cellophanedeity

I'm sick of meat. I feel guilty every time I eat it, and I don't enjoy red meats at all. The major problem I've been having is that I have no idea what to make myself to eat.

What I'd like would be some quick to make veggie ideas, some that I can take with me for lunch, and some larger non-tofu based ideas for dinner.

Thank you so much if you can help!

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who am I to refuse the universe?
-Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers

maleficent

Going veg, you want to make sure that you get enough protein in your diet, if you pass on tofu, I'd go for lots of beans - Lentils make for a nice substitute- (somewhere in tilted cooking there's a recipe for lentil loaf that's quite good...

(Tip on beans: if you are going for dried beans, trhow out the soaking water and the bean after effects, diminish greatly...)

At your local library, or bookstore- check out the Moosewood Cafe Cookbooks. The Moosewood cafe is a purely veg restaurant in upstate ny - the cookbooks are a fun read... and have great recipes... The Moosewood Cafe Recipes are also good... and adaptable..

For simple lunches to take- I'd probably go with a simple wrap -- with Hummus (an easy to make ground garbonzo bean, garlic, lemon, and tahini spread) with some of your favorite vegetables... Tabouleh is something else I like a lot... or if you like eggplant... just a roasted eggplant with some olive oil and sun dried tomatoes if you please... all on pita bread... (I'm a big fan of the dippable lunches)


You could also do sushi The rice is easy to cook, and easy to find, the nori, should be pretty easy to find as is the bamboo rolling mat... then you are just limited to your imagination as to what to stuff the sushi rolls with..

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Toaster126

Good luck with this new diet. I would love to be a vegetarian, not because I care especially about animals feelings about being slaughtered or guilt, but because it's healthier.

Unfortunately, I hate most vegetables, so it's not really possible, lol.

Look in your local library for some great books on lifestyle and cuisine ideas. That's where my vegetarian friends got their start. You could also ask people who work at your local heath food store; in the States some chains of stores exist that cater to those who want organic food, I'm sure Canada has something similar. The employees are often vegetarian or vegan.

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"The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." (Ayn Rand)
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." (M. Scott Peck)

snowy

While I am not personally strictly vegetarian, I do a lot of veggie cooking because we don't cook meat in our apartment (E. is veggie and the smell makes him sick).

Mal is right on with her beans ideas. I stock up on cans of beans to add to lots of things. I have recipes for vegetarian chili and a Mexican lasagna up on other threads in the cooking forum as well as a recipe for tortellini soup.

The biggest thing with cooking vegetarian is learning methods. Learn to make a marinara sauce. Learn to make a white sauce. Learn to adapt recipes with meat to vegetarian (my Mexican lasagna recipe is an adapted recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray). If you do eat eggs and cheese, figure out ways to use them. Omelettes are always delicious and filling.

Mal's wraps idea is one we do a lot around here. We buy a giant pack of tortillas and a bunch of fresh veggies. We chop up the veggies and put them in containers in the fridge. Those, along with a little bit of flavored cream cheese, make a great wrap. You can use everything from bell peppers to green onion to romaine hearts--I love to wrap a whole romaine heart with some other veggies. We also use hummus and tzatziki sauce on wraps when we are going Greek.

Stirfry is also a really good meal we do a lot. Frozen stirfry vegetables are awesome.

Rachael Ray has a lot of recipes that are easily adapted for vegetarians. The BBC's food site has a whole section on cooking vegetarian. I'd say the biggest pitfall is recipes that overcomplicate things. There's a lady out there named Crescent Dragonwagon (can we say hippie) who does this. I don't WANT to dirty 10 bowls when I cook, so always read the recipe thoroughly and make sure it's something simple enough.

Good luck

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

xepherys

I apologize for the brief threadjack, but I'm curious why people still think this way? Neither omnivorous nor herbivorous diets have PROVEN to be healthier for human beings. Yes, eating excessive red meat is not particularly good for you... but neither is eating too much soy/tofu. *sigh* Sorry, this argument makes me angry because it is false and still talked about as if true.

At any rate, cello, good luck with going Vegan... many try, few succeed. If it's what you really want, I hope it works out for you! :-)

Willravel

Welcome to the jungle!!!

I love eating veggie (although I am not a vegetarian), and I've found that experimentation is key in trying a new eating lifestyle. Find out what you like and go from there. Go through the Moosewood cookbooks mentioned above by Mal.

Don't forget that vegetarian dishes don't always have to be complicated. An apple and some cheese for lunch is fine.

cellophanedeity

Wow! thanks a lot guys! I appreciate all of the feedback!

