So a chickpea is a garbanzo bean? WTF is a lentil?

[milleson]

Ok, so yeah, this has been done before.

I'm new to the whole 'no meat for me' club. I've wanted to cut meat out of my diet for a while, but I was just too lazy. I'm with it now though, I haven't eaten meat in about two weeks.

Let's just say I don't know shit about eating healthy. I've been getting by on yogurt, PB&J, and fried rice. Just this week I discovered what chickpeas are, (they dont look like peas to me). I also picked up a bag of lentils. Some one tell me how to cook this stuff. I tried searching for recipes online, but most vegi recipes call for shit I haven't even heard of, much less know where to find. What the hell is 'yeast extract spread' anyway?

So HELP! Please.

I need suggestions on where to get started. My family is still omnivorous, they might riot if I didn't serve meat with dinner, so I need ideas that can be prepared in small portions or will excite the taste buds of two little kids.

I did search for stuff on this topic, and I checked the vegan thread. That stuff is from last year. Seriously, 2006 deserves its own "Help me I wanna be a vegetarian" thread.

[ms.peachy]

I did search for stuff on this topic, and I checked the vegan thread. That stuff is from last year. Seriously, 2006 deserves its own "Help me I wanna be a vegetarian" thread.
Erm... what information do you think has changed in the past year, exactly? We're not talking headline news stuff, here. Surely all of the suggestions, recipes etc are just as relevant now.

[milleson]

I'm not saying that info isn't worthwhile, I just hate reviving threads that are over a year old. It doesn't look like we have had a successful "How to go vegetarian" thread that hasn't just refered back to some other thread in recent history.

Also, I need simple directions, the kind a monkey could follow. I still don't know how saute onions w/out burning them, or how to prepare particular ingredients, i.e. lentils and chickpeas. Do I have to soak 'em first (the chickpeas and lentils, not the onions)?

[synch]

You suck at being vegetarian.

Hee!

[ms.peachy]

Chickpeas yes I believe you do. Personally though I do buy mine tinned - for me, life's too short to spend the kind of time required to soak, sort and cook them from scratch, and there's not generally a whole lot of difference in either taste or nutritional value between ones from a can and ones you've cooked.

I don't know about green or puy lentils, those you may need to soak, but red or yellow lentils can be cooked straight from the package after rinsing.

The trick to sauteeing onions is low heat and patience. Heat the oil or butter first, then add the onions. Stir them around to get them coated with the fat, then kind of herd them all together into the center of the pan - not like a pile, but just make them all sort of 'together'. Cover this and let is sit for about 2 mins. Stir and then repeat for another 2 mins. And then stir and repeat again. (Many recipes will say to soften the onions for about 3 minutes. They lie; they are just trying to convince you it's a 'quick' recipe'. Take the extra time and cook them properly.) It is very important that you keep the heat low-to-medium, as this allowd the natural sugars of the onion to release and become flavourful. If you try to rush it and use a higher heat, you wil carmelise the sugars and your onions will turm brown and/or burn.

Why don't you try and see if you can find a vegetarian cooking class in your area? It would be a good way to meet other locals who are also going veggie as well as learn the basics.

[jabumbo]

chickpeas are a godsend (y)


they go on so many things, its unbelievable. and yeah, i buy mine in a can when i get em, so i wouldnt know that much. plus, the cans are smaller so you can open 1 can and have just enough for yourself

[b-grrrlie]

I never buy anything in cans, you never really know what you get. I try to as much organic as possible (or preferably home grown, just love my peas!) and and never seen anything organic in cans. Besides the tin gives too much flavour. I'm not a huge fan of lentils nor chick peas, but I do make my own hummus. I've always prefered fresh vegetables and mushrooms (usually fried in a wok) with rice, pasta or potatoes. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen so wok is a heaven sent to me.

