Delicious vegetarian recipes are healthy and easy to prepare.

When we review the testimonies of nutrition specialists, the evidence becomes clear. In his book Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, director of the Nutritional Research Foundation, affirms “a vegetarian diet is essentially healthy because it avoids animal fat and increases the intake of fiber and antioxidants”.

How can we put this in practical terms? First, the green kitchen, along with a daily physical exercise routine helps us maintain the ideal weight and tone. In addition to providing the body with an ample supply of energy, vegetables are also our allies in the prevention of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension or bad cholesterol, which results in a longer, healthier, and more productive life. One interesting observation: the residents of Okinawa, Japan, who follow an ancestral diet based on fruits, vegetables, and soy, are the most longevous people on the planet.

A vegetarian diet is rich in fiber and antioxidants.

If this is not enough to encourage you to join the club of the “veggie-sybarites”, we are going to recommend two delightful vegetarian dishes, which can be enjoyed in the comfort of home as if you were dining at innovative vegetarian restaurants such as Hangawi in New York City or the incomparable Grenier de Notre Dame in the Ville-Lumière.

Eggplant paté is an easy to prepare first-course that only takes an eggplant, two garlic cloves, two spoonfuls of low-fat peanut butter, and two spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of lemon juice, cumin, salt, and thyme. The preparation is very simple: roast the eggplant and, once ready, peel it and mix it with the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Of course, you can also puree everything in the blender. Serve it with whole wheat pita bread and garnish with parsley.

As a main dish, we suggest you substitute ground meat with chopped vegetables. For this recipe, you will need only two green plantains sans the end tips and a medium sweet chili pepper. For a delicious seasoning, use two spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil, two of salt, two of brown sugar, two of butter and four garlic cloves. Boil the plantains in salted water until the skin begins to come off. Let them cool and cut them into thin slices (including the peel!). Sautee the rest of the ingredients and finally cover the plantains with the mixture. Let it stand for a few minutes. Serve with brown rice, Caribbean style, or corn tortillas for a Mexican touch.  ■