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by
Michaela Ryan
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Vegetarian
Lentil Burger
Ingredients
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 green Capsicum (finely chopped)
- 1 grated or diced carrot
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- juice of 1 lemon (or more if desired)
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup of bread crumbs
- flour for coating
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat oil in frying pan. Fry onions,
Capsicum, and carrot for five minutes.
Add lentils, water, salt, and pepper.
Bring to boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Drain. Add
lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Stir in bread crumbs. Mix to a thick
consistency. Form into burgers. Roll
lightly in flour. Fry burgers until
golden brown. Serve with tomato salsa
or your favorite sauce, and green
salad. You can be creative and add
other vegetables like zucchini for
extra taste. A teaspoon of spices
like tumeric or curry powder also
adds extra zest! |
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When
you're living away from home, Mom no longer decides
what meals are on your table. For some, this means
college is the perfect time of life to become
a vegetarian. If that includes you, you need to
know in advance what you'll be able to eat, and
where to get it.
More
and more colleges are starting to offer vegetarian
dining options. Pomona College in Claremont, CA,
for example, offers a vegetarian station in its
dining area to provide for the 20 percent of the
student population who have "gone veggie."
Even better, the University of Albany in New York
has its own all-you-can-eat vegetarian restaurant,
Sweet Potatoes.
The
bad news? Not all schools cater to vegetarians
adequately, says Alfred Kuba, an activist for
animal rights. "Most vegetarians have very
little choice when it comes to food on college
campuses. While some schools are making changes,
the majority are reluctant to offer healthier
vegetarian choices due to the incentives offered
to school districts and universities by the meat,
dairy, and soft drink companies."
Yet sophomore Jessica Rosenkrantz of Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, says she
finds a way -- to her dorm kitchen to be exact.
"Most vegetarians I know shop at the numerous
supermarkets near campus and cook for themselves.
Being in Cambridge/Boston, there are also plenty
of vegetarian-friendly restaurants."
If
your dorm is kitchenless, you may wish to purchase
a small microwave for your room, or a rice cooker
that doubles as a vegetable steamer. Whatever
the tool, make sure you get enough protein and
iron when cooking for yourself to help keep up
your energy levels, say vegetarian-friendly nutritionists,
Any time you're making a pasta sauce or a stir
fry, for instance, add some kidney beans, soy
beans, or chick peas. Spinach and bran flakes
are also high in iron, and eggs and tofu are good
for protein, so remember to put those on your
shopping list, too.
Several
colleges have vegetarian clubs or action groups,
which can be great sources of information when
you're trying to find vegetarian food on and around
campus. Many groups have their own Web sites,
so be sure to do an Internet search in relation
to the colleges that interest you. Also check
out VegWeb.com
for yummy veggie recipes.
In
the meantime, get practicing your cooking skills
with the recipe for vegetarian lentil burgers
(at right).
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