Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with vegetarian

Help me find a veggie party platter for Saturday in London?

Wylla — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:35:43 -0800

Help! My foolproof plans for Eurovision party food have come to nothing. I was going to order 3 small party platters of vegetarian-friendly fingerfoods from M&S or Waitrose for my small Eurovision gathering, had catalogs in hand, and was ready to go. It turns out that all of the vegetarian food has 5-day waiting periods for pick-up (most of the non-veg items have only 2, and I apparently didn't notice the difference). The only exceptions - sarnie platters - won't work because one guest can't consume mayonnaise. I've searched in vain online for alternatives, but most seem to be caterers who won't do a small order. I can't cook more food than I already plan to, so from-scratch fingerfood isn't an option.

Does anyone know of someplace in London that I can go to get vegetarian, non-sarnie, finger foods for about 10 people on Saturday morning? I can go pick things up, but can't travel for food I can't order in advance unless its someplace sure to have things in stock (I only have limited pick-up time.) Central, West, or North London are ideal. Any type of food is OK (I am not trying to do a themed Eurovision, or anything).

Vegan / vegetarian inspiration via Twitter?

ryanshepard — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:49:04 -0800

Who do you follow on Twitter to find new vegan and vegetarian recipes? I'm looking for feeds that are updated regularly and focus on everyday / weeknight recipes (i.e. not a ton of individual ingredients in any one recipe, not too many arcane ingredients).

Bonus points for folks who aren't too wheat / rice / soy / starch heavy.

High protein savory vegetarian snacks?

shivohum — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:33:37 -0800

What are great portable, ready-made, high-protein, low carb, tasty, and savory rather than sweet vegetarian processed food items?

WHEY does nobody use powder for any savory dishes?

DeWalt_Russ — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:59:07 -0800

Does anybody use whey protein powder to cook anything savory, especially any dinner dishes? I realize this is a longshot question, but web searches haven't turned up much of anything. And again, I'm looking specifically for any successful recipes that use the whey protein powder, rather than fresh whey. Thank you, o hypothetical kitchen wizards!

Hippie anarchist seeks fun times in Seattle!

Frowner — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:45:37 -0800

To my surprise, I will have one Saturday in Seattle very soon. I will be staying in downtown and reliant on public transportation. I would like to do this type of thing:

1. Eat some delicious hippie-type meals at restaurants serving local, vegetarian/vegan or otherwise tasty food. I'm not familiar with which cuisines are particularly good in Seattle. (By contrast and for example, I'd feel confident telling someone that there's a lot of good East African food and a fair amount of home-style vegetarian food in Minneapolis but no good Italian or sophisticated vegan food.)

2. Visit a museum, scenic park or other interesting site where one walks around.

3. Visit a radical/hippie/activist coffeeshop, bookstore, infoshop, etc.

4. Possibly purchase some kind of fancy men's accessory such as a nice scarf or hat

I would also consider other fun things or other social justice oriented things (like, if there's going to be some kind of teach-in or protest or something. I'd like to plan out my route in advance so that I can look up the buses before I go.

I will not have a smart phone or other sophisticated internet-access device, so I must boldly forge ahead armed only with maps and clear directions.

Thank you, mefites!

Looking for a Vegan 101 Grocery List

magstheaxe — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:16:00 -0800

I'm currently omnivorous, but have recently enjoyed some vegan meals. I'd like to learn to cook vegan, but have no idea how to build a vegan pantry. So a friend of mine recently became a vegan, two months before my annual black history month soul food dinner. This left me scrambling, but I found Bryant Terry's cookbook Vegan Soul Kitchen, which totally saved me, and a good time was had by all at my dinner.

Since then I've eaten a few more vegan meals, and really enjoyed them. I'd like to try incorporating more vegan meals into my diet. My goal is to eat vegan at least 2-3 times a week. But right now my pantry is totally geared towards my current meat-eating ways, and I'm not sure how to transition it.

