(OT) Any vegans out there?

[Mark Chance]

I get cravings and end up cooking up a whole pack of bacon.

You can cook bacon?

 

[eXodus]

good luck, but beware...

i wish you a lot of luck in your changing your lifestyle to that of a vegan.


do beware though.

i am a chef and highly trained in diet and nutrition, and sadly most of those i have met and worked with who are or were vegans were very bad ones.

there are many other fine sources of protein available to humans, but most people just do not go about it the wrong way. your immune system can become seriously compromised. you can lack in some of the complex proteins and vitamin c that one needs to have strong muscle and bone.

here are some bits of advice:

quinoa: it is a peruvian grain that is one of two on the planet that has complete protein makeup. it can be prepared many ways and some groceries offer it in pasta form.

soy: be it milk, tofu, or actual bean be certain to consume at least 16 oz of it per day.

legumes: beans and nuts are your friends. consume them. love them.

soy protein powder: it is great in a smoothie with some soy milk and fresh fruit in the morning. great nourishment and energy.

nutritional yeast: just a teaspoon in the above smoothy will help you pull more nutrition from your drink. also the boost of energy rivals a shot of espresso.

fruit and veggies: you must eat them! lots of them. i would say at the very least five or six servings of preferably fresh ones each day.

vitamins: see a specialist about a good vitamin array to keep your meatless machine moving properly.


everyone knows the pale, gaunt hippy girl who always has a cold. (hell, she probably smokes as well) but she is typically a vegan. no need to be like her. take good care in what you eat and you should nutritionally be fine.

as far as recipes and food options though you better not like flavor. i am a skilled tofu chef, but still it cannot rival the flavor of meat. there is a reason it tastes good. because we are evolutionarily predisposed to having it part of our diet. we are omnivores. there is no argument about that point.

myself, i eat tofu most everyday and limit the intake of red meat to about once every two to three weeks. fish is a great way to get protein as well. do not count out our friends from the sea.

another solution is to make sure the animal products you do eat are organically produced. that will make a huge difference.

i hope i have been some help. if you have some health or cooking questions feel free to email me as i check this board not to frequent. i could bury you with tofu recipes!


good luck!

 

[Thorntangle]

Everyone should try eating a vegetarian diet at least once. Then at least you can say you've tried. The longer you stick with it, the easier it gets.

Besides, it's the way of the future. You can consider yourself an early adopter

 

[Pielorinho]

Re: good luck, but beware...

as far as recipes and food options though you better not like flavor.

Oh, I disagree plenty on this point. There is a specific range of flavors you don't get as a vegan, it's true: the flavors of meat are pretty much unapproachable through vegetable sources.

However, if veganism inspires you to cook, it may inspire you to learn a whole repertoire of flavors that you won't encounter in down-home cooking. A lot of meat dishes rely on the meat as the primary source of flavor; in contrast, a lot of vegan dishes rely on fresh fruits and vegetables, aromatics (such as ginger, garlic, pepper, and onions), and herbs and spices for their flavors.

It's true that a good chef with access to meat has access to a broader flavor palette than a good chef without access to meat. However, in my experience, the average vegan meal has more complex flavors than the average meat-based meal.

eXodus, I'd be interested in your trying my tofu-kale recipe from the first page and then providing me your feedback. Here are the strong flavors that dish includes:
-Ginger
-Garlic
-Red peppers
-Toasted Sesame Oil
-Roast peanuts
-Tamari

And these are the mild flavors in the dish:
-Brown rice
-Tofu
-Olive Oil
-Kale (almost a strong flavor)

I'd say that flavorwise, it compares favorably to a steak-and-potatoes meal, and can hold its own against many a fancier meat dish.

Daniel

 

[Emiricol]

Meat can be spiced and seasoned as well though...

 

[eXodus]

Re: Re: good luck, but beware...

well here is my snap culinary critique of the dish. and also what i would do to change it.

get rid of the kale and olive oil. they just simply do not meld well with the rest of the very asian theme of the ingredients.

replace the kale with nappa cabbage and bok choy. plus kale craves vinegar to balance it out. and instead of olive oil try sesame oil. it will work a whole lot better.

also press the firm tofu overnight with a can or two on a plate. it will make the tofu more dry and have a better texture. plus it will allow it to suck up your tamari or soy like a sponge. so, use less of it.

another good thing to do with tofu is to press it, cube it, dust it with corn starch, toss off the excess and then fry in some 375 degree peanut oil. the pieces you have will be crisp, light and wonderful. then you can toss it in all sorts of goodies.

i love tofu dishes. i find them a challenge and can be very very good. but too few people, professional chefs included have a clue in how to make them taste good. they end up being bland far too often.

honestly, i am a culinary snob. simple as that.

also think about infusing some lemon grass, galanga, or kaffir lime leaf into the dish. the herbal citrus will be very good.

one ingredient i love to use, but vegans are exempt from is fish sauce. oh, how i love fish sauce. just a little shot of that makes everything that much better.

another option to use is miso. fermented soy is great stuff.

rice wine vinegar is a good way to up the 'pow' factor of tofu. but the afforementioned ingredients of garlic, chiles, tamarind, peanuts, ginger and sesame are great pals of our old friend tofu.

 

[woodelf]

I eat a balanced diet. That just so happens to consist of a lot of meat.

I'm of the opinion that those pointy teeth we have, which aren't found in herbivors, are a sign we are intended to eat meat.

A bit, sure. But we have the intestines of an herbivore. For what it's worth.

 

[Emiricol]

Well that's 'cause of the way we cycle food. Omnivores eat plants and animals, yet plants largely take longer to process fully. What do other full omnivores have? I would wager (possibly foolishly) that omnivores in general have the intestines of herbivores.

I'd also wager there's a person here somwhere with an authoritative answer to that

 

[Thorntangle]

Sure, we have pointy teeth, but compared to wolves' or lions', ours are small and stubby. We also have an array of flat molars for grinding plant fiber.

Yes, our overall design is omnivore. Humans are amazingly adaptable generalists, because we needed to be generalists. However, now we don't need to crack open a femur of a found carcass for its marrow for survival. Times change.

 

[Emiricol]

However, now we don't need to crack open a femur of a found carcass for its marrow for survival. Times change.

Nope. Now when we are done gnawing on beef ribs, we toss the bones to Spot and Fluffy, our faithful canine companions