Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Cooking healthy, meat free meals shouldn't be a hassle. Here is my curation of my favorite foods to prepare. Some are easier than others, but all my recipes are simple! I cook with what is available to me at my local grocery store, farmer's market or from my garden.

When growing herbs and vegetables in my garden, I prefer to go the organic route. This also applies to buying from the store or market. When possible, I buy organic options because I like the quality of the produce better. Sometimes if the organic option is quite expensive or unavailable, I'll default to the inorganic version. But I try to keep in mind the Dirty Dozen when shopping around. These are the items you should opt for organically first since you eat the skin and they typically contain the most harmful pesticides. 

12 Most Contaminated                                   12 Least Contaminated

Peaches                                                                                    Onions

Apples                                                                                       Avocado

Sweet Bell Peppers                                                              Sweet Corn (Frozen)

Celery                                                                                       Pineapples

Nectarines                                                                               Mango

Strawberries                                                                           Asparagus

Cherries                                                                                    Sweet Peas (Frozen)

Pears                                                                                         Kiwi Fruit

Grapes                                                                                      Bananas

Spinach                                                                                    Cabbage

Lettuce                                                                                     Broccoli

Potatoes                                                                                   Papaya

I don't always drink milk, but when I do, I buy organic.

Check out this link for a print out card to carry this list with you on the go!

http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Also, simple ingredient items are best. Take peanut butter for example. A typical jar of Peter Pan is full up of mysterious artificial chemicals and preservatives. Opt for totally natural and sweeten with a touch of honey if needed.

GMO's, the verdict is still out on this one. It sure seems like an unfounded health scare since man has been genetically modifying crops since agriculture began, only now, people are doing so in the laboratory. Perhaps it is a danger. Who can say? To be safe, avoid where convenient, but I wouldn't go out of your way to avoid them just yet. Clementines and sweet corn are two things I can't say no to!

The idea here is to avoid consuming large amounts of pesticides, hormones and additives. If you don't consider these threats, you may be exposing yourself to a larger than healthy dose. If you can avoid where convenient, you can reduce an overexposure to these possible and likely dangers.