To vegetarians here..

[IRemember]

What do you normally eat? What does your weekly menu look like? I became a vegetarian 6 months ago, for ethical reasons, but I haven't been able to follow a healthy diet. I eat too much pasta and fries, haha. But I don't want to just eat salads either. If you could post some recommendations, that would be greatly appreciated!

[crim son]

1. I'm not a vegetarian but I eat about four non-meat meals a week.

There is so much more to do with vegetables than just make salads. Try a veggie pizza. Stir fry vegetables, make a casserole, substitute chunky vegetables for meat in lasagne or spaghetti. I use textured vegetable protein to make chilis and tacos. There are endless ethnic foods that are based on vegetables and with the right seasoning you won't miss the meat a bit. On the other hand if you eat only potatoes, fries and salad, yer gonna die. :P

[mdmc]

2. I am in the same boat

I eat a lot of vegan chili, eggplant, salad, and pasta.
They make soy everything now (turkey, hotdogs, you name it). So I eat some soy..

Eggplant has really been key for me.
Rice and black beans (with cheddar cheese, if that is cool).
I also like veggie dumplings with soy sauce.
Broccoli or snap peas in black bean sauce.

Coffee..
chocolate..

[Gregorian]

7. Eggplant is a challenge.

One of these days I want to get that one under control. I saw something recently that mentioned soaking in water, or some such thing. I love eggplant. It just ends up being like eating sponge too often.

[t0dd]

10. Eggplant parmesan is delicious.

I slice the eggplant, soak the pieces in olive oil, cover it with bread crumbs, and bake it. After awhile, I combine the slices with marinara sauce and top it with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and basil. Then I bake that an additional amount of time. Always turns out great!

[Gregorian]

12. Yogurt goes well with it too.

I'm getting an indoor charbroiler soon, and can't wait to start grilling veggies.

[mdmc]

13. do you boil the eggplant first?

Sounds delicious and we need to know !

[t0dd]

14. No, I don't boil them, but I briefly soak the slices after I peel them.

I think the important part is finding an eggplant that is really ripe. Here is a good guide for determining that: http://www.ehow.com/how_5133880_determine-eggplant-ripe.html

[mdmc]

32. thanks for the link and info..

peace and low stress..

[a la izquierda]

116. You don't have to peel them either.

Eggplant skin is good..

[paulsby]

20. i agree

i'm an omnivore (love meat. eat it frequently), but also love eggplant. and for those who don't eat meat, eggplant offers a nice choice because it's got that kind of meaty satisfying texture thang going.

[mdmc]

11. To be honest, I only eat gourmet eggplant

we have a couple great delis around here that make excellent eggplant. It really is to die for. And when it is mixed with either homemade pasta or on fresh bread..well..it is awesome..

I still havent found out how to make it like the deli makes it.

I also like squash and zucchini. These I can cook myself. I love them on the grill along with soy chicken patties..

[Gregorian]

22. I love this thread. I need to get back to the food forum here.

I've got an indoor charbroiler on the way. I can't wait to start grilling veggies.

I'm only happy if I can make it myself. But it's not always possible. I cannot duplicate recipes my grandmother used to make.

[leftyclimber]

17. Salt it, don't soak it.

Cut up your eggplant, stick it in a colander, and toss some kosher salt in with it. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then rinse it off and pat it dry. It'll suck the moisture out and get rid of that spongy texture.

One of the easiest things to do with eggplant is ratatouille, for which there are approximately one skabillion recipes on the internet. I'm not a measurer when I cook, but here's what I do:

- cut up/salt an eggplant (as described above)
- saute up a chopped onion and some diced garlic in olive oil until soft
- add the eggplant and a cut-up zucchini
- saute those with the onion and garlic until they're about al dente
- add a big can of crushed tomatoes and about a tablespoon or so of basil (I use the pre-chopped in a tube stuff because I'm lazy)
- bring to a boil, then take down to low heat and let stew until everything's soft
- add salt and pepper to taste.

If you like, you can add diced tofu (really good if you crisp it up first, but works just as well just thrown in there). I like to serve it over couscous but it's also good over brown rice or polenta. If you salt the eggplant then start your prep for everything else it should be ready to rinse/dry about the time it needs to go into the pot, so it's not that much of a time suck, relatively speaking.

Edit for egregious grammatical error

[Gregorian]

25. Great! I'm putting eggplant on my groceries list.

I'm pretty stoked right now. I just got my Viking rangetop yesterday. And I've got a 30 inch indoor charboiler on the way. Unfortunately I don't have a house to put them in for about a year. So I'll be using them on sawhorses in my shop until then.

Good food is about the best thing in life.

[JackintheGreen]

19. After peeling and slicing (1/4" please)

salt the slices liberally and leave them somewhere to drain for at least 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Rinse. And I'll say it again, because to forget means to regret:

RINSE!

then cook (fry in olive oil, broil, whatev....)

Works like a charm for me every time.

[Gregorian]

26. Alright. The eggplant (or as they say in Brittain auberge) secret is no longer a secret.

Now all I need is a kitchen.

Why don't we just change this place to Food Underground! It would be a lot more fun. :)

[tammywammy]

27. As others mentioned, salting eggplant is the key

One of my favorite easiest eggplant recipes is to slice it up in about 1/2" slices. Places on a baking sheet greased with a little olive oil. Then top with a slice of tomato, some thawed frozen chopped spinach, top with cheese (any combo you like) and sprinkle a little generic "Italian seasoning" on top of that. Bake at 350 for about 20 - 25 min.

I've also done this more casserole style, dicing the eggplant and tomato, topping with spinach, cheese and seasoning. I put it in a 9"x9" pan that's been coated with a little olive oil.

Yum. :)


edited to add: I'm not a vegetarian, but eggplant does give you a "meaty" type of veggie for your meal which is good when I'm not cooking any meat for my meal. :)

[Gregorian]

28. That sounds really good.

Especially with good garden grown tomatoes.

[tammywammy]

31. It's very satisfying

I got that recipe from my nutrition professor many many years ago. It's simple and fast to do. I had a boyfriend back then that wasn't a big veggie eater, but that changed when he was dating me. He didn't like tomatoes, so I'd make a couple for him without it. I've also sliced it lengthwise and horizontally, the casserole kind I peel it, but the other way I don't always peel it (it just depends on my mood).

Edited to add: And frozen chopped spinach is so cheap, I always have a few boxes of it in my freezer.

[LiberalEsto]

42. I peel an eggplant

and then slice and chop it into half inch cubes.

Then I cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil, turn on the burner and add the eggplant, stirring constantly so it doesn't scorch. Eggplant soaks up oil like crazy, so to keep the calories down, just keep stirring it constantly over medium heat until it's all browned.

At this point I add a minced clove of garlic, stir that around briefly, and pour in a can of petite diced tomatoes, along with a little bit of water and maybe a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. I also add fresh or frozen basil leaves. When it starts to simmer I cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-low and let it cook for maybe 10 minutes.

This makes a wonderful meaty-tasting sauce for spaghetti. To give it a heartier flavor, add a few crushed rosemary leaves while it's cooking. You can also use a half cup of red wine and skip the balsamic vinegar.

[Gregorian]

59. That sounds great. Balsamic and basil go together.

I often eat avocado, tomatoes, basil leaves, and balsamic, with a good dose of salt.

I love the idea of your combination being a spaghetti sauce. Geez, food is so basic and so enjoyable. I'm designing the kitchen for my new house right now, and really trying to be patient.

[LiberalEsto]

96. You can freeze basil leaves

I grow 3 or 4 big basil plants every year. In September I pick many of the leaves, rinse them and shake the water off, then pack them in small ziploc bags for freezing. You break off as much as you need for cooking. It brings back the fragrance of a summer garden, even in the middle of winter.

Your avocado-tomato-basil-balsamic mix sounds yummy.

