Vegetarian Beginners

[Guest guest]

I came across this information and thought I would share it with the group. To

all new vegetarians it might prove useful.

 

Top 7 Foods to Try From Jolinda Hackett,

Your Guide to Vegetarian Cuisine.

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These picks have been selected for their versatility and convenience in

vegetarian cooking, not to mention their fabulous taste. If you’re a new

vegetarian or vegan, be sure to try these if you haven’t already. After all,

exploring new tastes, textures and flavors is half the fun of going vegetarian!

Look for these foods at natural foods stores and well-stocked grocery stores.

1) Tofu Tofu sometimes gets a bad reputation because it is rather colorless

and tasteless on its own. Don’t be fooled—this is tofu’s best quality! Like a

sponge, tofu will absorb whatever flavors and spices you marinate or cook it in,

making it quite the chameleon. Try pressing tofu and marinating in your favorite

marinade or sauce before adding to a stir fry.

 

2) Seitan Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with

flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”,

seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked,

making it a popular meat substitute. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a

mock meat, and it is also the base for several commercially available products

such as Tofurky deli slices. Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated

section of most health food stores.

 

3) Tempeh Tempeh is made from cooked and fermented soybeans and formed

into a patty, similar to a firm veggie burger. If you absolutely hate tofu,

tempeh has a similar protein and calcium content, as well as beneficial

isoflavones, but tastes nothing like tofu, as it has a textured and nutty

flavor. Tempeh can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food

stores.

 

4) Egg Replacer Egg replacer is a must if you’re baking without eggs. While

many people use flax seeds, bananas or even silken tofu to replace the eggs in a

baked recipe, Ener-G egg replacer works best and is economical and easy to use.

Made from a variety of raising ingredients, egg replacer can be used in cookies,

cakes and brownies as well as pancakes, waffles and more.

 

5) Nutritional Yeast Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor,

nutritional yeast is a favorite amongst many vegans for its unique flavor and

similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic

bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce.

 

6) Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) Texture vegetable protein, TVP for

short, is a high-protein meat substitute available in a variety of flavored and

unflavored varieties, as well as different sizes. It has a similar texture to

ground meat when cooked and absorbs spices and flavorings well, much like tofu,

so it is extremely versatile. Try adding a half cup dry TVP to your favorite

soup, chili or pasta sauce while cooking, or sautee rehydrated TVP with diced

tomatoes, an onion and chili powder for an easy taco filling.

 

7) Soy Ice Cream Ok, so this pick isn’t exactly an essential ingredient for

the vegetarian kitchen, but soy ice cream is showing up in grocery stores across

America for a good reason—it’s as rich and creamy as dairy-based ice cream with

about half the fat. My personal favorites are Soy Delicious Purely Decadent

Chocolate Peanut Butter Zig Zag and Temptation's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.