Need advice for turning vegetarian

[Arimeh]

One thing to consider if you don't want to go completely vego is to have the occasional meal of organic meat. At least you know that the animal has been treated with respect and has has a good life. You can give thanks to the animal for their contribution to your life.

Ahhh thats true - but its the fact that they were murdered just so they can feed us that bothers us

Inanna - those recipes sound good - do you have measurements for those ingredients? I'd like to start writing some stuff down

[Just Me]

Do you eat curries? There are some good curry recipes out there using lentils.

I make one where I fry up a brown onion, finely diced, add a tablespoon of red curry paste (add more or less depending on how hot you like it) and cook for 1 min. Drain and rinse two tins of brown lentils and add to pot, stir to combine. Add 1 cup of chicken stock. Simmer for 20 mins (until liquid reduces). Add some green beans that have been topped and tailed, cook until bright green. Remove from heat and stir in a squeeze of lime juice. Serve over rice with some low fat natural yoghurt and papadums.

This recipe will serve 4.

[HotI]

You could add sundried tomatoes to the zucchini quiche if you want to add a bit more flavour (or corn or pesto or pine nuts or pumpkin).

I use pumpkin heaps and love red lentils. Red lentils don't need to soak as long as other lentils. A combo of onion, red lentils, and tomatoes (tinned) with stock/water makes a great sauce. You can have pumpkin mixed in (so it's mushy and the whole mix is smooth) or have bigger bits of pumpkin, broccoli etc in the sauce. Mix up whatever herbs you want.

frittata is a good easy meal (if you eating eggs)

[Nai]

Yay Mel!!

I found a really good book very cheap at the local bookshop and I have found the recipes really easy to follow so I will see if I can pick up a little gift for you

[Arimeh]

OOh kate sundried tomatoes is a good idea. And yup, we'll still be eating eggs.

Nai - aw thats so sweet You don't have to get me a gift or anything

[Roryrory]

A great kid-friendly veggo meal is chickpea burgers. Puree a 400g can of chickpeas and add 1 egg, 1/4 cup self-raising flour and some chutney (to taste). This makes about 4 fritters (the mix will be like thick pancake batter rather than a burger as such, but they turn out lovely). My boys are big meat eaters and love these.

[Bathsheba]

Well done on being a thoughtful consumer! I became vego when i was in my late teens because my stepfather (a butcher) forced me to help in his shop plus he also used to kill animals while i was around without really warning me (we lived on a farm for a while)... the moment I saw a sheep's neck slit I made up my mind that i was turning vego as soon as i could! I had to wait until my mother left him though. Interestingly my aunt and uncle had a poultry farm and i witnessed the killing of chooks and that didn't bother me because I trusted them as adults. I even helped to pluck them. So i was vego for about 5 years, between 18 and 23. My DH was too. Then when i fell pregnant I started craving fish. So DH and I had a talk and we decided that we would start to eat seafood and poultry because if it came to it we know that we could actually kill them ourselves. We figure that if you can't do the killing (or help with the carcass preparation) then you shouldn't really eat it... but enough soapbox.... just want to agree that I share your motivation.

My kids have never eaten red meat and are very healthy specimens! They eat a lot of eggs though... nearly every breakfast they have an egg and will eat them done in all ways. They also love quiche and frittata. We have a hen and eat her eggs so they certainly know what they are eating! and are fine with it.

Like Inanna I'm not overly keen on meat substitutes... but that's just me... i don't like it when something is pretending to be something that it is not... eg 'mock cream' or chemical 'sugar'. BUT my kids seem to like a vego deli roll (by Sanitarium) on their sandwiches so i buy it for them... the Smoked flavour one tastes like devon... it's in the cold section at Coles.

If you find you don't like tofu then try Tempeh... it is made of whole soybeans and has more flavour... we love it diced into small cubes and fried then added to stir fries... very yummy.

Curries are great... get into lentils and split peas... you will also save a fortune in your grocery bill!

Also if you are type A (blood) then you should notice an especially great improvement in your health... Google 'eat Right For Your Blood Type" for more info on this. Basically types As really benefit from a vego diet.