Vegetarian Cooking

Forty years ago, vegetarianism was out of the mainstream of society. Now in 2008, vegetarianism has gained wide acceptance although some people have some misconceptions about the subject. Contrary to popular belief, it is acceptable to eliminate meat and fish from your diet and still remain healthy. Another myth that I have encountered is that vegetarians eat chicken and fish but not beef. Although many people vary in their approach to vegetarianism, the majority of vegetarians do not eat chicken or fish because they don’t eat anything that has to be killed. The reasons many people give for becoming vegetarian vary from health concerns, religious or ethical reasons, or animal rights. I became a vegetarian because vegetarian cooking is a hobby of mine and has health benefits too. I was raised as a carnivore and my maternal grandfather was a commercial fisherman. I switched to a vegetarian diet in my mid-twenties. One of the questions I come across in making the switch is how do you incorporate changes to your diet. My general advice is to make changes to your diet gradually and not go vegetarian all at once. Take time to read about the subject and purchase some cookbooks or get vegetarian recipes off of the internet. Experiment and see which recipes you like and don’t like. Vegetarian cooking is an art form that you have to master slowly but surely.

A popular question that is asked of vegetarians is, do you ever miss eating meat? For me, I do not ever get a craving for meat or fish now that I’m a vegetarian because there have been times where I’ve went back and ate fish or chicken and now those foods have a horrible taste and therefore I have no appetite for them. I believe that after you’ve eaten meat or fish for a while you grow accustomed to the taste and I feel that TVP (texturized vegetable protein) tastes better. For those who are non-vegetarians, TVP is vegetable protein that is texturized to have the consistency and look of beef, turkey or chicken. Tofu is another product that vegetarians use to replace meat or fish. Tofu by itself has a bland taste and it takes skill to learn how to cook successfully with it. Last fall I made Tofu Pumpkin Pie and I know many people will think it sounds unappealing. Believe it or not Tofu Pumpkin Pie tastes the same as traditional pumpkin pie recipes! In addition, I have made a tofu quiche that tastes identical to quiches made with eggs. My motive for experimenting with tofu is that I wanted to make comfort foods and using tofu instead of eggs reduces cholesterol.

The trick with vegetarian cooking is that you can make a vegetarian counterfeit of almost every meat recipe although steak eaters will be disappointed to know they have not invented a vegetarian alternative for T-bone steak. One of the best vegetarian substitutions for steak is Portobello mushrooms. You can still have cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and veggie brats. The cookbooks that I recommend are all of Linda McCartney’s cookbooks and Christina Pirello’s cookbooks. McCartney’s cookbook has lacto-ovo-vegetarian recipes while Pirello’s features vegan recipes. Veganism takes a stricter approach to removing animal products through eliminating dairy products from the diet. Furthermore, lacto-ovo vegetarian’s diets include dairy products. Finally, one recipe that I will share is an adaptation of a favorite food from my childhood. My maternal grandmother used to make and sell pasties. Pasties are a meat pie and the ingredients include ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions wrapped in a pie crust. Here’s my vegetarian version of this dish. You can vary the ingredients to suit your own taste.

Vegetarian Pasties
1 package of Morningstar Farms ® Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles or 4 veggie burgers grounded
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
½ stalk of celery diced
2 9 inch pastry crusts rolled into a circle to fit a 9 inch pie pan

First use any pie pastry recipe of your preference to make the 2 nine inch pastry crusts or use any ready made pastry crusts. Do not use pastry recipes containing graham crackers or oat meal. To make the filling: combine the chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and grounded veggie burgers in a large bowl. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, or garlic to your preference. Then place one nine inch pie pastry into the pie pan then add the filling. Afterwards, place the other nine inch pastry crust on top and seal. Cut two or three small holes in the top crust to vent. Place pie into a 350º oven and bake for about 45-60 min. Another thing you can try is to take one of the nine inch pastry crusts and place it on a large cookie sheet and place some filling on half of the crust and fold the remaining crust over the top and seal to make individual pasties. To make smaller portions cut 1, 9 inch pie crust into four pieces place filling and then seal.


After vegetarian pasties are done, enjoy! One suggestion that I make when eating these pasties is to pour a little ketchup on top of the pie. Yum!