[gleaner]

50. Can I suggest ...

that you try the small purple and white eggplants called Chinese Eggplants that are shaped more like big cucumbers? They are tender, have a very good taste and no bitter after taste like Italian Eggplants. They taste wonderful with garlic and herbs and other veges and they fill you up.

I like to take a mixture of vegetables, onions, bell peppers, Chinese eggplant, scallopini, regular zucchini, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Mix up a marinade of minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a mixture of dry herbs to your taste. Stir well and put with cut up veges in a large freezer bag. Shake occasionally to coat veges and let stand for about 12 hours.

Then alternate the vegetables on a kabob skewer and heat your grill. Barbecue the veges until they are crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside. Then remove from skewers and serve. If you eat cheese, sprinkle with parmesan. They are very good, different and good for you. If you are a potato lover you can add small chunks of marinated potato to your vegetable medley before you grill it. Very good taste, too.

[Gregorian]

65. This is so good I can't wait to try it.

I'm copying these great ideas from this thread down.

My mouth is watering after reading your great mixture of marinade.

[gleaner]

88. Thanks n/t

[defendandprotect]

I love it and my husband hates it --

My favorite way to have it is to cut into small cubes and to saute on frying pan in olive oil
and when it's cooked down I add orange juice -- juice from red grapefruit I might
have on hand -- or cranberry juice is great. Then I add a marinara sauce of some kind.
Red pepper, garlic marinara . . . whatever --
Let it simmer forever -- and then ....

Love it with baked potato and salad!

Garlic bread with this is also terrific --
Just pour the eggplant right over it!

[Gregorian]

99. Wow. That sounds great.

I'm turning these ideas on to my old dad. He's got a great garden with eggplant. And he loves eggplant ideas. So do I. I can't wait until I get my kitchen built.

Thanks

[defendandprotect]

118. A new kitchen . . . lucky you!! And eggplant fresh from the garden!! Wow . . .

:)

[cally]

98. My elderly greek friend taught me more eggplant recipes

I it in slices or lengthwise and put on lots of salt. Leave in a colander for about an hour. Then rinse with cold water, brush on olive oil, and bake in 350 degree oven.

I then cut this into cubes and put in a tomato sauce, garlic, onion, zucchini. I put crumbled feta on as garnish. It's delicious.

[Gregorian]

100. I've got to try this. And all of the rest of the great ideas here.

It's 10am, and I'm just having an espresso. But even now this sounds delish!

[w8liftinglady]

103. The "Male" eggplants have less seeds

Let's see if this picture turns out-the one with the slit-looking "belly button" is female,the one with the round belly button is male.
?w=468&h=259

[ZombieHorde]

3. My wife and I were vegetarians for a few years.

We have two awesome vegan cook books, How it all Vegan and Garden of Vegan. The recipes are easy and super yummy. I highly suggest these books, especially How it all Vegan, to anyone interested in healthy/yummy foods. Even meat eaters should check these books out.

Looks like the authors have written a third book. Here they are...

http://www.amazon.com/How-All-Vegan-Irresistible-Animal-Free/dp/1551520672

[Warpy]

4. First, get yourself a good general cookbook

For ovo lacto vegheads, that could be Nikki and David Goldbeck's "American Whole Foods Cuisine," which will help you sort out high protein foods while allowing you to cook simple and tasty fare everyday.

My favorite vegan cookbook is Rosalie Hurd's "Ten Talents," a Seventh Day Adventist number with a lot of incredibly simple, incredibly tasty food. Yes, there are bible verses, but the lady who wrote it is one hell of a cook.

If you've got megabucks to spend, Mark Bitman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" is a real go-to book when all you've got is a fridge full of unfriendly ingredients.

Going junk food vegetarian seems to be the first step for everybody and after they decide they're tired of feeling like shit, they get serious and learn how to cook.

Good luck on the journey. There's also an Animal Rights & Vegetarian group here that can point you in other directions.

However, getting a good basic cookbook is the first one.

[JackintheGreen]

37. Oh! And be careful of Asian foods!

A lot of Thai and Korean food calls for fish sauce. Especially in restaurants, Pad Thai might sound like a great veggie option, but it is likely made with fish sauce. So too many soups in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Much of the latter is based on dashi, a stock made out of bonito flakes, which is super-dried tuna. Soups, sauces, marinades, all kinds of stuff in east Asian cooking has secret non-veg ingredients in it.

[jobycom]

49. Yeah. Some of the chains offer veggie options, some will trick you, though.

Panda Express, for instance, offers nothing that is vegetarian. They even use broth in their veggies.

Pei Wei, Fire Bowl Cafe, and PF CHang all have vegetarian options clearly labeled.

You have to be careful at local restaurants, because they don't always even know what you mean by vegetarian. I've had servers and managers tell me a dish was vegetarian even though it had fish sauce or anchovies in it.

That's true of Mexican and Tex-Mex, too. Lard, beef and chicken broth, meat and bacon drippings, all wind up flavoring beans and even rice dishes without being on the label.

Same with Alfredo sauces in Italian restaurants.

Depends on where you are, too. Austin is so vegetarian friendly, most restaurants have to care about it, but when I visit smaller towns, it doesn't happen. I ordered a "vegetarian po-boy" in Slidell, La, a few weeks ago at a Rouse's (grocery), and the counter person had to look it up to even see how to make it. I joked "I guess New Orleans is a bad place for vegetarians," and she very seriously replied, "Yes, it is." :rofl:

Happy Cow and VGR and a few other resources can help with that. They have good lists of vegetarian options and what isn't vegetarian at a lot of chains.

[Warpy]

79. There are veggie Chinese cookbooks out there

so the point is well taken.

However, for a new veg head just coming out of the junk food vegetarian stage, a basic cookbook is what is called for. Exploration into ethnic cuisines can be done once the basics have been mastered.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

107. My girlfriend and I have gotten to the point of not going out to eat at all anymore

I have had a couple of incidents where I found out later I was eating something I didnt want to. So we really stopped going to restaurants all together, other than vegan restaurants in Chicago which there are many.

[marias23]

122. American Wholefoods Cuisine is a great cookbook

been using it for years.

the authrs website is healthyHighways.com

[dana_b]

5. what crim son said and

I love to make soups, stuffed peppers and squash, the occasional non-meat product. We tend to take whatever is in the fridge, throw it togather in a pan with seasonings and make some kind of scramble too. Laast week my daughter made a tofu scramble with brown rice, garlic onions, carrots, garbanzo beans, spinach, and a coule of other veggies (I can't remember) in veggie broth. Quite good and it didn't take long.

[Gregorian]

6. There's a cooking forum that you might post this in.

I'm also curious about vegetarian dieting. I've decided that meat just isn't very nice. Not unless I raise it. And I probably couldn't kill someone I raised.

[liberalmuse]

8. Here's a recipe...

I usually get Morningstar Farms or Boca 'meats' and eat a side of vegetables with them for at least one meal a day when I don't have time to cook. Today I made a veggie Italian soup in the crockpot, but sometimes I'll just dump some 'meatballs' and throw some hot pepper jelly and ketchup or BBQ sauce, veggie broth, onions, roasted peppers, etc in the crock pot before work. Here is a nice 'chicken' salad recipe:

Vegan/Vegetarian Chicken Cashew Salad
6 Servings

1 8 oz. pkg Trader Joe's Chicken-less Strips, cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 rib celery cut in thirds and diced
1 small granny smith apple peeled and diced
1 cup broccoli florets chopped (optional)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup red, vidalia or green onion, cut in small cubes/slices
1 & 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp Spike seasoning (or seasoning blend of choice)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
a couple dashes of lemon or lime juice (optional)

Mix all of the above together in medium bowl and chill until ready to serve.

In another small bowl, mix 1/2 c. Vegannaise (or Mayo)
curry powder to taste (1-3 tsp)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper

Whole, low salt cashews

Keep Veganaise and cashews separate from salad mix until ready to serve. Veganaise tends to get watery when mixed with the salad beforehand. If you are using regular mayo, then you can mix in 4 Tbsp of curried mayonnaise before chilling. You can serve this on good, hearty bread topped with sprouts or lettuce. You can also put it through the food processor if you prefer a less chunky spread.

