Cook with the veggie bag

www.kuleuven.be/veggiebag
Dear student,

With this small, but delicious cookery book, we would like

to help you experience healthy Belgian cooking. These simple
recipes start from the active food guide pyramid. To limit
our ecological footprint, we have mainly chosen seasonal
and vegetarian recipes. Each recipe is meant for four people.

Additionally, we will provide some extra information on

cholesterol and on vegetarian diets, and include a list with
translations and pictures of vegetables that you can use
as a practical guide when shopping.

We also offer a wide range of fresh, biological, and regional

vegetables and fruit for a fair price. “The Veggie Bag” is
available every Monday during the academic year. You can
choose between four different kinds of surprise packages at
different pick-up spots. You can place your order one week
in advance. Do you want to know more about The Veggie
Bag? Check out our website www.kuleuven.be/veggiebag.

Enjoy your meal!

Student Services KU Leuven

tomato
Content
Eating healthy with the active food guide pyramid p. 2
How to interpret the active food guide pyramid? p. 3
Cholesterol p. 7
In the store cupboard p. 8
Belgian cuisine p. 9
Basic recipes from Belgian cuisine p. 11
The vegetable calendar p. 15
The vegetarian diet p. 33

eggplant
 Eating healthy with the active food
guide pyramid
The active food guide pyramid illustrates which nutrients you need and in which
quantities you need them. It also indicates how much physical activity your body
needs in order to be in good health. The food pyramid can be subdivided into
9 categories: 8 groups for nutrients and 1 group for physical activity. The recom-
mendations are valid for everyone older than six.

www.vigez.be/voeding

2
How to interpret the active food
guide pyramid?
Physical activity
Each day you should have at least 30 minutes of mediocre physical activity.
This doesn’t necessarily mean doing real sport activities. Mediocre physical activity
implies that you start breathing somewhat faster and deeper than you would in a
relaxed condition. This already happens when walking fast, cycling, gardening,
swimming, dancing, … Moreover, it is not necessary to exercise 30 minutes
non-stop. The physical activity can be spread, and performed in different activities
of 10 minutes throughout the day.

Water
It is absolutely necessary to absorb at least 2.5 litres of liquid a day. In order to
achieve this, you should drink at least 1.5 litres. The other litre you will extract from
your food. After heavy exercising, e.g. sports or another exhausting physical activity,
you need to drink more. If it is really warm and you are sweating a lot, you also need
to hydrate more.

You can hydrate by drinking water, tea, coffee or broth. The tap water in Leuven is
also perfectly potable. Alcohol contains a lot of calories and should, just like sugary
soft drinks, be used in moderation. They are part of the top of the triangle, i.e. the
‘others’-group.

Cereal products and potatoes

Bread, cereal, rice, pasta, and potatoes provide complex carbohydrates. Carbohy-
drates are our most important source of energy. 55% of all energy our bodies need
(in order to make cells, muscles, and organs function) is supposed to be delivered
by carbohydrates. An excess, however, will be converted into fat.

3
 potato
It is healthier to extract carbohy-
drates from grain, fruit, vegetables,
and dairy products than from
concentrated products such as
sugar (contains simple carbohy-
drates) and sugary food, also
referred to as ‘empty calories’.
They do provide energy, but no
vitamins, minerals, and fibres. They are also an important cause of dental caries.

Cereal products and potatoes, on the other hand, do contain dietary fibres, vitamins
and minerals. It is best to eat a lot of high-fibre products such as whole-wheat
bread and pasta, brown rice, etc. These products can also loosen the bowels.
How much cereal products and potatoes you need depends on your level of physical
activity, but it ranges from a daily serving of 5 to 12 slices of brown bread, and 3 to
5 pieces of cooked potatoes.

Vegetables
Vegetables contain complex and simple carbohydrates, vitamins (A, C, folic acid),
minerals (iron, magnesium), and dietary fibres. It is important to create sufficient
diversity in your eating pattern in order to get all the different nutrients. Each day
you should eat at least 300g (10½oz) of vegetables. This is easy to accomplish if
you eat vegetables with every meal. For a hot meal, you should have 200g (or 7oz)
after preparing the food, or 250g (or 9oz) uncooked. With a cold meal, you should
have about a 100g (or 3½oz) of uncooked vegetables as a side (e.g. tomatoes) or
have vegetables as a snack between meals.

lettuce
4
Fruit
Here too diversity is best. By preference, choose fresh fruit (instead of canned or
dried fruit)! In a healthy eating pattern at least 2 servings a day are necessary.

Attention: take into account that not all fruit is low in calories, e.g. bananas
and dried fruit.