I'll just need to consult my local grocery store to make sure that they have lots of beans and veggies in for me! ^_^

__________________
who am I to refuse the universe?
-Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers

Toaster126

Think what you want. I don't like the idea of all the hormones and antibiotics they inject the animals with going into my system, nor the irradiation of meat, or the filthy conditions of any profitable center of animal production. There is also not a chance I am aware of to get sick from poorly cooked veggies.

I just don't care enough (and am not able to eat enough varied kinds of veggies) to change my lifestyle. Ironically, animal suffering in many cases makes meat taste better.

__________________
"The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." (Ayn Rand)
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." (M. Scott Peck)

maleficent

Check the Goya aisle for beans -- (I beleive that canned beans are just as healthy for you as dried beans are - and just as frugal... and saves you a ton of soaking time.

However, if you do go the dried and cooking the beans route- invest in a crockpot- it will save your self hours of watching the pot.

Lentils are the one bean that doesn'tmatter if it's dried or canned... they soak out pretty quickly.


Tonite's dinner (and leftovers for lunch tomorrow- and I'm not a veggie person - l just like the taste)

Black Beans and Rice

1 can of black beans
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
handful of cilantro

Cook Onions and garlic until soft (about 5 minutes) add green peppers, add one can of black beans, undrained, and chopped cilantro.. Simmer about 15 - 20 minutes.

serve over jasmine rice (or basmati rice, or whatever your rice pleasure is)

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maleficent

there was a bunch of cases of people dying or getting quite ill from scallions I believe -- from Chilis or some other restaurant... veggies aren't always the safest way to go

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snowy

Yes, and dried lentils taste better than canned lentils, in my opinion. I love using lentils in vegetable soups because I can just decide to throw them in, cook the soup a little longer, and voila.

Oh, and Giada di Laurentiis has some good vegetarian recipes or recipes that are easily adaptable to be vegetarian.

Here are some meals we like: the aforemention wraps, veggie chili, Mexican lasagna, Thai noodle soup (we adapted a Rachael Ray recipe, found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._30578,00.html), baked potatoes, breakfast foods like pancakes, French toast, eggs, and whatnot, Gardenburgers and tater tots, falafel, stuffed pitas, black bean burritos, assorted pasta dishes including stuffed shells, veggie lasagna, spaghetti with marinara, cheese raviolis with some extra-virgin olive oil, tortellini with tomatoes. We also like Asian/Indian foods, like the Thai noodle soup above, mushroom udon (a Japanese noodle soup), sweet potato curry, stirfries (with or without tofu), vegetarian pad thai, and making our own potstickers with vegetarian fillings (this is sooo easy to do--you just buy the wrappers at the grocery store, invent your own filling, and voila). We also like soups--vegetable soup, minestrone, pasta fagioli, lentil soup, black bean soup, broccoli and cheese soup.

So there are definitely a lot of things you can eat. If you'd like some recipes for some of the abovementioned dishes, just let me know.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Grasshopper Green

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/basic-nutrition.html

I just found this and it looks like a good page for some ideas on protein. The thing about beans is that they aren't a complete amino acid. Pairing them with rice or corn (like in that recipe that Mal posted, yummy) will help with that. You don't have to eat rice or something everytime that you eat beans, but you can't do it with beans alone.

If you still eat eggs and cheese, there are tons of options for good food with good protein sources. You mentioned non-tofu dishes, so I don't know if you just don't like it or need more ideas, but tofu works really well in veggie stir fry because it tends to take the flavor of the veggies/sauces it's cooked with and adds a great bit of protein.

We were vegetarian for about a year when I was younger, and I didn't particularly like it because I love my chicken and turkey...I just couldn't do it. Good luck with this!

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

Grasshopper Green

/threadjack If anyone is interested in reading about this topic, I really recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014...lance&n=283155

I read it and it curled my toes...and not in a good way.

/end threadjack

__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

dtheriault

we are a vegetarian family- if you're not vegan it's crazy easy and if you are vegan it's still not hard. My brother is vegan and looks like a body builder. I'm not a huge fan of the moosewood books (sorry mal) i own 4 of them, but i find their food slightly bland- since i live in so cal i'm used to exotic and spicy. I recommend the Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook and then just find ethnic foods you like and buy the veggie version cookbook.

I really recommend just finding which ethnic foods you like and then start making the vege versions it's really easy to cook vegetarian
Italian
Greek
Persian
Japanese
Thai
Mexican
here are some typical things we make for each meal.