[flvegan]

9. Another "get a couple good cookbooks" mention here.

ZH above mentioned a couple of my favorite cookbooks. Once you embrace cooking, it becomes very, very easy to eat healthy and happily.

Good luck!

[bananas]

15. Pizza

Pizza has all four major food groups: grain, dairy, vegetable, fruit.

[LeftyMom]

16. I use a lot of seitan.

It's basically the protein from wheat with all the other stuff removed, kneaded until it gets a meat-like texture and then cooked in seasoning. You can substitute it for most any application where you would normally use chicken. Just keep in mind it's lower in fat, so for some things you may need to add a little oil to replicate mouth feel.

[jtrockville]

80. I've been making my own seitan. My favorite recipe so far:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/printer/italian-vegan-sausages.htm

FatFreeVegan.com has lots of good recipes.

I'm not a vegetarian but have been reducing the amount of meat I eat because I've switched to buying only local products where the animals don't cannibalize themselves and aren't given hormones. That kind of meat is more expensive and harder to find, so I've been eating much less.

[happy_liberal]

18. burritos

lots of burritos. Seriously, you can put anything in a tortilla and it tastes good. A current favorite...mushrooms, onions,garlic,spinach,tempeh and cheese quesadilla. You can experiment with all kinds of vegetables and tofu, tempeh, spices...and of course beans and rice. We eat all kinds of variations on beans and rice...enchiladas, tostados, tacos, nachos and lots of italian like pasta and fried tofu, or a creamy pesto sauce made with silken tofu instead of cream, lasagna with creamy pesto is the best. Hummus is really good, and really simple to make.

[noamnety]

21. A lot of nonamerican diets are good places to start.

An Indian cookbook will have lots of great recipes, and I rely on that much of the time when my daughter's visiting. Anything typically mexican based in beans instead of meats would work. I used to do a lot of stir fries, with or without the rice. And soups are always a great place to go - "better than bouillon" has a vegetable-based style that's a great start if you aren't making your own stock from scratch.

[Goldstein1984]

23. Truth: "if you eat only potatoes, fries and salad, yer gonna die"

We live in a good time to be vegetarian.

First of all, it would be good to know just how "vegetarian" you are. As opposed to vegans, some vegetarians still use dairy products and some eat fish.

Here's my advice as a vegetarian who eats fish. First, I also became vegetarian for ethical reasons, but it took me awhile to give up a diet I had been raised on. Early in my career, part of my responsibilities included assisting with USDA meat inspections at small slaughter houses. I was sickened by the practices, and I was deeply affected when a sow pig came running to me with a look of terror on her face, just before they wrapped a chain around her hind legs, hoisted her up, and slowly and methodically inserted the blade of a fillet knife into her neck and let her bleed out. I had the sickening duty of walking up to her and inserting a vial into the steam of blood to collect a sample of the life pouring out of her. The cattle were dispatched with a .38 caliber revolver in this facility, sometime requiring two or three shots.

Poultry fair no better. During my training, I once inspected a turkey processing facility in Modesto, California. The turkeys are yanked from cages by the wings, their legs are jammed into hooks on a conveyor (legs now broken; turkey still alive), they go past a guy who rips out the best feathers for pillows, then they go through a device that slowly cuts/pulls off their heads as they pass.

Ethics are a very good reason to avoid meat produced my agribusiness. An animal killed by a humane (and competent) hunter meets a far better death than domestic farm animals do.

That said...

We use a lot of oriental ingredients in our meals. Thai cooking is especially versatile, so you can grab a Thai cook book and substitute different textures of tofu for meat and poultry. If you want more texture, fry the tofu in oil until crispy, or use some of the textured meat substitutes mentioned in the other post.

We also do a lot with beans--plain or canned kidney beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans. Toss them in a food processor and throw in some sun dried tomatoes, or some roasted peppers, and whole garlic cloves then process into "humus" that's great on chips, bread, pita or tortillas. You can also make a lot of great meat-free stews and soups with beans and hominy, usually best with Latin seasoning. For example, the Mexican pesole soups are hominy-based.

We are finding ourselves using dairy products less and less. They contain the same saturated animal fats that meats do, so from a health perspective it's better to find substitutes. We like soy-based cheeses better than milk-based, but they cost more.

Finally, we do eat fish. In Alaska, seafood is easy to find and less expensive in many cases than better cuts of beef. We eat a lot of red salmon, halibut, cod, shrimp and scallops. They are great in both the Thai and Mexican recipes. If you like the final dish to taste less fishy, cook the fish separately and add at the very last minute. To cook things like shrimp and scallops, we put them fresh or frozen into a pyrex dish and pour boiling water or them. They cook this way is just a few minutes. Then we pour off the water and add them.

"Becoming Vegetarian" is a great book on the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian diet. I highly recommend it.

Jane Goodall wrote a great book, "Harvest of Hope," that discusses the ethical and ecological impact of a meat diet. It is an easy and pleasant read, and is very informative about the ethical aspects of our food choices.

You've spent a life cooking one way, and it's going to take some effort to learn to cook in another.

I advise you to learn to cook your own vegetarian meals, and expect to have choices limited to veggie omelettes, garden burgers, spinach enchiladas, and veggie burritos when dining out.

Good choice. Good luck.

By the way, when I was in the military I had a job that abused my body quite a bit. Years later, I began experiencing arthritis in my hands and shoulders, where I had sustained injuries. A few months after giving up beef and pork, the arthritis disappeared completely.

[jobycom]

47. I have a friend whose diabetes disappeared when she became vegetarian.

A lot of little aches and pains do, if you do it right. Doing it wrong can bring its own problems, but you give a lot of good advice here to avoid that.

[Goldstein1984]

52. Our daughter is addressing recently diagnosed diabetes this way.

I really recommend "Becoming Vegetarian." Like you wrote, doing vegetarianism wrong can cause its own problems.

The worst thing you can do is try to recreate the standard politically-inspired USDA pyramid. Another great book, "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating," is also a must read. The author draws on long-term nutritional studies to demonstrate the myth that meat and poultry are a part of a balanced diet--the are completely optional and can be replaced with other protein sources.

The nutritional guidance we grew up with, including he recently revised USDA food pyramid, are products of bad science and even more political lobbying by agribusiness.

You'll discover lots of little things along the way. For example, I get heartburn from animal fats, but not from vegetable fats. As it turns out, I get heartburn from regular mayonnaise, but not from a product called Vegenaise.

I started out determined not to demonize meat. It was simply my choice not to eat it. But it gets more and more difficult as the drawbacks of a meat-based diet, not least of which is the un-sustainability of 6.6 billion people eating the typical Western meat-based diet, become more apparent.

[jobycom]

57. Yeah, that's a great book, too.

And Veganaise is a good product. I'm not vegan, but I use it instead of mayo at home.

[Goldstein1984]

61. What I missed most, was chorizo con huevos.

My son once read the label of a package of chorizo and said, "Hmmmm. Everything that couldn't make it into bologna."

There is a product called Soyrizo, that I like better than I ever liked chorizo.

[K8-EEE]

87. Soyrizo TOTALLY ROCKS!! MY CARNIE HUB LOVES SOYRIZO PASTA SAUCE:

If you brown some green peppers and onions, then throw in the Soyrizo and some pre-fab marinara sauce (I like Trader Joe's "starter sauce" tomato/onion/garlic mix in a box) it makes a wonderful "meaty" sauce for pasta.

btw Trader Joe's label "soy chorizo" is exactly the same & only $2.

[Goldstein1984]

92. Thanks!

I need to check. There should be a Vegetarian/Vegan Forum.

[leftyclimber]

93. There is. Check out DU Groups. nt

[K8-EEE]

94. Another crowd please is "Good ground" or "Smart Ground" cooked w/taco bell

seasoning packet -- I brown a chopped onion in oil first, then quickly sautee the ground soy, then packet and water, simmer a couple of minutes and serve with tortillas or taco shells and lettuce, tomatoes, chopped green onions, salsa, guacamole etc......kids love these and it is really an application in which you can not tell the diff between the fake meat and the real.

