The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[oiselet]

i never know what to cook tofu with or in what
Anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking maybe just fry some up with spices and then put them in salad? That's all I can think of

I like heartier meals though. Salads are soo lame and boring to me

Saute onions, garlic, bell peppers, cumin, chili power, and salt in an oiled pan. Crumble pressed tofu into the same skillet and cook for about 3 minutes. Warm tortillas and spoon the filling into the tortilla, then add salsa and cilantro or parsley and fold it into a burrito.

OR

Peel and cut an eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds and brush them with olive oil, bake uncovered for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove and reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Cut the eggplant rounds into bite-sized pieces. Combine eggplant with marinara sauce in a bowl. Set aside.

In a second bowl, crumble the tofu and mask it with a fork. Add basil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir. Cook spinach and add to seasoned tofu. Spread one fourth of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with a layer of dry noodles, then add half the tofu-spinach filling. Ladle on another fourth of the marinara sauce mixture. Repeat the layers of the noodles, the rest of the tofu-spinach filling, and one fourth of the sauce. Finish with a final layer of noodles and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover, and bake 10 minutes longer. Eat lasagna!

OR

Cook linguine until al dente. Transfer noodles to a large bowl and add sesame oil. Toss to coat and set aside. Warm olive oil in a skillet, add tofu and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until golden on all sides. Add to noodles. Reheat the skillet, add bok choy and carrot. Stir-fry for a minute to soften the vegetables. Add peas, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Add noodles to skillet and stir to combine with the veggies. Sprinkle with scallions and eat.

Really, all you need to do is google tofu recipes and you'll find a ton. Those were a few from my vegan cookbook.

 

[foreverandnone]

omg those all sound SO delicious. thanks for sharing bb!
karma!

 

[cestmagique]

Um... this is pretty uncreative but I usually just coat extra firm tofu with oil, bake it until partly crisp, and then eat it with ketchup (basically like fries). It's a very easy way for me to get protein so I eat it a lot.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Did anyone have a Thanksgiving success to share?

 

[ilaughead]

^Not my own success, but an ridiculously nice gesture from my aunt: almost everything on the table (turkey, obviously, was an exception) was made using vegan recipes. I originally planned to bring my own food because I really don't like making a big deal out if it, but she took it upon herself to go through all that work for me! (And even asked if I wanted to see the recipes if I was suspicious )

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Wow, super nice If you liked some of the dishes, you should post the recipes

 

[parisia]

I'd love to know what she made also as I'm planning on having a vegan christmas and I want my family to enjoy yummy veg food too instead of an onslaught of meat!

 

[tullepen]

^^^Hey,we both have Natalia avatars!
I made oven yam fries, and another vegan lady brought a delicious salad which had crispy potatoes and sweet potatoes in it! I also eat a vegan spaghetti-it's made out of vegetable flours (spinach,tomato) and I make vegan pesto to go with it,and add sliced avocado.I'll probably make an aloo masala (potato curry) for Xmas.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I like sweet potatoes in chunks with butter, brown sugar and/or maple syrup, and pecans, and that would be easy to make vegan ...

 

[Scott]

can i ask a funny question? do you strict vegetarians consider semi-vegetarianism,vegetarianism at all?

 

[oiselet]

can i ask a funny question? do you strict vegetarians consider semi-vegetarianism,vegetarianism at all?

No, I do not.

 

[tullepen]

I don't either.You mean,someone who eats fish ? No that's not vegetarian.People get it misconstrued all the time.

 

[Scott]

i didn't think so

i saw this term somewhere and i thought it was very odd as i had never really heard of such a thing.

 

[oiselet]

They have pollotarians too (they eat chicken and fish). I did that for awhile a few years back, but never thought of myself as a vegetarian.

 

[tullepen]

my neighbor's cooler reeks of fish and it makes me so sick.I can't imagine my reaction if a barbecue was nearby...:

 

[fashionista-ta]

i didn't think so

i saw this term somewhere and i thought it was very odd as i had never really heard of such a thing.

As a semi-vegetarian myself , I don't use the term, but it does make sense to me ... I think it means eating a significant number of vegetarian meals. To me, cutting back on meat is green, and helps reduce all the ills associated with factory farming, if that is the type of meat one would otherwise eat ... I think every little bit helps I mean, just think what would happen if the entire country ate a vegetarian lunch or dinner.

 

[tullepen]

also there is so much carbon dioxide produced with cows which are slaughtered.that's the main reason for me.Everyone should watch the process of how the meal got to their plate.THEN EVERYONE WOULD BE VEGETARIAN!

 

[papa_levante]

I have been considering "semi-vegetarianism." Personally, I have been trying to eliminate a bunch of meats from my diet because of the reasons fashionista-ta states above. But as for fish, I can tolerate it raw like, say, sushi. I know it's fresh and will give me my OMEGA-3s.

 

[chanelnumber5]

can i ask a funny question? do you strict vegetarians consider semi-vegetarianism,vegetarianism at all?

I think that while labels are helpful in many ways (for example, meaning that you can say 'I'm vegetarian' and people will know not to give you meat'), in my opinion they are also very alientating. As a vegetarian of nearly 12 years, I applaud anyone who makes any attempt to reduce their meat consumption for whatever reason. I accept that not everyone wants to/can choose to totally cut out meat from their diets, but view it as 'every little helps'. While I wouldn't class them as vegetarian, if they wanted to call themselves vegetarians, well... live and let live

(I just realised how airy-fairy wishy-washy I sound Sorry!)

 

[parisia]

I'm vegan and anyone who cuts back on their meat consumption...well, that's great. I wouldn't label them as vegetarians though but eh, labels mean nothing really. What you DO is more important.

I call myself a vegan because when I'm going around to people's houses, I bring my own food and of course they ask why. Or when they want to cook for me, I have to tell them "I'm vegan" because it's putting my eating habits simply but I usually have to explain what that means anyway haha. That's the only time I use the term.

People go veg for different reasons (myself, it's various things...health, environmental, animal cruelty etc) but if you can cut out some meat or some milk or some eggs, then good for you and our world.