by Gauri Trivedi

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2012

Eating habits are hard to change. For people who are absolute meat eaters, it is hard to enjoy a meal which does not have the desired form of protein. If you are one of those meat lovers, it may be hard to please you with just a bunch of veggies. But if you are open minded enough, there are a couple of vegetarian dishes that may find a place in your hear and stomach in no time!

1) Cheesy baked vegetables

This one is hard to resist even for people on a diet, forget meat lovers!

Ingredients

Fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced

Bell pepper diced (green, yellow, red or orange, any color will do)

Spinach chopped (if frozen than thawed)

Ricotta cheese small bowl

Cheddar and mozzarella cheese grated, 2 cups

Red wine vinegar 3 spoonfuls

Olive oil 1 spoon

Italian seasoning

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

Red chili flakes

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and toss the mushrooms and bell peppers in. Cook on high flame for 2 minutes and mix in the spinach. Add the red wine vinegar and all other seasonings. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes at medium flame. By this time the liquid will evaporate and leave its flavor in the veggies.

Pre heat the oven to 350 F. grease a baking pan and layer the vegetables. Add ricotta cheese and mix well. Top this with the remaining cheeses and bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes till a golden brown crust appears.

Serve these delicious cheesy vegetables with garlic bread for a sumptuous meal.

2) Vegetable rice with Indian spices

This rice has an aroma which starts floating even before the dish is cooked.

Ingredients

Cooked basmati rice 2 cups

Diced vegetables of your choice (carrots, cauliflower, peas, potato, pepper, French beans, tomatoes, etc.) 1 cup

Pulav masala 2 spoons

Bay leaf 1

Cumin seeds 1 spoon

Turmeric powder half a spoon

Vegetable oil 1 spoon

Butter 1 spoon

Preparation

Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Once they start cracking, add the diced vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook till they are done. Add turmeric powder, pulav masala, rice and mix well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes and add a spoonful of butter. Turn the heat off and let the rice simmer in the butter. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Vegetable pulau is a complete meal in itself. Serve it with a side of yogurt or salad and the meal only gets better.

Meat lovers may not find the idea of a plate ful of veggies very appealing but these vegetarian dishes are colorful, tasteful and make delicious eats. What they lack in meat, they more than cover up in flavor.

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