I usually have the kids shred up the toppings while I make the "meat..." then the whole thing is done in a flash. Great with mexican rice and green salad.

[Goldstein1984]

95. Thanks!

We try to think of the soy products as protein substitutes rather than meat substitutes.

The Morning Star "sausage" patties are wonderful. We bake them until slightly crispy and snack on them for light meals.

[K8-EEE]

74. Yes, my Type II dad is off meds now that he is vegan

He became a vegan at age 70, at age 78 he works out every day and is so much healthier than most of his steak-and-martini friends.

[Goldstein1984]

83. Wow. Great story.

I'm going to pass that on to my daughter.

[hyphenate]

55. You have positively sickened me

Your graphic description about the pig slaughter has made me ill. I've seen my share of horror in the meat industry and laboratories, and I almost vomited when I read your post. PLEASE, PLEASE offer a warning about graphic descriptions for those of us who would rather never, ever see such horror again. Either that, or don't use them at all. We KNOW how animals are killed for meat for the most part, and your post seems almost gratuitous in its depiction.

I know I'm not the only one here who hates to be reminded of the horrors animals face every day at the hands of humans. There has been an inordinate amount of it, and many of us despair that it will never end. Sometimes, thinking about is is paralyzing to me--how can we change it and why are people so cruel?

This post was dome by someone who has become a vegetarian for ethical reasons--he/she doesn't want to hear the horror stories, because it was the killing of animals which prompted their conversion in the first place.


This thread is an upbeat one, and I hate to add this negativity to it. I just wanted to let you know that I am way too sensitive to graphic depictions of death and torture of animals in general. Rescue work can do that to you. Sorry.

[Goldstein1984]

60. I owe you and others like you an apology

I will add a warning for sensitive people in the future when I do this type of post.

My wife and I used to rescue and rehabilitate parrots, cockatoos and macaws. We would spend months undoing the emotional and sometimes physical damage done to the poor animals. So, I understand your sensitivity, and I deeply respect it.

We're not currently doing rescue work, be we do support a rescue and education group here in Alaska financially.

Sometimes when I write, especially about a subject as deeply felt as this one, it just flows out and I don't even think about it.I appreciate your thoughtful reply.

In my defense, I have had people thank me for providing just such a graphic discription of reality.

[hyphenate]

62. I accept your apology as well

and I am glad to hear that you've done rescue work yourself. Mine has been mainly working with cats, and trying to help curb the overpopulation crisis. It can be very fulfilling at its best, and the throes of despair at its worst. It sometimes makes me wonder how we can call ourselves "human" when such atrocities are perpetrated. I guess we have a long way to go to be wise enough to treat animals better.

[Goldstein1984]

82. It's why I've become more militant as I age

Supporting groups like Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, that are willing to take the battle to the next level.

Aside from a wife of 31 years, my best friend in the world is a German Shepherd named Bruno. When he was just a 13-month old pup, he saved me from an attack by a brown bear behind our home. What people believe was the same bear attacked another person later, and the kid barely survived. He's a 90-pound gentle giant that calmly watches over our entire family, sleeping at my bedside, unless our grandchildren are visiting, when he sleeps be them. As I was writing this, he came over and put his head in my lap, I assume because he knew I was thinking about him.

We go on birding cruises in the Gulf of Alaska, which always includes spotting humpback and Orca whales. It also never fails that at some point, usually around a place called Bee's Nest Island, that our boat picks up a pod of dolphins that play with us for awhile. I sometimes think that if we do ever find out how to communicate with dolphins, we may be ashamed to find that they are more civilized than we are. We may find that their oral history is replete with stories of their slaughter at our hands.

One more comment about my earlier email. I work as a scientist and engineer, and I've come to a place in my career where my job is primarily to just advise the executive leadership of our company. Typically, I'm brought in when there is some question regarding the technical merits of a potential investment. Often, there are ethical or moral issues regarding employees and the cultures that will be impacted by our decisions. In almost every case, my job is to write assessments, and those assessments are always intended (by me) to influence others. I can easily fall into that mode of writing at other times, and, as I reread what I wrote, it's obvious that that is what I did.

Thanks for this conversation.

[cally]

121. After a year of eating vegetarian, I started eating meat

over the holidays. I been considering continuing with eating meat because it's easier to accommodate the rest of my family's eating habits. Your post motivated me to stop slipping in the occasional meat meal.

[Lorien]

24. Hey, I'm trying to do a vegetarian, dairy free, soy free, sugar, wheat and gluten

free low salt diet. I'm also allergic to tomatoes and can't eat anything fried because of gallstones. I eat nuts, eggs, Quorn, and Indian food when I can get it. Yeah, it's a little boring.

[pansypoo53219]

29. i am not a vegetarian.

but i make lots of no meat soups. huge pots of bean soup, pea soup, or lentil/bean soup(less poopy looking). and then i cam up with a pepper soup. onion soup.

using less meat in spaghetti and casseroles tho.

[elocs]

30. I am not a vegetarian, but most of my meals are vegetarian.

A mainstay of my diet is probably a staple of a good part of the world--rice. I'm a single guy, but I make a lot of my own meals from scratch. That also means that I had better make things I really like because I will be dedicated to eat it for several days until it is gone unless I freeze it.

I use rice with different beans to create a complete protein. I will make a white sauce and then add an assortment of frozen veggies and beans to it and then stir in the rice. I will have it on its own or top a baked potato with it. Since it is winter frozen veggies are the best and most inexpensive choice and I will have maybe 5 or 6 bags of different ones and beans. I also get some frozen stir-fry bags for $1.59 like lo mein that are good additions as well as fresh mushrooms. In summer at the farmer's market I can pick up fresh veggies and do much of the same, only stir-frying them.

Recently I finished off some meatless chili I made from a dry package (low sodium) that you add a can of tomato paste as you are cooking it on top of the stove. I also add rice (brown) to that to make a complete protein. With all of this I eat lots of broccoli which I can pick up fresh for a good price (usually around 99 cents a pound).

A standby I use for breakfast is oatmeal. I take a decent sized bowl and put raisins in the bottom, add some old fashioned oatmeal, then a handful of walnuts. Since it is winter I use frozen fruit, so I then put in some frozen strawberries cut into pieces, and some blackberries or whatever you like (I can get both of those for $1.50 for a 16 oz. bag). Then instead of water I use apple juice that I made myself and then put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. You can pour milk on top or if you use enough apple juice it will be wet enough to go down easily. It is very good though.

[JackintheGreen]

33. Lots!

Three years ago my then 8 y.o. daughter went veg. for ethical reasons. Since I do all the cooking, I had to adapt quickly.

To start, there are a lot of good "meat replacements" now that work really well as transition foods. I think Morningstar has the widest selection as a single brand, but Quorn makes a terrific turkey-like "roast," TVP bits work in soups and chilis and mexican food. Tofu is delicious, but it took me three years to get it to be that way. I consider it advanced vegetarian, so I suggest you leave it for now.

I just spent a year in India, so I cook a lot of Indian food, which is naturally largely vegetarian. Dinners for us might look like this:

White beans and sun-dried tomatoes, a salad and fresh bread (I make my own)
Saag paneer (spinach and homemade cheese)
Roast vegetables (yams, brussell sprouts, carrot, beet) over a grain (rice, barley, quinoa)
Sambar and rice (a tomato based okra dish)
Hoppin John (black-eyed peas with molasses and soy) over chard/mustard greens/collards
Colcannon (mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and sometimes a fake sausage)
Lentils with root vegetables (whatever's on hand)

Lots of soups in the cold, pressed and marinated tofu, knishes (a new favorite), stuffed peppers.

