Cooking Vegetarian for health and fun.

UncleChet

So, I received a text from the better half that he wants to go back to trying a vegetarian eating style after the start of the new year. We've tried this previously with limited successes. We have thngs that both work for us and against us.

For:
We both enjoy cooking, though that's more me. I love to experiment with flavors and ingredients. I enjoy exotic and other-ethnic foods.
I am experienced in cooking several Asian style dishes that aren't neccisarily stir frys.
We both enjoy vegitables and don't mind eating rice and beans a few times a week if we have to.
We have a good sized stove, a decent sized kitchen and a few decent kitchen tools.

Against.
We're lazy. Suprise, it's SO much easier to hit McDs or 5 guys than it is to go to the store, get some fresh goods and then cook it up.
he HATES tofu. In any fasion other than deep fried with a spicy sauce. I don't deep fry and abhore the deep fried tofu.
He hates brown rice. I like it a little. I know it's better for the fiber factor but I much prefer sushi rice and nori.
He's iron deficient. Currently this is fulfilled by steaks and burgers (haha fatty). I know we'll have to eat lots of spinach/kale and stuff. What are other options.

I welcome all thoughts on helping us pull this off.

radroadkill

Ugh, I usually can't stand tofu either but I'm tying to get over this.

I tend to use beans/legumes/mushroom as my main protein source when cooking.

This would actually be a god tactic to take since certain whole grains and legumes have good iron sources alongside all those leafy green vegetables. I have read from many sources on vegetarian eating before I switched (although I won't claim to be 100% sure) that vitamin C when eaten alongside iron rich foods helps boos the iron absorption. (Iron from plant foods is harder to digest than iron from meat sources but that doesn't man you can't get the proper amount needed.)


As far as cooking goes, here are some tips I've figured out:

Good appliances:

-Slow cooker: good for soups and stews and helping with the "lazy" periods. Prep your stuff, maybe do a bit of sauteing before tossing certain ingredients in there, and let simmer away. Minimal effort with delicious results.

-Food Processor: Pesto, sauces, soups, purees... Not only does it aid greatly in a lot of tasty dishes that require it but keeping different types of pesto and like foods on hand is a great way to jazz up bland dishes if you're in a rush/being lazy. For instance: "Wow, I really don't want to cook... I'll just make a grilled cheese" can often become something amazing like "I really don't want to cook... I'll make a grilled cheese. And I'll use some of this delicious whole grain bread, slap some pesto on there, here's a bit of spinach lying about, oh I still have that half of a tomato, and hey! onion sounds great."

-Blender: fresh fruits make tasty juices and smoothies. If you don't keep a lot of fresh fruit on hand stock up on frozen goodies. Make tasty smoothies- add veggie purees in them as well if possible. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and yellow tomatoes end to go well with sweeter drinks.




A lot of people seem to think vegetarian cooking is really expensive... but it doesn't have to be. It also doesn't mean you have to eat rice and beans 4 times a week to keep costs down. Try to shop responsibly.

I usually try to make out a menu for the week and then shop for only those ingredients with a tiny bit of wiggle room for other items. It tends to work well (when I stick to it). I also try to make sure I'm going to use my ingredients before they go bad. Otherwise I hold off on those ingredients until another day when I might run in to pick just those up.

Also great for lazy times?

Freezing! Seriously. On a day you have time and feel motivated to cook you can whip up all sorts of soups/stocks/stews/casseroles/etc, pop them in the freezer, and then simply reheat/cook on another day. You can even freeze single portions to help fight the urge to go get something terrible for lunch because it's more "convenient" than cooking from scratch. (I am terrible at this myself- bu we're getting a personal deep freezer soon so we'll have space and I can't make excuses anymore!)



These are my two most used resources that cover/covered pretty much everything I needed when I wanted info on vegetarianism/tasty food:

Vegetarian Times - good recipes but lots of helpful articles, tips, and such. This was my first major tool when I went vegetarian and I love the magazines and the site contains pretty much everything covered in those.