Dairy products and calcium fortified soy products

Dairy products provide calcium (milk is the most important source of calcium!),
proteins, and vitamins. By preference, use skimmed milk or semi-skimmed products.

Calcium is essential for the construction and preservation of strong bones. In order
to satisfy your calcium need, you need at least 3 to 4 glasses of milk (or derived
products, such as yoghurt, buttermilk, calcium fortified soy milk, etc.) and 1 to 2 slices
of cheese a day.

Meat, fish, eggs, and subsitutes (soy, pulses, and nuts)

They contain proteins, vitamins (B), and minerals (iron, zinc). By preference, choose
lean meat, chicken (without the skin), fish, pulses, and diversity! Roast, steam or
boil your food without using additional fat, rather than frying it in a pan. 100 grams
(3½oz) a day is sufficient.

Meat and meat products also contain fat, and even mainly saturated fats. Fish, on
the other hand, is a good source of polyunsaturated fats. For that reason, it is best
to put fish on the menu once or twice a week. Vegetable-based products do not
contain any vitamin B12 and are not as good a source of iron, so you should take
this into account.

Proteins primarily function as building material. There are two kinds of proteins:
animal protein (to be found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy) and vegetable protein
(to be found in cereal products, potatoes, pulses, soy derived products such as
tofu and tempeh, wheat gluten derived products such as seitan, nuts, and seeds).

Proteins are used for building and restoring fibres (muscles and organs) and are
necessary for your immune system.

The need for protein depends on factors such as age, gender, health condition,
and activity level.

5
 marrowfat
peas

Proteins consist of amino acids. In total, there are about 20 amino acids. Eight of these,
the essential amino acids, cannot be produced by the human body itself, but must
be extracted from food. Proteins containing these essential amino acids are called
proteins with a high biological value or complete proteins. Animal protein and soy
can both provide complete proteins. Proteins are supposed to deliver about 10 to
15% of our energy.

Margarine, butter, and cooking fat

These provide essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), and energy.
A maximum of 30% of our energy should be extracted from fat. Because fat is
already present in many other food products from the other groups, you only need
a pinch of margarine or butter on a sandwich and one tablespoon of cooking fat
per person for a hot meal. Try to use unsaturated fats (olive, sunflower, maize/corn,
peanut, or soy oil) rather than saturated fats (in meat, butter, whole milk products,
palm or coconut oil). Fats that contain a lot of unsaturated fats can be recognized
as follows: when you take them out of the fridge, they are immediately soft and
easy to spread.

Others
Sugar, candy, sweet sandwich spreads, spices, soft drinks and alcohol usually only
contain calories, and no essential nutrients. Therefore, they are not needed for a
balanced eating pattern. They are also called ‘empty calories’. Thus, in the active
food guide pyramid, they are presented as ‘floating’. Try to keep their share in your
eating pattern as small as possible.

6
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is essential for certain processes in the body.
It is part of the cell membrane and is vital in the production of vitamin D, bile and
various hormones (oestrogen and testosterone).

Cholesterol is mainly produced and stored in the liver. There are two kinds of
cholesterol: the so-called ‘good’ cholesterol or HDL-cholesterol and ‘bad’ cholesterol
or LDL-cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol levels are too high, fatty deposits can
build up in the blood vessels and lead to cardiovascular diseases. In contrast,
HDL cholesterol prevents the development of these diseases. Other risk factors
for cardiovascular diseases include high blood pressure, smoking, overweight,
diabetes, lack of physical activity, and family or personal history.

Abnormalities in cholesterol level can be determined by heredity, but can also be

the consequence of unhealthy eating habits, or might be connected to a disease
(e.g. diabetes, an underactive thyroid, …)

Fat consists of three types of fatty acids, i.e. saturated, monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids lead to higher LDL cholesterol
levels in the blood. Monounsaturated fatty acids have a neutral to slight cholesterol-
reducing effect, while polyunsaturated fatty acids lower LDL-cholesterol levels.
Each type of fat contains these three kinds of fatty acids, but in different quantities.
Thus, animal fat is rich of “bad” saturated fatty acids, while vegetable fat contains
high amounts of “good” monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Generally, the harder the fat is when refrigerated, the higher the level of saturated
fatty acids, while the softer it is; the more unsaturated fatty acids it contains.

Practical recommendations
Meat: low-fat, max. 150g/d (5½oz), poultry (e.g. chicken) at least 1x/week
Fish: at least 2x/week
Eggs: max. 3x/week
Dairy products: skimmed or semi-skimmed
Cooking, frying and baking: vegetable oil such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil.
Fruit and vegetables: at least five portions, ideally 7-9 portions a day.

Regular consumption of soy products.

