Post #8: Vegetarian Cooking

We all have that friend who is vegetarian, maybe it is even you. It can be hard for them especially when they are taken out eating only to find out that Brazlian churrascaria or taco joint has net to no vegetarian options. Knowing how to substitute and prepare a vegetarian dish can make your vegetarian friend quite happy and might open the door for a healthier and less fat-filled diet.

First, it should be made clear what exactly vegetarianism/veganism is and what the goal of such a lifestyle means in terms of culinary arts. I cannot speak for any vegetarian spiritually (I love meat, plain and simple) but the scientific goal of such diets are to attain the same level, if not higher, of nutrition as one would if they consumed Animal products such as meat, eggs, dairy, and animal fat. This is primarily achieved through the substitution of key ingredients or even the disallowing of animal products for food groups including beans, nuts, fruit, vegetables, bread and Tofu.

The initial and probably most obvious issue regarding vegan and vegetarian diets are the lack of key proteins and key vitamins needed for the body to survive. This however can be counteracted through the consumption of tofu, lentils, beans, and rice. Personal research might be needed to decide what alternatives should be best taken to supply one with the proper nutrients to live a healthy lifestyle. Just because you eat a pound of rice doesn't mean you are ingesting the same nutritional content as cheese and beef.

Types of Vegetarian diets:

• Vegan-No animal meat or products
• Raw Foodist- Vegan but with no heating of any foods
• Fructarian- only eats foods that have fallen from their stalks or trees
• Ovo-Vegetarian- Consumes eggs, not dairy or meat
• Ovo-Laco- Consumes both dairy and eggs, no meat
• Lacto- Consumes dairy, not eggs or meat
• Demi-Vegetarian- any vegetarian who consumes fish
• Microbioticist- consumes only rice, vegetables and miso (japanese cultural diet)

Possible substitutions: 

• Vegetable oil or spray instead of butter or margarine
• Vegetable stock instead of beef or chicken stock
• Nut oil
• Miso or seaweed
• Soy or tofu in stead of base proteins
• Agar in place of gelatin
• Nuts
• Beans
• Bread
• Soy Sauce
• Vinegar

Remember that just because you are vegetarian, you don't have to appear like you live before man discovered fire. All the same cooking techniques can still apply to fruits and vegetables including roasting, BBQing, baking, and frying

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