Moosewood - some of the best recipes ever. If you ever invest in cookbooks geared towards vegetarian cooking these are the best. Sundays and Moosewood is a great tool if you like regional food. They take authentic recipes from people who have grown up in those regions and work to create delicious vegetarian versions. (Most of their books do contain a few fish dishes. I skip over these but since the husband isn't a vegetarian he might use them sometime so it works).


EDIT:

Also, there's always the Cooking Thread.

UncleChet

Thanks for the well layed out reply. We actually have like 6 moosewood cookbooks. Vegetarian Times also looks interesting.
We're both doing it for health reasons and on a smaller scale social and environmental concerns.

I love to cook, it's a big way of expressing myself creativly. I enjoy doing it but sometimes you get home and are all "fuck it" or just want to sit down and play dragon age.

Anyway, Thanks! Keep it coming.

Lord Yod

Get this book. (edit: go to their restaurant if you are ever near San Francisco, the food is amazing)

My girlfriend is vegetarian. We eat a lot of:
-pasta with sauce and a ton of veggies
-baked casserole-style dishes
-Mexican food
-stir-fry vegetables

Helpful hint: if you make lasagna, nobody will ever be able to tell if there's tofu in it. The same goes for a number of other dishes. I don't like tofu either, when she makes things like this I gobble it up.

One way to increase iron intake is to cook certain foods in cast-iron skillets. I happen to like these just because they seem to cook well, but they may be just the ticket for you. Some more info here.

jefe414

If you are looking for vegetarian (NOT vegan), get an Indian cookbook. Unless you don't like Indian food.

UncleChet

I love Indian food. I enjoy all types of ethnic cuisines actually. I'm just not a fan of American food (there isn't any really). The beefier half prefers simpler meals and more non-Asian inspired meals though and sure hates my favorite brand of sushi rice.

I did get a 2 week meal plan printed from a vegi food site sponsored by PETA. I know I won't cook all of the recipes but just having ideas is a good jumping off point.

We had planned to start this the first of the year but now we're targetting to start as soon as our current stock of frozen animal bits runs out.

Doc

UncleChet wrote: »

I'm just not a fan of American food (there isn't any really).

Cornbread

everyone loves it

Dalboz

You have one advantage already, and that is that you like to cook and seem to know your way around a kitchen. A lot of people automatically associate vegetarian food with blandness. It doesn't have to be if you know your way around a spice rack.

Also, I'm lazy too. The way I get around this is cook a lot at once, then store the rest in tupperware. Measure out your portion sizes. If you pay attention to portion size, food can actually go a much longer way than most people think. Plus, by cooking a lot and then metering it out, it means that you don't need to keep cooking. Just reheat as needed. Less effort.

Staples for me are beans, lentils, tofu, and dairy. Yogurt and cottage cheese are good. You can get some good iron from beans and lentils. You can make a tofu marina sauce. Or what I do is get some meatless marina, then a block of firm tofu, cut the tofu into smaller cubes and give them a light steaming. Then treat the tofu like meatballs, just dropping a handful on the pasta with some marina on it. Also, Barilla Plus is a good pasta made with legume flour (lentils, oats, flaxseed oil), so you get some lean protein from that.

SuMa.Lustre

be sure to explore chinese and indian food, those cuisines tend to have a lot of vegetarian options.

palak paneer is my personal favorite vegetarian food, you might want to try that (it has cheese, so not for vegans

edit: iron deficiency? spinach owns

broccoli can help with protein, spinach too (spinach owns)

Pheezer

Get used to lentils and beans. There's no way you're going to have a great diet as a vegetarian if you can't cook with those. East Indian cuisine has a lot to offer in this regard.

Niceguy Myeye

One thing about this is if you are serious about becoming a vegetarian, do it slowly. Don't jump headfirst into not eating any meat at all. Simply start by slowing your intake of meat. What you should do is just cut back a bit and stay at that level for a while and see if you want to continue. The worst that will happen is you'd eat healthier for a bit while you body adjusts to the changes.

Also, keep in mind that it's not all or nothing. You can cut back on meat significantly without being a vegetarian and be healthier and better overall and it is more likely that the changes will be permanent for when you're ready to actually become a vegetarian.