Increased physical activity.

7
 In the store cupboard
• pepper and salt curry powder mix
cumin, Provençal mixed herbs,
• spices and herbs: nutmeg,
cken, beef, lamb
• stock cubes: vegetarian, chi
heating), peanut oil, nut oil
• oils: olive oil (meant for
• flour your favourites!
nut s: cas hew nut s, pin e nut s, walnuts, pistachio nuts, …
•
ts, dates, … your favourites!
• dried fruit: raisins, aprico
• cereal: pasta, rice, couscous , white beans in
ically peeled tomatoes, pineapple
• cans/tins or cartons: biolog
coconut milk, chickpeas
tomato sauce, red kidney beans, naise, mustard,
soy sauce, oyster sauce, mayon
• Sauces: spring roll sauce,
id honey
red wine vinegar, vinegar, liqu
handy as well:
T his fresh supply can come in
y) milk, eggs, butter
• onions, potatoes, garlic, (so der,
on your win dow sill (pour wa ter every day): chive, basil, corian
• in pots
parsley …

Kitchen utensils • 3 cooking pots in 3 differ

ent
• small kitchen knife sizes with a lid
• potato peeler • wok
• whisk • frying pan
• chopping board • kitchen roll
m)
• colander in metal (to stea • baking dish
).
or in plastic (to wash vegetables • oven gloves
• hand blender
• mortar and pestle

8
Belgian cuisine
Throughout time and because of globalisation, our ‘cuisine’ has become more
and more international and many variations have arisen in our eating patterns,
but traditionally Belgians eat three main meals a day: breakfast around 7.30 am,
lunch around 12 pm and dinner around 6 pm.

Although breakfast recently started to include cereals, juice and/or a piece of fruit,
traditionally we eat slices of bread with sweet or savoury filling. We still drink a lot
of coffee, but it can be made in many different ways. In the past, lunch usually took
place at home and, quite often, consisted of a hot meal. Now people frequently eat
a sandwich outside of the house. Most of the time, dinner is a hot meal consisting
of meat, vegetables and potatoes. But Belgian women have become more and
more inspired by international cuisine, and are now also cooking pasta, rice, and a
variety of dishes with exotic kinds of vegetables, fish and meat. Of course, women
are also no longer the only ones using the kitchen either. If you want to enjoy a more
elaborate, fancy dinner, for instance during the weekend, you could start with a
bowl of soup or a starter, and end with a dessert after the main course.

This cookery book offers simple recipes for hot meals.

For Belgians, the potato is what pasta is to Italy and rice is to the East. It is served
with another vegetable, a piece of meat or fish and, possibly, with some kind of
sauce. The easiest and healthiest way to prepare potatoes is by boiling them.

Use 3 to 5 potatoes per person. Peel and wash them, then cut them in
pieces that are more or less the same size. Boil them in salted water for
about 15 minutes until they are cooked. You can check this by sticking
your fork into them. If the fork can go through to the centre, then your
potatoes are done.

There are many ways to prepare potatoes,

but French fries are by far the most popular Belgian
variety. We wouldn’t recommend you to eat this
dish too often though, because it contains quite a
lot of unsaturated fats. French fries are not good
for your weight or your cholesterol!

potato
9
 Try to limit your servings of meat and fish as well, and don’t fry them with too much
additional fat. Usually it is best to add your cooking fat when the frying pan is already
hot, then you seal the meat or fish for a short while after which you lower the
temperature of the stove and let your food cook until it’s done.

Vegetables are priceless in your diet. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals,
and provide endless opportunities for variation: they exist in all kinds of tastes
and varieties. You can use them in soup, quiches, spaghetti sauce, wok dishes,
casseroles or you can simply mash them. You can vary as much as you want!

Suggestion You don’t always have to peel biological vegetables and fruit.
Just rinsing them thoroughly is sufficient. Most nutrients are located right
under the peel anyway!

Vegetables can be cooked in many different ways, the healthiest being boiling,
steaming, or stir-frying them in a wok. The trick is to cut your vegetables in equal-
sized pieces, so they can cook at the same speed.

Boiling is done in boiling water with a pinch of salt. The cooking time depends on
the quantity and the size of the vegetables. Spinach shrinks in no time in just a little
water, but beetroot can take up to an hour. Attention: if you add vegetables to boiling
water, the temperature will decrease. As a consequence, we tend to put the stove
higher in order to make the water boil again. However, don’t forget to lower the
stove as soon as the water is boiling again. Boiling is simmering. You don’t need a
Jacuzzi in your pot that overcooks everything. The vegetables have to be just below
the water level. Vegetables are usually boiled until they are ‘al dente’. That way they
still contain most of their taste and vitamins.

