Going vegetarian, possibly vegan.

[Carlovski]

Ok, Here is the plan.

I'm going to go vegetarian - and possibly Vegan for a while, at least a month possibly three.

I haven't gone mad, or changed my philosophy (see my Sig ). the opposite in fact. I want to do this so I appreciate eating meat even more. I don't eat a lot of meat anyway, and I'd like to say that when I do it is only the finest and most humanely reared. But it isn't true - often convenience or finances get in the way. Case in point - last night I ended up buying a pack of the dreaded boneless skinless chicken fillets from the corner shop to put in a chicken and broccoli stir fry. Don't know why I bothered - the broccoli was far more interesting to eat than the chicken.

If I can prove to myself that I am content not eating meat - that I don't always have to fall back on it if I can't think of anything else to cook I can stop myself doing it again.

As for Vegetarian vs Vegan, I'm still not sure. I do like eggs, and they provide a myriad of quick meal options, but I am sure I can do without. Butter I'll miss for sure and although i love Cheese, i think I can stay away for a while. Not being able to use Parmesan or Pecorino might get tricky though.

Actually I might forget the whole Vegan idea - I'm british and need 5 cups of milky tea a day and I am not using soya milk.

Maybe I will be extra careful in what I buy - I always buy free range eggs anyway and I can be a bit more watchful on milk, butter and cheese. I also will try and not revolve meals around them - just not be scared of using them as an ingredient. I don't think that is cheating too much, do you?

As for the rules I have come up with so far

No Meat substitutes. They all look grim anyway. Tofu in it's natural form is fine (I am planning on regular trips to the chinese supermarket anyway)

I'm not going to be rigorous in products with animal deriratives. i'll stop eating Anchovies (that will be difficult!) but I'm going to carry on using fish sauce etc.

If I eat out I'll try and keep to the rules, but If there is something I really want on the menu, and I'm happ with the provenance of the ingredients then I will have it.

I'd like suggestions for other rules I should/could follow. recipe suggestions also greatly appreciated.

I suppose I should list my assets/constraints...

I only have to cook for myself - occasionally might cook for a friend, but none of them are ravenous carnivores (this will be easier now my South African housemates have moved out!)

I can cook reasonably well - nothing too fancy but a good line in pastas, risottos, curries, stir frys - standard bachelor fare. (Going veggie will be infinitely easier for me than low carb!)

I don't drive and only have access to shops accessible by walking/public transport. I can get to some decent supermarkets (Waitrose and Sainsburys for those who know UK supermarkets) and also a good chinese supermarket and a few indian local shops (Good for spices and some fresh produce).

I can make use of Local farmers markets too, one in Winchester every fortnight and a more local one once a month. I could look at joining an organic veg box scheme too.

I don't have a lot of fridge or freezer space - i can't store a huge amount of make ahead stuff. I will be marking a big late summer/harvest minestrone from the farmers market though - but I do that every year!

I considered turning this into a blog, but have decided against it. Firstly this is more of a personal thing (Despite me writing about it on the internet!) Secondly i would end up feeling that I had to make the effort to do something interesting every day, not necessarily what I want to eat. I will post updates though, and any good recipes I find/come up with.

Phew - bit of a mammoth post, but please, any helpful suggestions will be gratefully received.

[moosnsqrl]

You'll be happier and more successful if you continue with eggs and dairy. It takes real dedication and practice (and honestly more than 1-3 months) to be a food-loving vegan, especially if you eat out at all (eggless, cheeseless pasta at home is do-able but in a regular restaurant nearly impossible).

Variety is the key. I was meatless for 14 years and really never felt deprived because I ate such a wide variety of foods. It's important to concentrate on all the things you CAN and DO eat, rather than focus on the few you don't. And never have a plate that looks like an omnivore's but has an empty spot where the meat would be - nothing will make you feel more deprived. With fall/winter coming on, roasted vegetables make good, hearty, flavorful dishes. I recommend fungi for the depth of flavor and texture you will likely miss, at some point. I particularly use dried porcini in any Italian dish where meat might be missed. They're really 'big' in both flavor and texture.

