Vegetarian and/or vegan members of BYC!

[arabookworm]

I've been considering going vegetarian for over a year now. I'm having trouble actually doing it though because I honestly can not stand tofu and most other forms of soy. in fact, I dislike most meat substitutes. and I just don't have enough vegetarian recipes to make the change. I just can't eat the same things over and over. but what with the recipes being added to this thread, I am seriously considering doing it finally. I want to make the change mostly for the health reasons. I am a teen, but I am well educated about nutrition. in fact, my father is a doctor who specializes in nutrition. but I also disagree with how animals who are raised for meat are treated. but I do not believe that animals should have the same rights as humans. I do not have a problem with people who do believe that though.

can anyone recommend a good website to find good recipes? i'm not particularly adventurous in terms of food.

favorite vegetarian food: it is called kushari, it is made in egypt, rice and lentils, sometimes with pasta, with caramelized onions and a spicy tomato sauce sort of like the hot sauce you can buy at a grocery store, but with some different spices. Its really good.
my mom makes the best vegetarian lasagna with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, onions, ricotta cheese, and some mozzerella on top.

 

[PurpleChicken]

In response to the viewpoints that plants have feelings I must agree. I raise various forms of basil that when I trim and harvest I swear it talks to me. Once the old leaves are pruned the new life just blossoms and explodes. Tomatoes are the same way. The vines thank me for removing the heavy fruit. I dated a cucumber once for three months too.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Nevermnd...

 

[babylady4]

Emzyyy

I am sure this has been posted, but just in case.... you could eat quinoa grains for your protein. It is the only grain that is complete with ALL of the essential amino acids we need to function...... so tell your coaches to chomp on some of that!

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
Hi,
Not so sure about the website, but we get the magazine from our library, and most issues we find several good recipes. The last issue I read had a bunch of yummy sounding no kneed bread recipes.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

(By the way that Lasagna sounds great!)
My wife makes a killer Spinach Lasagna, with homemade sauce from our organic garden. She does not boil the noodles, just layers with the hard noodles, this way the lasagna comes out firm and not too juicy.

Yep Babylady4, Quinoa is good stuff! The mother plant of ancient Inca culture. Fun to read about too. The Spanish banned the natives from eating it and growing it! (They did it in secret though...) Even the United Nations documents it's superior amino acid profile and compares it to milk.

ON

 

[Sylvie]

Vegetarian with too many years to count. I do not consume any soy products.
I adapt just about any recipe that looks good to vegetarian.
However, I am at the point where I love vegetables plain and don't have a need to dress them up or combine for taste. Same with beans and whole grain berries. Love Quinoa, too.
I am not a smoker so my taste buds may be working pretty good.

My best friend lived a year in Kenya, caring for her mother who had brain cancer. Her mother married an Englishman who managed a wild game preserve in a remote area near the Indian Ocean. They prepared all foods from scratch. When she returned here she was stunned at the chemical taste in food, mostly processed, but definitely in some supermarket produce as well. That really unnerved me and I made drastic changes which included growing the bulk of my food, not just a little garden for fun.

Someone mentioned coaches against vegetarian diets. My friend and I compete in races. Our very large running club contains some national level runners. The bulk of our club are vegetarians because it works for them. I don't know where these coaches are getting their ideas.

I personally don't care if another person on the planet is a vegetarian, I am not militant about it or others' diets. It works very well for me and that is what it really comes down to; know yourself.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Bookworm,

Your local library should have a lot of ethnic cookbooks. There are lots of different types of vegetarian foods that don't involve soy. Most Indians eat very little soy, but they eat lots of dal...chickpeas, mung beans, lentils, etc. There are wonderful Persian/Iranian pilafs with lentils, rice, spices and veggies or fruit. Ethiopian food has lots of veggie options too, also without soy. Cornbread and baked beans are a favorite at our house, as are veggie burgers. I like the veggie burgers that don't pretend to be meat. One of my favorite recipes is walnut cheese balls in white sauce. It is delicately flavored, and yummy. The recipe is from the Vegetarian Epicure, one of the first big veggie cookbooks. When it was written, cheese, butter and eggs were used to replace the richness of meat. These are not low calorie recipes, but man are they good!

 

[JP33]

Quote:
Could not have said it any better. I have tried veganism and vegetarianism and after a certain point my body starts going through withdrawls and cravings that I have come to find can only be satisfied by consuming animal protein/fats.


...JP

 

[Lady_Cluck]

This is THE vegetarian cookbook, in my humble opinion:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0764524836

Seriously, whatever your diet is, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is the most comprehensive cookbook I've ever opened. It beats every other cookbook on my shelf in detail, history, inspiration, and information combined. I read it like an adventure book.

 

[Chicken Boo]

1. How long have you been vegetarian?

I have been a vegetarian since spring of 1991. The last thing I gave up was seafood that summer.


2. Why did you choose to go vegetarian?

I was a long time, big time meat eater. For a long time in my 20's, vegetarians used to make me angry. I could not figure out why. It finally occurred to me that I believed my pets, and everyone else's pets, should be treated humanely and be allowed to live happy lives. If this was true, why did I not believe this for other animals? I decided I was being a hypocrite and needed to fix that for my peace of mind. Once I reconciled that, I informed my DH (then my BF) that I wanted to stop eating meat and that when the last of the meat was out of the freezer, I did not want to buy any more. He had lived in a vegetarian co-op in college wo was OK and supportive with my decision (lucky me). He has been kind enough to keep a vegetarian house to accommodate me (he is still a bit of an omnivore. I do notice that he is eating less and less meat as time goes by and he has not ordered chicken since we started our flock). Despite popular opinion, I did NOT become a vegetarian (at 31) just to piss off my parents. That was an unintended bonus.

I do keep in mind how I felt before I became a vegetarian every time I am "attacked" for not eating meat ( and I am attacked) and just tell my story and leave it at that. Several of these former attackers have become vegetarians. I still consume dairy. I try to be choosy about where it comes from but am distressed about the male calves probably becoming veal (a whole other issue NOT for this thread).

[Please note that there are a lot of "I's" in the above paragraph and I am not talking about anything buy MY own experience.]


3. Has raising and caring for poultry changed your opinion of farm animals, or helped affirm your vegetarian lifestyle?

No. It has only reinforced my beliefs about kindness and respect to the other animals on the planet.


4. What are some of your favorite foods?

I love Indian food. I made terrific tomato sauce and roasted tomato soup out of the tomatoes from garden (which we freeze and use all winter). My DH makes wonderful quiche. I have found the joys of roasting vegetables. My DH and I like to cook together. Often, for a holiday/anniversary, we will pick some complicated long recipe and make it together. Oh, yea, chocolate.