One of the things I loved about the Weight Watchers cookbooks I bought some years ago is how the authors put a grocery shopping list in the front of every cookbook, with a note to the effect of "This is what you will need to starting cook the recipes inside this book, as well as other healthy recipes--use this list to stock your pantry accordingly." That was a huge help to me. Is there such a grocery shopping list floating around out there somewhere online, or in a vegan cookbook, for people looking to start cooking vegan? Or can the vegans here at AskMetafilter help me put one together?

From shopping for my soul food dinner, I have leftover:

* Whole wheat flour
* Nutritional yeast flakes
* Tahini
* a can of chickpeas

I will be getting this cookbook, 'cause I freakin' LOVE greens. In the AskMetafilter archives I also found this and this, and this, and this very helpful post so I have some guidance.

But I'd really love to have a straight-up grocery shopping list to help me buy the basic items for an occasional vegan diet. And if there are recommendations for stuff I might already have in my pantry that I can use veganally (if that's a word), let me have 'em!

Thanks in advance!

What to make with a Le Creuset 3 qt. saucier? caveat: vegetarian

Jason and Laszlo — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:44:55 -0800

I recently recieved as a gift this beautiful 3 quart Le Creuset saucier. It's about 10 inches wide and 3 inches deep. It's enameled iron. It seems too fancy to use like any old pan. Are there specific dishes I can prepare only with this type of cooking tool? Vegetarian only please.

What is your favorite recipe for making seitan (from scratch)?

rednikki — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:02:15 -0800

I have finally made seitan from scratch (rather than just buying Field Roast), using one of the baked seitan methods. It was GREAT and astoundingly easy! I am now contemplating the many, many flavor profile possibilities that seitan has to offer. Do you have a special spice mix, marinade or preparation method? I'm all ears! (Er, eyes, I guess, since this is a text-based medium.)

Atkins/low-carb diet as a vegetarian without eating soy protein?

AppleTurnover — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:28:21 -0800

I am looking for ideas on how to achieve an Atkins/low-carb diet without meat, soy, fish or eggs. Possible? I don't eat meat, and I occasionally do eat fish but not often (maybe once every week or two). I do eat eggs, but again, only occasionally. When I used to eat meat, I did the Atkins diet a few years back and I lost weight pretty easily by eating stuff like cheese, baked herb chicken, salami, cheeseburgers with no buns or ketchup, kielbasa... almost just meat all the time, except for the occasional spinach balls made with pork rinds (weird).

I want to lose weight that easily again, but now I don't eat meat. I simply find meat repulsive and can't force myself to do it. I also do not want to eat soy protein for a whole list of reasons that are non-negotiable. I will continue to eat eggs and fish occasionally, but not everyday so I can't build my diet around them.

Is it possible to do Atkins without eating meat or soy? What sorts of things could I eat? I don't need fish or eggs ideas -- those are obvious. Google isn't helping me too much. All veggie Atkins articles are about eating soy and when I find similar threads online, it's usually people arguing about soy or telling the OP that carbs are good. I'm not here to be persuaded to eat carbs or soy protein (or meat). I just want to know if I can do low-carb without soy and without meat, and only having fish and eggs sparingly. Anyone tried this or any meal ideas?

Thanks!

Who's the Jamie Oliver of vegetarian cooking?

Skyanth — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 03:02:21 -0800

I'm well aware that this opinion is not shared by everyone, but I really like Jamie Oliver's style of cooking (and, I confess, presentation on tv): simple ingredients (but the best you can get), big flavours, lots of fresh herbs, very informal. The thing is, he's not that big on vegetarian recipes, and I'm making an effort to *not* eat meat 3 or 4 times a week, so could you recommend a vegetarian Jamie Oliver please? Note: I googled this phrase and google came up with Simon Rimmer, but I was kind of underwhelmed.

