Vegetarian Living

[clementine74]

I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian. I was in Canada recently and got a HORRIBLE case of food poisoning from some chicken I ate. Now that Dr Oz guy is talking about what's really in chicken, and I'm just really, really grossed out. Actually, the idea of becoming vegan is really appealing to me right now--I'm just not sure if I could do it, or if I could give up bacon.

[Brookie]

Oct 8, 2010 11:04:54 GMT -4 clementine74 said:

I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian. I was in Canada recently and got a HORRIBLE case of food poisoning from some chicken I ate. Now that Dr Oz guy is talking about what's really in chicken, and I'm just really, really grossed out. Actually, the idea of becoming vegan is really appealing to me right now--I'm just not sure if I could do it, or if I could give up bacon.

Well ya know there's soy bacon. I've never tried it (most of the soy products I've tried are repulsive, but that's just me).

[clementine74]

Yeah, I love veggies and legumes and fruit, but am NOT a fan of faux-meats posing as the real deal, unless it's in the hands of an awesome chef.

[Shalamar]

I just tried to buy a Tofurky Feast for Canadian Thanksgiving, and our usual store is sold out and may not get any more in before our big dinner on Sunday. My poor vegetarian daughter is very disappointed.

[kateln]

I love tofurky sausage, so very good.

[WitchyPoo]

Soy chorizo and tempeh bacon are both great substitutes. I use the chorizo often and the tempeh bacon makes a great BLT.

[yournamehere]

Oct 8, 2010 11:04:54 GMT -4 clementine74 said:

I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian. I was in Canada recently and got a HORRIBLE case of food poisoning from some chicken I ate. Now that Dr Oz guy is talking about what's really in chicken, and I'm just really, really grossed out. Actually, the idea of becoming vegan is really appealing to me right now--I'm just not sure if I could do it, or if I could give up bacon.

I often discourage anyone who says they want to go vegetarian if they say things like "I don't think I can give up steak/bacon/chicken", etc. I mean no disrespect, it's just that it saves a lot of misery in the long-run. It's a huge change of lifestyle (I engage in a lot more food prep than ever these days, to avoid the massive sodium in prepared foods), and while I don't know others' experience with it, with me, it was just something that made a lot of sense and I don't miss any foods at all (that in mind, there are things I won't avoid - such as eggs and cheese - that I won't fight eating if there's a good reason, like if I'm traveling and I'm eating nothing but salads and my food just needs to be 'bulked up' for nutritional purposes).

With that in mind, I'm always willing to help someone out if they say they truly want to be a vegetarian/vegan. And I love to cook, too, so I'm always trying to dig up new recipes (Living Without magazine is a generally good resource).

So for all the vegans in the thread, I humbly offer this recipe:

Tempeh Tube Sausage

This is a recipe for sausage patties made of tempeh. I've been making them quite a bit lately, and they're a decent knockoff from 'sausages' that we got at a restaurant we used to live by - the only one I know of that did vegan breakfasts. My husband (who, while not a vegetarian but generally loves vegetables and rarely eats red meat) loves these. They're tasty, they travel well (we've taken them camping) and while they take some time, they're uncomplicated to prepare.

Additionally, addressing the want for bacon, I've seen recipes for eggplant bacon which are not substitutes for the real thing - I wouldn't try to fool you- but I like anyway (depends, of course; I've seen recipes that require you fry it, but I stick to the 'raw' version of the recipe that requires you dehydrate it since it's less fatty. They recommend a dehydrator, but I guess you can always use an oven on low-heat.)

[celerydunk]

I used to go nuts for bacon as a child. Now I dont remember what it tastes like.

[Shalamar]

So, for years I've heard my mother tell and re-tell the story of when a friend was flying out to stay for a week, and said friend mentioned casually on the phone right before the visit "Oh, by the way, I'm now a vegetarian." Cue panic from Mum, who'd already bought groceries and made a meal plan and now had no idea what to serve her friend.

Now that my daughters are vegan and vegetarian, I was curious, and I brought that story up again. "So, Mum, what did you serve Rosie?" My mum looked a little shifty and said "Wellll ... it turned that she could eat chicken. And fish. And pork products." "Uh, okay - so it was just red meat she couldn't eat?" "Yessss ... and it's not that she COULDN'T eat it; she just didn't care for it much."

Arrrgh. I couldn't even look at my daughters because I knew they'd be rolling their eyes all over the place. People who say they're vegetarians and then turn around and eat some kind of meat drive them batty.

[thingee]

Ugh, that makes me insane. If you eat something that is a member of the animal kingdom, YOU ARE NOT A VEGETARIAN! And yes, that includes fish!

BTW, I have had people argue with me that fish are not animals. WTF?!