Living a Good Life Cookbook
Living A Good Life: To Be a Vegetarian in New Zealand
Compiled and edited by Pam Bidwell, published by the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Vegetarian Society
You might not think of Living a Good Life as a resource for recipes, but think again. Some of my family’s favourite recipes come from this book, so I’ve decided they must be shared in this column!
Living a Good Life (published in 2002), begins with a comprehensive overview on the nutritional aspects of vegetarianism. There are five nutrition chapters, covering all stages of the life cycle. Health benefits as well as advice on planning healthy vegetarian diets are included.
The book then moves onto the life stories of a range of vegetarians. From young teens to senior citizens, their stories are inspiring and give a great insight on life as a vegetarian in many different situations.
These recipes come from the interviewees:
Enchanted Button Mushrooms
Seasonings
5TB sweet and sour sauce (pre-pared or using tomato sauce, chilli sauce, lemon sauce and sugar to taste)
1TB chilli sauce
Sesame oil to taste
Method
• Coat the mushrooms with corn starch.
• Deep fry until golden brown. Drain and set aside to cool down. Then deep fry a second time.
• Heat the wok, stir fry the seasonings and the rest of the ingredients (except the sesame seed). Then add in the mushroom and immediately extinguish the fire.
• Add a few drops of sesame seed and serve.
Tara’s Vegetable Bake
Potato, kumara, pumpkin, carrots, parsnips, swede, mushrooms, 1 can of chickpeas, olive oil, sesame seeds, yeast flakes, salt and garlic
• cut the vegetables up into cubes
• drain the chickpeas
• put them into the hot olive oil in a roasting dish in the oven
• add in yeast flakes, sesame seeds, salt and garlic cloves
• slowly roast
Nicky’s Lentil Dhal
1 cup red lentils
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
3 cups water
3 Tbs margarine
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 Tbs lemon juice
• wash the lentils and drain thoroughly
• melt the margarine in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute over a gentle heat until the onion is soft
• add all the spices and salt and saute for 1 or 2 minutes
• now add the washed and drained lentils, the lemon juice and the water
• bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes
• stir regularly and add extra water if necessary
• can be served on rice or with chapatis
Sometimes I throw in some grated carrot or finely chopped broccoli when I add the lentils, just so I can sneak some extra vegetables in. I often soak the lentils in the morning (in the stated 3 cups of water), if I think of it. Although this is not necessary, it has the benefit of boosting the lentils vitamin and mineral content plus reducing cooking time. When it’s time to put the lentils into the dhal, I just tip the soaked lentils in, water and all.