Breakfast:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs with spinach and beans you can toss it into a tortilla and cover with salsa or enchillada sauce
Egg Stratas with noodles, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
Pancakes
French toast
If you're really craving bacon or sausage you can buy the morningstar products (they have a bunch of crap in them, but they taste the most like meat)
Personally I like to add soyrizo (it's like chorizo) to my eggs.

Lunch:
Sandwiches- there's so many it's ridiculous. Go beyond the sprouts and avocado- try hummus or babaganouj: i like to melt parmesan cheese on a pan until it's crispy and then make a PLT with it- it has that smoky bacon taste. Or make a sandwich on crusty bread with cooked yam, sheep cheese and watercress.
Make a taco salad and use beans.
Make a blackened mushroom torta.
Make soup- split pea, potato, miso

For dinner we like
egg sandwiches
lasagna
enchilada pie
shepards pie
vegetarian pot pie (you get the drift- i like pie)
pasta with white or red sauce
pasta with a thai peanut sauce
spanikopita
falafel
PIZZA
bread salad with kalamata olives, feta cheese, thin purple onions and a vanilla balsamic dressing
veggie corn dogs and chips
CHILLI (i love adding corn)

When we are eating something really good we'll look at each other and say "what can you eat if you can't eat meat?" (we hear it all the time)

just remember it's EASY-

ps- meat still tastes damn good and you'll NEVER find a substitute for bacon, steak or bbq chicken.

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"Remember, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen." -Homer

Unless you are the freakin Highlander, what is the point in learning how to fight with a sword?

dtheriault

I have a ton of spelling mistakes, but my arms were too tired from keeping up with the push-up challenge to click and check each item.

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"Remember, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen." -Homer

Unless you are the freakin Highlander, what is the point in learning how to fight with a sword?

Toaster126

That is exactly why I can't be one... reading that made me sick to my stomach.

__________________
"The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." (Ayn Rand)
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." (M. Scott Peck)

aberkok

Hey lady. It's about time we met again anyways, but you should come for dinner here. Me and the wife have some experience cooking veg. She's also tired of meat and I dabbled in veganism a few years ago (was strict vegan for 6 months).

During my time in Hong Kong I made an interesting discovery...that Indian cuisine is probably your best bet long term for going veg. I found that after eating the hotel food for 3 months, it was the only area I didn't get sick of. I think it's to do with the wide range of spices they use (and the liberal amounts).

I also have a couple of cookbook recommendations: http://www.govegan.net/

This lady's books are fantastic. I recommend the first one most (the green one - "How It All Vegan").

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cellophanedeity

So many good ideas! I'm quite excited now, and the only distractions are gummy candies, and the thought of jello shooters.

I bought some hummus (I'm in search of a good recipe so I can make some at home) and some nice pitas and sugar snap peas and cucumber so I can have an awesome dinner.

__________________
who am I to refuse the universe?
-Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers

maleficent

hummus is super easy - -all you need is a pretty powerful food processor.... ( I have a big ole cuisinart.. that is too heavy to move for everyday stuff - i make this frequently in a small black and decker food processer.. that maybe holds 2 -3 cups of stuff - it's small - -but it's got enough power to blend)

1 can of garbonzo beans, drained
3 cloves of garlic (I like garlic, use one if you don't have a fear of vampires - -or be creative and use one head of roasted garlic)
1 splash of olive oil (do not use vegetable oil, this is for teh flavor)
juice of 1/2 lemon (or more, your choice)
a tablespoon or three of tahini (sesame paste - this stuff is a little price, but it's good and it really lasts a long time0

Blend until smooth... (if you want it a little smoother, reserve the juice from the can of garbonzos and add it while you are pureeing


(you can get creative with it and add in some roasted peppers or some cilantro.)

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Charlatan

garbonzo beans are chick peas right?

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maleficent

Garbonzo beans, Ceci Beans, Chick Peas... a rose by any other would be just as tasty...


I've also done the same type of dip with cannellini beans (or white beans-- with garlic, olive oil, and cilantro - gives it a nice flavor) black beans also make a nice dip - but the color is kinda yucky.

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snowy

Alton Brown's hummus recipe uses peanut butter instead of tahini (because of the availability factor/price factor).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._13888,00.html

Haven't tried it, but most recommend using the very natural, fresh peanut butter.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

maleficent

I've tried it with peanut butter and it's got a much different flavor -- not bad - just doesn't taste like hummus, to me anyhow... tahini is a much milder flavor...

