I am a vegetarian and a very picky eater who does not like to cook. I would live on salad if I could stock all the ingredients at Souper Salad! However, I know I need to incorporate more foods in my diet. How can I go about finding quick, easy, lowfat recipes that are balanced

Don’t worry too much about "balanced" recipes. The idea is to have a diet that is balanced—which simply means a diet that meets all nutrient needs and isn’t excessive in fat or protein. So the key is to eat healthful meals throughout the day that contribute to that goal. But each meal doesn’t necessarily have to be balanced in any particular way. Also, if you stick to a vegan eating plan, there is no real reason to seek out low-fat recipes. When the fat in your diet comes from plant foods, a moderate intake is fine. Finally, if you don’t enjoy cooking, then I think you should forget about recipes and concentrate on healthful convenience foods and meals that don’t require any special cooking steps. In fact, we do a disservice to people by inundating them with vegan recipes. Most people don’t have the time to follow a recipe for every meal; they simply need some ideas on what to eat.

For example, a baked potato, canned vegetarian baked beans, and some steamed vegetables or a salad is a great vegetarian meal that doesn’t require any recipes and doesn’t require much in the way of cooking skill either. Likewise, most people can boil up some spaghetti and top it with a jar of spaghetti sauce. And don’t get too locked in to rules about what constitutes a real meal. A bowl of cereal with soymilk and fruit is a perfectly good dinner. A baked potato and salad is a great breakfast. If you check out the nearest natural foods store you should be able to find a number of products that will help you to prepare meals fast. Here are some ideas for meals that will keep you out of the kitchen and still eating healthfully:

Breakfast ideas

• Instant oatmeal with fruit
• Cereal with fruit and soy or rice milk
• Veggie burger on toast
• Peanut butter or almond butter on toast
• Fruit with soy yogurt

Sandwiches (for lunch or dinner)

• Hummus (buy it ready-made or buy a mix to which you just add water)
• Peanut butter and sliced apples
• Soycheese with sliced apples or tomatoes and vegan mayonnaise
• Veggie slices (like cold cuts, but vegetarian)

Dinner ideas:

• Spaghetti with sauce from a jar
• Beans and rice: Sauté some onions and add a can of beans (black, small red, or any kind you like). Stir in a can of stewed tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. Skip the sautéed onions if this is too much trouble and add some dehydrated onions which you can usually find where bulk herbs are sold.
• Soup (use canned soup like lentil or black bean; read the label to make sure it’s vegan), with whole grain bread and a salad.
• Vegetarian hotdogs or veggie burgers; serve them with boiled potatoes or frozen French fries and steamed vegetables.
• Fast pasta and veggies: Boil the pasta. Sauté frozen vegetables (like broccoli, snow peas, and cauliflower) in olive oil. Toss it all together and top with sliced almonds and a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan-style cheese.

Snacks:

• Trail mix
• Nuts
• Granola bars
• Sorbet