Worst countries for vegetarians?

dontjumplarry — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:47:27 -0800

I have a long wish-list of holiday destinations, and I would like to edit it down a bit. Which countries are difficult or impossible for vegetarian/vegan travellers? And which ones are terribly hard but worth making an exception for?

How Now Yummy Cow?

PorcineWithMe — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 20:25:38 -0800

So, I'm planning to start eating meat again after 25 years as a vegetarian. I visited the farm, bought the meat and brought it home. Now what? I've recently made the decision to start eating meat again, mainly for health reasons as I'm a carb addicted vegetarian. I found a wonderful farm that raises grass fed/ grass finished Wagyu beef, made a visit to verify that their ethics align with mine, then brought home a bunch of beef. I have NO IDEA what to do with it. It's all sitting in my freezer staring at me. But perhaps I shouldn't anthropomorphize the beef at this point. Anyway....

Since I have zero experience with meat, I'm looking for a primer on how to deal with the following cuts-

Top Sirloin
Rib Eye
Chuck Roast
Sirloin Tip Roast
London Broil
Short Ribs
Tenderloin

What would you do with these cuts? Bonus question- what do I do with the 5 whole frozen chickens that are in there hanging out with the beef?

Thanks!

Dinner ideas both paleo and vegetarian

troublewithwolves — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:56:23 -0800

I need some dinner ideas that are both vegetarian and suitable for a paleo diet! Alright Metafilter, help a sister out. I'm a lifelong vegetarian and I absolutely love cooking. I'm adventurous with food and love trying new things and generally I feel pretty confident in being able to come up with dishes that all kinds of people can dig. However, lately I am in a position where I would like to spend more meals in the company of someone on a paleo diet and I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with ideas. Any suggestions?

Restrictions: Vegetarian, so no meat (fish is a meat). Does not have to be vegan, so dairy and eggs are ok. Paleo in this case means no grains (pasta, bread, tortillas, etc.), no soy, and no beans or legumes. Best answers would be things we can both enjoy without extra modification, but I'm also fine with base dishes that can then have different proteins thrown into them at the end.

Also, if anyone knows a good websites for recipes and/or resources that would be aces!

Did you start eating meat?

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:17:34 -0800

My parents raised me to be a vegetarian. Now one of them isn't anymore. From the very beginning I was taught that eating animals was cruel and unhealthy. I took to it easily, made it part of my identity and never questioned it. I'm in my mid-twenties now and I've never had a bite of meat.

A few years ago I went on a trip with my mother and nearly had my eyes pop out of my sockets when I saw her joyfully dig in to a freshly caught fish.

I've never truly been able to reconcile that with the values instilled in me as a child. Initially I was, why is she eating that poor fish? Later, why did she raise me not to? How could she change her mind?

She started craving it and felt it was good for her. Healthy, check.
The fish had a good life. It's what people have always done here. Humane, check.

Simple.

She was always the more moderate parent. She would have the occasional glass of wine, while my father would never drink a drop. I decided early on that I like wine.

I started thinking about something uncomfortable. Maybe I should try eating wild fish? And if wild fish then maybe properly raised and pastured cows? And goats? Maybe eating meat in moderation isn't all that bad? After all, that's what my grandparents and their grandparents' grandparents did.

These are difficult questions for me. My parents taught me to use reason and always think critically (at least about everything else) but it's incredibly hard to question convictions that I've held all my life. It doesn't help that my dad is so vocal about his disapproval of people that eat animals.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Did you start eating meat? Just fish? Is it possible to only eat humanely raised meat? Is it even ethical?

Sorry for the rambling nature of this "question". I'm just looking for some insights, ideas and anecdotes after exhausting some of the literature on the subject and thinking that both sides, Singer/Foer (Animal Liberation/Eating Animals) and Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma) make sense.

This part of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography captures my feelings pretty well, especially the last sentence...

