Vegetarians and the Single Man

[takyris]

Ditto. Becoming veggie because you're a tree-hugging, dirt-sucking, moon-worshiping granola-smoking hippie is one thing. Doing it because you have low self-esteem is just... weird.

(Note: Tacky is a tree-hugging, dirt-sucking, moon-worshipping, granola-smoking hippie who thinks that animals have souls and everything. Of course, he also thinks that plants have souls, but, well, he DOES have to eat. It is not always fair in Tacky's world.)

 

[Michael Tree]

One simple piece of advice: Never, under any circumstances, use margarine. Many people are under the delusion that it's healthier than butter. They couldn't be more wrong. Hydrogenated oils (AKA trans-fats) have been consistently shown, in study after study, to dramatically increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems. Butter is much better, and if used in moderation actually adds to your health.

Here's a basic scientific explanation: Fats are used to build cell walls and other critical structures in our bodies. Trans-fats are fat molecules that have been chemically altered so that they no no longer have the same shape. Manufacturers use them because they dramatically increase the shelf-life of products. But since they're deformed, they're prone to breaking after your body has already incorporated them into its cells, and organic molecules your body makes with them don't work properly. Imagine trying to make a Lego house after you left the lego pieces in the oven for an hour. How stable and reliable would it be?

For that matter, avoid processed peanut butters too, which are also full of trans-fats. You can buy all-natural peanut butter in your grocery store. The oil seperates out of it while it's on the shelf, but if you stir it up when you first buy it and leave it in the fridge, it'll be just fine. Plus, it tastes much better.

Sorry about the rant, but harmful "traditional wisdom" about health is a pet peeve of mine.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Hey, Tacky...quit bogarting that granola.

 

[omedon]

Recipes

My reccomendations are:

1. Ratatouille can make a rather tasty veggie dish. The one I made did anyways.

2. Chickpeas with Tomatoes & Lime

1 can of chickpeas
2 tomatoes
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 inch of fresh ginger
2 small chilli peppers
2 tbsp vegetable oil
juice of 2 limes

Chop the onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and chili peppers. heat the oil in a saucepan add the onoion garlic, and tomatoes. cook until the tomatoes start to collapse. Add the ginger and chili peppers. Cook 2 minutes then add the drained and cleaned chickpeas and squeeze lime juice over top. Cook for 3 more minutes and your done.

To go the extra mile (you are trying to impress a girl) sprinkle chopped cilantro on top before serving.

This is quick, easy, cheap and tasty. I often make it with chili powder and cayanne pepper instead of chili peppers. And use a large can of diced tomatoes instead of chopping fresh ones. You can also use lemons instead of limes or even lemon or lime juice. The chickpeas supply plenty of protein, just make sure you wash them well.

The important thing with this recipe is that the lime balances out the heat of the chili peppers (or spices). It is so simple there are only 4 basic ingredients tomatoes, onion, chickpeas, and lime.

Play around with it a little and find a balance you like.

 

[omedon]

One simple piece of advice: Never, under any circumstances, use margarine. Many people are under the delusion that it's healthier than butter. They couldn't be more wrong. Hydrogenated oils (AKA trans-fats) have been consistently shown, in study after study, to dramatically increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems. Butter is much better, and if used in moderation actually adds to your health.

That is the beauty of NON-Hydrogenated margarine. They don't contain Hydrogenated oils.

We often use this in our household. I agree many experts say stay away from hydrogenated margarine but they usually say look for ones that say non-hydrogenated on them. I have had it reccommended over butter as a healthier lower-fat choice a number of times.

I don't know exactly know where to fall on the (Non-Hydro)Margarine vs. Butter debate. I have seen studies going both ways.

One thing is for sure NON-Hydrogenated margarine is Much, Much, healthier than Hydrogenated margarine. It is as healthy or healthier than natural butter. Course it is still basically a plastic.

Both should be used in moderation.

