vegetarian diets

[Brown Eyes]

Heya,

I'm here to revive this thread because I'm very excited to report that I've been meat-free in my diet for going-on 3 weeks now!    In these weeks I've had one slip up where I ate some salmon served at a dinner party.  But, I haven't purchased any meat at the grocery store or at restaurants, etc., etc.  I definitely eat dairy and eggs (I have no intention of becoming vegan).

I'm at a point where I'd really enjoy continuing to exchange recipes and cooking tips.   LOL, one my questions at the moment is about sauteing tofu.  What is the best method for cooking tofu so that it develops that nice golden crust or surface?  Whenever I cook tofu it just gets hot... it doesn't develop that thin gold crust.  Maybe I'm using too much oil or butter?  Any and all tips about good tofu recipes would be great!

[David In Indy]

[CellarDweller]

I could never be a vegetarian, I've only just recently started eating vegetables in the first place.   

[Brown Eyes]

You don't actually have to eat veggies to be a vegetarian ... pasta works just great!   

Lately I've been on a soba noodle kick!  Yummmmmmmm!!

[David In Indy]

I'm ALMOST a vegetarian. I'm 99 percent there. I love veggie burgers, in fact I think they taste better than the beef version. Veggie hot dogs and veggie chicken is quite good too. And much better for us health wise as well.

I love pasta, and I love most vegetables except for lima beans. I gag on those every time. Tomatoes are one of my favorites although they are actually a fruit!

I also love potatoes, baked, fried, mashed... it doesn't matter. I love fried mashed potatoes, fried in vegetable oils of course!

[BelAir]

Amanda - I don't know how much tofu baking experience you have - and I am not certainly one with a lot, but I found my biggest goof-up initially was not getting it dry enough before I started cooking it - I really started to like tofu once I managed to sop up all the water (clean towels and paper towels).  My favorite recipe involves soaking in a teriyaki type marinade - it used a variety of soy sauces and vinegars and oils, as I recall, and then basically cooking/roasting it in the oven. 

One of my other favorite "veggie" foods is the fake "meat crumbles" - great for tacos!

[Lynne]

Hey there, Amanda.  I a$ trying to get back to a more vegetable based diet too.  Sadly, the only way I know how to get that golden brown skin on tofu is to deep fry it.  It is true that it easily accepts the flavor of any marinade.  I like to add the extra firm variety to simple broth-based soups, maybe vegetable or miso?

Have you tried seitan or tempeh? IMO, they have a nicer texture when cooked healthily, like in a stir fry.

Lynne

[David In Indy]

Hey there, Amanda.  I a$ trying to get back to a more vegetable based diet too.  Sadly, the only way I know how to get that golden brown skin on tofu is to deep fry it.  It is true that it easily accepts the flavor of any marinade.  I like to add the extra firm variety to simple broth-based soups, maybe vegetable or miso?

Have you tried seitan or tempeh? IMO, they have a nicer texture when cooked healthily, like in a stir fry.

Lynne

I love spaghetti squash. It's very good baked, or even fried. And it tastes like spaghetti too! I sometimes top it off with tomato sauce, chopped bell peppers, a little onion and some salt.

[Lynne]

Spaghetti squash is a great suggestion too, David!  I think it's more nutritious in some way than basic pasta, lower carbs, maybe?

The important thing IMO is to focus on your own food preparation and avoid fast food.  One cannot live on beans (burritos) alone.  ;-) 

[David In Indy]

Spaghetti squash is a great suggestion too, David!  I think it's more nutritious in some way than basic pasta, lower carbs, maybe?

The important thing IMO is to focus on your own food preparation and avoid fast food.  One cannot live on beans (burritos) alone.  ;-) 

Yes, squash is very good for you! It's chaulked full of vitamins and it's not fattening! Well, not until you add the tomato sauce!