Steaming is done above boiling water. Place your vegetables in a basket which is
then suspended above the salted boiling water or stock and determine the cooking
time on the basis of the size of the pieces. You can also use a steamer, but then
you’d better read the manual first.

To prepare your food in a wok, heat the wok or frying pan, then add some neutral
oil in which you can stir-fry the chopped vegetables, until they are just right.

10
Basic recipes from Belgian cuisine
Soup
2 carrots, 2 leeks or 2 onions, 2 stalks of celery, and, optionally, boiled
potatoes to thicken the soup.
• Heat some cooking fat (oil or butter) in a spacious pot
• Peel, wash and cut the vegetables in pieces of about 2 cm. If you add a large
quantity of another vegetable, then your soup will be named after that vegetable.
• Stew the vegetables in the pot with the lid on.
• Are the vegetables done? Add some warm water until everything is below
water level and make it boil. Add some stock cubes or salt and, definitely,
pepper. You can blend the vegetables, but you don’t have to.

Suggestion The hardest vegetables have to go into the pot first.

You can also shorten the cooking time by cutting the vegetables into
smaller pieces. Green vegetables should be cooked without the lid.

carrots

11
 Quiche
oven, quiche dish, 500g (18oz) mix of vegetables, roll of puff pastry, 2 eggs,
carton of (soy) cream, 150g (5½oz) of grated cheese or soft goat’s cheese,
pepper, salt and nutmeg
• Select a 500g (18oz) mix of vegetables and chop them into pieces of about
2cm (± 1 inch).
• Cook them in the wok with some cooking fat until they are ‘al dente’.
Add spices to your taste.
• Line the quiche dish with the baking parchment paper and the pastry.
• Put your vegetables in it. Season them with pepper, salt and nutmeg.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, the cheese, pepper,
salt and nutmeg. Pour this mixture over the vegetables.
• If you prefer, you can add some nuts or some fried bacon as well.
• Let it bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C.

Suggestion Nuts (pine nuts, cashew nuts …) should be roasted dry in a

warm or even hot frying pan. Keep your attention to it and turn them
around regularly.

Spaghetti sauce (borrowed from Belgians with Italian roots)

olive oil, 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 400g (14oz) of peeled tomatoes
(from a can), herbs (thyme, oregano, basil), pepper and salt
Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil and then add the tomatoes. Let it simmer
until it becomes a sauce. Season to your taste with pepper and salt. This is
the basic sauce and you can use it to make different varieties:
• carrots, zucchinis, eggplants, mushrooms, celery, pepper…
• meat/meat substitutes/fish: bacon, minced meat, quorn, seitan, canned anchovy
• with grated cheese, for instance Gruyère or Parmesan

Suggestion Spices and fresh herbs with firm structures (thyme, curry,…)
are added at the start. Fresh herbs (basil, parsley, chives …) should not be
cooked with the rest of the food, but have to be cut up and mixed through
the sauce afterwards.

12
Mashed potatoes
1kg (2¼lb) potatoes, salt, pepper, 50g (2oz) of butter and/or 1 egg, nutmeg
• Peel, wash and cut 1 kilogram of potatoes up into smaller pieces. Boil them
with a pinch of salt for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are done. Drain them,
let the fluid evaporate, and then mash them together with the egg and the butter.
Season to your taste and combine with:
• some uncooked vegetables: parsley, (water) cress, purslane, rocket, chives,
4 shredded carrots, or fresh, chopped spinach.
• 500g (18oz) boiled or fried vegetables: Jerusalem artichoke, carrots, spinach,
tomato + onion, broccoli, fennel, celeriac, leek, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, ...

Suggestion If you have a gas stove, then only use the kettle for small
amounts of water. However, if you have an electric stove, a kettle is always
more economical.

onion

13
 salsify • sprout • onions • dandelion salad •

January
• pumpkin • leek • turnip • black radish •

cabbage • carrots

bage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • sprout •

December
• mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek •
Wok dish
peanut oil, soy sauce, curry powder, 200g (7oz) cashew nuts, 500g (18oz)
vegetables (e.g. onion, celery, carrot, leek, green peas, mushrooms,
tomatoes, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, zucchini, soy sprouts, fennel),
one cup of basmati rice

Rinse the rice in a colander. Soak the rice for 10 minutes in two cups of water
chicory • white cabbage • carrots

beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage •

potatoes • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip

onions • dandelion salad • chicory • white

turnip • black radish • beetroot • red cab-

potatoes • endive • green celery • celeriac

and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to boil and then bring it back to a gentle
simmer. Keep the lid on the pot until the rice is done.