Mortal Sky

I find tofu delicious, personally, and there are a ton of ways you can work it in to stuff very subtly (the tofu asagna mentioned previously sounds delicious). Also marinades on that shit. I also love fruit smoothies with a metric crapton of soy protein powder.
And yes, Moosewood is godly.

Niceguy Myeye

Also, have you tried using tempeh or seitan instead of tofu? They have very different textures and tastes, so you guys may like them more.

Mr Obersmith

My wife and I swear by Cooking Light. All the recipes are relatively healthy and while it's not a vegetarian magazine, there are still quite a few vegetarian friendly recipes and recipes that can be altered to be vegetarian. I eat meat myself and my wife is nice enough to cook it for me, but when she does make vegatarian recipes, I honestly don't even miss it.

TL DR

I love tofu, but failing that you'll need eggs for protein.

Speaker

You make basic seitan by mixing together 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten flour, .25 cups nutritional yeast, a tablespoon of allspice and 1 cup + of water. Form it into elastic patties and then simmer it (don't let it boil) in vegetable stock for an hour.

You can get fancier and spice it however you want.

Also, a company named Ener-G makes a powder called egg replacer that replaces eggs in baking recipes. Handy.

You should fry tofu on low heat until the outside is crispy. Before you but the tofu in the oil wrap it in paper towels and press out as much water as you can without mashing it. Only buy extra firm tofu.

These three things will help you.

Speaker

Timothy Leary Come Check Out This Theory wrote: »

I love tofu, but failing that you'll need eggs for protein.

No you won't.

Dalboz

Speaker wrote: »

Timothy Leary Come Check Out This Theory wrote: »

I love tofu, but failing that you'll need eggs for protein.

No you won't.

I think it depends on how much of a vegetarian the OP wants to be. Some vegetarians consider eggs to be meat, some don't. Personally, I don't eat eggs, but that's just me.

And Speaker is right. There are a large variety of sources of protein if you don't include eggs in your diet.

Also, in terms of an egg replacer in cooking or baking, I've read that you can use one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons of water, and that can act as a substitute for one egg. However, I haven't tried this myself. I've only read it. Maybe someone else has given it a try that can verify the truth of this claim.

Speaker

It works alright.

The egg replacer works best.

UncleChet

You guys are awesome.

Pheezer

The egg thing is, they contain full protein chains. You need to get all of the essential amino acids Present before your body can really do anything useful with the protein you've ingested. There are no plant based sources that have them all present in one place.

So you need to research which amino acids are missing in each of your vegetarian protein sources, and find foods that not only have the missing pieces but also complement the protein source in a way that makes for good eats.

This involves a bit of work and is why you see a lot of very scrawny, unhealthy looking vegans. It's harder than just ordering tofu instead of chicken. It is however possible to eat properly without meat products or animal byproducts present, if you do your research.

I'm fairly certain that for lentils (a huge source of both protein and fibre), you can fill in the blanks by combining them with rice. But I'm not a vegan and you shouldn't assume that's necessarily correct unless you can google up some evidence regarding that.

Mojo the Avenger

I understand quinoa has a complete amino acid profile

Sos

A complete chain of amino acid isn't too hard to get. You just have to know your combinations. I think most beans mixed with rice will supply your necessities on top of the previously mentioned foods.

Pheezer

Mojo the Avenger wrote: »

I understand quinoa has a complete amino acid profile

You are right. I forgot about quinoa.

Quinoa has a full chain and is almost perfectly balanced. You won't be able to eat it all the time, but it's awesome.

SlickShughes

Pheezer wrote: »

Mojo the Avenger wrote: »

I understand quinoa has a complete amino acid profile

You are right. I forgot about quinoa.

Quinoa has a full chain and is almost perfectly balanced. You won't be able to eat it all the time, but it's awesome.

Why can't you eat it all the time?

UncleChet

Our plan for nights when we can't think of what to cook is to do a rice and bean dish. We've tried quinoa but didn't know what to do with it so it was boring and bland. I treated it like couscous. We got a great Korean cook book for christmas too and aside from the grilled meat dishes, a lot of it can be made with tofu or tempah.