When I started there wasn't too much variation, but over time I have developed quite a large cookbook. Don't get discourage, just keep looking around for idea. The post-punk kitchen is a terrific resource (http://www.theppk.com), as are the cookbooks of Isa Moskowitz and the magazine Vegetarian times. Once you see what other people are doing, it's easier to start imagining things yourself.

And please, fell free to contact me privately, too. It's taken me awhile, but I now feel like a more than competent vegetarian cook.

Good luck!

[Gregorian]

40. That's a lot of info there.

The link needs correcting.

Thanks for the ideas. And I had never heard of a knish!

[JackintheGreen]

43. Fixed. Thanks!

[DesertFlower]

34. i eat very little meat and i don't

like cheese so i take a protein drink. the one i use is called "pro blend 55". it gives you 55 grams of protein.

i eat out a lot -- mostly chinese -- stir fried vegetables and rice or noodles.

[JackintheGreen]

44. Careful with the Chinese

see my post above http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7429941&mesg_id=7430248

[jobycom]

35. Yeah, it's hard to eat healthy. You wind up eating too many pizzas.

A lot of vegetarians wind up gaining weight and getting high cholesterol because they try to make up for the lack of meat (which is a quick, easy protein), with eggs, cheese, pastas and other simple carbs for quick energy, and a lot of sweets because when you're hungry it's easier to find a candy bar than a vegetarian fast-food option.

What to do is make sure you have a balance of foods you like that meet your tastes and needs. Don't worry too much about proteins, worry more about healthy food options, and the protein will take care of itself. Whole grains and beans are the best way to get full and get the heavier foods you need.

Find grains and bean dishes you like, and veggie dishes. Also, try whole grain pastas, especially without cheese. Choose the healthiest you can find at any given choice.

As for me, typical meals look like:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, grits (I'm southern), egg and potato burritos, migas, whole grain pancakes, whole grain breads or raisin breads, fruit smoothies (sometimes with protein powders if I want them), fruit by itself. And of course a lot of junk foodlike hashbrowns and syrupy pancakes. You don't always have to be perfect. The best thing is to alternate between heavy stuff and light stuff, depending on your mood. If you eat out, you can order breakfast anywhere without meat, but it's rarely healthy. One thing I do in my better days is keep fruit on my counter and grab an apple and banana before heading to work. That way I have the food sitting there, so it's easier than grabbing a bag of chips at the Walgreens across the street.

Lunch: Anything, really. Fruit, salads, sandwhiches. I make sandwhiches with whole grain bread--Ezekiel bread, if you like it--avocados, tomatoes, cucmbers and lettuce. Sometimes green peppers. Whatever you like, but avocados make a good sub for cheese. So does hummus, if you like hummus. I don't like soups, but of course there are a lot of canned soups. Try Amys soup when you can. Campbells and Progresso and most of the main brands have hidden animal products, like broths or fat added. If it's a small enough quantity, they just list it as "Natural flavors." That's a big trap for vegetarians.

Also, play with salads. Make tabouli salads or salads based on rices and grains. They are filling, some are warm if you want that, and they can have a lot of veggies.

A good trick is to still eat junk food, but only allow yourself to do it twice a week, or once. And pick the day you will allow it. Fridays and Tuesdays, say. That way you won't cheat. You eat fries one day, then the next, and on the third day you tell yourself "Okay, one more time, then I'll be good for the next week." It never works, so keep yourself honest.

Supper: Just buy a good cookbook and pick out a few recipes. Plan it, even if you don't like to plan meals. Pick a few staples you like, and plan them once every week or two, then pick out some you like but don't want that often, then pick a few you want to try, and make a list, then plan it. "Monday I'll eat red beans and rice--I have to cook that Sunday, and maybe freeze leftovers for next week. Or find another dish that includes red beans, like burritos." Be smart--you will want the junk food, so scehdule it in, and of course you can change it around from night to night. Don't make it a religion, just give yourself some options.

Some more tips that help me: Buy a good rice cooker--Zojirushi or Tiger--that is programable.

Buy a wok or at least a wok pan. Woks are great for stir fries, and stir fries are a great way to use up leftover rice, beans, and veggies that are about to turn. Chop up the veggies, toss in some oil and soy sauce or other flavorings. You can make them sweet with ketchup or maple syrup for variety--not too much, though.

Think of your favorite foods, with or without meat, then find ways to make them vegetarian or healthy. Make Mac and Cheese without cheese (use a substitute), for instance, or whatever. Tofu can be used instead of cheese (mix it with a little olive oil and let it sit fifteen minutes, and it has almost a cottage cheese feel for a lasagna).

Peanut butter is good, healthy, lowers cholesterol, and can even be used to make a good pasta sauce. Don't worry about the fat--it's healthy fat, and if you are eating well otherwise, it won't make you gain weight.

Find some spices you like, and vary them in simple dishes like eggs, stir fries, beans or whatever, to vary flavor.

Keep fruits and veggies you like around. And nuts (they also lower cholesterol and are very healthy).

Pick a cuisine you like, and load up on cookbooks. They will inspire you to cook for yourself. There are a lot of good ones out there, even at discount and used book stores. Also, Google for recipes.

One thing I do is pick out a few ingredients, enter them in google, and find recipes using them. :)

Buy nice gadgets and tools to make cooking more fun. Keeps you interested in making your own instead of ordering pizza.

Then there are a couple of links to find good restaurants for when you go out (and other good ideas on recipes).
http://www.vrg.org/
http://www.happycow.net/

Some good cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Cooking-Everyone-Deborah-Madison/dp/0767900146
http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0764524836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263077580&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-World-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0609809237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263077609&sr=1-1

I know that's all a jumble, and could be edited, and doesn't offer a lot of specific foods, but I really don't know what you'd like. There are as many options out there as you could want, so figuring out what you'd rather eat is the first step.

[GoCubsGo]

48. Pizza can be healthy if made that way...

Use a whole wheat crust. Use lots of veggies, and don't overdo the cheese. If one just has to have meat, Morningstar Farms puts out "sausage crumbles" that taste pretty much like Italian sausage. Have a slice or two with a salad on the side, and you are good to go.

I would like to add the Moosewood cookbooks to the list. Here are a recipe from the restaurant's web site with links to others: http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes.html

Many of the cookbooks are on the page, too. I like the "Low Fat Favorites"

Here is their first: http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304

[gauguin57]

36. I'm a lacto-ovo pescatarian. So, I do eat meat, dairy and fish.

I eat fish once or twice a week. I eat 2 or 3 eggs a week. I'm trying to cut back on the dairy because of intolerance issues. I eat lots of yogurt (I've switched to Greek-style yogurt).

So, in addition to eggs, dairy and fish, my protein sources include tofu, beans (pintos, black beans, lentils, etc), protein powder (Spirutein) and nuts.

Befriend Vegetarian Times and other such pages on Facebook, and you'll get free recipes for ideas.

[renate]

38. I highly recommend "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman

Everything in it is so easy, quick, and delicious. If I had to choose just one cookbook to use for the rest of my life it'd be that one. (Of course, my non-vegetarian family would probably be bummed about that. :) )

My second choice--and the one I would pull out if I were having company over and they had challenged me to show them that vegetarian food can be good enough for a dinner party--is "The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen" by Peter Berley.

[superduperfarleft]

39. Vegweb.com is great for recipies.

I managed to cobble some easy ones together when I was a lazy bachelor and did just fine.

And if you have the money, get a slow cooker. It's great and easy for beans, stews, etc.

[eallen]

41. Beans, pulses, and legumes.

We're not vegetarian, though we'll go days in a row without eating animal products. What quickly becomes a staple is every kind of legume. Lentil soup for dinner. Black-eyed peas the day after that. Black bean and sweet potato mole the next day. Left over from each day's dinner becomes the next day's lunch. All served with brown rice, of course. Falafel makes a good lunch.

Good luck.

:hippie:

[Sparkly]

111. I second that. nt

[MuseRider]

45. Indian food!

Mmmmm, so much of it is vegetarian and the spices make it so lovely. Easy to make too, sometimes it takes a little longer than I would like since I am always cramped for time but oh it is so worth it. Chick Peas are a must. VegWeb.com has some great recipes.

