ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
edited May 2011
Yeah, I crack my eggs separately now. I usually did that anyway because once I ended up with a bad egg that ruined like six of them, but now I bother any time I'm cracking more than one.
I think the hardest thing was cheeseburgers. That and filet mignon, which I never got to eat often but now is definitely out. Mostly, it's that I'd always hoped to end up on the road to vegetarianism and that I'm too cheap to buy two sets of dishes and pans. All together, it kind of works out, especially since I'm not drooling and craving red meat, which I was pretty sure would be the case, so I'm not really looking into other sources of it at this point. Because of my protein requirement I'm not sure I'll ever realistically be able to eliminate fish, though.
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And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
edited May 2011
which can be a good thing. fish is very tasty and versatile. especially the white fishes like tilapia (flounder i'm sure you know is a no-no. i think at least) and cod.
i'm trying to remember, but for a night out there was a chinese restaurant downtown philly that was vegetarian chinese, but also met all the kosher laws as well. It was upscale and pretty pricey, but i can't remember the name and something is telling me that it got closed down.
the other thing is, check with your local synagogue. the women there (if they keep kosher which if it's a conservative synagogue is about half and half) will probably be full of amazing recipes passed down through generations.
I think one of the synagogues I went to as a kid up there actually had their own cookbook printed, but that was years ago. Germantown jewish I think. but I was like 7 so that was a long time ago.
I am fascinated by your decision to go Kosher, and I applaud you. I'm personally about halfway there. I haven't had pork or pork products (save by accident or politeness) since my bat mitzvah (ohmygod that was 16 years ago holycrap), and I do my best to avoid mixing meat and cheese, but there are some cases that I can't help it. But I can't quite go for the 2 of everything yet. I just don't have the space.
ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
edited May 2011
I tried doing "cold turkey" a number of times over the years, and it never lasted more than a few days before I was like "fuck it, I want some bacon". But I don't think I was really trying to do it for the right reasons, either, and the fact that it never worked out always kind of nagged at me. In my brain. I'm Conservative, for reference.
This time I started really slow. One day I decided that I just wasn't going to eat pork anymore. That went alright and a little while after I stopped missing it (took about a week and a half) I decided I wasn't going to eat any kind of shellfish, either. I hadn't told anyone up to this point because I didn't want the pressure, so about a month into the shellfish thing on New Year's Eve when I asked what was in the awesome dip and my mom said "crab" I decided it was time to make mention. :P
I stayed like that until about March, when my husband decided to start undergoing the conversion process and expressed an interest in keeping kosher with me, so we decided to do it properly, and actually kashered our kitchen for Passover. After that point we were officially keeping meat and dairy separate, and I have a relationship with dairy, so I kept thinking things like "if I have this corned beef I won't be able to have yogurt in an hour. I'll just skip it." Between that and avoiding meat that wasn't hechshered (which is impossible to find without making the 45-60 minute drive into Philly), it wasn't long before I realized that it had been two weeks since I'd eaten any red meat or chicken, and I didn't really miss it. This made me happy because man, we only have one dishwasher.
It so happens that my rabbi is a kosher vegetarian, so she doesn't look at me like attempting to cut out fleishik altogether is crazy talk. It just ended up being the right decision for me at the right time, and I feel about a hundred times better for finally making it and sticking to it. I just have to work out this pesky "what the hell do I eat now?" thing.
edit: Incidentally, start to finish ("I will eat EVERYTHING unless it's gross like clams" to "kosher") was about a six-month transition for me.
ceres on
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
Im pretty picky, but I have to say quinoa isnt that bad. I made it with just chicken broth, which may or may not be out of the question given your dietary change...but it was pretty good.
you wouldn't eat them all the time obviously, but I'm IN LOVE with lots of fake meat. These breakfast veggie patties are a particular favorite of mine. They would make a nice breakfast along with some toast and juice, and it would give you protein! If they don't revolt you or if you haven't done so already, you should check out meat substitutes!
In addition to watching what kinds of fish you eat you should also look out for where the fish are coming from! We just had to write a paper about organo-contaminants in regards to farmed fish in analytical chem so I thought I'd share some helpful links! Here's an article from Science talking about how farmed fish generally have higher organo-contaminants than their wild counterparts. In addition, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a good buyer's guide that can be helpful in knowing what to look out for at your local supermarket, especially in the cases where different types of the same fish are sold under different names.
edit: Also note that the buyer's guide takes into account the environmental friendliness of the different types of fishes, so not all the "avoid" fish are necessarily bad for health reasons.
I'd never had lentils until I tried this fantastic dish from Cheap, Healthy, Good. Lentil, Spinach, and Bulgur stew. I did mine up with barley instead of bulgur, but it was fucking fantastic. Rich, hearty and warming.
