vegetarian dishes

Hey oh

The best place to start is at the library. Vegitarianism has many levels. No one is better or poorer than the other. Some things to know are, go slow, learn the chemistry of each food, and realise the biggest difficulty is adaquate protien (protien defficiancy is a problem that is faced by vegitarians).

I was a vegitarian for a while. The way I did it was to flip my week. I took an entire year in doing so too (although I could probably have done it in 7 months). I made one day a week vegitarian, followed by two days a week, followed by three... etc. I learned the dishes, and the nutritional ballance of the dishes as I went, and did not tax my body unduly (protien shock is also a problem. People will recognise it in their pets the fastest, the old saw of don't jump arround with food brands for puppies and kittens cause it can cause intestinal distress also applies to people).

As to specifics, well, there are sooooo many that it would be hard to give a list, even a short list, here. But, vegtable samosas, lentil soups, tofu-anything (except ToFurkey UGG :(), pizza (without meat), etc :)

Vegitarianism, even for a short time, is a good thing for anyone to do. You begin to realise that you never really knew what it was you were eating before, and you learn what it is you are eating, and how that is affecting you. It will give you reason to stop and think before you sit and eat.

my daughter was a vegetarian baby and has gone back and forth over the years. the best compromise for a young person is to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, that is, one who eats dairy and eggs. the important thing is that the growing body gets as many nutrients as possible, and total vegan diets just don't provide that easily. (vegans, just private message me.)

Rodale press puts out some wonderful books on the subject. Another resource to check out is your local hippie food co-op. most of them are full of helpful counterculture types who live vegetarianism and can give you some good ideas, and the one i belong to has a lending library for members-but you can browse it and then go to the library or a bookstore.

if animal cruelty is an issue, look up cruelty-free on the web and you can find lists of producers.

you can eat very, very well as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. in fact i regularly sneak an entire week of it past my carniverous husband and he never notices. the only pitfall is that some cookbooks tend to overcompensate on the butter and cheese to get that 'emame' meat savor into the food (chief among them The Greens Cookbook, despite which it's still the best vegetarian collection, imho. they were running a resteraunt and had to appeal to a wide audience.). this is entirely unneccessary, so feel free to cut back at will.

That is very true. And the most common groupe to experience conditions like protiene defficiency too. Not that vegans can't be healthy. Gheeze, there are millions of vegans all through asia/india that are very healthy people. However, they know what is needed and how to get it. People outside that culture need to spend a fair bit of time seriously learning and understanding foods to be successful.

I like the idea to of groups and co-ops. I had very little help during my years, and a little advise would hve been greatly appreciated.

And, along with ovolactos there are groups that will include chicken (and other fowl) and groups that will include fish.

:D

Going vegetarian can be very easy... if you're ready to embrace a whole new way of looking at your food. If you absolutely loved aged steaks, you'll probably miss that since there's no veggie substitute for that!

But if you love Thai, Japanese, Indian and Chinese cooking you'll make a smoother transition than trying to duplicate Beef Wellington.

My suggestion is to look at Asian cookbooks for inspiration. Good Asian cooking consists of a lot of vegetables and starch, but a surprisingly small amount of meat. With dishes that aren't meat centered (but may contain a some mixed in with veggies) it's easier to substitute or eliminate it entirely.

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian since I was 18 (no flesh, nothing made from flesh [lard, stock]) but have recently put seafood in the diet as part of the marriage deal :rolleyes:. Even before seafood, I never lacked in protein and gave blood often (high iron). Between beans, dark greens, soy, bits of cheese and eggs, you can get more than enough protein and fat, unless you're training as a professional bodybuilder.

Have fun... I'd be happy to share recipes with you.

Sara

tipordie; I would suggest gettiing her The Enchantaed Broccoli Forest,Moosewood cook book by Mollie Katzen. It has great flavor,simple recipies,written by hand with lots of informative notes. This was my first vegi.cook book and is still a favorite after 35 yrs. Mooswood also continues with a series of books. I know she'll love it and you for getting it...good cookin...cookie

Mollie Katzen Moosewood cookbooks are great! Try the eggplant enchiladas they are exceptional!!!!!!!! :lips:

chrose, Katzen of course.I'm having to many senior moments...lol...I'll try that eggplant enchelada,love eggplant...smile...good cookin...cookie

Vegetarianism....not healthy!

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