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I also make a lot of food up on the weekend and then eat it through the week. Good luck from another lazy vegetarian.
Hi. Spreads on bread or veggies are easy: purchased hummus is good, or trythis artichoke sunflower spread: Soak 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds in warm water for 1 hour. Drain and puree in blender with 2 cloves garlic (1 if you're not fond of garlic) 9 oz of cooked artichoke hearts (canned is fine as long as they were packed in water), and 1/2 tsp dried tarragon and a splash of tabasco (personal taste to how much here). It makes a tasty, easy spread. There are other simple to make spreads like this too.Originally Posted by Fromper
Hi. I'm new to being a vegetarian. My problem is that I don't like to cook. I've always said that if you are what you eat, I'm fast, cheap, and easy.I guess I'm a stereotypical bachelor that way.
I've never really cared much about food, actually. I'll just eat whatever's around, from buying prepared meals (TV dinners, prepared stuff from the supermarket deli, etc) to just grabbing fast food on my lunch break at work. I do occasionally cook, and I'm actually pretty good at it when I do. But I stick to relatively easy recipes that are meant to serve 3-4 people and reheat well, so I can just eat the same thing for a week without having to cook again.
Now that I've made the decision to give up meat because I feel bad about killing innocent animals, I honestly don't know what to eat instead. Unless I go unhealthy (too much pizza), being vegetarian seems like it requires serious planning and preparation.
Since going vegetarian about 3 weeks ago, I've been mostly relying on soy based frozen foods (veggie patties and imitation hamburgers) to fill in for both the meat and the "quick and easy" factor in my diet. But I've heard that too much soy isn't a good thing, and besides, that could get old pretty quickly. I also experimented with using tofu instead of meat in a homemade fried rice recipe that I've had for years. It worked pretty well, but again, that requires cooking. I don't mind making that once in a while, but I'm glad that I get several meals out of it when I do.
I'm pretty sure I'm getting enough protein with the tofu and soy based proteins, but I'm not sure what other nutrition I might be missing. I've browsed some web sites, but they mostly seem to be focused on the "sales pitch" of convincing people to give up meat. There are also lots of recipes, but I think it's odd that I can't find a quick "FAQ" along the lines of "Here are the nutritional requirements that most people get from meat, and here are straightforward vegetarian options for fulfilling those requirements".
So I guess those are my two question. What nutritional requirements do I need to be aware of, since I probably got them from meat in the past? And what are some quick and easy options for foods to keep around the house that don't require any serious preparation?
--Fromper
I also make a lot of food up on the weekend and then eat it through the week. Good luck from another lazy vegetarian.
