Offbeat Meals Give Vegetarians New Choices

Let’s say you’re a college student on a tight budget, and you’re committed to a vegetarian lifestyle. What are you going to eat today?

Caroline Pyevich likes to cook a huge pot of popcorn and then dump a whole jar of spaghetti sauce on top. Then she digs right in. The drawback, unfortunately, is that the sauce deflates the popcorn.

Another treat she enjoys is popcorn mixed with vegetarianstyle refried beans.

Pyevich, who goes to college in Illinois and wrote an article titled “Veggie Viewpoint: Eating At College” for Vegetarian Journal, has many creative ideas for meatless meals.

Oat and wheat cereals can be dinner; add ketchup or mustard, and serve. Make grits and add jelly. Grate carrots and combine with tomatoes for a great sandwich combination.

Sometimes Pyevich buys pretzels and mixes them with beans. In winter, she cooks fruit in the microwave. Coring an apple or pear, Pyevich heats the fruit until it’s soft and warm. Then she eats the fruit and drinks the juice that gathers at the bottom of the dish. She also likes to saute fruit and add walnuts or peanuts.

Spaghetti and pasta are favorites. Spaghetti sauce is also good over rice, Pyevich says, especially wild rice.

The vegetarians in your household will welcome these “sausages” made from beans and sage. Serve them with pasta or, if you like, a bowl of popcorn with spaghetti sauce.

White Bean Sausages

From “Company’s Coming, Meatless Cooking” by Jean Pare (Company’s Coming Publishing, 1997).

1 (19-ounce) can white beans, drained

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon oil

Mash beans on large plate with fork.

Beat egg in bowl. Mix in sage, salt and pepper. Add bread crumbs. Stir. Add beans. Mix well. Add a bit of milk if needed, just so mixture can be shaped. Shape into sausage rolls, using about 2 tablespoons for each.

Heat cooking oil in frying pan. Brown sausages well on all sides. Add more cooking oil as needed.

Yield: 18 sausages.

Nutrition information per sausage: 69 calories, 1.5 grams fat (20 percent fat calories), 3 grams fat, 1 gram fiber.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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