Are you tired of eating turkey sandwiches for lunch?  If your are anything like many of my nutrition clients, you are looking for simple meal ideas that are healthy, yet taste good!

I just tried a recipe that may be a solution to your deli-meat doldrums.  Edamame Pate' Sandwiches are a simple, nutritious, and easy way to change up your lunch routine.  Simply blend up the ingredients and store for the coming week.  Then dollop on whole grain bread, tortillas, pita, or crackers.  It's a great vegetarian swap for chicken salad. 

The edamame and walnuts are excellent sources of fiber, protein, and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.  Enjoy!  I did. :)

Edamame Pate' Sandwiches (courtesy of Vegetarian Times*)

1 1/4 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (You can buy frozen, shelled edamame at any grocery store.  I have bought it locally at Trader Joe's and Market Basket.  Simply run under cold water to quickly thaw.)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup mint leaves (packed)
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbs. lemon juice (I recommend fresh, and with lemons .33 a piece, why not?)
3 Tbs. water

Puree the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped.

Add lemon juice and water then process until smooth.

Eat with any whole grain of your choosing and make it tasty with toppings of your choice.  Consider arugula, avocado, roasted peppers, tomato, cucumber, and goat cheese.

I ate mine rolled in a whole wheat tortilla with arugula, roasted peppers, and cucumber. MMMmmmm.

*For more simple, nutritious, seasonal, and scrumptious recipes consider subscribing to Vegetarian Times.

*If you are looking for other ideas for your frozen edamame, check this old blog post.

I live in Cambridge and have found myself surrounded with friends that follow a vegetarian/vegan diet.  Their rationale for doing so varies from person to person: health benefits, decrease damage to the environment, reduce animal suffering, etc. 

While I don't follow a strict vegetarian lifestyle, I am a huge advocate of replacing some of your animal-based food choices with plant-based ones.  Eating a largely plant-based diet is associated with huge health benefits in the prevention of developing many chronic diseases as well as increasing the nutritional quality of your diet. 

The Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group is an excellent resource if you are interested in articles, research, websites, books, and cookbooks on the topic of vegetarian eating.

If you are interested in eating more plant-based meals, but don't know where to start, the Meatless Mondays website is a great place to go.  The rationale behind the website is that by going meatless once a week, we can radically improve our health and health of the planet.  Check it out.

A couple of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks include:

• Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers
• Vegan with a Vengeance & Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Here is one of my favorite recipes that I've made lately, courtesy of Veganomicon.  I made it last week and served it on a whole grain bun and couldn't wait to eat the leftovers.  Delicious!

Snobby Joes

prep time: | cooking time: 35 minutes start to finish | makes 4 to 6 sammiches

From Veganomicon. Every vegan cookbook needs a sloppy joe recipe with the name changed around a bit, right? Well, this is ours. Those sloppy joes we loved as a child but made with lentils. Snobby Joe thinks he's better than all the other Joes because he doesn't have any meat.


Equipment:
Just a pot or two

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (wet mustard)

4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns

Directions
Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.

Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.

Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can't wait. I like to serve these open faced, with a scoop of snobby joe on each slice of the bun.

Save the Date!  Boston's 14th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival has expanded to two days.

When: Saturday, October 31st from 10-6 & Sunday, November 1st from 10-4
Where: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St in Boston, easily accessible by public transporation
Why: Enjoy delicious/free food while learning about how to incorporate healthy vegetarian living into your life.  Plus IT'S FREE!!!

Here is a run down of the festivities:

• 120 exciting exhibitors
• free food sampling!
• grocery and natural foods store exhibits
• food producers and new products
• cooking demonstrations by noted chefs
• book and cookbook publishers and authors
• top national speakers
• educational exhibits on protecting animals and the environment
• Festival discounted shopping
• registered dietitian consultants
• children's activities
• restaurants
• exhibitors of products and services which support a vegetarian way of life
• free parking and a subway stop across the street

Here is a link to the speakers and cooking demo schedule.

In honor of the upcoming festival, I'll post some of my favorite vegetarian recipes for you to try.

Below is some basic information on Farmers' Markets in Cambridge.  I thought this blog posting may be helpful to my friends and clients in the area.  If you don't live near me, perhaps this may inspire you to check out a farmers' market in your neck of the woods!  Summer is a great time for fresh and local produce, so stock up and enjoy.  Be sure to check out my Farmers' Market Quesadillas below.

Monday:
Central Square
11:30-6:00

Tuesday
Harvard, near Sanders Theatre
12:30-6:00

Wednesday
None

Thursday
Kendall Square
11:00-2:00 (along with a jazz concert series every Thursday at 12:00)

Friday
Charles Hotel in Harvard Square
12:00-6:00

Saturday
Cambridgeport
10:00-2:00

Sunday
Charles Hotel in Harvard Square
10:00-3:00

Here's a link to a web page with more specific details such as address, email address, dates, and times.  And more good news, every farmers' market in Cambridge accepts WIC coupons.  Awesome.

Farmers' Market Quesadillas

Ingredients
Assortment of fresh veggies: squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, etc., sliced
Olive Oil
Cooking spray
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Whole wheat tortillas

Directions
1.) Add a bit of olive oil to your non-stick skillet and add your favorite spices and seasonings (think garlic, crushed red pepper, cumin, black pepper, etc.).  Let heat on medium heat for less than a minute.
2.) Throw in your sliced veggies and cook until just tender, around 7 minutes or less.  Remove the veggies from pan and set aside.
3.) Coat the same pan with cooking spray and add one tortilla to your pan.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on your tortilla and fill half the tortilla with your cooked veggies.  Fold in half and cook until both sides are golden brown.
4.) Serve with your favorite salsa, green salad, and sliced summer fruit.  Enjoy!