A vegetarian since 2014, celebrity sports coach Lucile Woodward gives her advice on how to replace meat when following a vegetarian diet. Author of two ebook recipes veggie *, she advises especially to listen to each other, to understand how his body works and to follow his desires. For her, no need for "weird and untraceable seeds" to eat well vegetarian. A simple hook through the local supermarket or neighborhood grocery store is enough to find everything our body needs.

Replace the meat with ... vegetables!

When we stop eating meat, the first concern is the possible shortcomings that can result: how to bring enough protein to the body without meat? Lucile Woodward reassures: you can find all the necessary nutrients elsewhere than in foods of animal origin.

And for those who would like to give up the consumption of meat , she has a piece of advice: "go gradually, I took 3 years to stop the meat completely". If, during the transition, the desire for a steak is too urgent, there is no harm in savoring one of quality; there is no point in getting frustrated.

The rest of the time, it's about finding the right combinations of foods to replace the meat. For Lucile Woodward, no soy or tofu, but too often forgotten vegetables or vegetable proteins .

Cereals, corn and legumes: full of vegetable protein

For a balanced diet, humans need 65% of carbohydrates (starchy foods, vegetables, fruits), 25% of lipids (vegetable fats) and 10 to 12% of proteins (plant or animal). Let's face it, the body does not need protein so much and the vegetarian diet has little chance of starving a body that receives a balanced diet.

Lucile Woodward therefore recommends turning to vegetable proteins, found in whole grains , corn, oats, buckwheat and in legumes: lentils, chickpeas, etc.

"Legumes were used a lot before the Second World War, especially beans," she says. The idea is to turn to these old vegetables. "They are very rich in plant fibers and minerals and so we are more easily satiated".

How to enjoy a vegetarian burger?

The burger contains, in essence, a beef steak. How to replace the meat in this dish so appreciated? Lucile Woodward manages to bluff her children with a homemade vegetarian steak , which she prepares in advance and freezes.

To do this, she mixes, without boiling, cooked lentils and rice, cut red onions and spices that she then shapes into a puck. With all the usual ingredients - except meat - that make up a burger, diners do not realize anything.

How to survive a barbecue when you are a vegetarian?

It is often the plight of vegetarians: the barbecue. For a convivial and satisfying meal, Lucile Woodward advises to simmer a quinoa taboule very consistent and prepare vegetables to grill on the barbecue: aubergines, peppers, zucchini ... cut into thin slices and cooked in oil. olive. What to salivate even those who are not vegetarians!

Tofu and soy, the best-known substitute foods

If Lucile Woodward does not particularly like them, we must recognize their success. Tofu, with its dense consistency, can recall the egg or chicken.

As for soy, it can be consumed in the form of steak, minced, sausage ... Nevertheless, controversial, it is better to choose organic and consume in small quantities.

Stuffed cabbage: Lucile Woodward's vegetarian feast recipe

Ingredients: 1 large cabbage, 3 apples (but not Golden), 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion, 5-6 beautiful Paris mushrooms, 300 grams of chestnuts (vacuum or in jar), olive oil, salt, pepper

Preparation:

• On a cutting board, slice the onion very finely, the mushrooms of Paris, celery stalks. Slowly crush the chestnuts. Peel the apples and cut them into small cubes.
• In a large wok, sauté all these fruits and vegetables. Together. Over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Salt, pepper to taste.
• Then mix everything in a blender. Very briefly. 2-3 pulses max. The idea is to make a consistency quite compact, but not puree.
• Select the 8 most beautiful leaves of your cabbage. Generally the first ones are a little too hard and sometimes damaged. Prune them with a knife by cutting them at the base.
• In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the cabbage leaves for 10 minutes. Personally, I do it with steam, because this cooking makes it possible better to preserve the vitamins and the minerals of the cabbage. But it is necessary that the tank is big enough, not to fold or break the leaves.
• Then, put 2 tablespoons of vegetarian stuffing in a cabbage leaf that has become soft thanks to cooking with water. Fold it in 4. With a wooden skewer, close your cabbage leaf well (like a hair slide). Repeat as many times as you like. You should have at least 6-8 cabbage leaves.
• You can keep these stuffed cabbage leaves without cooking for 2/3 hours without problems in the fridge. And do not return them until serving. It's good to know !

Cooking:

• In a large saucepan, cook stuffed cabbage for 10 minutes (2 x 3 minutes per side) over low heat.
• (You can also roast in the oven at 180 ° C for 10-15 minutes, but in this case, sprinkle with a vegetarian broth and olive oil to avoid drying the whole.)
• Serve with a crushed potato and parsnip.

* Healthy Veggie Rock'n'Roll , 31 healthy and vegetarian recipes, released in October 2016 and Healthy Veggie Christmas , released in December 2016, available on lucilewoodward.com .