Calling All Vegans/Vegetarians!

Leng, thanks for your comment on my blog! There’s a link to the dumpling soup recipe I used in the post, and then I listed the substitutions I made.

Great questions! My two cents:

1. I tend to focus on a wide variety of cuisines/ingredients, the weather/what’s in season, and what I’m hungry for when planning meals. I also try to cook things that keep/reheat well, since I do the large majority of my cooking on the weekends. I also search for vegetable-heavy recipes, or include a side salad. I shop every week, and buy just enough produce for my recipes and what I will cook that week.
2. I love to keep soups, stews, bean dishes, etc. in my freezer for super-quick meals. During the summer, smoothies are a great meal replacement when it’s just too hot to eat. Pasta and couscous are two other life savers! (And we’ve all had popcorn or cold cereal for dinner on occasion.)
3. I use a wide variety of fresh and dried herbs, aromatics (garlic/onion/shallots,) spices, oils, vinegars, peppers, and salt to flavor my foods. I do try to keep salt to a minimum, and only salt a dish at the end of it’s cooking time.
4. Salad: mixed baby greens, roasted beets, crumbled local goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. Sandwich: good wholegrain bread, as many fresh and/or roasted veggies as I can fit and still get my mouth around it, vegenaise, and dijon mustard. Slice of provolone, pepper jack, or muenster is always nice, too! Burrito: homemade refried black beans with tons of veggies (garlic, onion, green pepper, hot peppers, tomato, etc.), brown rice, and good Mexican cheese: queso fresco or queso blanco!
5. As a lacto/ovo veg, eating out is pretty easy — there’s usually at least a portobello mushroom sandwich, veggie burger, or grilled cheese on the menu. I’m not finicky about potential fish sauce in Thai food. Some types of ethnic food such as Ethiopian, Indian, and most Asian cuisines are very veg-friendly. I do try to sub a salad for fries when I can!
6. I try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and I also take a women’s formula multivitamin.
7. I would encourage the new veg person to enjoy a whole bunch of new foods and cuisines s/he probably hasn’t thought of until now, but also take it slow. Start learning how to cook beans, grains, and vegetables, since they are very familiar to most people, and then branch out into tofu, tempeh, and seitan. No one wants to be overwhelmed and “give up!” Be creative and reinvent favorite recipes, too. Also, I think a lot of people worry about “cheating” at being vegetarian or vegan. No one is keeping track — you own your diet and your lifestyle!

Hey! I am totally up for this – Cool that you have such a cool teacher!
1. I focus on what I am hungry for and what I feel that my body needs. I tend to keep a running tally in my head about what I have/have not gotten throughout the last few meals and try to plan around making sure that what I am cooking/eating is fueling me in the right ways. I also plan for: avoiding sugar, refined carbs, unhealthy fat (i use olive/seasame oil)
2. My very fav quick meals (which I make when my partner is out) are: cereal (oats, dried fruit, nuts, nut milk) and any really yummy salad (hopefully with avocado)
3. I never use Mrs. Dash – I don’t like salt. I use other spices – pepper, chilli, etc.
4. Perfect sandwhich – glutten free bread or rice cakes with avocado and hummus with a slice of crispy tofu.
5. When I eat out I tend to go to the same rest. and if I am trying something new than it is always within the same type of rest. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Lebanese, Vegetarian Rest.
6. I make sure that I eat green leafy veg, and take my vegan vitamin pill every day.
7. Read about it, talk about it, ask questions, write about, experiment with it.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your report.