Vegetarian Living

[ladyvorkosigan]

Well crap! There goes that idea. No guacamole for me...

[Deleted]

I was ovo-lacto for three years and I loved it. I had lots of energy and was 10-15 lbs thinner than I am now without trying. Then I moved somewhere that was pretty inhospitable to non-meat eating ways. I've since left and I would like to go to back to the ovo-lacto way of life but the only problem is that I've since found out that I am allergic to milk so it would be pretty hard. At least with milk I can still eat Italian, pizza, etc.

[Deleted]

Georgia, have you tried soy milk and rice milk? I love both. I hate cow's milk. The only problem with soy and rice milks is that I hate cheeses made with them.

[Sunnyhorse]

I love cheese, but I'm trying to cut down on dairy for humane reasons. I've used rice milk on my cereal for about 10 years now, and I love it. (Soy milk, not so much -- too thick. In case you can't tell, I grew up drinking skim.) I should really look into finding rennet-free cheeses around here.

[Deleted]

Sunnyhorse, I eat only rennet-free cheeses. I recommend Organic Valley and Whole Foods' private label 365 Organic Everyday Value.

[Sunnyhorse]

Thanks, Dichterin! The nearest Whole Foods is about 35 miles away, but I see that one of the local supermarket chains stocks Organic Valley, so I'll be checking it out ASAP. Until I can make myself give up cheese altogether, this will be a good alternative.

[eclair]

Soy milk is a good substitute for milk in lots of recipes; beware though, my good friend and I have separate stories of making mac and cheese and accidentally using vanilla soy milk for the milk part. Yuck!

(Obviously we are not milk avoiders or we wouldn't be eating the cheese part of the mac and cheese).

[litzikohanovich]

Regarding flaxseed oil...I wanted to start taking it, but I read that it can become rancid (and carcinogenic) if not refrigerated and here in Krakow, I have only been able to find it in the shops unrefrigerated. Any advice? Also, does anyone have any good baked tofu recipes?

[susyhomewrecker]

No baked tofu recipes, but I have heard that about flaxseed oil, and all the hippie health-food stores around here keep the tablets in the refrigerated section. However, my mom found some powdered flaxseed grain at GNC (big national health-food store), and she's been sprinkling that in sauces, oatmeal--she even put it in waffles. There wasn't a warning on there to keep it refrigerated like the tablets, so I think it should be okay. At least I hope so, for my mom's sake! Anyway, if you can't find the powder in any stores in Krakow, maybe you can order it online?

Thanks for all the advice on dry skin remedies! I've started putting walnuts in my salads every night. Yummy and good for the skin!

[WitchyPoo]

Tempeh! I love tempeh. Fermented soy beans. Yum! Try some Fakin' Bacon. It's super yummy.

I'm one of those that loves the taste of tofu plain. I cube it up, slap some soy sauce on it and call it a day.

Try freezing tofu. It creates a meaty texture. After it thaws wrap it up in a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels and squeeze, or press, as much of water out of it you can. Then break it up or slice it. It can be sauteed into "steaks" using the same kind of seasonings. You can marinate it for a bit and use in stir fry, or crumble it up and add to a pasta sauce or chili.

I've made excellent bechamel sauce using soy. Silk is great for using in hot dishes. It doesn't break and is thick enough to add some body to sauces without being all weird Vitasoy creamy.