Calling All Vegetarians...

[divingbiker]

She gave me the option of eating vegetarian, or if I want to be more extreme, to eat vegan for the next four months. My choice. I'm not sure which I should choose. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Welcome to the vegetarian life! I've been a vegan for 18+ years, so of course that's what I'd encourage. You'll see the most dramatic and quick results if you eliminate all animal products, but it can be a challenge for some people.

I need some help. I would like to add tofu and more soy to my diet, but I don't have a clue where to start. Is there a really good cookbook that you guys can recommend? Or maybe some really easy recipes?

I am really good at cooking all sorts of beans, legumes, and vegetables, but I have never tried cooking with tofu, tempeh, or those vegetarian crumble thingys (don't know the name of them). And it is sooo confusion with all the different types of tofu - silken, firm, extra firm, etc. And what exactly are tempeh, bean curd and those vegetarian crumble things?

I don't really use a cookbook, so I can't recommend any one in particular. I have a lot of them, though, and I'd be happy to mail you a few to use during your four-month experiment so you can get some ideas.

You can find some good recipes here; of course there are lot of other vegan sites also.

Silken tofu, usually found on the shelf in aseptic packaging, is best used in desserts. I usually use extra firm or firm tofu, the kind that comes packed in water, when cooking.

Tempeh is a fermented soy product. The trick to using it is to cut it into pieces and steam it for about 15 minutes before using it in a dish; the steaming removes a nasty bitter flavor.

The vegetarian crumbles are a soy product that can be used in place of ground beef in recipes. They're pretty tasty. Another option is to buy texturized vegetable protein (TVP) crumbles at Whole Foods or a co-op, and use them instead of hamburger.

One of my favorite easy dishes is to saute a chopped up onion, bell pepper and some mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, add a jar of Barilla sauce (my favorite is green and black olive), and a half a bag of Boca crumbles. Serve it over whole wheat pasta.

And are there any animal byproducts in the Bevery Chocolate Muscle Provider? Do I also need to give up my protein shakes? Please help!

I hate to tell you, but it's all animal products--whey and egg white. You can buy soy powder to add to smoothies if you feel you need a protein shake. (Many people think that it's hard to get enough protein when you're a vegetarian, but that's really not true if you eat a balanced diet.)

I'm a bit overwhelmed...

Relax! It's not that hard.

Janice