Cooking for a Meat-Free Diet

For omnivores who wish to become committed vegetarians!

Reasons

There are a whole range of reasons for becoming vegetarian. One reason, aside from the obvious animal rights issue (see below), and health benefits, is the damage that meat production does to the environment.

Here are some further facts to think about:

And as for Animal “welfare”. In the UK alone, 800 million animals are slaughtered for food each year. These animals are as feeling as any household pet and, in many cases, far more intelligent yet they are still forced to live tortuous, short lives; denied access to their young, deprived of basic freedoms, fed on unnatural diets and chemicals, kept in cramped conditions where they frequently develop physical and psychological abnormalities then they're transported from factory farm, to livestock market, then to the horrors of the slaughterhouse. Some animals have to endure the long, stressful haul to markets abroad, often in extremes of weather without adequate provisions such as food, water, air and light, to places where conditions are even worse. They are then killed.

Food Without a Face

According to the UK Vegetarian Society , "a vegetarian is somebody who does not eat meat, poultry, game or fish and who also avoids slaughterhouse by-products such as gelatine and animal fats".

Most vegetarians eat dairy products and free-range eggs, vegans avoid all animal products. An easy way to become more accustomed to the idea of vegetarianism is not to think of what you cannot eat, but rather to think of what you CAN eat!

The earth provides all the nutrients, proteins and variety we need to survive in perfect health and a vegetarian diet can be far far more varied than a meaty diet - not to mention more healthy. Recent research has even indicated that women who eat more pulses, i.e.: those on a vegetarian diet, suffer far less from the menopause than those on a traditional meat diet.

The countries with the diets highest in animal products are also the countries with the highest rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc. 50% of men who eat meat regularly die of heart disease whilst only 4% of men who eat no animal products die of heart disease.

Kitchen Revolution

The vegetarian way of eating is different to that of a omnivore. Instead of basing your meals around “meat and two veg”, there are a whole host of different cultures and habits whose resources can be made use of when preparing a vegetarian meal. Recipes from all around the world, and a few basic ingredients can revolutionise your culinary habits and provide endless inspiration. Instead of “meat plus something to go with it” think in terms of a whole meal.

Focus on FLAVOUR. Meat itself does not really have much flavour, which is why chefs spend a huge amount of time concocting stews, sauces, marinades and methods of cooking which improve the flavour and texture of meat or fish. A beef stew for example, can be equally as tasty and satisfying, using kidney beans or soya chunks. The flavour of the “stew” is all in the gravy and its ingredients. Many restaurants do not even use meat to make their gravy! The standard gravy, called demi-glace, is made from slowly browned vegetables, flour, butter and stock, strained to give a smooth, thick sauce.

There is a wide range of non-meat foods, besides fresh vegetables, on the supermarket shelves these days, vegetarian sausages made from tofu and herbs taste just as good, if not better, than meaty sausages. Quarter pounder veggie burgers are available which taste identical to so called “beef” burgers and these are excellent for summer BBQ's. There are also "burgers" which are made of crushed vegetables and which do not taste, or have a texture like meat.

Quorn mince is indistinguishable from beef mince and is better for you, so you don’t even have to wave goodbye to succulent lasagne, moussaka or comforting “mince and tatties” - although it should be noted that Quorn is not vegan as it contains eggs. Since 2004 all Quorn products sold in the UK have been produced using Free Range eggs and are accepted by the Vegetarian Society, Soya mince tastes quite different, but can be delicious when mixed with herbs and spices in a rich sauce.

Convenience meat-free food is a healthier option than convenience meat food, although most people, on discovering the enormous range of fresh food available for a vegetarian diet, do not eat meat substitutes as they discover (sometimes to their surprise) that they prefer real vegetables anyway. More and more restaurants are catching on to the fact that there are more and more vegetarians. Perhaps our diet-crazed celebrity culture is responsible for this, although I have noticed that vegetarian “choices” vary greatly from region to region, with some regions still in the dark and some regions more enlightened! There are lots of exclusively vegetarian and vegan restaurants popping up all over the place. However, a good many chefs who create standard menus in pubs and restaurants are still oblivious to the fact that there is such a thing as a pulse!

Ingredients and Inspiration from Around the World

Other cultures around the world do not use meat in their daily diets and are far more creative with the vast range of ingredients available. Traditionally, southern India is vegetarian and many people from Hindu traditions are vegetarian. Think of all those delicious vegetable curries! Look at the vegetarian section of a menu from an Indian Restaurant for inspiration. It is only the Western culture who are unimaginative about cooking vegetables and western chefs who insist on believing that cheese is a meat substitute.

Just think … A plate of flavoured noodles with a side salad, a bowl of soup containing noodles and crunchy vegetables, some hot crusty bread with seeds in it ... (ie. bread baked with seeds included is more nutritious than normal "cotton wool" bread), a pizza with coleslaw and baked potato, a tasty bean casserole or tangine with rice or cous cous – the choice is limitless ...

Health stores and ethnic stores are an amazing resource and can provide ingredients for vegetarians which are bound to enlighten even the most seasoned cook and invigorate your kitchen ensuring quick and easy, tasty and exciting meals all the time.

Malaysian cooking is brilliant for the lazy cook as it involves quick cooking of fresh, tasty vegetables, noodles and rice - very nutritious indeed and there are many different ways with noodles! In your local Chinese supermarket you will find ingredients such as vegetarian Thai curry paste (non-vegetarian has fish in) and noodles galore with which you can make stirfry's or soups, and a whole range of other labour saving ingredients and condiments. Do not dismiss Chinese/Malasian/Thai cookbooks even if they are meaty - it's the sauces that count, just miss out the meaty bits.

