Vegetarians- Please Advise Me (1 Viewer)

[James Edward]

If there any vegetarians out there, please help me get started. What books, sites, or recipes did you/do you find most helpful.

I am trying to adopt a vegetarian diet- I might not make it completely, but at least I can cut down on the amount of meat that I consume.

I can cook well, but I fall short as to what I should be cooking. For meatless dishes, I pretty much draw a blank after spaghetti with different sauces, and fish. I am not picky- most everything appeals to me(which explains my weight), so be it spicy, cold, crunchy or mushy, bring it on... I am mainly looking for dinner type recipes; brakfast and lunch seem less daunting.

Any sites, books, or suggestions much appreciated. My reason for asking here first is that there is such a wealth of information, it seems overwhelming. I'd like to start with some learned suggestions, and I don't know any vegetarians. Thanks...

 

[Yoshi Sugawara]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I found that there can be meals that are satisfying without meat.

Try substituting shiitake mushrooms or deep fried tofu in place of meat, especially if you're making a stir fry. Fry them a little with minced garlic and sesame oil, add vegetables (like string beans, green pepper, chinese vegetables, carrots or what have you - I use "gai choy") - steam a little in the wok if necessary, add 1.5 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup of water (containing 1.5 teasp of potato starch to make the sauce 'harder') and stir around.

You can add some chili sauce to make it spicier. Eat with rice for the full asian experience

Also, try the vegetarian Boca Burgers - they're frozen patties that taste pretty good - but they have cheese product in it, so it might not be good if you're going the vegan route.

Being around Berkeley, it's hard not to be influenced by all things vegetarian

 

[Valerie Brown]

This is a good site.

http://vegetarian.about.com/mbody.htm

Valerie

 

[Zen Butler]

Vegetarian Times

has some great starter recipes. Also some fast recipes that are yummy. I would phase out the meat, while you phase in the meatless substitutes. If you don't have a wok, get one. Asian cooking does well with vegetarian dishes.

Boca burgers are awesome.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I don’t have anything specific, but I’d suggest getting into Indian cooking. While there are many types and styles, since India has a significant portion of their population that is vegetarian, it will be pretty easy to find recipes.

Indian restaurants will have a substantial portion of their menu that will be vegatarian.

 

[Ted Lee]

my girflriend has been a veg-head for about 20 years, so i've pickd up a few things.

ditto the boca burger recommendation - they're not bad at all.

your frozen food section should have stuff by a company called "morning star". it's in a green box. they make pretty good corn dogs, chicken patties, etc that are all vegetarian.

almost every restaurant will have some kind of vegetarian meal you can eat. even fast food places have pretty good selections, especially sandwich places like togo's, subway, quizono's, etc.

if you're really going to get in to it, then start reading labels. you'll be amazed at how much stuff contains some sort of meat byproduct.

and finally (i cannot stress this enough) - do NOT call yourself a vegetarian if you're eating any sort of meat, fish, or poultry. "real" vegetarians hate that!

 

[James Edward]

Ted- I, too, hate posers, that's why I stated it above the way I did. I could not agree more.

Thanks for the links and the suggestions. I'm going to give this a go starting tomorrow...

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Don't forget beans and legumes. Lentils are great, especially when combined with starches like rice or pasta. So are black and red beans. Personally I'm a carnivore, but I have friends who aren't. One got The Vegetarian Epicure as a birthday present and I started copying recipes out of it. It has some really kick-ass soups, among other flavorful recipes. Track that one down along with the sequel, The Vegetarian Epicure II. Both are still available in trade paperback as far as I know. If you cook one of their full meal menus you can serve it to anyone and odds are no one will even notice that there wasn't any meat in the meal.

Regards,

Joe

 

[KerryK]

Good luck! I've been a vegetarian for about 8 or so years. Phasing out is a good idea. I fell off the wagon quite a few times in the first few years. (Damn those KFC Big Crunch sandwiches!)

Also be prepared for the fact that everyone else will take it upon themselves to police your food intake looking for anything that resembles an animal product. You need to make your peace with what you feel comfortable eating, and act accordingly; don't worry about other people's ideas of what vegetarians should eat, wear, and do.

 

[Lary Larson]

http://www.vegweb.com/

Enjoy!