Kivutar

Pheezer wrote: »

I'm fairly certain that for lentils (a huge source of both protein and fibre), you can fill in the blanks by combining them with rice. But I'm not a vegan and you shouldn't assume that's necessarily correct unless you can google up some evidence regarding that.

I've heard that as well, but I don't have any hard evidence either way.

Book-wise, I can't recommend Deborah Madison's 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' enough.
Loads of recipes of all types, lots of thorough explanations of techniques if you need it, and tons of information organised by ingredient (common varieties, how to store, methods of cleaning & preparation, pairings and other serving suggestions, etc.). It's really a wealth of information.

Pheezer

Quinoa makes a good cold salad if you combine it with feta, olives, sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumber and some spinach when it's still hot and then refrigerate. Or just eat it hit with all that added. Fuckin deeeeeelish. To skip on the feta sprinkle in a bit of olive oil and some koshe salt.

radroadkill

Oh, oh, or lots of roasted veggies. Red bells, red onions, eggplant, spinach, carrots, and then your seasonings. Fresh parsley/mint, feta, sliced black olives, and the oil or a bit of greek dressing.

Also good with pasta hot or cold.

Dalboz

Radroadkill listed a good mix. A general rule of thumb (not one hundred percent accurate, but a good guideline) when doing a diet like this is eat a rainbow of naturally occurring colors every day. That's usually a good guideline for getting a wide variety of nutrients in your diet.

Xantus

an easy way to make quinoa good is to add a 1tsp or two of soup base while you cook it.
a good soup base is nice to have around for all things.

UncleChet

Well, we've made the leap. Had my last spicy tuna roll on 12/31 and as of 1/1 had given away to friends all the meat that we had left in the freezer. We're really focusing on eating healthy and have been lucky enough to discover a new Indian grocer with a super helpful staff. So our goal is to eat vegetarian eating from cultures where it comes naturual which means tons of exotic ethnic foods. I had friends over yesterday where they sampled Greek, Indian and Korean dishes, all meat free and both were amazed. They're even going to join us on the quest of healthier eating by alternating weekend meals with us where we'll take turns cooking for each other and discovering new tastes.

Arch

ARCH THREAD!

Ok- rad is like me, except she hates tofu

First start- realize that about 90% of the recipes you used to make, you can still make, just leave out the part where it says "add x meat". Spaghetti carbonara? Can still make it, just leave out bacon (some say it isn't REAL carbonara now, but I argue that what makes it REAL carbonara is the egg)

chili? use lots of beans instead of meat OR use soy grounds.

stroganoff? Cook like normal, just use chunked portobello mushrooms along with some other mushrooms. Serve over quinoa for a full serving of amino acids.

grains and legumes are your best friends. You MAY want to invest in some Bean-o. don't be ashamed. Beans are the magical fruit! The more you eat the more you..well...you know the rest!

I cannot stress the bolded part enough. YOU CAN STILL MAKE MOST EVERY DISH YOU USED TO MAKE UNLESS IT IS LIKE, STEAK.

and it is also easy to be 'lazy' vegetarians and still be healthy. take this quick lazy lunch I made yesterday:
1 can black beans, 1 clove garlic (or garlic powder), cayenne, cumin, basil, olive oil.

Basically just drain half the water in the can, and then cook the remainder on the stove with all the spices to taste and serve with a starch (rice, quinoa [not REALLY a starch but eh], potatoes, mac and cheese, etc) and some frozen veggies that you heated up in the microwave (i used broccoli)

took like 15 minutes TOPS.

Feel free to PM me with any traditional recipe and I will turn it into a vegetarian one that is rather nutritionally complete in at least a day (I will also probably cook it myself first to try it out)

Fuck I want some quinoa now, why didn't I make some for lunch last night?