Visiting vegetarian, Indian, Lebanese restaurants, as well as the new noodle bars can provide absolutely tons of inspiration. Think of the environments of other cultures – Lebanese cuisine depends highly on non-meat foods (no grass in the dessert for grazing) so it is easy to see why they invented such delicious things as homous, falafel, baba-ganoush etc. Peoples of what we call 'third world' countries tend not to be able to afford to eat a lot of meat in their diet, so their nutrients have to come from vegetables and pulses.

Don't forget about Pizza - brilliant for veggies and as nutritious as you like. Try toppings such as baked aubergine and zucchini, instead of the traditional peppers and onions... (you can add them too!). There are so many different things you can do with a pizza base, and so many other things you can serve it with!

Pasta too is filling and sauces to accompany it are almost limitless! Australians much prefer having a good time than slaving around in the kitchen and their food supplies and culture are so diverse, and with so many influences, that they love good food so they think of the tastiest, most creative and effortless recipes which are ready to eat in super quick time.

For Those Afraid to Cook!

Use your imagination... There is no "wrong" way to cook. Don't be afraid to experiment. Use good recipes to start with and it won't be long before you find yourself using your own ideas here and there - and you wont even realise you're doing it!...

Watch cookery programmes. Most good cooks learn by example (Jamie Oliver is a prime example - he learned to cook by watching the chefs in his father’s restaurant kitchen).

Think of other ways to get your nutrition. Chick peas are a fabulous source of nutrition. You can put them in stews, you can liquidize them and make homous, you can mash them and make falafel, you can add them to salads, you can even put them into bread ... Lentils: another power source. There are different types, and you can put them in soup, you can put them in stews, you can sprout them and put them in salads, you can eat them hot or cold, you can cook them in stock rather than water... Cous cous (made of pasta): you can make it very flavoursome by cooking it in stock, and then adding roasted peppers, pine nuts, spring onions, olive oil ... A delicious dish which you can either eat as a main dish, serve on the side, stuff things with ....

Bread can be made with seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, hemp etc..) nuts, dried fruit, herbs and vegetables (sun dried tomato and pesto). Think of as many things as you can do with one food source as illustrated above ...

It is down to your imagination and creativity, but the best way to develop this is to read cookery books and, in the absence of a real chef, watch cookery programmes (there are enough of them on these days!)... Even if the tv chefs are cooking meat - watch... You're looking for methods and techniques as much as anything else... Meat is only one ingredient. Before long you will be creating culinary delights and feasts worthy of any celebrity chef!

Organics

Many people try to buy as much organic produce as possible - this is obviously subject to individual budget constraints but even though organic food is more expensive, you need less of it to satisfy your stomach. The pesticides used to produce vegetables often take away some of the nutritional value of food and therefore you tend to eat more to feel satisfied. With organic food, it is always tastier, and of course its production is much kinder to the environment.

Resources

A good vegetarian encyclopaedia is a good way to start off your new repertoire of interesting and tasty recipes. From there, you can collect all sorts of vegetarian recipe books. Particularly useful are the Australian “Women’s Weekly” cookbooks (£5.99 from WH Smith), and from there, any cook book which focuses on Indonesian, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean or Far Eastern cookery.

There a lots and lots of specifically vegetarian cookbooks for sale, by celebrity chefs and restaurants or otherwise. But don’t throw away your “meaty” cookbooks because many recipes can be simply adapted using meat substitutes if you prefer. Although Delia Smith is brilliant for the person who can’t cook, she does think that cheese is a meat substitute and consequently, her vegetarian recipes mostly contain cheese in some form or other, and her non-cheese recipes tend to be very old fashioned and boring. Delia is definitely a confirmed omnivore!

Tesco publish a quarterly vegetarian magazine called "Vegetarian" (70p) At Christmas, The BBC Good Food Magazine publishes a dedicated vegetarian magazine full of festive and winter recipes which far outshine the traditional turkey roast and the Australian Womens Weekly cookery books are a must for any modern recipie book collection.

A Note on Compassionate Shopping

Co-op have a very comprehensive range of vegetarian food. They mark their own product ranges with suitability for vegetarians and vegans. Their cosmetics are not tested on animals and they have recently taken on a fair trade policy on their own brand chocolate and coffee. Tesco do not test their own brand cosmetic or household items on Animals. Sainsbury's do not test their own cosmetics on animals, but refuse to comment on their household cleaners (suggesting that they do test) and Waitrose household products are best for compassion and environment together (according to Friends of the Earth). M&S test everything on animals and seem to dislike vegetarians intensly (judging by their vegetarian selection on sandwiches!). Nestle is a very horrible company indeed, chief amongst their ethical crimes are injecting coffee into the stomachs of kittens and promoting formula milk in developing countries.

Cook books

Cafe Paradiso by Dennis Cotter

A brilliant "gourmet" book from the Cafe Paradiso vegetarian restaurant in Cork, Ireland. Dennis Cotter is passionate about his food and I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of the recipies within its pages! Good for special occassions and dinner parties.

New Vegetarian: Bold and beautiful recipies for every occasion by Celia Brookes Brown

Mouth watering recipies for every occasion. Truly new ideas and concepts. Delicious!

Vegetarian Express by Rose Elliot

High energy food that is quick to prepare and won't pile on the pounds. Although I tend to find Rose Elliot rather boring and predictable, for those who don't particularly like cooking, this book is brilliant and complements this article perfectly.

Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Sumana Ray

An all colour guide to the delicious and exotic vegetarian dishes of the mysterious east.