Mmm, looks tasty and no animals were harmed during the production of this pasta

There are thousands of vegetarians in the world today, what many regarded to be a ”fad” or a “phase” in the sixties which was only really followed by funky hippy types (often temporarily . . . the smell of a bacon sandwich can be mighty tempting) has now become a real way of life for thousands, in fact probably millions of people worldwide.

Vegetarian Cooking is really cooking without meat, or fish (although I know a couple of veggies who do eat fish and seafood, not sure what that makes them). I actually came across a teenage girl once (well, I came across her more than once unfortunately) who was a vegetarian but refused to eat vegetables. I’m not sure why her mother let her get away with that one . . . one cannot survive on pasta and cheese, not for long anyway, and it certainly ain’t healthy.

Vegetarians become vegetarians for many different reasons . . . health reasons, religious reasons, animal rights issues or just because they’re copying Kelly Clarkson, but anyway, if you do decide to change your lifestyle and be a vegetarian then you’re gonna have to learn a little about vegetarian cooking and vegetarian nutrition. It is possible to get all of the nutrients you need without eating meat or fish (some don’t eat dairy either), but it takes a little bit of forethought and planning.

The Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarian cooking is not rocket science, it’s not scary, in fact many of the dishes you would prepare for a non veggie diet can easily be transformed into a vegetarian version. The important thing to remember when you’re planning a vegetarian diet is that you get plenty of the nutrients which you used to get from the meat and the fish. If you’re not very careful your vegetarian diet could be short of;

• protein
• minerals like calcium, zinc and iron
• vitamin D
• vitamin B12

All of these are essential parts of a healthy diet, so make sure that your vegetarian recipes include lots of

• beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, whole grains and soy – that’s where your protein will come from, as well as many of the minerals you need for a healthy lifestyle
• leafy dark green vegetables – are a vital part of a healthy vegetarian diet too
• lots of fruit and veggies – I don’t mean just a large plateful of spinach, I mean a large variety of fruits and vegetables, ‘cos they all provide you with different things, especially if you choose plenty of different colors . . . a rainbow colored lunch is great fun and a very healthy way to vary your vegetarian foods

Hey, she’s got some great ideas.

Vegetarian Cooking Tips

Here are a few top tips for how to cook if you are either a newly converted vegetarian, are thinking of becoming a vegetarian, just wanna’ cut down on your red meat intake with some tasty recipes or are having a vegetarian for dinner . . . sorry, I mean of course, having a vegetarian to dinner.

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #1 – Plenty of ordinary dishes can be made very similarly, if you just omit the meat and add in a little something extra which is meat-free. Try leaving the regular meatballs out of your spaghetti recipe and substitute them with something meat-free . . . something made from tofu perhaps.

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #2 – don ‘t be afraid to explore new things. Every time you go to the grocery store try something different, something exotic, some exotic looking vegetables, some exotic looking fruits, some spices which you’ve never tried before.  Why not try out the store made veggie burgers and soy products . . . vegetarian cooking can and should be fun.

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #3 – don’t give up on the first veggie products you try. Okay, so you tried the veggie burgers from your local grocery store and they were yuk . . . well, just like candy bars there are plenty more to go at, so try a different brand of veggie burger – you never know, it might taste yummy!

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #4 – don’t be afraid to ask questions in your local health store . . . they won’t be annoyed at you, they’ll like it, it’ll give them a chance to tell you all about their range of vegetarian products which you had probably never even heard of, and more importantly . . . what to do with them – careful!

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #5 – okay, it’s Sunday morning, you smelled the bacon sizzling downstairs and your resolve dissolved, you happily munched your way through a crispy bacon sandwich quick before the guilt trip set in  . . . don’t think about the poor little piggies, don’t feel guilty, just give yourself a break and start again.

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #6 – if you’re the only veggie in the family don’t worry about cooking two separate meals every time, simply cook the meat in a separate pan (say for a stir fry) and then serve yourself a portion of the lovely veggie stir fry before you add the meat into it . . . you see, I told it ain’t rocket science.

Top Vegetarian Cooking Tip #7- read, learn and try new recipes. You will find that even a meat eating household will enjoy some nice vegetarian recipes as well, just because they enjoy eating meat it doesn’t mean that they need it every single day. Look in particular at Chinese, Middle Eastern, Thai and Indian recipes . . . lots of these are veggie recipes and people don’t even realize it.

Look nice? It's a yummy, scrummy veggie burger