If you miss 'chovies (as in caesar salad) there are vegan worcestershire sauces on the market.

If you find particular challenges as you go along, feel free to PM me. I'm fairly certain I found a way to replicate almost every old favorite in my 14 years.

Signed,

A fairly recently 'recovering' vegetarian.

[Grub]

My initial, knee-jerk suggestion might be a little predictable, you being British, but Indian food should be a great help with this... Most of what we see of vegetarianism in the West tends to be the result of a relatively new trend that relies on ill-adviced nonsense like faux meat and whatnot. You just don't feel as if anything is missing from an Indian vegetarian meal -- you don't need to feel compelled to pretend that your yumm-o vegetarian hamburger is just as good as the real thing.

Interesting project -- good luck with it.

[Milagai]

What Grub said!

I'd be happy to talk you through any recipes etc.

if you pm me....

Milagai

(veggie family not bored yet)

[Carlovski]

My initial, knee-jerk suggestion might be a little predictable, you being British, but Indian food should be a great help with this... Most of what we see of vegetarianism in the West tends to be the result of a relatively new trend that relies on ill-adviced nonsense like faux meat and whatnot. You just don't feel as if anything is missing from an Indian vegetarian meal -- you don't need to feel compelled to pretend that your yumm-o vegetarian hamburger is just as good as the real thing.

Interesting project -- good luck with it.

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Nope - you are spot on, that's what I was thinking about. In fact I quite often go vegetarian in indian restaurants/takeaways anyway. Also can help with the work lunch problem - leftover spiced potatoes? Just wrap them in a flatbread of some description and an instant lunch. I have access to a half decent south indian takeaway/restaurant when I can't be bothered to cook as well.

[Carlovski]

You'll be happier and more successful if you continue with eggs and dairy.  It takes real dedication and practice (and honestly more than 1-3 months) to be a food-loving vegan, especially if you eat out at all (eggless, cheeseless pasta at home is do-able but in a regular restaurant nearly impossible).

Variety is the key.  I was meatless for 14 years and really never felt deprived because I ate such a wide variety of foods.  It's important to concentrate on all the things you CAN and DO eat, rather than focus on the few you don't.  And never have a plate that looks like an omnivore's but has an empty spot where the meat would be - nothing will make you feel more deprived.  With fall/winter coming on, roasted vegetables make good, hearty, flavorful dishes.  I recommend fungi for the depth of flavor and texture you will likely miss, at some point.  I particularly use dried porcini in any Italian dish where meat might be missed.  They're really 'big' in both flavor and texture.

If you miss 'chovies (as in caesar salad) there are vegan worcestershire sauces on the market.

If you find particular challenges as you go along, feel free to PM me.  I'm fairly certain I found a way to replicate almost every old favorite in my 14 years.

Signed,

A fairly recently 'recovering' vegetarian.

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Thanks -i may take you up on your offer.

Mushrooms, definitely - it's often texture I miss in vegetarian food - It's good to chew! In fact a big grilled portabello mushroom 'burger' is my usual option if I am at a barbecue (thats a British Barbecue a.k.a grilling for our American chums who are picky about such things!)

[Bond Girl]

Ease yourself into it. I have friends who did the dramatic switch and ended up getting sick....what happens is that your body goes into adjustment mode, and the weakened immune system make you more vulnerable to colds and other temporary ailments. But once that's over, you'll feel much better. I was raised as a vegetarian, so I had the reverse when I tried to eat meat. I eventually gave up. That being said, I will be happy to share recipes and thought with you. PM me as well.

[Carlovski]

Ease yourself into it.  I have friends who did the dramatic switch and ended up getting sick....what happens is that your body goes into  adjustment mode, and the weakened immune system make you more vulnerable to colds and other temporary ailments. But once that's over, you'll feel much better.  I was raised as a vegetarian, so I had the reverse when I tried to eat meat.  I eventually gave up.  That being said, I will be happy to share recipes and thought with you. PM me as well.

