Raab - The Clueless Vegetarian

Extra Added Attraction!

Use this mousse to fill a baked pie shell (or a graham cracker crust) for an amazing, decadent chocolate mousse pie. Top it, if you want, with non-dairy whipped topping or real whipped cream and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Published by Firefly Books Ltd. 2012

Copyright 2012 Firefly Books Ltd.

Text copyright 2012 Evelyn Raab

All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

Illustrations: George A. Walker

Design: Jean Lightfoot Peters

ISBN: 978-1-77085-389-8

Published in Canada by

Firefly Books Ltd.

50 Staples Avenue, Unit 1

Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0A7

Introduction

So youre a vegetarian. Or youre thinking about it. Or maybe you live with a vegetarian.

But you dont want to eat only weird food. Or spend all day cooking it. Congratulations, youve come to the right place.

The Clueless Vegetarian is designed for vegetarians who love good food cooked from scratch but who also want to have a life. This book is filled with simple recipes for just about everything you might ever want to eat and a few things you wouldnt touch with a 10-foot pole. Youll find recipes for lasagna and chili and burritos. There are curries and casseroles. There are hearty soups and satisfying snacks. There are even some truly decadent desserts.

There are, of course, also recipes for tofu, tempeh and textured vegetable protein (TVP). Because you should know about this stuff. Really.

If youre just switching to a vegetarian diet, The Clueless Vegetarian gives you the straightforward nutritional information you need to help you make good food choices without obsessing over it. There are hints for concocting vegetarian versions of some of your favorite dishes and suggestions for preparing meals for the mixed household. Youll even find survival tips and cooking advice thats just plain useful for anyone, vegetarian or not.

Now lets start with the basics, shall we? Well save the tempeh for later. Its best to work up to these things gradually.

Icons Used in This Book

The recipe contains dairy ingredients, such as milk, cheese or yogurt.

The recipe contains eggs.

The recipe is vegan, which means that it does not contain eggs, dairy or other animal products or that it can be prepared as a vegan dish by omitting animal products or using the suggested substitutions. If a recipe is identified with D, E and V it means that a vegan variation of the recipe is suggested.

Quick Fix!, which is a recipe that can be thrown together from scratch in 30 minutes or less.

The recipe is gluten free.

What Kind of Vegetarian Are You, Anyway?

Theres more than one way to be a vegetarian. The choice depends, of course, on your deep moral convictions, your sense of spirituality and your cosmic connection to the totality of the universe. It also depends on what you like to eat and what sort of diet youre prepared to follow.

Vegan

Vegans eat vegetables, fruits and grains only. Thats it. Nothing that has ever had anything to do with any sort of living creature. No eggs, no dairy, not even honey. Many, but not all, of the recipes in this book are suitable for a vegan diet.

Ovo-Vegetarian

They eat vegetables, fruits, grains and eggs. No dairy.

Lacto-Vegetarian

They eat vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products. This includes milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. No eggs.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

They eat vegetables, fruits, grains, eggs and dairy products. So, basically anything except actual meat, poultry and fish.

Occasional Vegetarian

They might include chicken and/or fish in their diet (in addition to vegetables, grains, eggs and dairy products) or simply indulge in the occasional burger without feeling too guilty about it.

Living Vegetarianly: Some Helpful Hints

Eat a wide variety of foods. If you are finicky, creeped out by unfamiliar flavors or squeamish about trying new things, now is the time to get over it. While a vegetarian diet doesnt have to be a non-stop exotic adventure, youll be missing a lot if you dont expand your horizons and take full advantage of all the wonderful vegetarian possibilities out there.

Whenever possible choose whole, unrefined foods. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, natural cheeses and whole-grain breads. The less someone else has fiddled around with your food, the better. This is good advice for anyone, vegetarian or not.

Make your calories count. If youre going to squander extra calories on something, wouldnt you rather it be something absolutely wonderful, like a decadent dessert or some fabulous pasta, rather than a bag of simulated salt and vinegar potato chips?

If youve been invited to someones home for dinner, tell them beforehand that you are a vegetarian and what, exactly, you will eat. This is no time to be shy. Your host/hostess will appreciate your being straightforward. Really. Even better, offer to bring a vegetarian dish to share, thus guaranteeing that there will be at least one thing you can eat while introducing your friends to something new and delicious.

Teach your friends and family how to make vegetarian versions of familiar foods. Show them how to use tofu or tempeh in a stir-fry instead of meat, let them taste your veggie burrito or invite them to your home for a completely non-weird vegetarian meal. Theyll never even miss the meat.

When youre planning a meal, stop thinking meat, potato and two vegetables. Instead, make a dinner out of several side dishes. You can create a meal with soup as the centerpiece and accompany it with some good bread, a salad and a couple of tasty appetizers. Or better yet, do all appetizers. After all, who doesnt love to nibble?

The Vegetarian
Food Guide

These basic guidelines, based on Canadas Food Guide, can help you determine whether your diet is on the right track. There is, however, enough flexibility built into it to allow for the little personal idiosyncrasies (maybe you hate yogurt but love lentils) that make us all so wonderfully unique.

The guide below is an outline of the complete dietary requirements for a lacto-ovo vegetarian for a single day. You dont have to fit every single food group into every single meal. Instead, take your eating habits over the course of the whole day, including snacks, into consideration. Does the idea of eight servings of grain products sound outrageous? Its not. Just 1 cup (250 mL) of pasta counts as two servings, and a whole bagel is another two youre halfway there already.

This guide is designed for a healthy, average adult. Children, pregnant or lactating women and teens should consult a doctor or nutritionist for more specific info. And keep in mind that nutritional guidelines are constantly changing; keep up to date with the latest information, both in print and online, if you want to make sure youre eating right.