 

[Terry Edwards]

Vegetarian for 10 years and going strong. My two cents on your situation is this. Most people limit their culinary horizons by centering meals around meat. After becoming vegetarian you're freed from the predetermined box of societal dietary routine. This can lead to some absolutely wonderful new methods of preparing food (that are available to meat eaters but rarely explored). Take the opportunity and order vegetarian meals in Indian, chinese, middle eastern or other restaraunts, what you eat out will inspire you in the kitchen.

I guess this would be my four cents. It took a long time before I learned to properly cook tofu so here's a tip. Rinse tofu and cut into 1/2ish inch slices then press between a towel to remove excess moisture. Cut the tofu into smaller pieces, I prefer triangles but do what you like. Heat a large non-stick pan to med-high heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of oil into the pan, only use oils with a high smoke point like peanut oil. Add the tofu immediately after the oil arranged in a single layer. Allow it to cook until golden then flip it over and cook the other side. When it is cooked I like to add a bit of flavor, a tablespoon each of tamari, rice vinegar and brown sugar makes for a tasty glaze, just add it to the pan and stir with the tofu until absorbed then remove the tofu from the pan while you cook your vegetables (or whatever else is going with the tofu).

My six cents...falafel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[takyris]

Okay, here's a random meal that I stole from my local restaurant. It looks a lot more impressive than it really is, which is great when you're trying to impress your wife.

On one range, get some water boiling. On another, put in some olive oil (flavored if you can get it) and toss in some chopped onions. Stir-fry them on low-medium (say, 4-5 of 10) until they turn clear -- if they immediately brown, you've got the heat on too high.

Then add some nice pasta, like raviolis, to the boiling water, and add some good veggies to the stir-fry. My personal faves, for personal taste and health benefits, are broccoli and red peppers. Sitr-fry these chopped-up guys while your raviolis get going, and add spices that complement the ravioli -- for a nice artichoke ravioli, I'd go with onion salt or maybe celery salt, and for a soy vegetable ravioli, I'd just go with garlic salt (but then, I'm a garlic abuser).

Near the end, throw in some nuts for the stir-fry -- walnuts or almonds are good, pine nuts work well, too.

Toss the raviolis in a collander, and shake 'em out. Cover two plates with a bed of spinach, add the stir-fried veggies over that, then put the raviolis over that. Finish up by spraying a little bit of butter spray or something to give it some flavor, or maybe some nice cheese shredded or sliced, laid lightly over the top. Nuke each plate for maybe 45 seconds (on a low setting) to get the cheese to melt into everything a bit.

You end up with a vegetarian meal that is relatively low fat (depending on whether you're using a low-fat cheese, or even a soy cheese alternative, since it's just part of the mix -- you don't necessarily need real full-blown cheese here), high in protein, and that has a ton of vegetables. If your taste is like mine, it also tastes good.

Mileage may vary, of course. And according to my (very polite) wife, it looks a lot harder to make than it really is. I can make pasta, I can stir-fry, and I can put spinach on a plate. Ta-dah.

(And dude, I might've bogarted a bit, but Tom Cashel is drinking the granola-water, man!!!)

 

[mythago]

The decision was born out of her hypersensitivty to health, so I should mention that she avoids carbs on a regular basis, prefers high protein and low fat. She is not easy to please.

I would be more concerned about her tendency to choose faddish eating habits than about which one she chooses. (In other words, being a vegetarian is fine; deciding to be a vegetarian, knowing little about it, because it "sounds healthier" is problematic.)

Avoiding carbs means avoiding raw carrot sticks, brown rice, and other healthy, low-calorie things. Avoiding fat means no tofu and no whole nuts. These are not healthy vegetarian means of eating.

I'd suggest you and the girlfriend do research about nutrition, the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, and different sources of protein.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I thought tofu was fat-free... isn't it just slightly fermeted soy solids?

 

[RenoOfTheTurks]

Tofu is pretty much free of *saturated* fats, yes. Pro-meat propagandists have tried to compare the fat contents of beef and tofu to "show" that beef is better, but they always ignore the fact that saturated fat is harmful and unsaturated (especially mono-) isn't so bad at all. Or that getting protein from soy has health advantages over getting it from animal sources.