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I think I should be ok - I do only really eat meat a few times a week - maybe a bit of cured meat as ingredients (Bacon, chorizo etc) but most of my protein probably comes from pulses and legumes at the moment. I did have a serious carniverous week a few weeks ago (Steak 4 times in a week!) and felt a bit funny afterwards!

[markemorse]

Hey Carlovski.

I went vegetarian for awhile a couple years ago, and am still primarily a non meat-eater. I did it because I moved to a new city and most of the people I ended up socializing with and eating dinners with and having parties with didn't eat meat. Since I was eating with them a lot, i ended up cooking a lot of vegetarian and vegan food, and I did it so often that I just started eating that way at home.

Initially, one of the biggest buzzkills about it for me was trying to cook vegetarian food that was texturally varied and elegantly presentable...something that didn't look like food you'd serve a touring band who was crashing at your place for the night.

Also, there was the problem of bacon: how to not to miss it. I ended up experimenting a lot with caramelization, as well as with using smoked elements that weren't meat: not only pretty common players like smoked paprika (pimenton) and chipotles, and smoked cheeses, but also finding sources for things like smoked tomatoes. I don't have a smoker, but if I was going to seriously go hardcore vegetarian I'd get one.

Anyway, lots more to be said about recommendations...for now, you miight want to check out IMBB#19, "I Can't Believe I Ate Vegan" for some interesting ideas:

Part 1, 2, and 3.

I realize these are vegan, but better to start there and be able to add animal products than the other way around.

mark

Edited August 14, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[Carlovski]

Thanks - I've just gone out of my pimenton phase, I went through a period where I threw it in everything - not always to the benefit of the dish though! I might need to get back into it though to replicate that elsuive smokey taste though, and much better than that vile liquid smoke stuff.

Your recipes look great - very much in my style of cooking as well.

[markemorse]

Ah! I should hasten to add...I had nothing to do with any of the IMBB recipes. IMBB = Is My Blog Burning, it's a monthly foodblog event where everyone cooks to a theme.

[Chris Amirault]

Mexican cuisine is hardly vegetarian, and some key flavor elements (from swine in particular!) would be missing, but I'd think that you could obtain quite a bit of tasty vegetarian variety with some planning. Of course, Mexico is the source of some of the finest bean cookery on the globe.

I just had a dinner party last night for some folks who ate only fish, and (after considering Thai and Indian food) decided on fish and shrimp tacos. Having said that, if you remove the animals, what was left over was pretty swell: rice and beans, several kinds of salsa, cheese, crema, pickled onions, etc. all in corn tortillas (which sucked, but that's another story).

[Carlovski]

Ah I see - nice idea!

Still good recipes though!

[Carlovski]

Mexican cuisine is hardly vegetarian, and some key flavor elements (from swine in particular!) would be missing, but I'd think that you could obtain quite a bit of tasty vegetarian variety with some planning. Of course, Mexico is the source of some of the finest bean cookery on the globe.

I just had a dinner party last night for some folks who ate only fish, and (after considering Thai and Indian food) decided on fish and shrimp tacos. Having said that, if you remove the animals, what was left over was pretty swell: rice and beans, several kinds of salsa, cheese, crema, pickled onions, etc. all in corn tortillas (which sucked, but that's another story).

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Anyone who looks in my cupboard always laughs at my bean selection - i do like my beans! That sort of food is usually what I fall back on for a mixed crowd anyway (And amazing how many meat eaters go for the veggie options). The 5 bean chilli is a vegetarian cliche - but a well made one can be very good (Although I do usually 'cheat' and put in a load of chorizo if i'm not feeding a vegetarian)

[markemorse]

For nicer dinners I often ended up turning to Middle Eastern food because of the complexity of the palette (maybe palate as well) and variety of cool presentation ideas. So many ways to stuff so many different things with wildly different stuffings....it helped with the variety problem too.

