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The ingredient tips,
replacers and other information on this page are
critical to successfully creating the dishes and
menus on this site. They are also very helpful
for any kind of cooking.
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If a vegetarian
comes into your life, before you panic,
first find out what type of vegetarian
you are dealing with. In the grand
scheme, a vegetarian is someone who
doesn’t eat meat, fish or fowl.
There are, however, different “levels”
of vegetarians and some are easier
to feed than others. The most important
rule is to ask your vegetarian what
his restrictions are. It may not be
as hard to feed him as you think.
Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian
An OLV does not eat animals,
poultry or seafood. They do eat
eggs and dairy products, as well
as fruits, vegetables and grains,
etc. Limitations may include fertilized
chicken eggs or fish eggs. Another
forbidden food might be cheeses
that are coagulated with an animal
enzyme (rennet), as well as sour
cream or yogurt that contain gelatin.
Many who follow this diet are doing
so for health reasons, though, so
are not too worried about what type
of enzyme is used to make the cheese.
They are quite likely worried about
limiting saturated fats, so you
might want to limit cheese and butter
in recipes for that reason.
Ovo-Vegetarian
An OV will eat eggs and
egg products, but will not eat meat,
fish, fowl or dairy products. They
may have the same limitations on
fertilized chicken eggs and fish
eggs.
Lacto-Vegetarian
LVs eat no eggs of any type,
even unfertilized chicken eggs.
Limits on dairy are the same as
for OLVs. Many vegetarians of this
type follow the diet for religious
reasons. Some LVs also omit garlic,
onion and honey.
Vegan
Vegans eat no animal products, so
no eggs or dairy. Many will not
eat honey. Some omit garlic and
onions. Vegans typically do not
just follow a diet. They follow
a “cruelty-free” way
of life and therefore avoid products
derived from animals and anything
that results in the exploitation
of animals. That being the case,
giving a vegan tickets to the rodeo
or to the circus is probably not
a good idea. Giving a lambskin purse
is a worse one.
Semi-, Quasi-
or Almost-Vegetarians
None of the levels of vegetarians
includes fish or chicken. Some folks
believe they are vegetarian because
they have given up beef. In reality,
persons who give up one or more
of fish, fowl, pork or beef—but
still eat one or more of the others—are
not vegetarian, no matter what they
might think. It is much easier to
feed this group!
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| The primary rule
of etiquette applies: do not point out breaches
of etiquette in anyone else. That is, do
not call attention to the fact that your
guest might not have anything to eat or
that the host |
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hasn’t
prepared anything you can eat.
The rule of thumb
for cooks and servers is to keep the vegetarian
dishes and ingredients separate from the non-vegetarian
items. For example, if you are cooking pot roast,
don’t put the vegetables in the same pot
with the roast and expect the vegetarian to pick
the vegetables out of the meat gravy. Roast the
vegetables in the oven instead and serve the gravy
with them in a separate gravy boat.
The rule of thumb for
vegetarians is to go as far as you are comfortable
going. If that means sticking with a vegan diet
no matter what, then do so. And be prepared
to happily have an unbuttered yeast roll for
dinner. On the other hand, if someone spent
three hours preparing a spinach quiche just
for you—not understanding the difference
between “vegetarian” and “vegan”—then
decide whether you want to tell the cook you
can’t eat it or whether you want to “cheat.”
It is completely your call. Whichever choice
you make, be gracious.
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| Cheese.
I am compiling a master list of all rennetless
vegetarian cheeses I have encountered. In
the meanwhile, click here for the most comprehensive
list I have found: cheese.joyousliving.com |
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Egg Replacers. What you use to
replace eggs will depend on whether the recipe
is using the eggs as a binder or a leavener. As
a general rule, the fewer eggs a recipe calls
for, the easier they will be to substitute—so
using an egg replacer in a recipe calling for
one egg typically works much better than in a
recipe that requires three or four eggs.
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- Binder. Typically 1 egg
per recipe. In baked goods such as cookies
and muffins, the eggs add moisture and act
as a binder, gluing all the other ingredients
together. For these dishes, substitute one
of these:
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•
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 tbsp
warm water.
• ¼ cup pureed soft,
preferably silken, tofu. WARNING:
if you don’t puree it, the tofu
will tend to make unappetizing little
hard nuggets in your baked goods.
• 3 Tbsp mashed or pureed fruit,
such as bananas or applesauce. You
might need to add a little baking
powder or baking soda to help it rise
if needed.
• 2 tbsp corn starch.
• 2 to 3 Tbsp bread crumbs,
cracker crumbs or oats.
• 2 to 3 Tbsp mashed vegetables,
such as cauliflower or carrots.
• 2 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed
butter). This has a strong flavor,
which most people either really like
or really don’t.
• 2 to 3 Tbsp cashew, peanut
or soy nut butter.
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- Leavener.
Typically 2 or 3, sometimes more,
eggs per recipe. If you are in doubt as
to the purpose of the eggs in the recipe,
assume they are to provide leavening and
use one of these substitutes. You might
also add an extra bit of baking soda or
baking powder.
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•
1-½ tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer,
plus 2 tbsp water. The box tells you
to add warm water. I have had the
best results when I mix the powder
and room temperature water, stir it,
then let it sit, stirring occasionally,
while I prepare other ingredients.
Be sure to use a plastic scraper to
get all of it out of the cup.
• 1 heaping Tbsp baking powder,
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil, plus
1 Tbsp warm water
• 1 heaping Tbsp baking powder,
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, plus 1
Tbsp warm water
• 2 Tbsp flour, ½ tsp
oil, ½ tsp baking powder and
2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp oil and
½ tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp fruit pectin and 3
Tbsp warm water
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Tofu
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Selection. I attempted
to cook with tofu for years with little
success before learning that I was using
the wrong kind. For the most part, I use
tofu packed in water. All recipes on this
site specify the type of tofu to buy.
- Dewatering
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•
Weighted Method. I use this method
to dewater the entire block, particularly
if I am going to crumble it. LISA
PROVIDE DESCRIPTION.
• Paper
Towel Method. When you want slices.
LISA PROVIDE DESCRIPTION.
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