Vegitarianism

Poststructural Pub
1

I’m moving toward changing my diet in a fairly dramatic way for a variety of reasons. I won’t go into all the reasons here as a few (but not most) of them would be better suited to the proctology forum.

I’d like very much to know more about a more “vegetarian” lifestyle.

Those of you who have taken the plunge…

What the heck do you eat all day? I’d like some really specific guidance on how to construct a diet devoid of dead critters and milk if anyone cares to lend a hand. :slight_smile:

I will continue to eat eggs as my little buddies make them for me in the backyard. They’re having a great life puttering around free on two acres and don’t seem to need the eggs for anything.

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Doc

2

Well Doc…you’re describing my diet, mostly. I avoid milk and cheese (headaches,) and most meat except for a bit of fish. I do eat eggs.

I think the real hurdle to overcome is thinking in terms of “main course.”
Because to most people main course means some type of meat.

There doesn’t have to be a main course. Most people get adequate protein just by eating foods that are good for them…veggies, grains, a few legumes and nuts.

So it’s kind of a matter of what do you like?
Eat soup–throw some lentils or garbanzos in it. (Along with all the veggies you have around, plus a can of tomatoes and seasonings.)
Eat spaghetti–you can use veggie meatballs or ground soy crumbles (not half bad) if you like, but it’s not required.
Eat salad and toss on some nuts or lentils. Or seasoned tofu, cut up.

Tonight the kid ate mac&cheese, and I ate “Sardinian Peasants’ Supper” which is pre-packaged lentils and pasta and seasonings you simmer up.

But if you are more inclined than I to spend time in food prep (and it’s fun when I do it, I just seem to run out of time most days) there are multitudes of cookbooks to suggest good salads, soups, pasta dishes, and even good old-fashioned main courses.

p.s…I just noticed you said “all day.”
I eat cooked grains (amaranth, quinoa, oatmeal) for breakfast with fruit (but cereal and soymilk is easier,) and if you want a sandwich there’s always p & j, or hummus & veg, or veggie bologna, or smartbacon, lettuce and tomato. (yum.)

3

Because of the Asperger Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism, I’m much more tolerant of what Neurotypicals (normal people) would call a “boring diet”.

But here is what I had today:

Breakfast:

Several rounds of home-made toast, and cereal with milk (weetabix. At weekends I have porridge, when there is more time).

Lunch is a bag lunch at work. I have an apple, a banana, a (peeled) carrot and a sandwich (on home-made bread). Mondays & Fridays the filling is Vegetarian Paté. Wednesdays it’s Crunchy peanut butter. Tuesdays and Thursdays it’s Marmite.

When I come home from work I might have a couple of bags of crisps (potato chips) amounting to about 60-70g. Or some toast, or some popcorn.

Evening meal is late - usually around eight or nine o’clock. Tonight we had Tagliatelli with a TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) Bolognese-ish sauce. And Parmesan Cheese. And a Beer. (Badger’s “Golden Glory” Ale.)

I’m a “nut” vegetarian. If I was cooking for myself I’d have more lentils and more nuts. My wife isn’t vegetarian and she insists that I am a meat-eater manqué, and gives me a lot of meat-substitute. We used to do a lot of cheese, but I’m glad we don’t these days.

4

Doc, I found this recipe book that’s much more the down-to-earth type of vegetarian cooking I like–casseroles, soups, stews–hearty and very good. Not so much a drastic change for us meat-and-potatoes eaters. I’ve found it very useful.

http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Vegetarian-Cooking-Meatless/dp/0028622618

P.S. It uses mostly items you can buy at your regular grocery store–no need to head off to the unknown health food store.

Susan

5

Thanks for this Susan (although, I’m not Doc :wink: ). I’ve been looking at the possibility myself for some time now. In fact, I just told Mr Izz earlier today that I would like to start working toward pretty much what Doc has outlined. For ME, I just don’t really like meat all that much. I’d rather the lentils, chick peas, and tofu. And salads…I could live on them. But IB can keep his Marmite :wink:

6

Japanese food usually does not involve any milk and often do not involve much meat that cannot be substituted for something else. If you have come to the point that you cannot eat meat, I can understand, and it will be a difficult change. If you dislike eating meat, I would suggest that you start with one or two days a week that are vegetarian, and work up to complete veggie.

I know how to make pretty good naan, and my wife knows how to make great chatnee and kebabs (vegan). I’ll try to collaborate with her and type out a recipe later.

Umm…
What is your spice tolerance?

Oh, and I am only a part time vegetarian.

7

Well Doc, we eliminated beef and pork this year.
A baby step of sorts.
Let us know how it goes - you can stick your toe in the water for the rest of us.

pastorkeith

8

Still a work in progress

Curry Corn Chowder

1 tbsp oil
5 onions
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
Crushed red peppers to taste.
1 tbsp Crushed nigella (optional)
1 tbsp crushed mustard seeds
2 tbsp paprika
White pepper
3 cloves crushed garlic
5 potatoes
1 lbs corn.
Vegetable stock or water*


Chop and saute the onions in the oil adding the ground spices as you stir. When the onions are soft add diced potatoes. Adding water* (or stock) to keep the potatoes from sticking. When the potatoes are soft add more stock and frozen corn. Bring close to a boil and serve.

