeeze of lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

Canned chickpeas can be stored in the fridge for up to two days after opening – use any leftover chickpeas for the Spiced Bulgur Wheat Salad. If you have a freezer at work, freeze your herbs for future use, too – just run them under warm water to defrost.

tabbouleh recipe made in the office, Meat free Monday recipe Tabbouleh from new book Made in the Office by healthista

To make 

First, boil the kettle. Using a sieve, rinse the bulgur wheat in cold water to remove any starchy residue and then pour it into a microwaveable bowl. In a mug, crush half a stock cube with
the back of a fork and fill the mug with boiling water, stirring to dissolve the stock. Pour the stock into the bowl with the bulgur wheat and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cover with a plate and microwave on high for four minutes. Gather the mint and parsley into a large bunch and strip the leaves from the stalks. Dice the leaves and tip them into a bowl along with the tomatoes. Take the bulgur wheat out of the microwave and give it a stir. Set aside for a couple of minutes. Using a sieve, drain the chickpeas from their can and rinse them in cold water. Add two heaped tablespoons of chickpeas to the herbs

Add two heaped tablespoons of chickpeas to the herbs and tomatoes and store the rest in the fridge in a plastic box. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl and add the olive oil and a
pinch of salt and pepper.

Drain any excess water from the bulgur wheat, add it to the bowl of herbs and tomatoes and mix everything together. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and a big dollop of yoghurt.

Made in the Office: Tasty And Hasty Meals With Just a Kettle, Toaster & Microwave. Available to buy here (Frances Lincoln, £12.99).

Read more

8 best vegetarian restaurants in London

9 best tasting vegan chocolate bars with ridiculously pure ingredients

4 vegan dessert recipes you HAVE to try

4 reasons you’re not losing weight on a vegan diet

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