[ms.peachy]

I never buy anything in cans, you never really know what you get. I try to as much organic as possible (or preferably home grown, just love my peas!) and and never seen anything organic in cans.
Are you serious? Maybe it is just a location thing, but there's loads and loads and loads of canned organic products available in the UK and in the US. In fact canning is excellent for organic products, because the canning process is an ideal method of packaging food without preservatives.

[cosmo105]

i always buy organic garbanzos in cans. and yeah, i just don't have time to let them soak. by the time they're ready, i'd want something else anyway.

super easy - make sghetti (i try to use quinoa noodles for more fiber and protein) with a meatless marinara and toward the end add a can (drained and rinsed of course) of garbanzos and mix them up.

i'd highly recommend a book called Simply Vegetarian - it's a great resource on how to make the transition.

don't flip out and get dozens of vegetarian recipe books, though, unless they look really simple and easy. because - trust me - the gourmet ones? you'll never use them.

do a lot of beans, do a lot of brown rice, do a lot of peas. steam, don't boil. invest in a george foreman grill and find what veggie burgers you like best. Morningstar Farms is a brand that a lot of new veggies like because their products taste a lot like the real thing...but they're loaded with preservatives and the ingredients list is a mile long, so i say stay away from them. Morningstar was satan's name, after all. ;)

boca burgers are decent if you're into them and all. i try to get the organic ones. but i don't have those much anymore...meat replacements aren't very appealing to a longtime veggie, and novice vegan...i really dig Dr. Praeger's California Veggie burgers. you can usually find those in a trader joe's or other health food store. some big grocery stores have them too.

a lot of vegetarians overdo it on the cheese. keep in mind - it's still an animal product, and it has tons of cholesterol and fat. keep it to a minimum.

experiment a lot. see what you like. try things you've always wanted to. and you'll build up a repertoire of recipes you (and probably your family, too) will love. my specialty - scrambled tofu + soyrizo + green chile refried bean burritos in sprouted grain tortillas. even steger likes them. he has the low-fiber tortillas, though. :)

[synch]

Soyrizo? Do they pick names of meat products to imitate based on how well it would sound if you turn it into something veggiesounding?

[cosmo105]

huh?

soyrizo = soy chorizo.

i also make an intense pasta salad that is a hit at potlucks.

[synch]

Yeah, I got that bit.

[milleson]

Why don't you try and see if you can find a vegetarian cooking class in your area? It would be a good way to meet other locals who are also going veggie as well as learn the basics.

(y) Hey, that's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that? Hmm, perhaps I could find one that would let my daughter participate, as well.

Thanks for that bit about the onions, too. I will definitely try your method ASAP.

[ms.peachy]

(y) Hey, that's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that? Hmm, perhaps I could find one that would let my daughter participate, as well.

Try your local health food store; they probably have a community bulletin board. If no one's advertising cooking lessons, put up a note yourself saying you're new to veggie cooking and would like some. Try also talking to the staff. You might find someone who isn't a formal teacher or with a school or anything, but who just enjoys cooking and might be willing to come over once a week and start showing you the basics for a small fee, and then for sure you can get your daughter involved.

[b-grrrlie]

I never buy anything in cans, you never really know what you get. I try to as much organic as possible (or preferably home grown, just love my peas!) and and never seen anything organic in cans. Are you serious? Maybe it is just a location thing, but there's loads and loads and loads of canned organic products available in the UK and in the US. In fact canning is excellent for organic products, because the canning process is an ideal method of packaging food without preservatives.
Yes I am serious, I don't think I've ever seen organic food in cans here. It's always dried in bags or boxes, or in glassjars (unless it's fresh). They are much easier and cheaper to recycle, and that's an important thing here.
I think the only thing I've seen in a metallic container is the yeast spread, and that's in tubes.

[cosmo105]

you mean monistat?


sorry

[ms.peachy]

you mean monistat?


sorry
BWAAAHAAAHAAA!

ew

[cosmo105]

:o