[K8-EEE]

69. Yes! I made an amazing Dal Tarka a couple of weeks ago

You cook the yellow split peas in just water and cumin, and make a tempered oil (ginger, garlic, dried chilis, cumin seed, mustard seed) to season it with.....with basmati rice and fresh cilantro. It was so good!!

[livetohike]

46. I'm not a vegan, so I eat eggs and cheese. Here are some ideas

bean tostados, Greek pizza (on pita bread with kalamata olives, feta, red onions, diced tomatoes), lasagna, cheese enchiladas, all sorts of meatless soups - split pea, lentil, navy bean, mushroom and barley, provolone/sliced tomato calzones, fritattas, tyropitas, vegetable stews over rice or couscous, etc. There are some decent fake meat products out there. I like veggie burgers by Boca and Yves Smart dogs.

If you like to cook, check out the Moosewood Collective cooksbooks, or Mollie Katzen's many cookbooks.

[caitxrawks]

51. i'm in the process of going vegetarian.

I think the easiest thing to do is keep TONS of fresh, frozen, and canned veggies all around your house and in plain view. If you have a huge array of stuff to choose from, it's easier to avoid meat and starchy/fatty foods. Also, choosing things that fill you up is good, like nuts and seeds. I know fresh stuff is better than frozen and canned, but if you're like me, you have to save money somewhere, lmao. You don't only have to eat salad or tofu, lol xD

There's a ton of resources online if you do some googling. Vegetarianism is so versatile, it's much easier than veganism if you're willing to look :D

[Maru Kitteh]

53. Today I made mashed potatoes, steamed baby peas, WW bread and fruit cocktail

It doesn't have to be exotic to be healthy. It was a good, satisfying, healthy but no-fuss meal.

[TuxedoKat]

54. I like to say

I'm a part-time vegetarian, about 90% of the time. I eat omelets with spinach and cheese, vegetarian chili and I make alot of soups in big batches and freeze them in one cup sizes. I usually eat the soup with a salad with lots of raw vegetables for both lunch and dinner. Some of the soups I make are a red pepper and black bean soup and carrot and zucchini. Canned artichokes are good too, the quartered kind are cheaper than the whole ones.

I've been trying to add some nuts in my diet but not too much. No more than a quarter of a cup per day. Dried apricots, pears, bananas and oranges are the fruits I eat this time of year.

Lentils (as in dal, cooked Indian style) are good too. I have been learning that quinoa is a very good food, high in fiber and nutrients so I'm planning to get some.

I'm trying to stay away from wheat/gluten so breakfast is hard. I usually have a chocolate protein high fiber shake and I add ground flax seeds and vegetable powder to it.

For drinking, I like Polar Selzter, 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 sodium. There are many different flavors, I like most of them except lemon.

[StarfarerBill]

56. I've found that soy is my best source of protein, but there are plenty of others:

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Quinoa, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)

For more info: http://www.happycow.net/vegetarian_protein.html

[Gregorian]

58. I didn't even realize I was cooking this until just now.

I've been making a soup that is part of a couple of these veg recipes-

http://www.yogasite.com/soup.htm

[ThomCat]

63. Hmm... My recent diet.

Italian food:
Pasta is good, but make sure there is vegetables in it. Pasta and sauce is not a meal.
Learn about Risotto. There are lots of great ways to cook vegetarian meals with risotto.
Baked or stuffed eggplant. Stuffed peppers.

Middle Eastern Food:
Hummus is one of my staples. Stuffed Grape Leaves is one of my comfort foods. Tabbouleh and couscous.
Lentils (especially in small amounts) add a great to a lot of recipes, and a lot of middle eastern dishes have great lentil ideas.

Indian Food:
I Love Indian food. Pureed Spinach with curry and Dal, and Channa Masala with Potatoes and Okra, and Alu Ghobi. I absolutely Love Okra in Indian sauces.

Japanese Food:
you can get vegetarian sushi most places. Avocado, cucumber, oshinko, and mixed vegetable rolls. our favorite around here is fried sweet potato rolls, but only in moderation because they are fried.

Chinese Food:
Good Chinese restaurants offer a lot of vegetable options. Get used to making vegetables important centerpieces of the meal. Sauteed green beans, snow peas, broccoli, and sugar snap peas are my favorites, over rice with bean curd.

Misc:
We have recently made a vegetable barley soup recently, and we often marinade and grill vegetables, and roast potatoes and vegetables, and home-made tomato sauce instead of jarred stuff, and homemade chunky applesauce made with mulling spices.

[K8-EEE]

64. Suggestions, from my last week's dinners!

For easy I MEAN EASY weekday meals, we only do EASY during the weekdays!! I am not a vegetarian but live with them & love eating vegetarian food throughout the week. I like cooking from scratch but only really do that during the weekend, tend to have carnivorous sunday bbqs.

Morning Star "buffalo wings" these are spicy and crunchy and really nice "game night" food, with celery of course, and a nice veggie-based soup.

Progresso lentil soup heated with salsa and chopped fresh spinach, sliced green apples & cheese platter

Burritos made with vegetarian refried beans (we like Rosarita brand) salsa, cheese and guacamole

Trader Joe's artichoke ravioli with pesto sauce, green beans with almonds and olive oil, spinach salad

GREAT PANTRY THINGS TO HAVE ON HAND:

"Box of Indian Food" by that I mean the stewed chickpeas or spinach dishes that are shelf stable and easily kept in the pantry.

Pre-washed salad greens -- salad goes with everything!

"Soyrizo" is a delicious vegan sausage product that will add a lot of flavor and protein to your pasta.

Frozen rice: Cook large batches of rice and freeze it in cupcake pans. Pop them out and keep it in ziplock bags. They will nuke up in one minute. You can do the same with slow cooked oatmeal. Frozen oatmeal makes a great "instant" breakfast. You can freeze chili in the same way and have it alone, with macaroni or on a potato for a quick weekday dinner.

I WILL LOOK UP MY KICKASS VEGAN CHILI RECIPE!!! IT SOOOOO KICKS ASS SERIOUSLY HARDCORE CARNIES RAVE ABOUT IT! I WILL FIND IT FOR YOU....

[prolesunited]

81. I love the idea for frozen rice

I know they are marketing microwavable ready-to-eat brown rice, but this idea is way more economical and a lot less packaging. Thanks for the idea.

[K8-EEE]

86. Also great if some in your household like brown rice and some white

I can make a quick stir-fry for dinner (REALLY quick if you've cut everything up the night before) and everyone can heat up the kind of rice they want. My daughter loves the basmati rice to pair with pre-fab Trader Joe's Indian food, she practically lives on it in college!

Also nice portion control for anybody watching their weight, if you use standard cupcake pans, heat 1 for 1/2 cup of rice and 2 for a full cup.

[G_j]

66. this thread has made me hungry

some wonderful recipes!

[K8-EEE]

67. K8-EEE's KICKASS CHILI!!!!!!!

Katie's Kickass Vegan Chili

"It's to die for...but nothing did!"

Cook TWO LARGE CHOPPED ONIONS and
SIX CLOVES OF MINCED GARLIC in ¼ CUP VEGGIE OIL, low heat.

When that is translucent, not too brown please! stir in:
TWO LARGE (28 oz.) CANS “Petite diced” TOMATOES,
TWO CANS (7.75 oz.) "EL PATO" JALAPENO SAUCE (GREEN LABEL) TWO CANS (7.75 oz.) "EL PATO" TOMATO SAUCE (YELLOW LABEL)

Turn up the heat, bring to a boil then add:
1 TABLESPOON SUGAR
2 TABLESPOONS OF UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
2 TABLESPOONS GROUND CUMIN
1 CUP OF RED WINE
Simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add:
ONE CAN OF S&W CARIBBEAN RECIPE or TRADER JOE'S CUBAN BLACK BEANS (plain ones will do but prefer one of those.)
and
TWO CANS OF DRAINED, RINSED PINTO or KIDNEY BEANS

Bring the heat back up to a simmer, keep stirring occassionally so nothing burns on the bottom;
Spray a skillet with NON-STICK SPRAY and fry up a package of SOYRIZO per package directions. Trader Joe's brand “Soy Chorizo” is the exact same thing and way cheaper! When slightly browned, throw this in the chili with:

ONE PACKAGE OF YVES "GOOD ROUND" or LIGHTLIFE “SMART GROUND” You just crumble it in there, no pre-cook.