Roast the nuts dry in a hot pan. Turn them regularly. Wash and chop the different
vegetables you have chosen in pieces of about 2 cm (± 1 inch). Boil the hardest
vegetables (for instance carrots) a little bit beforehand and then drain them.
Heat 3 tablespoons of peanut oil in a wok (or in a pot) and fry everything on high
heat while stirring the vegetables continuously. Add soy sauce, pepper and a
pinch of salt.

Variations: use a little jar of curry sauce, oyster sauce or a combination of

red curry paste with coconut milk instead of soy sauce and curry powder.

Suggestion When preparing food in a wok or when stir-frying food in

general, the food is cooked rather quickly, thus saving quite some energy.
One-pan meals are usually more economical and easier to prepare.

celery

fennel
14
 potatoes • endive • artichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower • broccoli • chinese
cabbage • zucchini • green celery • celeriac • cucumber • kohlrabi • lettuce • corn •
September mushrooms • paprika • pumpkin • leek • princesses • beans • turnip • turnip tops •
radish • black radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • beans • spinach •
cabbage • tomatoes • onions • fennel • potherbs • white cabbage • carrots
potatoes • endive • artichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower • broccoli • chinese
cabbage • zucchini • green celery • celeriac • kohlrabi • lettuce • mushrooms • paprika •
parsnip • pumpkin • leek • princesses • beans • turnip • turnip tops • radish • black
October radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • beans • spinach • cabbage •
sprout • tomatoes • onions • dandelion salad • fennel • chicory • potherbs • white
cabbage • carrots
potatoes • endive • celery • cauliflower • broccoli • chinese cabbage • zucchini • green
November celery • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek • turnip • black radish • beetroot
red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • sprout • onions • dandelion salad • fennel •
chicory • white cabbage • carrots
Vegetable Calendar
potatoes • cauliflower • green celery • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek •
March turnip • radish • black radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • spinach •
sprout • onions • dandelion salad • chicory • white cabbage • carrots

potatoes • endive • cauliflower • green celery • mushrooms • leek • turnip • turnip tops •
radish • beetroot • spinach • onions • chicory
April

endive • asparagus • peas • green celery • kohlrabi • lettuce • mushrooms • leek • turnip •
turnip tops • radish • spinach • cabbage • onions • potherbs • carrots
May
 potatoes • endive • artichoke • asparagus • cauliflower • broccoli • peas • green celery •
June kohlrabi • lettuce • mushrooms • leek • princesses • beans • turnip • radish • Savoy
cabbage • spinach • cabbage • tomatoes • onions • fennel • potherbs • carrots

potatoes • endive • artichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower • broccoli • chinese

cabbage • zucchini • peas • green celery • cucumber • kohlrabi • lettuce • mushrooms •
paprika • leek • princesses • beans • radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage •
July
spinach • cabbage • tomatoes • onions • fennel • potherbs • white cabbage • carrots

potatoes • endive • artichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower • broccoli • chinese

cabbage • zucchini • green celery • celeriac • cucumber • kohlrabi • lettuce • corn •
August mushrooms • paprika • pumpkin • leek • princesses • beans • radish • turnip tops •
beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • spinach • cabbage • tomatoes • onions •
potherbs • white cabbage • carrots
 potatoes • endive • green celery • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek •
December turnip • black radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • sprout •
onions • dandelion salad • chicory • white cabbage • carrots
potatoes • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek • turnip • black radish •
January beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • sprout • onions • dandelion salad •
chicory • white cabbage • carrots
potatoes • green celery • celeriac • mushrooms • parsnip • pumpkin • leek • turnip •
February black radish • beetroot • red cabbage • Savoy cabbage • salsify • sprout • onions •
dandelion salad • chicory • white cabbage • carrots
Jerusalem artichoke
paprika •
leriac • kohlrabi • lettuce • mushrooms •

broccoli • chinese
October
tichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower •

potherbs • white cabbage • carrots

nach •
cabbage • Savoy cabbage • beans • spi-

•
• princesses • beans • turnip • turnip tops

corn •
leriac • cucumber • kohlrabi • lettuce •

broccoli • chinese September

tichoke • eggplant • celery • cauliflower •
parsnip • pumpkin • leek • princesses •

cabbage • zucchini • green celery • ce-

cabbage • tomatoes • onions • fennel •

radish • black radish • beetroot • red

mushrooms • paprika • pumpkin • leek

cabbage • zucchini • green celery • ce-

Casserole
500g vegetables (18oz) (e.g. carrots, parsnip, Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem
artichoke, potatoes, celeriac, turnips, leek, pumpkin, onion, …), 100g (3½oz)
butter, pepper and salt

Wash all vegetables and chop them into pieces of about 4 cm (1½ in). Stew them
potatoes • endive • ar-

potatoes • endive • ar-

for about 20 to 30 minutes with some butter and a lid until they are done. Meanwhile,
season the dish to your taste with pepper and salt.