Lentils in general are fantastic. They're like beans, but you don't have to do the bullshit soaking nonsense, they just cook right in whatever.
You might also consider eating things with beans where the beans have been pureed or otherwise had their texture altered. My wife's extremely picky about texture as well, so pureeing and fine-mincing are my secret allies to including things in a dish she'd not normally want.
Something like hummus or falafel might be up your alley (both made using smashed or pureed chickpeas).
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ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
edited May 2011
I just tried some Veggie Patch burger patties that were... okay. They had some weird flavor in them I can't place and don't care for, but I might be able to get used to it. I bought a couple "Smart" things to try as well, and I seem to recall that Morning Star had some decent bacon substitute or other, but I couldn't find the brand in my store last night, so I'll have to look again. I'm also on the lookout for Boca. I was really short on time last night.
I'm definitely interested in the environmental friendliness of the fish I purchase... it makes me sad to see that Atlantic Cod is on some of those "do not eat" lists. I'm in PA, and the likelihood of seeing Pacific Cod around here is not great. I prefer haddock anyway, which seems okay by some lists, but maybe not one I'd want to eat quite as often.
I haven't found that quinoa is bitter like some are saying, just maybe very planty. They taste a little like bean sprouts that haven't quite sprouted yet.
ceres on
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
really you can find alaskan cod at any supermarket out by me in PA. i just bought a huge pack of it at the grocery. quite cheap too
also, monterrey aquarium has a environmental pamplet for fish sustainability that is quite good,. I would assume you don't have to get it in person in CA and can just find it on their website
Actually, most of the websites I've been directed to in this thread are more or less confirming what he said. It looks like you can eat a few types of fish more often than that, but very few have nonexistent levels of mercury. It looks like the ones I like best are fairly safe, where (unfortunately for him) the ones he likes best are of the "consume at your own risk" variety.
I think the consensus isn't that your husband is wrong about the fact that fish contains mercury, but rather that your husband's fears of consuming said mercury are exaggerated.
The thing with fake meat is that it's just meat-like, not actually meat. Sort of like how a portobella burger is not a hamburger. It can still be good, but just consider it a new type of food. Tempeh is typically easier to cook with than tofu, and has more of a taste on its own (it's more savory). Quorn is popular, too, and works well in chilis I'm told.
ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
edited May 2011
Oh yeah, the burgers I got have wheat protein concentrate and I didn't notice till I got them home, so my husband can't eat them.
I swear pretty soon we'll be consuming nothing but soy protein and water.
ceres on
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
That website in general is sort of interesting to read. Apparently the scare with mercury in fish is all a giant fear-mongering thing from enviromental groups, and has almost no basis in science. That's different.
Just a follow up to myself, after a little bit of looking around I discovered that the guy who runs the mercuryfacts.org (aka fishscam.org) website is some sort of conservative hired-gun who works for industry and is about as non-impartial as you can get. Basically I don't know if I would trust anything on his website .
But there are competing studies about the amount of mercury in fish and just how hazardous it actually is.
The take-away I get is, don't eat old fish or really big fish. And pay attention to where your fish comes from, I think each state has local advisories on their fish.
I also found that Whole Foods has an interesting rating scale for aquaculture (fish-farming) sustainability.
Have you or can you eat a typical asian fried rice dish?
While right out of the wok the dish is eggy tasting, which is not surprising because of the fried egg in it. Give it a day though and eat it as leftovers and you will not taste the egg. I don't know why this happens, but I used to eat a lot of fried rice dishes while I worked at an asian restaurant so I would recommend this.
Can you get chicken broth kosher? If you can, boil it in a pot with some green onions and an egg and stir it a bit so the egg is all feathery. Not very eggy tasting either, especially when you make it spicy or toss in soy sauce.
Sorry if this isn't helpful, I know jack about kosher foods.
Look up Indian and middle eastern food for some inspiration, as there's very little meat in a lot of that, and they still get their protein. One of the problems with chickpeas/tofu etc. is that it really sucks if it's not cooked correctly, but it's good if done right. Look up vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free (as they often have good recipes) foodie blogs for ideas.
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I think the hardest thing was cheeseburgers. That and filet mignon, which I never got to eat often but now is definitely out.
i'm trying to remember, but for a night out there was a chinese restaurant downtown philly that was vegetarian chinese, but also met all the kosher laws as well. It was upscale and pretty pricey, but i can't remember the name and something is telling me that it got closed down.
the other thing is, check with your local synagogue. the women there (if they keep kosher which if it's a conservative synagogue is about half and half) will probably be full of amazing recipes passed down through generations.
I think one of the synagogues I went to as a kid up there actually had their own cookbook printed, but that was years ago. Germantown jewish I think. but I was like 7 so that was a long time ago.