"I believe I have omitted mentioning that in my first Voyage from Boston, being becalm'd off Block Island, our People set about catching Cod and hawl'd up a great many. Hitherto I had stuck to my Resolution of not eating animal Food; and on this Occasion, I consider'd with my Master Tryon, the taking every Fish as a kind of unprovok'd Murder, since none of them had or ever could do us any Injury that might justify the Slaughter. All this seem'd very reasonable. But I had formerly been a great Lover of Fish, and when this came hot out of the Frying Pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between Principle and Inclination: till I recollected, that when the Fish were opened, I saw smaller Fish taken out of their Stomachs: Then thought I, if you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you. So I din'd upon Cod very heartily and continu'd to eat with other People, returning only now and than occasionally to a vegetable Diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for every thing one has a mind to do."

Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly beans, boom!

lesli212 — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:28:51 -0800

I'm looking for romantic end-of-the-world themed activities. Movies to cuddle during, food to make and eat, music to dance to, alcohol to drink. I'm thinking it'll be a primarily movie/dinner night. It's specifically related to the Mayan "apocalypse" happening on the 21st. Punny ideas are most welcome.

When it comes to movies, scary stuff is ok, especially if it's funny-scary or so-bad-it's-good, but it should not be too gruesome or too depressing.

As far as food, vegetarian food is best, though stuff with fish is ok. Don't worry, we will drink xocolatl! (Or, you know, Nesquik.)

Exciting Vegetarian or Diet Finger Foods?

Feantari — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:41:35 -0800

Recommend me some good, veggie oriented or diet friendly finger foods for a holiday party. I've been searching around and found this previous askme and the link down in there to a very long list of finger foods, but... most of them are meaty or cheesy. Personally I have nothing against meaty or cheesy things, but I want to have some options for my vegetarian and dieting friends that isn't just raw veggies with dip. I imagine a veggie going person finds them as boring as I find a simple cheese and cracker sort of spread so I want to make it a little more interesting. (because while cheese and crackers/veggies and dip are just fine, its that season for parties and how many of the same thing do we really want to see at a party?)

Degree of effort and cooking skill isn't really a factor. I'm willing to expand my horizons for something tasty.

I imagine I'll have some veggies and dip anyway, because sometimes safe things are nice. If there's that thing that people always put on the veggie platter but no ones eats please let me know. I sort of avoid raw veggies when scoping out finger foods. I'm also thinking about doing some homemade sweet potato fries (baked).

Vegetarian Epicure's Fruit Cake Recipe?

angiep — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:59:41 -0800

Does anyone have the recipe for fruit cake from The Vegetarian Epicure? (I can't remember if it's from Book 1 or 2.) I gave away my copies of Anna Thomas's The Vegetarian Epicure, Books 1 and 2, years ago but didn't copy the recipe for fruit cake or stollen. I'd like to make them both this year, but time's running out to make fruit cake because of the aging that's required. My local library doesn't have the book, and it's too late to order a used copy from Amazon or Chapters. Google-ing produces nothing useful.

Does anyone out there still have the recipe, and would you share it? Bonus if you have the stollen recipe, too!

Food for good moods

LSK — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:21:40 -0800

I think my diet is affecting my mood. What should I cook to perk up my mood? I've been feeling a bit down lately (though not depressed) and I think it's because of an unhealthy diet.

I'm looking for dietary advice and food/meal recommendations.

I'm mostly vegetarian and I sometimes cook for friends, one of whom is vegan, so recommendations for vegan recipes would be excellent.

Low-salt, low cholesterol eating?

JoannaC — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:00:19 -0800

He has to limit salt. I have to limit cholesterol. We are both vegetarians. Where can we eat? Looking for both general restaurant ideas and Toronto-specific ones. Not much else to add :) I have been told my cholesterol is high, he has health issues which make him very sensitive to salt, and we both like to eat in restaurants. We have been doing a lot of brunch-type stuff lately. But what else?

Vegetarian gravy mix?

