Vegetarian Cooking
For any of the many reasons people choose to eat vegetarian food - religion, politics, finances, or health - one thing in common is that everyone prefers food that tastes delicious and provides good nutrition. There are some basic techniques to vegetarian cooking which will accomplish that.
There is a range of vegetarianism. From the vegan to the person who eats meat on rare occasions. Some people consider themselves basically vegetarian if they never eat red meat, but do eat fish and chicken once in a while. Other vegetarians eat animal products like eggs and dairy, but never the animal itself. A vegan is at the far end of the continuum, rejecting animal products entirely. Vegans won't eat mayonnaise because it's made using eggs, for example.
Wherever you are on the continuum of vegetarianism, you want your food to taste good, be satisfying, and provide good nutrition. Here are some methods for cooking vegetarian to meet those basic requirements.
To begin, if you are making some dish that is actually a meat-based recipe, such as chili con carne, stop substituting textured vegetable protein for the meat and leaving the rest of the recipe unaltered. The result never tastes quite right, and you've been robbed of the pleasure of good food: it's neither meat nor properly vegetarian. Furthermore, you haven't gained in terms of health or economy. Soy is the primary ingredient of textured vegetable protein, tofu, and tempeh. These are usually high in fat, high in processing, and fairly high in cost. Not much better than organically raised meat, if at all. So if chili con carne is what you want, buy organic meat and enjoy it! Otherwise, cook a delicious soup using red beans that doesn't pretend it's chili con carne.
The key to good vegetarian soup is to use oil. Even if you prefer low fat, your body does require fats for healthy metabolism. And it definitely enhances the quality and flavor of any vegetarian soup when some of the vegetables (onions in particular) are saut~ed. Use an oil that's liquid at room temperature, such as olive, vegetable, or grape seed.
The next critical ingredient of vegetarian food that tastes fabulous is really simple: use sea salt. Although any kind of salt will enhance the flavor of most foods, sea salt is best. It naturally contains minerals, while it doesn't contain the nasty chemicals of regular processed table salt. Important to note~ use salt *during* the cooking instead of waiting until after serving the food. This makes a difference in the final quality of the dish because cooking is chemistry. Remember back to your high school chemistry classes: the order of combining the elements, and the application of heat to the mixture could make a tremendous difference to the results of the experiment!
The third tip for vegetarian cooking is obvious, yet needs emphasis. Use lots of vegetables! You can't over-do vegetables in your diet - the greater the range and color, the better. Use leafy veg (lettuce, spinach, and chard), root veg (yams, carrots, potatoes, turnips), and the stems and seed carriers of veg (for example celery, eggplant, peppers, zucchini). Buy organic veg if you can because they really do taste better, and of course they provide better nutrition because they are gown in healthy, 'clean' dirt.
Take any vegetable and bean soup recipe, and follow these three simple principles: saut~ the veg in the right oil, cook the beans in sea-salted water, use a variety of organic vegetables, and you'll have a rich delicious soup. These simple tips make a big difference. Take my word for it, or do a little test. Use the same list of ingredients, but don't saut~ in oil, add the salt at the table, and use conventionally grown veg. The result will be inferior - still nutritious, but bland rather than satisfying, and that's a shame because the few simple techniques described here can make your vegetarian cooking consistently terrific.
Articles by Nora Poulous on topics related to cooking are published in Z Cooking News the leading resource on-line for information about cooking. Visit the complete archive of articles here: http://www.zcooking.com
Latest News
Ocean County Sheriff's Department Issues Safety Tips The Manchester Times, NJ - Sheriff Polhemus stresses, "Use common sense when cooking, and don't be careless. The holidays, in most homes, means the smell of a good home-cooked meal. ... |
Extension office to offer tips on estate planning Brewton Standard, United States - In case you need help with cooking questions and we are not available feel free to call one of the Holiday Hotlines. They offer lots of helpful cooking tips ... |
Make Thanksgiving happy; follow safe-cooking tips The Columbian, WA - You should never leave your cooking unattended, a major cause of fires, and it’s best to make the kitchen off-limits to children and adults who aren’t ... Venice Fire Department - Cooking Tips Fire department shares safety tips for cooking Fire department offers tips for cooking safety |
Clorox Prepares for Holiday Cooking Season In-Store Marketing Institute (subscription), IL - Glad supports the in-store campaign with a dedicated website offering recipes, activities (including napkin folding and flower arranging) and cooking tips ... |
Cookbooks for the shopper and baker in you Scripps News, DC - Magazines and the Internet overflow with recipes and cooking tips (as do our own bookshelves). Yet we covet cookbooks, especially new ones, ... |
 Examiner.com | 20 last-minute Thanksgiving recipes and cooking tips Examiner.com - St. Louis Low-Carb Examiner Amy Dungan lets you in on Butterball.com tips, Thanksgiving turkey video lessons and recipes. Her article will teach you how to ... |
Woman’s Day Magazine and BlogTalkRadio Partner to Launch Online ... EON, WA - Jackie Plant and other Woman’s Day food editors bring the magazine’s test kitchen to listeners with recipes, cooking tips and information to make mealtime ... |
Children share cooking tips, holiday thanks Clinton News, MS - By Amanda Wells On Thanksgiving Day, who's going to cook that Butterball turkey, cornbread dressing and desserts galore? ... |
Teacher Tips: Cooking in the Classroom Well Fed Network - I thought I’d share some tips for cooking with children in the classroom. It is a fun activity and is a fantastic teaching method for kids who learn by ... |
Turkey Cooking Tips KBLG, MT - THE BIGGEST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR HOME COOKS IS JUST ABOUT HERE, AND WE HAVE SOME TIPS FROM HEALTH OFFICIALS TO HELP AVOID PROBLEMS. ... |
Resources
-
Health-E-Meals.com - Quick and Healthy Recipes, Snacks, Fitness Tips, Motivation, Links.
Healthy Solutions for Your Busy Life. Health-E-Meals.com offers a free healthy Cooking newsletter as well as other practical resources for making healthy living, eating and exercise a part of your busy life.