Then add:
TWO TABLESPOONS OF MASA (CORN TORTILLA) FLOUR DISSOLVED IN 1/2 CUP WATER (you can sub regular flour, no big deal.)

Simmer for 5 more minutes and you're done!

Even better the next day!
Serves 10-12.

[renate]

73. Cool!

I can't wait to try this! The ingredients look really interesting. (Cocoa? It must work, or you wouldn't have done it a second time.)

Thanks!

[K8-EEE]

76. The cocoa gives it a nice rich "mole" like flavor

My hub takes this every year to his office potluck and I make 6X this amount and there is NEVER any leftovers....the carnies cannot believe there is no meat in it!

[spinbaby]

68. Chili

I'm not a vegetarian, but we do eat a lot of vegetarian meals. When we eat meat, we try to make it local and humanely raised. A staple in our house is chili made with TVP. Also, we really like the Joy of Cooking recipe for Wild Caribbean Black Bean Chili. This time of year, we always have chili going.

[HopeHoops]

70. Laurel's Kitchen and the Molley Katzen books are a great place to start.

I've been vegetarian for 20 years (eggs and dairy only). Laurel's Kitchen has a wealth of nutrition information but it is primarily a recipe book. Molley Katzen wrote three books (Moosewood Cookbook is first) and the recipes are creative and keep you in line. Cheese is a major bane for vegetarians. It is okay to use it, but limit the quantities. One of my favorite foods is tempeh. It is high in both iron and protein and extremely versatile. Explore recipe books for a while, you're still new to it. In short order you'll look back at your meat days and wonder how you ate such boring meals. I rarely use a recipe now unless I'm baking - that is science.

[K8-EEE]

71. I love "fake" BLT's (morning star or smart bacon) with avocado!

On sourdough toast! That's a winner especially in the summer with my own tomatoes in the starring role.

[LWolf]

72. To take that question further:

How about a vegetarian diet for a type II diabetic who can't eat soy?

[REP]

75. Vegeterian is fairly easy - vegan, not so much

I'm neither, but eat a lot of meat-free stuff because I like it! I find a lot of vegetarian foods that fit my odd restrictions, and far fewer vegan ones (I can't have much soy, for one).

[K8-EEE]

77. My dad is type II who stabilized & is off meds now that he's a vegan

He doesn't have a problem with soy though and eats it often. He does carry little packages of raw almonds around with him.

[LWolf]

97. I've never been on meds;

just control it with diet, which means green things, lean protein, and I also carry raw almonds around with me.

The greens I've got. It's that lean protein source without soy I'm looking for.

[DebbieCDC]

78. Moringstar Farms veggie sausage and burgers

Satisfy that taste for meat without meat.

I love 'em, especially the sausage patties (for some reason they taste better than the links to me) and the "griller prime" burgers.

[K8-EEE]

84. I love a lot of the morning star products esp. the sausage & "wings"

We have those fake buffalo wings probably about once a week.....great easy "game night" food with trader joes frozen garlic fries!

[K8-EEE]

85. I love a lot of the morning star products esp. the sausage & "wings"

We have those fake buffalo wings probably about once a week.....great easy "game night" food with trader joes frozen garlic fries!

[1]

89. some vegetarians eat fish. always remember! whale is not a fish!

my god! did i catch shit for that from my vegetarians buds!

my bad...

[defendandprotect]

90. Wow . . . have a long list for you -- tonight I made a fantastic vegetable soup . . .

Glen Muir organic crushed tomatoes with basil (canned)

Organic carrots --
Organic celery -
Organic spinach -
Organic garbonzo beans --
organic garnet sweet potatoes --

Sprinkle some olive oil into your soup pot and saute the vegetables lightly until
they begin to break down/soften up a bit --

Add some water just to cover vegs and bring to a boil - saute for 15 minutes or so
until vegs tender.

Cook beans separately and add later --
Spinach gets added last -- just before you eat the soup -- don't let get too limp!

That's for tomorrow with sandwiches --

Have 12 seed bread on hand -- a pumpernickle also/frozen --
don't like to freeze anything, but freeze bread a bit in winter --
been very cold here.

Tonight we ordered out -- We had large arragula salad -- and eggplant sandwiches
with marinara sauce and some fried zucchini --

Wine -- red

--- Last night was very cold and I made Pancakes -- Arrowhead Mills/MultiGrain Pancake
and Waffle Mix -- NOT VEGAN --
And sauteed macintoch apples over them -- just put sliced apples in a skillet and don't
add anything. They will simply soften up and get juicy. You don't want them to be
soupy or apple sauce. Just softened and a bit firm still.
Add a lot of cinnamon sprinkled over apples and pancakes --
and I use a no sugar/natural raspberry jam on mine.

They're also excellent cold -- and I have a little pie of them still in the frig which we'll
have along with breakfast tomorrow.

----

I have organic red beans on hand for a chili -- tomorrow I'll pick up some peppers - red/yellow
to add to the chili -- sweet onions. I add organic molasses to it -- a few tablespoons.
And, some horseradish mustard/last flavoring after cooked.
This is great with a salad -- often coleslaw.

------

I'm also planning to make a pasta with Tumeric this week --
That's served cold so it works well with hot soup --
Cook up some pasta -- Serpentini 51 works well with this recipe --
organic Black Turtle beans -- about half a pound.
Red Onion - cut very thin slices and then dice them -- small is best.
Some of those little fat green beans . . . sweet snap peas I think they are --
Wash them, trim them and cut into 1/2" pieces --
Then put everything together and sprinkle on Tumeric until it becomes a pale
yellow -- taste it to be sure you have enough on --
Sprinkle olive oil on the pasta -- not too much -- just enough to keep it fluid.

---

For breakfast I have Arrowhead Kamut flakes -- sprinkled over a banana -- and usually
some other fruit on side -- quartered organes -- or whatever is in season.
Sprinkle some slivered almons on it --
Hot tea --

--------

Lunch today I had left overs --
Reheated stuffed yellow zucchini and a bit of sweet potato and some asparagus --
Love leftovers!

-----

I've a vegan and avoid dairy products --
make an exception for cole slaw but don't like to --
My husband eats vegan when he is with me -- except I do buy him tuna for sandwiches -
don't like to, but I do.
----------


I also make potato salads -- try red skinned potatoes --
Boil them, but don't let them get too soft --
Small ones are nice --
Add some red onion - cut very small -- and some celery --
And then mix up a bit of apple cider vinegar and olive oil for dressing --
After you've mixed this all together add a couple of table spoons of horseradish
mustard. Emeril has a good one -- "Kicked up Horseradish" --

----------

Baked potato is great with sauteed peppers over them -- red peppers/yellow peppers/sweet onion

If you add a salad to that, you have a dinner.

----------

Avacados are great -- remove button -- cut in half -- then use a dull knife to score the
avocado and spill out of the skin.

You can make an excellent guacamole if you add some garlic - 1 minced clove -- and then
some lime juice -- ususually about a third of a lime is enough.

Or you can spill the avacado onto a huge mound of lettuce -- add some grape tomatoes --
some sticks of celery/small -- some cut up pears -- and that's pretty much a dinner.

---

Roasted vegetables are good either alone or over a pasta --

Get a large head of cauliflower -- wash it well and cut it up -- you can put it in your
over at 350 degrees for about a half hour and will work well over your pasta.

Or, you can sautee some mushrooms and add to the cauliflower and with a baked potato
and a bit of salad you have another dinner.