Edited August 14, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[moosnsqrl]

The talk of smokey foods and Mexican reminds me of a favorite, the recipe for which came from Red Sage in Washington, D.C. I can't find the original but this one is similar, only my old one called for smoked gouda. These are not that difficult to make, if a bit time-consuming, but they're extremely satisfying and certainly could be served to lacto-ovo/ominvores and no one would feel deprived.

black bean tamales from Red Sage

[markemorse]

I was also going to mention Mark Miller and tamales...Stephan Pyles as well, his tamale tarts are nice dinner ideas that aren't formless on the plate.

[Carlovski]

Mexican ingredients are a bit tricker to source in the UK - I'm sure I can get it mail order though - I think the cool chile company stocks quite a bit. I think i have a Mexican cookbook somewhere, and I know there is a mexican section in The Cook's Book

[moosnsqrl]

Mexican ingredients are a bit tricker to source in the UK - I'm sure I can get it mail order though  - I think the cool chile company stocks quite a bit. I think i have a Mexican cookbook somewhere, and I know there is a mexican section in  The Cook's Book

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Sorry to hear that's still the case. Our friends in Spain had to schlep masa harina and dried chiles back from the US with them whenever they came to visit but I would've thought, what with globalization and all, the situation would have improved. In any case, if you can track down most of the ingredients, it's worth a go. Good luck.

[Bond Girl]

For smoke flavors, s bit of smoked chiles goes a long way. There's several Californian companies that makes some kick ass ones...I'm not a vegan though....love ice cream way to much.

[Carlovski]

Mexican stuff is definitely available - just not easily - unlike chinese and indian ingredients - not much of a mexican population in the UK!

Edit - looks like i can get a bit of the stuff from Here, either online or whenever I am next in London.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Carlovski (log)

[jgm]

Consider perusing the cookbooks written by Deborah Madison. In particular, in "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" there's a dish comprised of lentils, caramelized onion, spinach, boiled eggs, and toast that is delicious. If you don't have a library nearby, I often order cookbooks used through Amazon, and prices tend to be pretty good that way.

Caramelized onion might be another thing to keep on hand to add flavor to various dishes. It's great stuff. There's a thread about making it here on eG.

I'm in a situation similar to yours, in that I've had to start eating "mainly" vegetarian. It's for health (cholesterol) reasons more than anything else. I do, however, eat canned tuna (Italian tuna, A's Do Mar brand, which I mail order through Amazon), and other fish, which opens up a lot of other possibilities.

[ludja]

...Actually I might forget the whole Vegan idea - I'm british and need 5 cups of milky tea a day and I am not using soya milk. 

Maybe I will be extra careful in what I buy - I always buy free range eggs anyway and I can be a bit more watchful on milk, butter and cheese. I also will try and not revolve meals around them - just not be scared of using them as an ingredient. I don't think that is cheating too much, do you?

...

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Sounds like a good idea to me. As you say, you can still use a lighter hand with cheese and dairy, but being able to use them makes it much easier to achieve meals with complete protein when basing meals on beans and grains.

Consider perusing the cookbooks written by Deborah Madison.  In particular, in "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" there's a dish comprised of lentils, caramelized onion, spinach, boiled eggs, and toast that is delicious.  If you don't have a library nearby, I often order cookbooks used through Amazon, and prices tend to be pretty good that way.

Caramelized onion might be another thing to keep on hand to add flavor to various dishes.  It's great stuff.  There's a thread about making it here on eG.

...

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I also like her book, "Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets". I thlnk overall the produce would be similar enough in Great Britain. I would say about 90-95% of the recipes are vegetarian and as I recall, she goes light on the dairy in this one.

I find myself cooking many more vegetarian or mostly vegetarian meals when I cook seasonally with the fruits and vegetables available. The quality and abundance of the in-season produce is inspiring and I find myself cooking more creatively as I approach the menu thinking of what to make with that month's bounty.

