As the scourge of foot and mouth disease among British livestock continues, now may be a good time to make more use of vegetables and transform the way you cook, eat and entertain, writes Hannah Stephenson.

You don't have to turn vegetarian but you can bring vegetables out of the doldrums and give them a new lease of life, says food writer and consultant Celia Brooks Brown.

Inspired by the imaginative vegetarian cuisines of Asia and the Middle East and the current trend towards healthy Mediterranean food, Brooks Brown has come up with some delicious fuss-free recipes to tempt our tastebuds in her latest book, New Vegetarian (Ryland Peters & Small, price £16.99).

Forget boring, overcooked greens because she loads such iron-rich veg with chilli and garlic and also uses exciting ingredients such as coconut and spinach, bok choy, fennel, chick peas and water chestnuts.

"New vegetarian cooking and eating is not about finding substitutes for meat but rather about shifting the focus," she says.

"Instead of the conventional 'meat and two veg', meals without meat should be a varied composition of texture, colour and flavour.

Here is one of her recipes to jazz up a red pepper:

Piedmontese peppers with Gorgonzola polenta

(serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

2 red peppers

2 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters

8 black olives, pitted

1 tbsp capers

2 garlic cloves, sliced

8 basil leaves, torn

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the polenta:

100g polenta

25g butter

50g Gorgonzola cheese, cut into small chunks

Method:

1. Cut each pepper in half lengthways and don't remove the stems. Cut out the seeds and discard. Put the hollowed-out peppers in a roasting tin. Divide the tomatoes, olives and capers between the pepper halves. Tuck in the garlic slices and torn basil and spoon the oil and vinegar over the top. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for 30 minutes or until tender and just blackened around the edges.

2. Meanwhile, to make the polenta, put 500ml water in a heavy-based saucepan, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and sprinkle in the polenta, stirring well with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 15-30 minutes or according to the packet instructions. The polenta should be thick and lump-free.

Add the butter and stir well. Add the Gorgonzola and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a shallow tray or wooden board (dampened with water to prevent sticking) and spread into a 21cm square. Let cool until firm. The polenta can be made several hours ahead or the day before, then cooled and refrigerated until needed.

3. Cut the polenta into four squares, put on a non-stick baking sheet and cook under a very hot grill until the cheese begins to bubble and melt. To serve, transfer the polenta to warmed plates, top with the peppers and serve with rocket leaves.