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Trying Vegetarianism for a week or so

kanonfodr

kanonfodr

Jan 10, 2009
882
22
Seattle, WA, USA, Earth
www.facebook.com
#1
Well guys, deciding to branch out in a culinary sense, giving vegetarianism a try. There's no real motive, just been slowly moving that way in my diet so might as well give 'er a full go.

This morning I did my usual for the past few weeks: Greek Yogurt (Chobani Pomegranate :D :D) with a homebrew mixture of peanuts and granola poured in, finished with a banana. For lunch I ate a cool thai-influenced dish I cooked up the other night: Tofu in a marinade of Sriracha and Soy Sauce, with saute'd bell peppers, a little bit of scrambled eggs, and rice. And tonight I cooked up some Gimme Lean soy sausage, more bell peppers (spiced with Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb), scrambled eggs, and rice again.

Anybody else regularly eating vegetarian? If so, got any good recipes that are pretty simple and don't take too much time?

Peace,
Greg
 
#2
Congratulations on your healthy diet choice - It'll be good for you and the planet. The real key to being a successful vegetarian IMHO is to enjoy ethnic foods especially Asian. There are dozens of Eastern cultures with wonderful cuisines to sample. Buddhist restaurants do an especially great job on meat substitute dishes.

I don't know if they are available where you live but if you're lucky you will have access to meat substitute products so you can enjoy a hamburger, hot dog, chicken strips etc. These make the transition from an American to a vegetarian diet much easier.

Good luck!!
99%er - I still eat meat when I go to a fine dining restaurant or for a special occasion - it's a health choice not so much ethical though I do think factory farming and veal production are downright inhumane
 
#3
I went vegan for a month. I lost 25lbs, and have managed to keep it off pretty good.

Curried lentils are the bomb!

Tempeh kicks tofu's ass!

And tabuleh and hummus rolled up in a pita together is a damn good sammich!

And refined sugar is of the devil.

Those are the things I know.....
 
#4
Cool deal Greg. The wife and I embarked on the same journey. Our goal is to be vegan at some point. Keep a close eye on your protein intake. You won't be getting as much as you remove meat from your meals

We have found eggplant to be a great meat replacement in lasagna.

The different veggie burgers taste good to me when I coat them lightly with olive oil before cooking.

I learned the wonderful flavor of hummus and using it in wraps.

-Mike
 
#7
Welcome to the club!

Try a fresh spinach salad with blue cheese, beets, celery, red onion, carrot, walnuts, mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, & top it all w/ some lemon juice.

Nuts, beans, & legumes will also help your protein intake as well.

I'm going on 11 years and have never felt better.
 
#8
Hi! I've been vegetarian for about 9 years. I was vegan for a while, but ultimately it wasn't working with my lifestyle.

You should look up seitan, if you get a chance. It's a meat substitute made from wheat; in some places you can buy it, although it's pretty easy to make. It's got a pretty meaty taste and texture, and is great to use for sandwiches, recipes that call for meat, and pretty much everything else. It's great to eat on its own too!

Mushrooms also make for a great meat substitute. You can take a portobello mushroom, grill it up and slap it on a bun for an awesome burger. Or, you can use small sliced mushrooms, sautee them up with onions and seasonings, put them on a bun, and melt cheese on top.

I don't know where you're located, but where I'm at, pretty much the only brands of veggie burgers that are available are Boca and Morningstar Farms. A word of warning: Boca makes good veggie chicken patties, but their veggie burgers are nasty! Morningstar Farms makes good burgers and good everything else, but their breaded veggie chicken patties aren't that good.

I don't know how serious you are planning on getting about vegetarianism, but know that meat and animal parts can hide in unexpected places.

Good luck with your endeavor, and I really hope you enjoy it and decide to continue!
 
#10
Shakin-Slim said:
Awesome, dude! It's a great lifestyle choice, good for the body, the planet and the mind! I'm a vegan, and I'm telling ya vegetarianism/veganism isn't as hard as it's made out to be.
Click to expand...

I disagree vegan is not easy. You realize how much stuff has egg/milk/flesh
 
#13
Don't sweat the protein. I've been vegetarian for over a decade and have not had my muscles wither away due to my diet. I eat NO meats at all, but do have eggs and dairy.

As stated above, try all manner of ethnic foods. You'll be surprised at the massive variety of dishes that are available.
 
#17
Kawai-chang said:
Don't sweat the protein. I've been vegetarian for over a decade and have not had my muscles wither away due to my diet. I eat NO meats at all, but do have eggs and dairy.
Click to expand...

If he's going vegan then he definitely needs to keep an eye on the protein. Your diet is technically lacto-ovo vegetarian which makes watching the protein much less of an issue as compared to a strict vegan diet since the dairy products you consume contain complete proteins. ;)

I'm wanting to move to a pescatarian diet. I don't know when I'll finally decide to do it, but that's the plan.
 
#19
Kawai-chang said:
when you say "fermented" soy, do you mean textured soy protein, and/or soy-based protein powders?
Click to expand...

Tempeh, soy sauce, natto, that sort of stuff. Soy protein isolate (Or whatever the heck it is is not cool.)

I think basically soy got huge here in the US as a cheap source of vegetable oil. After they press the oil out, there's a ton of leftover material. So the industry came up with "Soy is HEALTHY!" and started selling the leftovers from the oil manufacturing process to the public under the guise of a healthy alternative source of protein.

I have read that in Asian countries, they don't really consume much soy as a protein source, and they don't consume soy that hasn't been worked on by microbes at all. The fermentation process removes a lot of the bad stuff.
 
#20
I have heard from people healthier than me that USA soy is not as healthy as Asian soy since the USA version can be packed with sugar and other preservatives. We had some soy cheese, but other than that, we limit our soy intake overall.

-Mike
 

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