I am fascinated by your decision to go Kosher, and I applaud you. I'm personally about halfway there. I haven't had pork or pork products (save by accident or politeness) since my bat mitzvah (ohmygod that was 16 years ago holycrap), and I do my best to avoid mixing meat and cheese, but there are some cases that I can't help it. But I can't quite go for the 2 of everything yet. I just don't have the space.
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This time I started really slow. One day I decided that I just wasn't going to eat pork anymore. That went alright and a little while after I stopped missing it (took about a week and a half) I decided I wasn't going to eat any kind of shellfish, either. I hadn't told anyone up to this point because I didn't want the pressure, so about a month into the shellfish thing on New Year's Eve when I asked what was in the awesome dip and my mom said "crab" I decided it was time to make mention. :P
I stayed like that until about March, when my husband decided to start undergoing the conversion process and expressed an interest in keeping kosher with me, so we decided to do it properly, and actually kashered our kitchen for Passover. After that point we were officially keeping meat and dairy separate, and I have a relationship with dairy, so I kept thinking things like "if I have this corned beef I won't be able to have yogurt in an hour.
It so happens that my rabbi is a kosher vegetarian, so she doesn't look at me like attempting to cut out fleishik altogether is crazy talk. It just ended up being the right decision for me at the right time, and I feel about a hundred times better for finally making it and sticking to it. I just have to work out this pesky "what the hell do I eat now?" thing.
edit: Incidentally, start to finish ("I will eat EVERYTHING unless it's gross like clams" to "kosher") was about a six-month transition for me.
you wouldn't eat them all the time obviously, but I'm IN LOVE with lots of fake meat. These breakfast veggie patties are a particular favorite of mine. They would make a nice breakfast along with some toast and juice, and it would give you protein! If they don't revolt you or if you haven't done so already, you should check out meat substitutes!
edit: Also note that the buyer's guide takes into account the environmental friendliness of the different types of fishes, so not all the "avoid" fish are necessarily bad for health reasons.
Lentils in general are fantastic. They're like beans, but you don't have to do the bullshit soaking nonsense, they just cook right in whatever.
You might also consider eating things with beans where the beans have been pureed or otherwise had their texture altered. My wife's extremely picky about texture as well, so pureeing and fine-mincing are my secret allies to including things in a dish she'd not normally want.
Something like hummus or falafel might be up your alley (both made using smashed or pureed chickpeas).
I'm definitely interested in the environmental friendliness of the fish I purchase... it makes me sad to see that Atlantic Cod is on some of those "do not eat" lists. I'm in PA, and the likelihood of seeing Pacific Cod around here is not great. I prefer haddock anyway, which seems okay by some lists, but maybe not one I'd want to eat quite as often.
I haven't found that quinoa is bitter like some are saying, just maybe very planty. They taste a little like bean sprouts that haven't quite sprouted yet.
also, monterrey aquarium has a environmental pamplet for fish sustainability that is quite good,. I would assume you don't have to get it in person in CA and can just find it on their website
I think the consensus isn't that your husband is wrong about the fact that fish contains mercury, but rather that your husband's fears of consuming said mercury are exaggerated.
The thing with fake meat is that it's just meat-like, not actually meat. Sort of like how a portobella burger is not a hamburger. It can still be good, but just consider it a new type of food. Tempeh is typically easier to cook with than tofu, and has more of a taste on its own (it's more savory). Quorn is popular, too, and works well in chilis I'm told.
I swear pretty soon we'll be consuming nothing but soy protein and water.
Just a follow up to myself, after a little bit of looking around I discovered that the guy who runs the mercuryfacts.org (aka fishscam.org) website is some sort of conservative hired-gun who works for industry and is about as non-impartial as you can get. Basically I don't know if I would trust anything on his website
But there are competing studies about the amount of mercury in fish and just how hazardous it actually is.
The take-away I get is, don't eat old fish or really big fish. And pay attention to where your fish comes from, I think each state has local advisories on their fish.
I also found that Whole Foods has an interesting rating scale for aquaculture (fish-farming) sustainability.
Have you or can you eat a typical asian fried rice dish?
While right out of the wok the dish is eggy tasting, which is not surprising because of the fried egg in it. Give it a day though and eat it as leftovers and you will not taste the egg. I don't know why this happens, but I used to eat a lot of fried rice dishes while I worked at an asian restaurant so I would recommend this.
Can you get chicken broth kosher? If you can, boil it in a pot with some green onions and an egg and stir it a bit so the egg is all feathery. Not very eggy tasting either, especially when you make it spicy or toss in soy sauce.
Sorry if this isn't helpful, I know jack about kosher foods.
It's almost like a green bean, and is full of protein. Cook it up with some seasoning and it's probably the most delicious thing you've ever eaten.