Easy Vegetarian

[Paulin46]

Does anyone have any easy, vegetarian meals for someone just starting out on this path?

[Clare.T]

My husband doesn't think its a meal if there's no meat and he loathes cooked cheese and has cut right back on cheese for health reasons. He doesn't eat eggs either so a lot of typical veggy meals are out - omelettes quiche, macaroni cheese typical western cuisine veggy meals.

I often don't feel inclined to eat meat so I have the sauce. I cook basic Italian a lot and like curry and also stews so having the sauce or gravy with red peppers, tomatoes mushrooms chick peas whatever, along with the starch- pasta, or rice or potatoes works well.

We often have an additional cooked veg that goes with the meal - I like cauliflower with a tomato sauce for example, lentils ( dahl) or a cucumber and yoghourt/mint salad ( raita sort of thing) with curry. The curry sauce often has apples and raisins in it.

We usually have a mixed green salad too with pasta sauces. There are so many good salads to provide variety and tempt the palette. Apple, walnuts and endive (chicory) with walnut oil and lemon juice dressing is one of my favs , but there are tons of other less common ones.

We often have a pilaff rice dish with lots of veg cooked in it, but I don't eat the meat, I have grated parmesan instead.

It makes sense to cook dishes from cultures that don't use meat much because it's very expensive, or at all for religious reasons.

I'm going to explore Chinese cooking this year as that provides lots of veggy recipes with a different flavour range and it's easy enough to add the meat. Middle Eastern cooking offers opportunities for fresh flavours too.

One could explore using tofu too and there's always quorn but that's prohibited in the USA - I don't know about Canada.

Years ago I bought vegetarian cookery books but realised that things like nut loaf just aren't worth the effort if it's just for one person.

I prefer to adapt what we usually eat than start a whole new fiddly approach and my philosophy is that life is too short to stuff mushrooms ... or anything else !

:)

Clare

[trapped]

im a vegetarian but i dont eat fish.

there is quite alot out there for veggies esp if you do home cooking which may be harder than ready meals but they are alot nicer and healthier.

I do use quorn products for alot of my meals as i dont eat stuff like lentils :)
If you want you can pm or email me and ill send you some reciepes via email.
if you want quick meals for example you could have rice with quorn chicken pieces with a sauce eg. tikka sauce.

linda M (cant remeber how to spell) does some nice food and brilliant reciepes. but you also have stir frys - there is alot of stuff out there if you like to experiment.

anyway good luck and have fun trying different things.
take care
sam

ps. clare - why is quorn banned in usa?

[Clare.T]

Hi Sam

I think that information about quorn being banned in the USA is out of date now.

See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn

for the initial controversy.

Another source, 2004, says it is the second biggest meat alternative in USA.

Thanks for asking ! :)

Cheers
Clare

[trapped]

thanks for that - that was quite interesting. :) i know im a geek :blush:

thanks again.its ok thanks for not minding me asking!

take care
sam

[Paulin46]

I have never heard of quorn.........:?

[flutterbye]

Quorn is a meat alternative, I think it is a 'myoprotein' derived from mushroom/fungi, and I have a memory that it was developed when the boffins thought we were running out of food! Of course we haven't run out of food, but it found a niche in the veggie market. (someone correct me if I am wrong please!) I believe that you can use it in a variety of ways, and for many veggies it is a great alternative to meat. I as a vegetarian of 20+ years don't use it, the times I have tried it I find it has a texture a lot like meat, and I never liked meat! But for those who want that alternative its there, I think it is also very low in fat etc. I tend to cook a lot of soups and stews, very easy, i like lentils as they don't need soaking, other pulses I buy in tins. I did go back to eating fish after my kids were born, and try to do a fish dish a week. I love all vegetables, praps you could pick a vegetable that you like, and google for recepies for it? Aubergine, or spinich I think make great bases for veggie dishes. My downfall as far as healthy eating goes is dairy, and if you are changing your diet for health benefits I would be carefull not to overload on cheese etc, I tend to use feta , or ricotta in quite a lot of things. Rices and pasta are great, and spices and herbs can add a real flavour, if the dishes seem a bit bland to you. I would take it steady with changing your diet, try a few things that appeal to you to start with. I don't know if a veggie diet is actually 'better' for you, I don't think being a vegetarian perse is any healthier, the rest of my family are meat eaters, and I tend to cook chicken for them, or use a good quality mince for some meals, but they are happy to eat veggie most of the week. I guess it is important for your diet and cooking to fit in with the rest of your life as well!