You might want to add some bacon, sausages, or a piece of fish. For fish,
you’d better check out www.msc.org/where-to-buy/product-finder

Suggestion Keeping the lid on your pan or pot ensures that the heat
remains in your pan instead of evaporating. Cooking with a lid is therefore
much more economical than cooking without a lid.

19
 White sauce
50g (2oz) butter, 50g (2oz) flour, vegetable stock or milk, nutmeg, pepper
and salt

Let the butter melt in a sauce pan, add the flour and let it simmer while stirring
continuously to avoid burning. Then add some of the liquid, little at a time, until it
has been incorporated. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt and let it cook
through. Using vegetable stock instead of milk will make the sauce less thick.

Cauliflower-salad with curry-yoghurt

1 cauliflower, a coffee spoon of curry powder, 2 tablespoons of
mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons of yoghurt
• Cut the cauliflower into florets.
• Boil the cauliflower ‘al dente’ in salted water.
• Mix the yoghurt, curry powder and mayonnaise.
• Add the cauliflower (and a little of its cooking liquid) to the mix and stir.

... Delicious as a side dish with a salad!

cauliflower

20
zucchini

Mushrooms
one package/bag of mushrooms, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, olive oil,
salt, parsley
• Clean the mushrooms without water by brushing off the sand or dirt with a
piece of kitchen roll and cut off the hard bits. Cut every mushroom in four.
• Cut the onion and garlic fine and fry them in olive oil. Add the mushrooms.
• Season with pepper and salt, sprinkle with parsley.

... To make it creamier, add some herb cheese.

Zucchini soup
2 or 3 chopped zucchinis, 1 sliced leek, 1 chopped onion or spring onion,
chopped garlic, (chicken) stock, salt & pepper, and, optionally, 2 table-
spoons of Boursin cheese.
• Fry onion and garlic in olive oil
• Add leek, zucchini, stock cubes and 1 to 2 litres of water (depending on how
much vegetables and stock cubes you have).
• Let it simmer.
• When the vegetables are done, blend everything and add 2 tablespoons of
Boursin if you prefer that.
• Blend and spice to your taste with some pepper and salt.

21
 Fruit shake
1 banana, 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 kiwi… and – depending on your preference –
2 glasses of orange juice.

Cut the fruit and use a hand blender to blend everything with the juice.

Hachis Parmentier (submarine)

500g (18oz) minced meat, 1kg (2¼lb) mashed potatoes, leek some milk,
3 leeks, butter, flour, nutmeg, optionally: some cheese or breadcrumbs,
pepper and salt
• Prepare the mashed potatoes (see above) and add a dash of milk
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Stir-fry the minced meat.
• Clean the leek and slice it, fry it with some butter.
• Prepare the white sauce and add the leek.
• Pour a layer of minced meat in an oven dish. Then add a layer of mashed
potatoes. Finally, add the leek and white sauce.
• Top with cheese or bread crumbs
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until a crust is formed.

There are many variations on this recipe. For instance, give it a try with cauliflower
or applesauce.

leek

22
Celeriac fries
1 celeriac, olive oil, kitchen role
• Chop the celeriac into fries and fry them with some olive oil on moderate heat
until they turn brown.
• Take them out of the pan and let them drain on kitchen roll.
• Season with salt and pepper.

celeriac

Cold cucumber soup!

2 cucumbers, 1 onion, 1.5 litres of water with stock cubes, salt en pepper,
optional: fresh coriander and mint
• Chop the cucumbers and the onion, then let them simmer
• Add the stock cubes and let everything simmer on low heat for about
20 minutes.
• Season to your taste with pepper and salt. You could also add about
a handful of fresh coriander and mint.
• You might also want to add a dash of milk.
• Let it cool down in the fridge.

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 Kohlrabi
1 kohlrabi
• Just peel it and cut into little sticks, cubes or shred it…
• You can prepare it as a stew, as a wok dish, or as an oven dish covered with
breadcrumbs/cheese in combination with other vegetables

Muesli Turbo
50g (2oz) of your favourite muesli or cereal brand, a piece of fruit from
The Veggie Bag, one cup of orange juice, milk or yoghurt
and mix it! An ideal and quick breakfast!

kohlrabi

24
parsnip
Parsnip-with-apple-soup
2 onions, 2 parsnips, 1 biological cooking apple, (chicken) stock cubes,
cooking fat, pepper, 1.5 litres of hot water, (soy)cream (optional)
• Peel the onion and chop it finely.
• Peel and wash the parsnips, chop them into cubes.
• Wash the apple and chop it. (skin your apple if it is not biological)
• Fry the onion in oil and then add the parsnips and the apple.
• Add 1.5 litres of water and 3 stock cubes, season with pepper.
• Let it cook for about 15 minutes and then blend the soup.
• Before serving, add a dash of (soy) cream.

25
 Pumpkin ragout
500g (18oz) pumpkin cut up into little cubes, 2 shredded onions, 2 cloves of
garlic, 150g (5½oz) chicken breast (or tofu or seitan) cut up into little cubes,
60g (2oz) butter, 40g (1½oz) flour, chicken stock, soy sauce, curry powder
• Boil the pumpkin with little water in a pot with some curry, pepper and salt for
about 10 minutes.
• Fry the onions in half of the butter.
• Fry the chicken breast (or tofu/seitan) in a separate frying pan and add
pepper and salt.
• Melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan and add flour, let it simmer for a bit.
• Add the pumpkin’s cooking liquid to it and stir till you have a thick sauce.
• Then add the chicken and pumpkin to this mixture. Add some extra curry powder.

Suggestion Suggestion To fry meat, start of by heating your frying pan to

a high temperature (180°C) without oil or butter. Pour a few drops of water
in the frying pan until the drops start to jump around. If this happens, you
can add the cooking fat. Once that has melted, add the chicken. Let the
meat seal up on both sides for a few minutes and then lower the heat to
about 90°C. Let it cook for a while (the exact duration depends on the
thickness) and sprinkle with pepper and salt. You can use the frying pan’s
lid, but then you will not have a crunchy crust. It does help to keep the
food warm though.

Leek with chickpeas

50g (2oz) olive oil, 2 leeks, 40g (1½oz) chickpeas (canned), curry powder,
spring roll sauce
• Clean the leek and cut it into small pieces.
• Stew in some olive oil and season with curry powder, pepper and salt.
• Drain the can of chickpeas and let them stew with the leek until both
are cooked.
• Mash everything and add some spring roll sauce to your taste

... Delicious as a vegetarian sandwich filling.

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Winter radish
Kind of an oversized radish
• Shred it and add some lemon juice to keep it fresh. Delicious as a salad on
the side.

Suggestion Winter radish is also very nice with vinaigrette: a mixture of

quality oil with something sour (e.g. aceto balsamico, lemon), pepper and
salt. You can soften it with some honey or cream.

Radish soup
1 bundle of radishes with their leaves, 2 shallots or onions, 1 litre of water
and 2 tablespoons chicken- or vegetable stock, 1 lump of butter, 1 dl
(7 fl. oz) cream
• Slice the radishes. Rinse the leaves well and cut them up roughly.
• Chop the shallots or onions finely.
• Sauté the shallots/onions with the slices of radish and radish leaves in butter
• Add the stock and let everything simmer (for about 15 minutes)
• Blend the soup, sieve it and then add the cream.
• Spice it up with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt

Suggestion “Sauté” means that you fry the onion with a little cooking fat
on medium heat until it becomes soft and glassy.

radish

27
 Beetroot with herring
3 beetroots, 3 fat pickled gherkins, soft curd cheese, mayonnaise, balsamic
vinegar, pickled herring with onion, 2 apples, pepper and salt
• Cut the herring and onion into pieces.
• Add mayonnaise and soft curd cheese (in a proportion of your choice).
• Shred the beetroot and mix it with the mayonnaise-cheese mixture.
• Chop the gherkins and apples.
• Mix everything and season it with balsamic vinegar, pepper & salt
• Let it soak for an hour.

... You can replace the herring with eggs.

beetroot

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 red cabbage
Red cabbage with apples
1 small head of red cabbage, 1 kg (2¼lb) apples, some sugar, cinnamon,
(balsamic) vinegar
• Peel the apples and chop them.
• Stew them with a very small amount of water, a pinch of sugar and cinnamon.
• Cut the red cabbage into thin slices and put it in a pot with hot water.
• Bring it to boil and pour some vinegar or balsamic vinegar over it to prevent it
from changing colour
• When the red cabbage is almost done, drain it and mix it with the stewed apple

… Really nice with sausage and boiled potatoes. Or with pita meat and
pasta. It usually tastes even better the day after you made it.

29
 Fried Brussels sprouts
50g (2oz) butter, 500g (18oz) Brussels sprouts, pepper and salt
• Cut off the rough bottom end of the sprouts and peel off the outer leaves.
• Melt the butter in a pot and fry the sprouts with the lid on for about 15 to
20 minutes until they turn brown.
• Season with pepper and salt.

Swiss chard or endives in the wok (or frying pan)

a bundle of chard or endives, peanut oil, soy sauce or oyster sauce
• Wash the Swiss chard (or endives) and cut it up in pieces of about 3 cm (1 in).
• Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a wok or frying pan.
• Stir-fry the Swiss chard on a high temperature until it is ‘al dente’.
• Add sauce to your personal taste.

Suggestion Never let your wok heat to over 250°C because then it starts
to get unhealthy. Heat your wok beforehand and use a neutral oil that can
withstand high temperatures, such as peanut oil.

Brussels sprouts

30
chicory

Chicory with ham and cheese sauce

8 heads of chicory, 8 slices of cooked ham, 100g (3½oz) grated cheese,
milk, flour, 50g (2oz) of butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper, oven dish
• Prepare the chicory as explained below. (The tarragon is optional) Then let it drain.
• Wrap each piece in a slice of ham and arrange each roll in the oven dish.
• Make a white sauce.
• Mix half the cheese with the white sauce, let it cook for a bit and then pour
the sauce over the rolls.
• Top with the rest of the grated cheese and put in under the grill in the oven.
Don’t stray too far because it might go quickly.

… Absolutely delicious with mashed potatoes. You can vary by using

boiled leeks or celery, or stir-fried chard instead.

Fried chicory with tarragon

chicory, olive oil, pepper and salt, dried tarragon
• Remove all the parts of the chicory that are hard, brown or yellow and cut
each head lengthwise, then remove the hard part on the top. Remove the
outer leaves.
• Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, fry the chicory until it’s almost brown but
still crunchy.
• Season with tarragon, pepper and salt.

31
 Chicory salad
2 heads of chicory, nut oil, soft goat’s cheese, 1 apple or orange,
some walnuts, liquid honey, pepper and salt
• Clean the heads of chicory. Cut the chicory and the apple/orange in
small pieces.
• Add the walnuts and mix it with a spoon of goat’s cheese.
• Drizzle with olive oil and honey.

… Good with toast as a starter or as a meal salad

French toast or lost bread

slices of bread no older than a week, milk and egg, soup bowl, frying pan
and butter
• Let the butter melt in the frying pan. Whisk the egg (or 2 eggs depending
on the number of bread slices) with some milk.
• Sop 2 slices of bread in the egg-milk mix and put them in the frying pan.
Fry them until they have turned brown.

… Delicious with a variety of sweet and savoury spreads, with a tasty

vegetable burger and cooked cereal.

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The vegetarian diet
A vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients human bodies need to function well.

Proteins can be absorbed from:

• Nuts and seeds: hazelnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts …
• Grain and cereals: seitan, starch, wheat germs, unpeeled rice, millet, buckwheat,
oats, rye …
• Pulses: green peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy beans, beans …
• Dairy products and eggs: milk, cheese, yoghurt, free-range eggs …
• Soy and soy derivatives: tofu, tempeh, soya chunks, soy mix, soy milk

Note: soy sprouts are NOT meat substitutes.

It is important to select food products that contain all essential amino acids. That is
only the case in animal protein and in soy. As far as the other protein substitutes are
concerned, it is important to combine and vary different products in order to maintain
a balanced diet.

Vitamine B12 en vitamine D

Vitamine B12 can only be found in animal products. Make sure you absorb enough
of it through dairy products and eggs. Vitamin D cannot be found in vegetables or
fruit. This vitamin is made in our skin under the influence of sunlight (you need at
least 15 minutes of sunlight a day).

Calcium and iron

The main source of calcium is milk, but it can also be found in tofu, kale, Chinese
cabbage, calcium fortified soy milk … Some good sources of iron are: broccoli,
cauliflower, pumpkin, tomatoes and citrus fruit; mediocre sources of iron are:
potatoes, carrots, pineapple, and flour (without brans). Vegetarians do not
necessarily have more problems with iron shortages than non-vegetarians.

33
 Student Services Student Services
Medical Centre Advisors residential culture,
Van Dalecollege 80 mobility and environment
3000 LEUVEN De Waag
Belgium Studentenwijk Arenberg 10 box 5426
3001 HEVERLEE, Belgium

in association with
Questions, remarks, or suggestions are (more than) welcome!

Please contact:
nikkie.melis@dsv.kuleuven.be (recipes and sustainable food)
mcs@dsv.kuleuven.be (healthy eating habits)
www.kuleuven.be/veggiebag

v.u.: Jan Devriendt, Naamsestraat 80, 3000 Leuven

www.kuleuven.be/veggiebag