| Rabbit food. That's what my dad calls vegetarian | | | | 'meatless' versions of dish that usually has meat in |
| cooking and cuisine. Salads and vegetables - can't | | | | it. 'Meatless' lasagna suggests that something is |
| be anything more to it, can there? Oh, but there | | | | missing from the recipe. Anyone who has dined |
| is. Vegetarian cooking is at least as varied as | | | | on spinach lasagna knows that there's nothing |
| 'regular' cooking - and in some cases, far more | | | | missing - the blend of creamy cheese and spinach |
| imaginative. | | | | and spices is perfect in and of itself. Polenta with |
| Nearly thirty years ago, Diet for a Small Planet, | | | | spicy black bean sauce has no need of meat to |
| and the follow-up cookbook, Recipes for a Small | | | | make it more complete - made right it melts on |
| Planet hit the bookstore shelves with a resounding | | | | the tongue AND sticks to the ribs at the same |
| thud that still echoes. While many of the theories | | | | time. |
| of protein complementarily that Frances Moore | | | | Even within the overall umbrella of 'vegetarian |
| Lappe presented have been proven to be | | | | cuisine' there are variations. Outside Western |
| naïve by further research, the basic | | | | culture, most meals have little or not meat at all - |
| theories of eating and the wonderful meatless - | | | | so it is not surprising to find vegetarian main |
| and truly vegetarian - recipes endure. The | | | | dishes in Indian and Chinese cuisine, nor in Russian |
| Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted | | | | cooking and African regional cuisines. Many base |
| Broccoli Forest followed, and then an avalanche of | | | | main dish meals on legumes and nuts. Peanut and |
| cookbooks devoted to the vegetarian gourmet. | | | | cashew soups, humus with spices and lemon, |
| Vegetarian cooking is more than just 'meatless'. | | | | fermented black bean sauces ladled over bread |
| There's an art to mixing flavors and textures in | | | | and pasta and rice and couscous - Middle Eastern |
| just the right combinations to create | | | | and African cooking offers all of those and more. |
| masterpieces that are as appealing to carnivores | | | | If one approaches vegetarian cuisine as a |
| as to those who've eschewed meat. For Hindi | | | | 'substitute' for cooking with meat, one is sure to |
| chefs who practice Ayurvedic cooking, food is | | | | be disappointed. It is a way of eating and cooking, |
| more than nutrition - it is a meditation, a gateway | | | | of spices and combinations that can be as light |
| to the higher consciousness. There are three | | | | and fluffy as a meringue or as dense and chewy |
| major components and six tastes (sweet, salty, | | | | as the best seven grain bread. If you've never |
| sour, bitter, pungent and astringent) to be | | | | tried a real vegetarian meal - as opposed to a |
| considered in the preparation of every dish, and a | | | | 'meatless' or 'meat substitute' - the very best |
| meal prepared according to the Ayurveda is a | | | | place to start is at your nearest Indian or Middle |
| feast for the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the | | | | Eastern restaurant. You'll be amazed at the |
| mind. | | | | flavors and textures - and you won't even notice |
| The very best vegetarian meals are not | | | | that there's no meat. |