Anderson - Cook without a book : meatless meals, recipes, and techniques for part-time and full-time vegetarians

The case against eating meat, poultry, and seafood has been building for a while. Many of us find it hard to stomach cheap, inhumanely produced factory farm animals and fish, yet wild resources are drying up, and local pasture-raised animals can be pricey and hard to come by outside of the farmers market.

But go vegetarian? For years my standard response was: Not me. I love my food my way. Besides, Im a food professional. I need to be able to eat what I want, when I want. Shouldnt I get a special pass?

That was my story, and I stuck to it for years. But eventually I started to feel like the smoker who continued the habit long after everyone else had quit. Finally, I couldnt ignore the issue anymore. It was time to stop talking like I cared about the treatment of animals on factory farms and all the ramifications of that system and start eating like it.

This internal debate came to a head one night while I was on vacation with my family. As the four of us sipped wine and picked at the remains of the paella wed just enjoyed, the topic of factory farming came up. Everyone at the table acknowledged that it was an intolerable situation; the facts were unassailable. Like it or not, the way we eatthat is, the way our food is produced and transported in order to be sold to us at prices well tolerateis not sustainable. Since no one was ready to go entirely vegetarian, we considered all the ways we could cut back on meat.

• V(egan) B(efore) 6(pm)
• Vegan one day a week
• Vegetarian one or two days a week
• Daily reduction (but not elimination) of meat and fish consumption

At first I argued for the drastic daily reduction of meat and fish consumption but quickly realized Id forever be tempted to add a titch of prosciutto to the risotto, a bit of smoked salmon to the salad, or a little sausage to the sauce. I wasnt ready for a meatless life, much less one without cheese, butter, milk, cream, yogurt, eggs, and honey. Going full-time vegan or vegetarian felt prematureit was a way of life I didnt think I could sustain. I wanted to find something I really thought I could stick to.

But what about eating vegetarian two days a week? That I thought I could do. The quest for the best did not have to drive out the good. I could make a clear commitment to go meatless on Mondays and Wednesdays and buy only meat products that I felt good aboutthat were raised responsibly and sustainablythe rest of the time. Better for me, better for the earth.

Now two years later, what started off as a carefree conversation around a dinner table has actually turned into a way of life. It allows me to test recipes and eat as needed two days a week and gives me free rein to eat as I like on the weekend. The other two days of the week I can still fully partake of all the things I enjoypizza, pasta, risotto, polenta, fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheese, olives, eggs, salads, stir-fries, pad Thai, and much morejust without meat.

And Im not the only one who has made a permanent change to her meat consumption. My younger daughter and her fianc have become committed locavores. They belong to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group, shop weekly at farmers markets, and get to know the men and women who raise the chickens, lamb, pork, goat, and beef they eat. All of their eggs and much of their cheese is local too. And because they pay dearly for it, they eat less of it.

My older daughter and her husband eat vegetarianvegan much of the timewith serious regularity. And what started off as a two-day-a-week vegetarian way of life for my husband and me has spilled over into even more meals a week than the six we originally committed to.

But Ive been at this long enough now to understand why so many people who attempt the vegetarian life cant sustain it. From fast food to fine dining, grocery stores to take-out and diet regimens, were programmed to eat meat. If you want to eat less (or no) meat, you have to work at it.

For many, trying to go meatless cold turkey is akin to crash dieting. Its easy to envision eating vegetarian after youve just polished off a rich steak dinner, but after a few nights of cheese pizza, frozen veggie burgers, and hummus, youll quickly realize youre not equipped, nor do you know how to cook vegetarian. You may even think cooking vegetarian is just too hard. Who has time to spend all day chopping and prepping all those vegetables? Its so much easier just to throw a chicken breast on the grill, right?

To be a part- or full-time vegetarian for good, youve got to find a way to integrate the new way into your old life. Lots of people tell me theyd happily dial back their meat consumption; they just dont know how. Just as with weight maintenance, in order for your lower meat consumption to be real and forever, you have to make a lifestyle adjustment.

So what does an aspiring vegetarian need to stick to the commitment? First, you need a strong belief youre doing the right thing. Otherwise, youll bail the moment youve got a legit excuse. Second, you need a decently stocked pantry, refrigerator, and freezer so you can live the life easily and spontaneously.

For part-timers, its just a tweak. Start by buying less meat, poultry, and fish. As long as you keep adding it to your cart, youll keep relying on it to get dinner on the table. Youll need very few meat replacements or special ingredients: just a few cartons of good-quality vegetable broth and miso, perhaps, or some tofu, tempeh, and seitan if you like.

Its more a matter of making sure you dont run out of common pantry ingredients like canned beans, tomatoes, quick-cooking grains, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and onionsand most good cooking starts with these staples. Its also about keeping others, like fresh and frozen vegetables, eggs, and cheese, on hand in larger quantities.

Most of all, though, you need a set of quick, satisfying, easy-to-assimilate techniques and formulas that let you transform these simple ingredients into real meals. When it comes to dinner, most of us open the fridge and see a daunting mass of isolated ingredients. Take away meatthe easy anchor on most platesand its even more difficult to build an appealing meal. Thats where Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals comes in. This book is set up to help you learn the skills and techniques you need to create fun, satisfying vegetarian dishes that feature the flavors and ingredients you like best.

With that knowledge and a decently stocked pantry, you can walk in the door and start cooking by heart rather than spend that time searching for a recipe full of ingredients you have yet to shop for. Without will, ingredients, and knowledge, its very easy to revert to our carnivorous patterns.

I love recipesIm in the recipe businessbut for everyday cooking, I believe recipes can often be a hindrance. Taking time to find a recipe, read it through, and check for ingredients are three hurdles you must clear before starting to cook. If you had a formula you just about knew from memory, you could start pulling ingredients and cooking almost immediately.

Most people I know love to browse at farmers markets but often hesitate to buy because they simply dont know what to do with some of the ingredients. What if you could confidently pick up beautiful fresh produce because you knew several formulas you could slide those vegetables right into? Cooking this way allows you to create your own recipe based on the ingredients youve gotor wantrather than those you need to shop for.