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la petite moi

I've been a vegetarian now for almost four years. I was a vegan for around a year, but realised I couldn't give up cheese!

Make sure if you eat the beans, eat rice with it. That is a complete protein. (Burritoes are really good, I find.)

Egg Beaters are really good egg substitutes, and make great cheese omelettes.

I really like my veggie sandwiches, which are: toasted sourdough, mustard, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, pesto, and cucumber.

Also, try lightly "frying" tofu in a pan coated with asian sauce (I'm sure you can find a nice one at any asian market) and garlic. Eat it with soy sauce and rice, and I'm sure you'll like it, plus it is full of good protein.

I really enjoy the Morningstar Breakfast Sausage Links; they don't taste too meaty but still have the spice of sausages.

Make sure you take a multi-vitamin! B-6 and B-12 are essential for the vegetarian.

And here is an AMAZING fat-free/low fat vegetarian recipe website: http://www.fatfree.com

Sugarmouse

I would say i am 90% vegan..not totally because (mainly) i have a lot of leather clothes which hold good memories for me.i rarely wear these, but they havent left myhome.

its easy once yuo get used to it.

il post myfavourite cooking webbie


http://vegweb.com/

any ideas needed pm/email me...also for inspiration..i have slid a few times but then i think of the animals and forget i ever wanted to!

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Sugarmouse=Festered

cellophanedeity

Thanks a lot guys! I'm doing quite well with this, and I'm learning more about what I'm eating, all at once.

*loves recipe websites*

__________________
who am I to refuse the universe?
-Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers

ktspktsp

Heresy!!!

Plaid13

Get a slow cooker and learn to make pasta sauces from fresh tomatos and whatever sort of spices and random veggies you feel like tossing in it. pastas and cheeses are good but with some real good sauce i could live off that stuff. With the slow cooker you cant really screw it up just toss some stuff in it stir it up a bit and forget about it till later in the day. Fresh breads or garilic bread with that and you hve a great meal without any dead animal to think about.

Lately even though im not a vegitarian i have been eating sandwiches made from fresh italian bread some white american cheese diced green pepers black olives lettice and tomato. just one slice of cheese and as much of the veggies as i can stuff in the bread. surprisingly filling for what it is. makes a good lunch.

Jinn

Vitamin B12.

Don't forget it -- it's likely one of the most important parts of your diet if you chose a vegetarian / vegan diet.

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GingerBloke

Have you tried looking at food from the East. Indian, Thai, Chinese and loads more. They make wonderful vegetarian dishes.
But look at all the dishes that they do with meat in, you can replace the meat with vegetables, Legumes, Squashes or beans.
Your not eating them because they have meat in you are eating them for the flavour. Experiment and give it a try.
I know some good recipes for curry that are tried and tested by me. Below is a link for beef curry. Just make the curry sauce without any meat but cook it for the same amount of time. Then you add the veg, beans of your choice.

westothemax

I went vegetarian when I was in high school, and I learned how to cook vegetarian while in college.

I think the best purchase I ever made was a food processor. You can make pesto for pasta or pizza (pesto > marinara, but you can probably make your own marinara sauce too). You can make your own hummus or babaghanoush (you could also try making your own falafel, but I usually go for the mix). You can make your own salsa, which I think is way better than the stuff in jars, and way cheaper than the stuff in plastic tubs. All you need is a can of beans and some tortillas and you have tacos.

Basically, you can make tasty stuff to put on boring stuff.

I tried making a margarita in it when my blender died. I don't recommend this.

If you like Indian or Thai food you should look into Tasty Bite. If your supermarket doesn't have them, you can order them online. They're pretty good for $2 to 3 each, and most of their stuff is vegan. http://www.tastybite.com/

Sage

My chiropractor and his wife and his daughter(who I was taking care of for a while) were all vegetarian, so I got an earful about that. There's a gajillion things you can cook that you might not immediately think of- things like squash, turnips, a billion kinds of greens... all that stuff.

Keep in mind that tofu is an INSANELY processed food, retaining little of it's original nutrition (way back when it was a simple soy bean). Wash your produce really well, or buy organic. Go to your local organic super market (Earthfare, Whole Foods, Freshmarket, etc)- they will have BAJILLIONS of ideas for veggie meals, plus you can buy things like flour, rice, oatmeal, beans, etc. in bulk, which (for me at least) is much cheaper than buying things canned or pre-packaged. I get organic eggs too, because I like the taste so much better- and the living conditions of the chickens are happier than a big assed chicken farm.