Morrigan — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:12:20 -0800

For years, McCormick Hunter Sauce was my preferred gravy mix packet for holiday meals. It has been discontinued. Can you recommend a good vegetarian brown gravy mix? I liked this because 1) It was (lacto-ovo) vegetarian, 2) It was dead easy to make, 3) It was fairly easy to obtain. It was a mushroom flavored brown sauce that I could whip up easily to accompany stuffing/potatoes/etc. and leftovers of same. I'm not averse to ordering online but easy as gravy may be to you, making from some sort of scratch is not really an option for me. Knorr's Hunter contains beef fat. Not averse to non-mushroom flavored gravy. Any ideas?

African cream puff?

MinusCelsius — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:07:41 -0800

African Cuisine: I remember two awesome things I ate on a festival years ago. I want to make them myself. Problem: I don't know what exactly it was. Do you? 1) Likely millet, but there may have been a second version with rice. Prepared in a pan, vegetarian. Mild taste. The closest thing I can compare it to would be fried rice with vegetables that Chinese restaurants serve with duck.

2) A dessert. Looks like a miniature cream puff, same dough, but not filled. Sweet, but not tooth-achingly sweet taste.

I ate both from the same booth on a festival; the booth was only labeled "African". The owner either said that she is from Ghana and the food a traditional recipe from Kenya or vice versa, if that is any help.

What are these two things and where can I find recipes?

What's vegetarian Australian cuisine?

Silentgoldfish — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 09:39:02 -0800

I'm staying with a family in Kenya who have requested we make them an Australian meal one night. Problem is, what's an Australian meal? There's more restrictions inside that further complicate our choice of food. Further complicating things is there's no oven so it's stovetop cooking only. Also, my friend is vegetarian so no meat. Fortunately she's the easy going kind so if it's something where I can make the meat part separate she'll be cool with that. Lastly, going by the meals they've made, and East African food in general, anything too spicy won't go over well!

At this stage we're thinking of pulling the multicultural card and making a stir-fry but I'm hoping there's a better option!

Sauces/seasonings for rice and beans?

sunshine37 — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:25:17 -0800

My lunchtime staple is a bowl of black/kidney/pinto beans or lentils and brown/white rice, couscous, or quinoa with some type of vegetable mixed in. However, I get bored with the same sauces and seasonings (usually barbecue sauce, peanut sauce, salsa, or just plain with some onion and garlic) and am looking for new ideas. Must be vegetarian (dairy and eggs okay) and bonus points for *cheap* store bought sauces/dressings or homemade from ingredients I might already have in the pantry. I'm not a picky eater and am not concerned with fat/calories.

What was this cookbook?!

jlibera — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:09:50 -0800

I'm trying to identify a cookbook I once had. Difficulty: I remember almost nothing about it. Ten years ago as a student, I had a vegetarian cookbook that I really liked, but which got accidentally left behind when I graduated. Unfortunately, I remember next to nothing about it. It was bought in the UK, and I do remember that the author was female, and had an Italian-sounding name (her first name possibly started with an O?). A lot of the recipes in it were Italian, but the cookbook itself was not explicitly so. It was meant as a fairly introductory vegetarian cookbook, and two of the recipes that I remember were definitely in there were for spinach gnocchi and apple cake.
Thanks - I know it's a very long shot!!

Help me find stiff vegetarian oil painting brushes.

merocet — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 11:09:40 -0800

I've recently got hooked on oil painting and in trying to be more vegetarian about it I'm looking for recommendations for synthetic brushes which replicate the stiffness of hog bristle brushes. Any ideas? I'm currently using some Utrecht 209 series hog bristle brushes recommended by my teacher but if there's a synthetic brand out there that is comparable I'd like to know about it. I got hold of some Princeton synthetics recently and they were not so great in that they became kind of floppy when loaded with paint. Unfortunately I don't have them to hand so I can't be specific about the series.

If you can tell me that hog bristle brushes are sourced humanely from happy pigs living out a relaxed life in exchange for the occasional ticklish going over with a set of clippers then that's cool too!