| For any of the many reasons people | | | | olive, vegetable, or |
| choose to eat | | | | grape seed.The next critical ingredient |
| vegetarian food - religion, politics, | | | | of vegetarian food that |
| finances, or health - | | | | tastes fabulous is really simple: use |
| one thing in common is that everyone | | | | sea salt. Although |
| prefers food that | | | | any kind of salt will enhance the |
| tastes delicious and provides good | | | | flavor of most foods, sea |
| nutrition. There are | | | | salt is best. It naturally contains |
| some basic techniques to vegetarian | | | | minerals, while it |
| cooking which will | | | | doesn't contain the nasty chemicals of |
| accomplish that.There is a range of | | | | regular processed |
| vegetarianism. From the vegan to the | | | | table salt. Important to note~ use salt |
| person who eats meat on rare occasions. | | | | *during* the |
| Some people | | | | cooking instead of waiting until after |
| consider themselves basically | | | | serving the food. |
| vegetarian if they never eat | | | | This makes a difference in the final |
| red meat, but do eat fish and chicken | | | | quality of the dish |
| once in a while. | | | | because cooking is chemistry. Remember |
| Other vegetarians eat animal products | | | | back to your high |
| like eggs and dairy, | | | | school chemistry classes: the order of |
| but never the animal itself. A vegan | | | | combining the |
| is at the far end of | | | | elements, and the application of heat |
| the continuum, rejecting animal | | | | to the mixture could |
| products entirely. Vegans | | | | make a tremendous difference to the |
| won't eat mayonnaise because it's made | | | | results of the |
| using eggs, for | | | | experiment!The third tip for vegetarian |
| example.Wherever you are on the | | | | cooking is obvious, yet needs |
| continuum of vegetarianism, you | | | | emphasis. Use lots of vegetables! You |
| want your food to taste good, be | | | | can't over-do |
| satisfying, and provide | | | | vegetables in your diet - the greater |
| good nutrition. Here are some methods | | | | the range and color, |
| for cooking | | | | the better. Use leafy veg (lettuce, |
| vegetarian to meet those basic | | | | spinach, and chard), |
| requirements.To begin, if you are making | | | | root veg (yams, carrots, potatoes, |
| some dish that is actually a | | | | turnips), and the stems |
| meat-based recipe, such as chili con | | | | and seed carriers of veg (for example |
| carne, stop | | | | celery, eggplant, |
| substituting textured vegetable protein | | | | peppers, zucchini). Buy organic veg if |
| for the meat and | | | | you can because |
| leaving the rest of the recipe | | | | they really do taste better, and of |
| unaltered. The result never | | | | course they provide |
| tastes quite right, and you've been | | | | better nutrition because they are gown |
| robbed of the pleasure | | | | in healthy, 'clean' |
| of good food: it's neither meat nor | | | | dirt.Take any vegetable and bean soup |
| properly vegetarian. | | | | recipe, and follow these |
| Furthermore, you haven't gained in | | | | three simple principles: saut~ the veg |
| terms of health or | | | | in the right oil, |
| economy. Soy is the primary ingredient | | | | cook the beans in sea-salted water, use |
| of textured | | | | a variety of |
| vegetable protein, tofu, and tempeh. | | | | organic vegetables, and you'll have a |
| These are usually | | | | rich delicious soup. |
| high in fat, high in processing, and | | | | These simple tips make a big |
| fairly high in cost. | | | | difference. Take my word for |
| Not much better than organically raised | | | | it, or do a little test. Use the same |
| meat, if at all. | | | | list of ingredients, |
| So if chili con carne is what you want, | | | | but don't saut~ in oil, add the salt at |
| buy organic meat | | | | the table, and use |
| and enjoy it! Otherwise, cook a | | | | conventionally grown veg. The result |
| delicious soup using red | | | | will be inferior - |
| beans that doesn't pretend it's chili | | | | still nutritious, but bland rather than |
| con carne.The key to good vegetarian | | | | satisfying, and |
| soup is to use oil. Even if | | | | that's a shame because the few simple |
| you prefer low fat, your body does | | | | techniques described |
| require fats for healthy | | | | here can make your vegetarian cooking |
| metabolism. And it definitely enhances | | | | consistently |
| the quality and | | | | terrific.Articles by Nora Poulous on |
| flavor of any vegetarian soup when some | | | | topics related to cooking are |
| of the vegetables | | | | published in Z Cooking |
| (onions in particular) are saut~ed. Use | | | | News the leading resource on-line for |
| an oil that's | | | | information about |
| liquid at room temperature, such as | | | | cooking. |