Vegetarian staples?!
Answers: What are some of the essentials that you use when making vegetarian dishes? I am really interested in cutting meat out of I prefer a meat and starch type diet, but I am wanting to move away from that. What are some staples that you use in a lot of meals, things that you would suggest I keep on hand, and things that you don't use very often in your vegetarian cooking?
As a vegetarian college student that doesn't have much time to cook, I can't live without the following:
*Soy milk - if you want to consume less milk, you should buy soy milk. The vanilla flavored tastes really good, plus you can have it with cereal, shakes and use them to make desserts.
*Tofu - is "the vegetarian meat". Just substitute the meat in most recipes with tofu and there are also a lot of delicious tofu recipes that are really easy to make.
*Rice, pasta and potatoes - these are very useful in vegetarian cooking because you can combine them with almost anything
*Salt, olive oil and condiments - You should have plenty of these to prepare your meals
*Fresh fruit - They are perfect as a snack or breakfast
*Fresh / Frozen veggies
I don't recommend you to buy veggie burgers and other veggie meats too often beacuse they have a lot of sodium, which can be very bad for your health.
Tofu is delicous. Also, nuts and lots of different types of beans. go to this website. it reallllly helps.
Lentils. You can make soups and stews out of them, mash them for a vegetarian "meatloaf", use them as a sandwich spread, make curry out of them, and eat them on rice. Also, brown rice and Quiona. Quiona is a grain, but it is very high in protien. Also tofu. You can marinate it like you marinate a meat.
Rice, beans, potatoes, bread - the basic starches are always flexible, filling and cheap when going vegetarian, although you obviously want the majoirty of what you eat to be fresh produce.
It's important that you keep protein levels up as much as possible. People who switch to a vegetarian diet will often lose a lot of weigh, much of which is muscle. This is why soy is so popular these days, as it is a "complete" protein. (meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids you need) Lowfat dairy is also good source of protein.
EFA's (essential fatty acids) which are commonly found in fish are important for your brain, so try to snack on walnuts and add freshly ground flax to your cereal. That or you can just take a supplement.
I find that vegetarian food is best when you keep it simple. (cheese on bread w/ a salad) But making large batches of things like homemade chili are also good to have around.
I don't really recommend "veggie meat" because they are highly processed and can actually be worse for you than meat itself.
Mmmm, just thinking about it makes me hungry.
Avocado
Nuts
Nutritional Yeast (don't buy brewer's. it's bitter!)
http://www.bulkfoods.com/yeast.htm
Seitan
http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm
Quinoa
http://www.quinoa.net/
Hummus
Edit: I have to heartily disagree with Rorybuns. Americans are obsessed with protein and it's killing us. Your body does NOT store protein. So when you eat too much you are tossing money, literally, down the toilet. Plus it's unnecessarily taxing to your kidneys to be excreting all that excess protein.
Very very few people transitioning from meat eater to non meat eater drop a lot of weight. Most just switch to a veggie meat substitute.
I agree with Rory about not using a lot of processed fake meats. That's the usual reason for weight gain when going veg. It's all chemicals and junk. But realize that not all meat substitutes are highly processed. The very popular Quorn is highly processed. But the not so popular (and if I might add FAR better tasting) Field Roast is not highly processed. It's pure and simple.
Water, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds (especially flax), soy products (such as tofu, TVP, tempeh, fortified soy milk, miso, etc.) pulses, whole grains, quinoa, seiten, nutritional yeast, chickpeas, seaweeds, lentils, vegetable and flaxseeds oils, dairy & meat substitutes.
That is good you want cut meat from your diet!
carrots.
Kudos to you for making such a responsible decision, both in terms of your health and the health of the world.
What I use most is...
-LOTS of fresh, organic produce. I go to the farmer's market every week and stock up on whatever is fresh and in season. And then there are staples that I always have in the house like baby carrots (my boyfriend's fave) and raisins. These are really easy to pop into the lunch bag for a healthy snack.
-Tofu/Tempeh. Soy is an important protein source because, as mentioned before, it has all the amino acids. You can marinate these and bake them or fry them (if you're missing grease). They are a fine addition to salads, soups, stirfrys (Especially stirfrys!)
- Beans and whole grains. There is nothing more wholesome than some steamed veggies atop a bed of beans and rice or quinoa. You'll get plenty of fiber and protein as well as essential vitamins and minerals.
-Seasonings- Make sure you have a lot of spices, garlic, soy sauce, etc for marinating and cooking. People think vegetarian cooking is bland and it soooo doesn't have to be.