Also, hit up your local farmer's market if you have one- can get TONS of veggies for hella cheap!

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rsl12

A couple of things, some of which have already been noted:

1. If you like indian food, you will have absolutely no problem finding a great variety to eat. Pick up a good cookbook (I like this vedic vegetarian cookbook--it refrains from use of garlic & onions, but feel free to add if it's not against your religion: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052...Fencoding=UTF8)
Keep in mind that, if you want to do a lot of indian, you've got to commit to buying the necessary spices/staples (including a mortar/pestle if you're really serious). There are a lot of spices necessary, and there's a learning curve associated with learning how to use each spice. No other type of cuisine can match indian for vegetarian options.

2. Fake meat is generally pretty gross, I think. It never tastes like meat, and it's disappointing if you're starting being a vegetarian, because it just gives you cravings for the real thing. Nevertheless, some products are OK--texturized vegetable protein is bland but can substitute as ground beef for recipes that have lots of other flavors (like chili). Boca and quorn both make decent ground meat substitutes, and boca burgers are surprisingly like mcdonald's patties. But in general, try not to use too much of this stuff. You'll find yourself wishing more often than not that you were eating the real thing.

3. There are very few vegetables that are chewy. You may miss this. If you're a real cook, you can find ways to use wheat gluten to make meaty, chewy substances that are not bad eating, but not really like meat. In chinese supermarkets, you may find in cans or jars of peanut gluten. This is kind of sweet, chewy, delicious. Good in stir fries. Again, use sparingly, as it's not going to really satisfy your meat cravings if you have any.

4. You may be used to meals that have one main dish and a bunch of sides. Vegetarian meals are usually better when they consist of a bunch of sides, and no main dish. Sure, veggie lasagna is ok, as is pasta with veggies, but in general it's hard to say, "OK, I'm going to make OKRA the center of my meal!!" You may find pleasure in having lots of variety--pickled mangos, stewed okra, shredded cabbage salad, and dal served with some rice. I personally think a bunch of simply prepared vegetables on a plate is better than one big elaborate dish.

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oh baby oh baby, i like gravy.

rsl12

As for quick ideas:

1. If you have a crock pot, veggie stews are an option. not particularly quick, but can be made in big batches and freezes well. throw in a combination of the following: plum tomatoes, onions, garlic, chayote, butternut squash, cayenne, potatoes, yucca, salt, pepper, beans (chickpeas, kidneys, or pintos), bay leaf, thyme. make sure there's some oil to give it the right mouthfeel (olive oil is best). Flavor at the end with cilantro and a bit of lemon juice if you like.

2. Masoor dal (red lentils) is pretty quick to make. Fry garlic, ginger, then add dal with water, turmeric. From there you have a few options--you can add green chiles, coconut milk, lime juice, cumin, salt, fenugreek. Alternatively, just buy some curry powder and add it to the dal and have done with it. Maybe put a pat of oil or ghee in. Should be done in 15-20 minutes.

3. I like raw vegetables personally. Just put a bunch in a bowl and serve with your favorite dressing. Grape tomatoes, watercress, avocado, baby carrots, yellow bell peppers, tofu, radishes, etc. Vegetables like brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli can be nuked for a minute or so.

4. Most greens are good sauteed in olive oil and garlic, salted and peppered, and maybe with a little lime juice. Throw in pine nuts and raisins if you like.

5. Stir-frying is usually quick. My favorite: stir fried bok choy and tofu. (If you don't like tofu, peanut gluten can be used instead). Baby bok choy is best for this. Fry crushed peanuts in oil on medium heat for a minute or so. Add garlic, ginger, and fry for another 30 secs. Add bok choy, cook till almost done (5-10 mins?). In the meantime, put a tablespoon of cornstarch into a cup and mix with cold water. Once boy choy is almost done, add tofu (unless fried, tofu is almost always better if it's not cooked too long) and some soy sauce. Add some of the cornstarch water--be careful--you want to make a light sauce, not gum up the works. So if it's too thin, you can always add more cornstarch water. If it's too thick, hopefully you can just add plain water to thin it out. Once you add the cornstarch, you should be good to go within a minute or so.

6. Mapo tofu is one of my favorites. You need red chili bean paste--can be found in an chinese supermarket. Fry a little bit of fake ground meat. Add a tablespoon of chili bean paste, fry a minute longer, then add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, soft tofu. Mix up, add cornstarch & water to thicken as necessary. Add a few chopped scallions to the top.

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oh baby oh baby, i like gravy.