---

Sauteed broccoli in garlic is also great -- over pasta -- or as part of a dinner.

-------

Brown rice -- and add ...
some sauteed sweet onion and peppers --
a little soy sauce --
Snow peas -- the flat oriental ones -- mixing up snow and sweet pea I think --
are excellent with brown rice.
You can also add slivered almonds to this which makes it very hearty--

-------------

Some great healthier "frieds" would be made from sweet potatoes --
Scrub the skins very well and cut up into french fry slices -- on the larger side --
put into a bowl and sprinkle on some olive oil -- toss them around and then put
them on a baking tray ---
put into the oven about 425 for 25 minutes --
You can make up a little dipping sauce -- or serve them with other foods --

--------------

A lot of great ways to eat beans -- and very healthy for you!

Mixed beans are lovely with a little olive oil and lemon juice over them --

-----------


PS: Don't forget to eat lots of fresh fruits --
A little harder at this time of year --
I often make salads with fruit -- pears have been delicious --
If you're not VEGAN . . . a big mound of mixed greens, sliced pear and diced celery
or thin celery sticks with some parmesean salad dressing is nice. Don't use too much.
You can sprinkle a bit of olive oil over the greens first and then you don't need much.
Apple sliced thinly on a cucumber sandwich is great!
Nice also to have some sparking water on hand -- add a strawberry --
or add some cranberry juice to it -- or have plain with a slice of lemon!

Hummus is also a good bet -- Trader Joe's has some nice ones -- watch sodium count --
And don't buy any with lots of additives. Great with some wine -- you can use with
Kavli Crispy Thins -- and/or a mix of breads.
Celery great with this, cut in thin sticks.
You can also make a great sandwich with red pepper hummus!

Don't forget peanut butter -- nothing added, just peanuts. A lot of stores
have machines where you can push a button and out comes the peanut butter.
This is great on rye bread with a slice of red onion!
Also great to have peanut butter slathered on celery sticks as a snack.

-----------

Need more . . . let me know!!

:)

Happy New Year -- !!!

Great move -- Good luck!!

[roody]

91. tofu, tempeh (steam it first) legumes: lentils,

split peas, beans, nuts and seeds: sunflower, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, sesame, peanut butter---the real kind.

[happy_liberal]

102. I like your list-focus on protein which is super important especially for children

It looks like many vegetarians leave protein out of their diet, the body cannot make it's own protein. Seitan is not enough. Fake meats made out of seitan are not the complimentary protein required to make a complete protein. People also need to be careful with fake meats made out of soy to make sure they are not GM soy beans

Three Approved GMO's Linked to Organ Damage(about corn but we cannot trust any untested GM foods)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x509095

Many of the previously good companies that made vegetarian foods have been bought out by large companies that don't give a damn.

[roody]

104. Thanks! I will also reply to OP about the GMOs.

[happy_liberal]

108. ALTERNATIVE MEAT PRODUCTS

Non-GMO

365 Brand (Whole Foods)
Amy's
Bountiful Bean
Sunshine Burger
The Simple Soyman
Vitasoy
Wildwood
White Wave

May contain GMO ingredients

Boca, unless labeled organic (Kraft)
Gardenburger
Morningstar Farms, Morningstar Farms Natural Touch, unless labeled organic (Kellogg)

[happy_liberal]

101. I'm worried about all the people eating seitan, thinking it is a protein replacement

Vegetarians need to eat complimentary proteins. When you eat wheat gluten for protein, you still need to eat beans or nuts or dairy to make it complete. If you eat wheat gluten with grains, it doesn't work.

Diet for a Small Planet is an excellent resource for a nutritional guide, recipes and the political/ethical reasons for going vegetarian.

[K8-EEE]

109. I find that vegans I know are way healthier than other people....

Understanding your point, I still find it funny that every time people bring up vegetarian eating they get these amino acid lectures but it's the typical American diet that is killing us....I never heard of somebody on the surgical table and the surgeon says "oh he was only one hamburger away from living!" I mean the dire consequences & malnutrition thing of vegetarianism, I never see it first hand but I know I guy at my office who eats at burger king EVERY NIGHT and I think there are more of him than starving veggie folks just sayin

[happy_liberal]

110. I have been vegetarian for 20 years

My interest is in vegetarians eating healthy. I know we are better off than the meat eaters, but we do need to make sure we are getting enough of the right kinds of proteins, especially children. I have two young growing children so I can't let them eat what they want and hope the protein works out for itself.

It seems that vegetarianism is growing, so we should educate each other if we want to prove the healthy lifestyle does work. Just reading through the recipes given here, I couldn't help notice that many leave out a protein source. I have also noticed a push for seitan lately, but it is wheat protein which requires a complimentary protein and some people might not know that.

[roody]

105. Beware of meat substitutes. If they do not say organic,

or NO genetically modified ingredients, chances are they use genetically modified soy, corn, canola, and I don't know what else.

Good info at www.organicconsumers.org

[RedCloud]

106. Protein sources: whey, quinoa, et alia

They are out there. Just check out your local organic food depot for ideas and bulk purchasing discounts.

[Blue_In_AK]

112. There are a lot of really great vegetarian cookbooks

on the market, or you could subscribe to the Vegetarian Times http://www.vegetariantimes.com/ which I used to get back in the days when I was a vegetarian.

Beans are a good protein source and there are a million ways to prepare them.

[Unvanguard]

113. A lot of veggie burgers and fake meat. Pita, hummus, nuts. Potatoes.

And lots of pasta.

Edit: I eat vegan now. Before I did, I ate lots of pizza too.

[blondeatlast]

114. Best DU thread ever, and I'm an omnivotre! Thank you all! nt

[buzzard]

115. I love this recipe Italian Bean Casserole.

I cut and pasted this recipe and my notes are in brackets. I have used it for many years now and still love it.
Italian Bean Casserole

2 Tbsp oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 28 oz. can tomatoes
1 5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp each oregano and basil
pinch hot pepper flakes
pinch sugar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
pinch salt
1 19 oz. can white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 19 oz. can chick peas, drained & rinsed
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (or 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions
In large pot, cook carrots, celery, garlic, onion, green pepper in oil about 7 minutes
(I do this in the microwave to speed up the process then add to pot )

Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tomato paste can of water, oregano, basil, hot pepper flakes, sugar and 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan.
Taste and Season with salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered stirring often for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Stir in kidney beans and chick peas. Cook for 15 minutes.
(at this point I often freeze half for another meal and then continue with the rest of the recipe sometimes I double the recipe so I have a ready made base for the casserole )


Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Combine remaining parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley and butter. Sprinkle over mozzarella. (Recipe can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before heating).
Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling.

(I keep frozen breadcrumbs that I make from leftover bread buns etc so I always have these on hand. I like using wholewheat baguettes as crumbs I either let them get stale or sometimes dry out in oven and then throw them in the blender and freeze, I use to throw out so much bread
until I started this practice and it doesn't take long.)

(I also vary the veggies beans and cheese according to what I have on hand it is a very versatile recipe)

[w8liftinglady]

119. thanks for the breadcrumb idea...

[a la izquierda]

117. As a (part) Italian woman, gifted in the art of cooking...

:P being a vegetarian is easy. You just have to have a little confidence in the kitchen, and be willing to try different stuff. Now, I'm not a vegan (can't be), so if you are, you can modify ingredients in recipes. Once a week, I make sauce from scratch and we have pasta. I make eggplant a lot, in a variety of ways: parm, with tofu and veggies, baked and stuffed with rice or bulgar. I get some fake chicken strips and make asparagus or brocoli risotto. I spend lots of time in Mexico, so I adapt recipes from there: bean burritos, enchiladas, stuffed chayotes (yum). Sometimes we just eat pizza.
My husband and I are cyclists, so we eat a lot of little means during the day. But dinner is almost always made from scratch.

[Tim01]

120. Nothing un-ethical about road kill. And it's very cold outdoors now. nt