Guest guest Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Jeanne, Many thanks for sharing so much really helpful information with new vegetarians, new cooks, and all the rest of us. Hats off to Francis Moore Lappe for waking a lot of people up, and to Mollie Katzen for that first hand-lettered cook book. I still have mine. ~ irene > As we have some relatively new vegetarians here on these lists, I > thought I'd share a few things I've learned over the decades of > eating as a vegetarian. Some folk can end up spending a lot more on > groceries since going vegetarian because they end up buying the > fake meat things from the freezer section at the grocery store. > > Carl and I had lived over 20 years before even trying one of those > fake meats. I keep a package of veggie burgers in the freezer, but > it is for emergencies, not for nightly consumption. I suggest > strongly that unless you have the funds to just eat the frozen > meatless meals, you might want to put the money into buying foods > you can make (and taste better). Things which have been processed > more seem to cost a lot more. Look at the cost of a box of oatmeal > (even the more expensive steel cut oats) with your own spices and > fruit added compared to the individual packages of instant oatmeal. > (Hint: If you have a large family, put your oatmeal and water on to > cook in the crock pot on low before going to bed.) > > There are thousands of vegetarian recipes online and these groups > are the best source of help online. Of course that is just my > opinion. (But I'm right.) My starting off place for living as a > vegetarian was Francis Moore Lappe's Diet For A Small Planet. I > have the bad habit of giving my copy of this book to new > vegetarians. The Moosewood cookbooks are also incredible. > > Dry beans, peas and lentils are an awesome source of protein and > fiber. Dry is cheaper than canned, but I keep both on hand. The > canned beans are great for nights I really don't feel like cooking. > > Plan leftovers. Our pot of chili is served as chili, then taco > salad, then either as soft tacos or mashed up and served with corn > chips. Marinara sauce is another which can have several > reincarnations - spaghetti, eggplant Parmesan, baked ziti, things > like that. Periodically I will make things for the freezer, like a > veggie pot pie. > > I cook with TVP a lot, but not daily. The most useful piece of > advice I can give about using TVP is to get used to it in highly > flavored foods like chilies and curries. > > Read the labels on foods. That old standby, the cheap box of Jiffy > cornbread mix has LARD in it. A yellow rice which we've been using > for many years has chicken stock in it, which shocked me. > > Get to know yous spices and keep herbs, spices, peppers, onions and > garlic on hand. Plain pinto beans cooked with no seasoning isn't as > good as a pot of pinto beans cooked with peppers, onions, garlic > and other seasonings. Plain lentils are blah. Lentils in a curry > sauce and served over jasmine rice is lovely. > > About the taco seasoning - those little packages cost a LOT more > than a large jar of the Tone's Taco Seasoning you can buy either > online or at Sam's Club for $4.00. We buy the large containers of > spices and split them up into smaller jars and use one jar, storing > the rest in the freezer. > > The five things I use the most in the kitchen are my chef's knife, > paring knife, cutting board, crock pot and rice cooker. I used to > have the opinion that a rice cooker was a luxury item until getting > a Zojirushi rice cooker. When it died on me, I was totally bereft > until a dear person on both these lists sent me a Black and Decker > rice cooker. > > Happy eating. Jeanne in GA > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 Jeanne- I buy steel cut oats from Trader Joes and would really love to just cook it overnight in the crock pot. Particularly since sometimes I get so abstracted with other things that I end up cooking by smoke alarm. Do you think I can just dump in a serving of oatmeal (like 2 cups water, 1/2 cup oatmeal) and it'll be okay? Or does it have to be a larger amount to not burn. Great posting Lots of good ideas! Thank you! Ginger Ca. > > more seem to cost a lot more. Look at the cost of a box of oatmeal > > (even the more expensive steel cut oats) with your own spices and > > fruit added compared to the individual packages of instant oatmeal. > > (Hint: If you have a large family, put your oatmeal and water on to > > cook in the crock pot on low before going to bed.) > > Happy eating. Jeanne in GA > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 Well I'll be! I didn't know you could get a little crock pot! I'll google the Rival # and also check out Walmart. Thanks! Ginger > You can get little crock pots. We got one as part of a combo deal with our > big crock pot. Try googling Rival 32041-c 16 oz Little Dipper Crock-pot. > (all the links I found were way to long and I have issues with tinyurl > getting to the actual link I want). I use mine for making oatmeal all the > time. > > Tameson > > - > " Ginger Clark " <ginger.garnett > > Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:21 PM > Re: Jeanne -- For new vegetarians > > > > > > Jeanne- > > I buy steel cut oats from Trader Joes and would really love to just cook > > it overnight in the > > crock pot. Particularly since sometimes I get so abstracted with other > > things that I end up > > cooking by smoke alarm. > > Do you think I can just dump in a serving of oatmeal (like 2 cups water, > > 1/2 cup oatmeal) > > and it'll be okay? Or does it have to be a larger amount to not burn. > > Great posting Lots of good ideas! Thank you! > > Ginger > > Ca. > > > > > >> > more seem to cost a lot more. Look at the cost of a box of oatmeal > >> > (even the more expensive steel cut oats) with your own spices and > >> > fruit added compared to the individual packages of instant oatmeal. > >> > (Hint: If you have a large family, put your oatmeal and water on to > >> > cook in the crock pot on low before going to bed.) > > > >> > Happy eating. Jeanne in GA > >> > > >> > > >> > > > > > > > > > > --- > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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