"Field of Greens" by Annie Sommerville is a classic vegetarian cookbook from which I often make recipes for a mixed crowd of vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and everyone leaves happy! The recipes use many "tricks" to add rich flavor elements. Caramelized onions as mentioned by jgm are one ingredient. Also, mushrooms, roasted peppers, roasted nuts, leeks, chiles, garlic. marinated vegetables. There are two great chapters on soups and stews which are excellent. She has a number of creative and flavorful vegetarian stock recipes. There are also nice chapters on pizzas and turnovers. Not a vegan cookbook as cheese or dairy is used in many recipes.

Good luck and have fun!

[Pontormo]

I agree with endorsements for Deborah Madison and for moderation, though the latter is a response to the difficulty of living without the glories of cheese, blackberry yogurt smoothies, fresh egg pasta, savory custards, et al.

It was true that when I became a vegetarian briefly long, long ago, there was an emphasis on doing without and substitutions. The Penguin (British) paperback of recipes was about as depressing as you can get.

The major thing you need to make sure to monitor is intake of protein, although everyone will tell you you don't need as much as a lot of carnivores eat. This a stumbling block for vegetarians who gravitate towards pasta five times a week. Try to start out with interesting combinations of grains or corn that bolster the protein content of accompanying beans. Protein powders, ick. I happen to like tofu, especially when it's deep-fried and braised in an interesting ginger-rich broth (though I tend to use chicken stock).

Nowadays, you really don't need vegetarian cookbooks to guide you since there are plenty of international cuisines and celebrity chefs or cookbook authors which/who feature fresh produce and a diverse range of grains and protein sources. With these, milk, cheese, cream and eggs, there is just so much at your disposal, all you really need to do is develop your skills in the kitchen if you're used to just slapping a chicken breast in a pan, etc. That may not be the case.

The big thing I would emphasize---and I am not saying anything new here, I realize--is to change your shopping habits if you can. That's as essential as switching your diet. This is the perfect time to make the farmers's market a weekly trip if it's not too far away. Beautiful, novel produce should keep you interested.

BTW: Just curious, but could you explain about this whole "cheating" and guilt thing? It should be an issue only if you have second thoughts about eating animals when you don't have to.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Carlovski]

Re the cheating thing - I know my willpower is weak. If I start cheating against the concept even in small ways I know I will falter. I need to be fairly rigorous, at least at the start to my rules. And my rules aren't too rigorous so I should be ok! Nothing to do with any fluffy bunny guilt.

I do want to start using the farmers market more - not just for the occaisional 'interesting' ingredient as I do now, more revolving my eating around it. I'm lucky - Winchester (It's about 15 minutes on the train - it's where I work too) apparently has the largest farmers market in the UK - not sure about that but it is fairly good. It's on twice a month so not regular enough to keep me in fresh produce every day but should cover quite a few days. Might be tricky in the next few months with all the game being in season!

I have plenty of cookbooks - nothing specifically veggie, but plenty of vegetable recipes. Actually I quite like that - if anyone asks, no I'm not vegetarian, I'm just sticking to vegetables at the moment.

You are right about a lot of vegetarian cookbooks - they seem to revolve around what you are missing and trying to make up for it.

I will consult books - and some of my carrot munching friends to make sure I am getting a balanced diet. I am a big fan of the rice/bean combo - rice 'n' peas, hoppin' john(although I can't have a proper one anymore) and kitcheree (Sure I spelt that wrong!). I love reading cookbooks anyway. I work with a vegetarian Indian lad as well - he is normally good for recipe ideas.

I like braised deep fried tofu too - I love the texture and how it absorbs the sauce. I make a good variation on a sichuan dish where I braise it with minced pork, chilli bean sauce etc plus gai lan - I'm sure it will be equally as tasty without the pork. Maybe add some peanuts for some extra texture.