*We are working on milk substitutes like coconut milk, soy milk, etc. instead of water, but it is still a work in progress.

9

ID, that sounds like a wonderful recipe. I hope I remember it’s here when it gets cool again.

I’ve tried the vegetarian thing, not for long periods or for some particular reason. I love beans and cheese. Unfortunately, both cause me problems – my constitution really can’t handle beans more than 3 times a week, and I have high cholesterol, so too much cheese is out. My wife is a former veggie, and we still probably only eat meat 4-5 times a week.

Some veggie meals I make:

bean chili
beans and rice
tofu stir fry
loads of Indian stuff
spaghetti with marinara sauce

Here are a couple of recipes; one main course and one side

(I have no idea what this is called. I had it at a fancy Italian place.)
1 can tomato paste
a handful of green olives
1-2 tbsp capers
cayenne or hot paprika to taste
some parmesan or romano cheese

1/2 lb of ziti, rigatoni, or the like

I dilute the paste with enough water to make it a little easier to handle
put it in a very small pan over low heat, or a Pyrex cup to microwave
slice the olives thin and add them, the capers and cayenne/pap to the sauce
heat

Toss the pasta with this mixture and serve with cheese.

This is seriously easy and delicious. Adjust the amount up and heat down if you have many many kids.

Ethiopian ginger fried vegetables

This is one that’s pretty flexible in terms of ingredients. I always use potatoes and green beans.

few Tbsp olive oil
few cloves garlic
1" or so fresh ginger
red pepper flakes
minced onion
minced green pepper

Saute these till the root are soft

Cubed potatoes
green beans
carrots
celery
etc.

cook these till they’re mostly done
add them to the other stuff
You might want some powdered ginger, too
You’ll also probably want a generous pinch of salt.

Very tasty. Can be a main dish or a side.

10

Let me first state that I have no problem (for the time being) with meat, poultry and fish as long as its ethically raised, killed, and processed.
That, because of its price when those observances are done, sort of puts it in the category of condiment however.

In the winter we were eating mostly out of the crock pot (stews of mostly roots & beans with some mushrooms & seaweeds), a rice cooker (all varieties of rice), and fermented vegetables (not too difficult with the right crocks to do it in).

Since its warmed up this spring I switched over to mostly raw and “live” foods. Its been something I’ve been curious about since meeting so many people as clients during the winter months who had messed up their health with raw foods.
I read up about it then wondered if the issue was just a case of paying attention and doing it correctly.

I also wondered if I could resolve my personal adventure with auto-immune disease on a properly done raw and live food diet.

I’ve been growing (sprouting and fermenting) a drink called Rejuvelac and then processing (food processored) the sprouted wheatberries plus some other sprouts and vegetables in my dehydrator into crackers and breads. Besides drinking the Rejuvelac straight, it goes into my green leafy “smoothies”. The vegetables that are difficult to chew I either marinate, ferment, or lightly steam. Many of my “salad dressings” are meals in themselves of sprouted and then processed seeds and nuts.

I was thinking of attending a retreat school sometime this summer for further research in raw foods. The one presented by Gabriel Cousens where one learns not only to prepare raw foods but also do hatha yoga and invoke various angels in ritual where we’d get to pound on drums sounds enticing to me, but my husband says the cups of sprouting seeds & nuts and trays of wheatgrass I already have growing around the apartment and the processing of the kitchen scraps in either a vermiculture or bokashi (to be recycled back as a growing medium) are proof enough that I’ve already stepped off the deep end way farther than he is comfortable with.

He eats what I prepare for him. He just doesn’t seem to want to know what it is I’m feeding him.

11

The thing with beans is that your body needs an extra enzyme to digest them. And where do you get this extra enzyme? Why, from eating beans, of course! That bloated feeling goes away the longer and more often you eat beans.

The other thing about beans is that they are an incomplete protein. You need to eat beans along with a grain of some kind: rice, bread, etc. Throw in some lentils in your beans for added folic acid.

I soak beans overnight and boil for an hour before serving along with brown basmati rice 6-7 nights per week - 1/3 cup each of beans and rice per person, plus 1/4 cup lentils. Flavour with whatever suits you. I like curry pastes (tandoori, vindaloo, etc.). Add a salad or some frozen veg for a complete meal.

djm

12

The soaking of the beans and cooking might be enough to inactivate the protease inhibitor found in beans.
Another method is to ferment the beans as they do with miso.

Ahhhh, miso! Great stuff!

13

The world is treating me bad … Miso-ry</A](http://youtube.com/watch?v=-lIRIKn6DTw">Miso-ry</A)> :smiley:

djm

14

10 posts before the ethics card was brought out? I’m shocked it took so long.