UncleChet

LOL Thanks Arch. I realize that we can do traditional foods without the meat (minus steak) but where's the fun in that? We've tried this before and have failed miserably. Thankfully, I have like 10 vegetarian cookbooks from all over the place and 4 from Moosewood Lodge. I also have a semi-strong googlefu. The thought for exploring non-traditional/non-american foods is that it's new and exciting. I'm having a blast. Tonight it Mexican and Tomorrow is Italian night. Then it's left over night woohoo

Arch

UncleChet wrote: »

LOL Thanks Arch. I realize that we can do traditional foods without the meat (minus steak) but where's the fun in that? We've tried this before and have failed miserably. Thankfully, I have like 10 vegetarian cookbooks from all over the place and 4 from Moosewood Lodge. I also have a semi-strong googlefu. The thought for exploring non-traditional/non-american foods is that it's new and exciting. I'm having a blast. Tonight it Mexican and Tomorrow is Italian night. Then it's left over night woohoo

Oh man you have the moosewood cookbook.

Rad showed me a few and they are amazing.

Ok, this is going to seem silly, but really check this book out. Ignore (or don't) all the Zen buddhist spiritual stuff (most of which isn't actually that bad). It has a lot of simple recipes and really emphasizes a love of vegetables that borders on creepy.

What is good about this book, however, is the beginning section which is something like "getting to know your vegetables" has a lot of really quick and simple ways to prepare most any vegetable. Notable ones I have tried include 'breakfast carrots' wherein you slice carrots into thick strips, sautee in a bit of oil and soy sauce until soft, and then top with honey and almonds, and the creamed celery which is essentially celery slices boiled till soft then mixed with butter and a bit of whole milk and salt.

Both easy, both quick, both tasty. There are also about a MILLION other recipes of varying difficulty yet most are still pretty 'simple' and all 100% vegetarian. (p.s. his potato soup recipe is really good)

xa52

I eat some meat, but I've made several of the vegetarian recipes on 101cookbooks.com and they're pretty great:

Not bland quinoa:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/double-broccoli-quinoa-recipe.html

I'm going to try this soon, since squash and greens are in season:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/almost-cheeseless-pasta-casserole-recipe.html

These are great:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/baked-sweet-potato-falafel-recipe.html

This is also great:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/pineapple-rice-recipe.html
It might work with quinoa, if you wanted to cut the wheatmeat. Or just have it with a piece of fish- it's not the same as eating steaks and burgers every day. Unless you're afraid of the slippery (greased with bacon fat) slope.

UncleChet

Arch, we have 4 or 5 Moosewood cookbooks. Before we ever decided to try vegi, the better half decided to collect a few.

xa52
Thanks for those! I'll check 'em out tonight once I'm home.

UncleChet

Arch wrote: »

UncleChet wrote: »

LOL Thanks Arch. I realize that we can do traditional foods without the meat (minus steak) but where's the fun in that? We've tried this before and have failed miserably. Thankfully, I have like 10 vegetarian cookbooks from all over the place and 4 from Moosewood Lodge. I also have a semi-strong googlefu. The thought for exploring non-traditional/non-american foods is that it's new and exciting. I'm having a blast. Tonight it Mexican and Tomorrow is Italian night. Then it's left over night woohoo

Oh man you have the moosewood cookbook.

Rad showed me a few and they are amazing.

Ok, this is going to seem silly, but really check this book out. Ignore (or don't) all the Zen buddhist spiritual stuff (most of which isn't actually that bad). It has a lot of simple recipes and really emphasizes a love of vegetables that borders on creepy.

What is good about this book, however, is the beginning section which is something like "getting to know your vegetables" has a lot of really quick and simple ways to prepare most any vegetable. Notable ones I have tried include 'breakfast carrots' wherein you slice carrots into thick strips, sautee in a bit of oil and soy sauce until soft, and then top with honey and almonds, and the creamed celery which is essentially celery slices boiled till soft then mixed with butter and a bit of whole milk and salt.

Both easy, both quick, both tasty. There are also about a MILLION other recipes of varying difficulty yet most are still pretty 'simple' and all 100% vegetarian. (p.s. his potato soup recipe is really good)

That cookbook looks amazing. Zen and general Buddhist philosophy is a good thing for us. I found a less expensive "recipe" book from him for this center and I may have to get it. I also Love potato soup so it's a must find.

Arch

UncleChet wrote: »

Arch wrote: »

UncleChet wrote: »

LOL Thanks Arch. I realize that we can do traditional foods without the meat (minus steak) but where's the fun in that? We've tried this before and have failed miserably. Thankfully, I have like 10 vegetarian cookbooks from all over the place and 4 from Moosewood Lodge. I also have a semi-strong googlefu. The thought for exploring non-traditional/non-american foods is that it's new and exciting. I'm having a blast. Tonight it Mexican and Tomorrow is Italian night. Then it's left over night woohoo

Oh man you have the moosewood cookbook.

Rad showed me a few and they are amazing.

Ok, this is going to seem silly, but really check this book out. Ignore (or don't) all the Zen buddhist spiritual stuff (most of which isn't actually that bad). It has a lot of simple recipes and really emphasizes a love of vegetables that borders on creepy.

What is good about this book, however, is the beginning section which is something like "getting to know your vegetables" has a lot of really quick and simple ways to prepare most any vegetable. Notable ones I have tried include 'breakfast carrots' wherein you slice carrots into thick strips, sautee in a bit of oil and soy sauce until soft, and then top with honey and almonds, and the creamed celery which is essentially celery slices boiled till soft then mixed with butter and a bit of whole milk and salt.

Both easy, both quick, both tasty. There are also about a MILLION other recipes of varying difficulty yet most are still pretty 'simple' and all 100% vegetarian. (p.s. his potato soup recipe is really good)

That cookbook looks amazing. Zen and general Buddhist philosophy is a good thing for us. I found a less expensive "recipe" book from him for this center and I may have to get it. I also Love potato soup so it's a must find.

Yea, this dude is great...but only when he writes. I tried watching How to Cook your Life and he just comes off as a big creeper, which is sad. But he even admits it in one book. He is all "I suck in front of a camera please just read my books"

and then they make a documentary about him and others.

radroadkill

UncleChet wrote: »

Arch wrote: »

UncleChet wrote: »

LOL Thanks Arch. I realize that we can do traditional foods without the meat (minus steak) but where's the fun in that? We've tried this before and have failed miserably. Thankfully, I have like 10 vegetarian cookbooks from all over the place and 4 from Moosewood Lodge. I also have a semi-strong googlefu. The thought for exploring non-traditional/non-american foods is that it's new and exciting. I'm having a blast. Tonight it Mexican and Tomorrow is Italian night. Then it's left over night woohoo

Oh man you have the moosewood cookbook.

Rad showed me a few and they are amazing.

Ok, this is going to seem silly, but really check this book out. Ignore (or don't) all the Zen buddhist spiritual stuff (most of which isn't actually that bad). It has a lot of simple recipes and really emphasizes a love of vegetables that borders on creepy.

What is good about this book, however, is the beginning section which is something like "getting to know your vegetables" has a lot of really quick and simple ways to prepare most any vegetable. Notable ones I have tried include 'breakfast carrots' wherein you slice carrots into thick strips, sautee in a bit of oil and soy sauce until soft, and then top with honey and almonds, and the creamed celery which is essentially celery slices boiled till soft then mixed with butter and a bit of whole milk and salt.

Both easy, both quick, both tasty. There are also about a MILLION other recipes of varying difficulty yet most are still pretty 'simple' and all 100% vegetarian. (p.s. his potato soup recipe is really good)

That cookbook looks amazing. Zen and general Buddhist philosophy is a good thing for us. I found a less expensive "recipe" book from him for this center and I may have to get it. I also Love potato soup so it's a must find.

I dug out our Tassajara Cookbook we own last night when planning my menu because I've yet to utilize it, and I've got to say it might become a new favorite. We have the one for lunches, picnics, and appetizers and holy crap.

It's section upon section of delicious things from sides, to sauces, spreads, fillings, and desserts. Each section tends to have a vegetarian section and a vegan section.

Picnics and bag lunches are going to get a lot more interesting around here.

Strato

I've been vegetarian for 2 and a half years now. I'm probably categorized as the 'lazy vegetarian' because I've never been a good cook, but I just ate a variety of foods along with milk, cheese, and eggs and I've been in great health. Plus the fact that I pretty much cut out all processed foods, started eating whole grains, and haven't been to McDonald's since as a natural result to the change in eating style.

So cheers to beginning your new life, and thanks everyone for the recipe ideas.