Good luck! And do some research online for recipes and such, because it helps the transition to broaden your arsenal of recipes.
The following are staples in my kitchen:
brown rice
tofu (extra firm for making stir fry)
wheat pasta
fresh fruit and veggies
beans (dried, canned...all types)
cereal (that has a lot of fibre)
rice milk
I use all of the aforementioned on a regular basis. I do keep some "fake" meat products in the freezer in case I'm on the run on a Saturday or something and don't have time to cook something extravagant. I eat those products in mderation.
Some things that I don't use: dairy products. (too closely tied to the meat industry!)
QUICK LIST
ITEMS to KEEP ON HAND
Bacos (or other bacon like bits)
Balsamic vinegar (great for a salad dressing)
Braggs Liquid Aminos (Made from soybeans, a concentrated protein, flavor enhancer, great for salads, sauces, etc...found in small bottles at health food stores)
Canned or dried Beans/ garbonzo, kidney, black, red...
Canned spaghetti sauce
Canned vegetarian/vegan Baked beans and refried beans
Canola oil
Fruits
Garlic
Garlic salt
Jam/ Jelly
Juices
Lemon juice
Meat analogs... burger, tofurky, whatever...
Mustard
Nutritional Yeast (A MAJOR product for vegans and vegetarians. A nutty/cheesy flavor Sprinkle on salads, popcorn, casseroles, pizza, sauces.... Found in all health food stores, bulk section) (NOT BREWERS YEAST!) (See side bar for more information)
Nuts/seeds
Olive Oil (For basic cooking and salads)
Pasta
Peanut Butter
Pickles
Popcorn
Ramin soup (Nissin brand, oriental flavor)
Rice
Salad makings
Soy Milk (sweetened for cereals and plain for sauces) See side for more information.
Soy Sauce
Spices
Spike or Vegit seasoned salt
VEGAN Sugar (unrefined) Like "Sugar in the Raw", Turbinado, or a brown rice syrup, unbleached cane sugar, etc....
Tahini (sesame seed paste) Used to make hummus, a great bread spread! or just buy some hummus....)
Tofu Firm and silken (See side for more information)
Tomatoes
Tortillas
Vegan bread (Most authentic / old fashioned French/Italian bread is vegan..) (Avoid honey as an ingredient.)
Vegan Margarine
Vegetable Broth powder
Vegetables: Potatoes, Mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, spinach, kale, etc… Edamame (soybeans)
Vegemite or Marmite:It’s a food spread extracted from brewers yeast that has a very unique hard-to-describe flavor. Frequently used as a topping on bread or toast, it has a salty taste that is quite strong, so – “spread thinly”Also adds flavor to soups, and gravies"
WhiteVinegar
Braggs amino's!!!! ( I use it instead of salt or soy sauce)
Whole grains (Brown rice, Barley, Quinoa, Oatmeal, Wheatberries) you can buy these dried in the bulk section of any healthfood store or food co-op
Dried Beans (Black beans, Adzuki beans-my fave, great northen beans, chick peas, lentils)
TVP textured vegetable protien... this stuff is great the small grind, not the big chunks that look like dog food... it add great texture to soups & stews.
dried fruits & nuts- if you are short on time just a handful of this stuff makes a great breakfast that will keep you going untill lunch!
good quality fresh spices like garam masala, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, corriander, cardamom, smoked paprika, a good curry blend & saffron...
Coconut milk adds creamyness to soups stews & curries without the dairy!
saurkraut- blech on it's own, but if you broil up some tempeh and top it with saurkraut and some soy cheese or swiss cheese on rye bread you have a veg rueben to die for...
Miso adds richness to soups & sauces
Olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil
peanut butter, tahini (sesame butter), cashew butter
tofu, silken for desserts firm for soup, stews, stir-frys, sandwiches etc
Tempeh & Seitan can be yummy too
toasted nori- i love veg sushi!
lots of fresh fruit & veg...
Taste, nutrition, rational
Vegan foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are rich in fiber and nutrients. Vegans can get all the protein they need from legumes (e.g., beans, tofu, peanuts) and grains (e.g., rice, corn, whole wheat breads and pastas); calcium from broccoli, kale, collard greens, tofu, fortified juices and soymilks; iron from chickpeas, spinach, pinto beans, and soy products; and B12 from fortified foods or supplements. With planning, a vegan diet can provide all the nutrients we were taught as schoolchildren came only from animal products.
http://www.veganoutreach.org/health/stay...