I’ll go out and graze while waiting for future developments.

15

Kalamazoo, as in Kalamazoo Michigan? The Mr. and I will be near there the first weekend of June for Midwest Banjo Camp.

Last year at banjo camp (when it was up in East Lansing) we noticed the students were a couple decades older and the food was a lot better at banjo camp than it has ever been at any yoga conference we’ve attended.

The Mr. postulates that playing the banjo and eating the kind of food banjo people eat is healthier than doing yoga and eating yoga cult rabbit food.

16

I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years.

Things vary, as they do with any lifestyle, but in general:

For breakfast I might have toast with peanut butter, cold cereal or oatmeal. Sometimes I go the yogurt route instead. On Saturday mornings, my hubby makes me brekkie…hash browns, vegetarian sausage and an egg.

For lunch, I often eat leftovers from dinner, or I may have some soup, chili…maybe a veggie burger. If I’m eating out I’ll probably have a sandwich (cheese with lots of different veggies) or a burrito (we live in Mexican food heaven here), or maybe a salad.

For dinner, well…I like to cook, and I’m pretty good at it. I make my menus up for two weeks at a time, and rotate through a pretty big repertoire of recipes, so we never get bored. I try to make something new at least twice a month as well. When I’m making up the menu, I tend to think in terms of food categories…so in any given pay period I might make Indian food one night, Italian another, Mexican another, Middle-Eastern another, Chinese yet another (ethnic food is a godsend for a vegetarian, as many of the cultures with the most flavorful food are much less meat-intensive than we are). I usually make homemade soup once a week (soup’s one of my favorite things, and I have a lot of really really good recipes). Sometimes, like tonight, I’ll make pizza. During the summer, we’ll pull out the barbecue once a week or so…in fact, tomorrow I’m trying something new on the grill involving Gardenburger riblets, pineapple and bell pepper, with coconut rice (I’m working on a Polynesian theme). When I don’t feel much like cooking, we might do baked potato bar or salad bar or tostada bar (just set out all the stuff and let people build their own).

When we eat out, ethnic is usually the name of the game. Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants are great for vegetarians. Asian places are less so, but we’re lucky in having a couple of Thai places here that cater to vegetarians, and a great Chinese place in Mountain View. Believe it or not, steak houses can be good places as well…they usually have big salad bars and baked potatoes, which can make a very satisfying meal.

Redwolf

17

Well, it snowed last night, how cool do you want it? Is it different in your neck of the woods?

Any way if you make the corn chowder, Naan tastes great dipped in it, and corn chowder makes great leftovers.

What you should know about naan, you can make it with only flour, yeast, water, time and a greased skillet, you do not need to make it as complicated as this recipe. Just cook the dough on a skillet.
\
\
Naan
INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (I just sprinkle some in from the jar~ one tablespoon)
1+ cup warm water*
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
3+ cups bread flour (more to roll it out)
Butter for the skillet

DIRECTIONS

1.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, water, egg, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover , and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour (I make it before work and let it over rise), until the dough has doubled in volume.

2.Punch down dough. Roll one golf ball sized piece of dough out into a thin circle.

3.Heat grill to high heat. (I use a cast iron griddle Teflon coated pans would **not** be suitable)

4.Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned(don't cook it untill there is a really tasty black carcinogen filled black parts). Brush uncooked side with oil, and turn over. Brush cooked side with oil, and cook until browned.  Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan is ready. With patience, it only needs to be flipped once and does not need additional oil.

It helps to know bread, make at least 10 loafs of bread before making this. Kneed it, learn the feel learn the texture.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Doc, it is not about the ingredients, it is about eating good food. Just like always.

*<small>I make mine with skim milk, but water was used the first times I made Naan. It's bread.</small>
18

We will go vegetarian in a few weeks when the youngest linoleum lizard migrates back home. We will eat dairy but only cheeses with veggie rennet. I prepare meals that are mostly Mediterranean style and border style(Tex, N. Mex, Ariz). My wife and I will have the occasional Salad Nicoise during the summer but the tuna and anchovies are added just to our plates. I will also have to grill some brats for my wife. I have used Martha Rose Shulman’s cook books for decades, plus a slew of Spanish and Italian books.

19

Like Redwolf, I have been a vegetarian for a really long time so I don’t remember what it was like “switching over,” if you will. My vegetarianism is for religious reasons. However, one thing I can tell you is that flesh-eater’s perceptions of vegetarians is kinda skewed. For example, any time I go to a restaurant with friends (which isn’t all that often), most of my friends are paranoid there will be nothing on the menu I can eat. They seem to think I eat only vegetables, yet I always find something, even if it involves ordering something like a chicken quesadilla with no chicken, or somesuch.

20



flesh-eater’s

Cute! you botanical assassin! :laughing: Now in which pasture did I put that fatted calf? :wink: