(Part 2) Top products from r/vegetarian

One of the first veg. cookbooks I got when I was just starting out was Linda McCartney's World of Vegetarian Cooking (also known as "On Tour"): https://www.amazon.com/Linda-McCartney-Tour-Meat-Free-Dishes/dp/0821224875/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386369&sr=1-5&keywords=linda+mccartney

It has recipes from all over the world, from North Africa to Asia, Europe to North America and everywhere in between. They're great starter recipes in that the ingredients are simple (and easy to substitute if necessary), and the instructions are clear. They're great to build on - I've adapted quite a few recipes to my own tastes over the years.

A much more recent couple of books are Ottolenghi's Plenty and Plenty More:

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386476&sr=1-1&keywords=ottolenghi+plenty

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-More-Vibrant-Vegetable-Ottolenghi/dp/1607746212/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3YR260YE36YRJAQVCP9G

These are books that celebrate plant-based cooking which is of course inspired by many cuisines, but is itself a wholly original cuisine. Many of the recipes are not knock-offs of popular meat dishes (e.g. lentil bolognese) or existing dishes that happen to be vegetarian (caprese salad) but rather truly original compositions. It's really refreshing for simple but beautiful meals made of creative (but not pretentious) dishes.

I bought Martha Stewart's "Meatless" cookbook last year and it has great recipes too. https://www.amazon.com/Meatless-More-Than-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0307954560/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386647&sr=1-6&keywords=vegetarian+cookbook

It's Martha Stewart, so it's not going to blow your socks off with complex spices and heat, but the recipes are again a wonderful place to start. Well-balanced, visually appealing and reasonably priced to make, you can always jazz them up yourself.

Finally, one of my favourite cookbooks, vegetarian or otherwise, is Anna Thomas' Love Soup: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Soup-All-New-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0393332578/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386804&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+SOup

The recipes are heavenly (and as they're soup, you can always tweak to your taste - it's the ideas that are important). But what's really special is the narrative. She really engages you with lots of personal anecdotes and context for the ingredients, recipes and meals in general. I sat down and read it like a novel when I was given it for Christmas one year! It's really lovely.

Hmm, that's interesting. It's still worth thinking about what this non-organic feed might be and whether it's actually good for the chickens. I recently read a book on how to raise chickens (not because I want to raise them but because I wanted to see what actual chicken farmers reveal about how chickens are raised) and the crap that can go into chicken feed is disturbing (e.g., dog food w/ animal protein, used in order to regulate the chickens' molting). Also, if the producer is truly concerned about the chickens welfare, why have a double standard wherein one group gets a better diet than the others?

>Apparently this company does "humanely slaughter" these hens, but first they try to find homes for them. The ones that are slaughtered are shipped overseas to provide food for people in poorer countries.

Well, that's pretty interesting and probably well above average for the industry. How much detail do they provide about slaughter? I think for someone who really wants to do the right thing, it's problematic to take producers' words as truth. After all, they are trying to sell you a product, and they are capitalizing on a niche market and you are paying a premium based on their marketing. Not to say that they are necessarily misleading, but there definitely is great potential for that. See this for example.


My point is that the producers' incentives are not to treat animals the way they deserve - i.e., free of speciesism and giving proper consideration of their interests. Rather, they are seeking to make profit and thus concern about the animals only needs to go so far - i.e., as far as the consumer requires to address their conscience. This is something I really have thought a great deal about in considering how far ethical reasoning suggests I should go in terms of changing what I eat. The Ethics of What We Eat presents a very clear articulation of what it really means to treat animals fairly.

Falafel pitas. In fact, anything pita is a sure-fire hit. Hummus is a classic, but nearly as certain a thing.
My kids are incredibly of veggie platters with fresh vegetables and fruit, but YMMV greatly.

Scandinavian-style open sandwiches with ultra-wholegrain rye is what kids eat more or less every day here in Denmark, and there are many many options for meals tucked away in there - tomato/cucumber sandwiches, cream cheese, the list goes on. Hell, my son eats salad sandwiches - as in, leaves of salad as the main ingredient.
SOUP! A great winter favourite here is potato and Jerusalem artechoke, sprinkled with a bit of thyme and roasted sunflower seeds. Drool.
Samosas and other filo-pastry constructions are awesome. Tempura'd veggies can also have that junk-appeal while being really quite healthy.
Different kinds of veggie patés can be made in bulk and used as a spread with tons of umami.

For further inspiration:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Lunch-Box-Animal-Free-Grown-Ups/dp/1600940722/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322338465&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Lunch-Around-World-International/dp/0738213578/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Peanut-Butter-Jelly/dp/1590131223/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

- all worthy investments - hell, they show up as "frequently bought together" as a big lovely set.

BUT I will say that the best best best way to approach this, and the one that will really make things cool is to engage the parents of these children in a dialogue about their children's diet.

Sometimes I check out Supercook and throw a few ingredients at it to see what comes up, then maybe consult my Flavor Bible and kind of cobble something together. It usually turns out pretty good, or least something I'm interested in improving on, and it's always fun. Sadly, my culinary partner is on the other side of the continent. We share a lot of trial and errors over the phone and by email but it's not the same as cooking and eating together like you and your bff. That's an awesome thing to have with a friend.

That's great you want to reduce unnecessary suffering! It's actually very easy once you start doing it. Go at your own pace and start cutting out animal products.

We all lost the convenience and particular pleasures but it's important to ask ourselves whether our desire for pleasure and ease really justify the death and torture of so many innocent sentient animals. You are clearly understanding that it is unjustifiable which is natural upon looking into it! That feeling of conflict goes away just as soon as you do what your conscience is telling you and you put animals off your plate! Will it always be a breeze going veg? No, but living in accordance with your own ethics is worth it. Plus I eat tons of delicious food all the time so no need to worry about not enjoying delicious foods!

If you're interested in reading more from a religious perspective I really recommend the book Dominion by Matt Scully. He too is catholic and a former George Bush speechwriter and addresses a lot of the issues you are concerned with.

So just do what you already know is the right thing to do! We're all here to support you even if folks in your day to day aren't. You can make a positive step to reduce pain and suffering in the world! That is amazing! Just follow your own ethics :)

edit: silly typos!

It's very regional right now. If you're in the states you have the most options.


Daiya is good for melty things, but you wouldn't serve it on a cracker. For that you want a cultured nut cheese. I can't recommend from experience because I can't buy the major ones where I live.

I make my own though and it's amazing. 1000x better and cheesier than anything I've tasted before. It's a bit of a process, but if you like kitchen projects it's very rewarding.


http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Vegan-Cheese-Miyoko-Schinner/dp/1570672830

So if you're trying to add mass/strength, your biggest concern with going vegetarian is probably going to be getting enough protein. I try to take in like ~200g/day. You can calculate what you need here.

I personally get most of my protein from protein shakes. I use pea protein exclusively, this brand. Unfortunately, it comes from China but I can't pass on the price point. I also add peanut flour, cocoa powder, bananas, flax seed meal (good source of omega-3's), psyllium husk fiber (helps to slow down digestion of protein), BCAA's, creatine, and beta-alanine all in almond milk. The reason for some of those supplements can be found here.

Thanks to the fiber and the flax seed, it gets super thick almost like pudding if you let it sit. Usually, I'll mix in cold brewed coffee to get the consistency I want. It's really good. I drink like ~48 ounces a day, every day. Still have yet to get tired of it.

As far as recipes go, I try to eat high protein meals usually with beans/legumes and quinoa. I use tofu or tempeh as meat substitutes quite a bit too. I eat a lot of chili and curries. My instant pot (pressure cooker) is always getting used.

I also supplement with this multivitamin.

In response to the anti-protein focus comment, I guess I would say that I eat at a calorie deficit so it's hard to hit my protein targets unless I supplement. However, you should still count your macros at least at first to make sure you're getting in the range of where you should be.

Interestingly, it has sparked some valuable discussions on the subject amongst my circle of friends. So I would actually describe their efforts as effective, though it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of us to explain what they're saying and why they're saying it.

I posted the following quote on /r/vegan:

>A long time environmentalist was speaking to an enthusiastic group of young environmentalists at a rally. He warned of the precarious situation the environment was in, the toll that corporate greed had taken on forests, and the dire consequences that lay ahead if serious changes were not made.

>He then shouted out to the crowd, “Are you ready to get out there and fight for the environment?”

>To which they answered an enthusiastic, “Yeah!”

>“Are you ready to get arrested and go to jail for the environment?”

>“Yeah!!”

>“Are you ready to give your life for the environment?”

>“Yeah!!!”

>“Are you willing to cut your hair and put on a suit for the environment?”

>The crowd fell silent.

>Whether this is a true story or a colorful fable, the lesson is one we should all take to heart.

I reckon you mean TVP, tofu, soy chunks, and seitan. Those are probably not available at most Wal*Marts. TVP and soy chunks are dry and non-perishable, you can order those online from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Protein-Barry-Farm/dp/B00015YTS8/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tvp&qid=1568488007&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Textured-Vegetable-Hoosier-Hill-Farm/dp/B06XP68NLH/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tvp&qid=1568488038&sr=8-3

If you live near a health food store like Whole Foods, they will have all the foods I mentioned. But it will be more expensive than ordering online or shopping at an Asian market. If you live anywhere close to an Asian market, as a vegetarian that will be your best source for buying cheap foods in bulk. Even if it’s a 2 hour drive, it’s probably worth it, you can go once a month and get a month’s worth of food.

I live in India. Here, everybody buys their dry foods in bulk once a month. Rice, flour, beans, lentils, soy chunks, cooking oil, spice mix, etc. That’s the most economical option and you’ll know that you always have plenty of food at home.

>what do you usually snack on

I was raised not to snack, so I don’t feel the urge outside of meal times. If I do feel peckish mid-day, I drink a few glasses of water. If you are prone to snacking, sugary drinks and salty snacks are your enemy.

Instead, try some fresh vegetables. Like long slices of cucumber, carrot, celery, daikon, radish, or broccoli – which you can combine with yogurt dip, hummus, cheese cream, dijon mustard, salsa, etc. Another option is unsalted popcorn with nutritional yeast. Or have some 0% fat FAGE Greek yogurt, mixed with equal parts of water. It’s delicious on its own and doesn’t need any sugar.

Seitan is low carb. You can make your own pretty easily. This one is pretty good, and i've been working my way through this book.

For the first one, instead of following the instructions on the site, bake first 350* for an hour, and then simmer in the flavored broth for 40 minutes and let rest for best texture.

My boyfriend and I are mainly Vegetarian. I never thought I would be able to do it, but some of the meals I have made have been so delicious that I don't really miss meat at all. My favorite resources for meals are the following:
Minimalist Baker
Cookie & Kate
Meatless
The Complete Vegetarian

Hopefully that helps some, and I will say I haven't much I disliked from those books/blogs.

You should buy yourself this cookbook at the beginning of your journey. Love Real Food - Kathryne Taylor

It is amazing for getting great ideas to keep it interesting and create dishes that can get the omnivores in your life on board with your lifestyle

There are already some great suggestions here, but I would add that if you have a favorite soup that isn't obviously meaty, you can probably substitute veggie stock for chicken stock with minimal change to the taste of the soup. I would also add that if you make a lot of soups, keeping Better Than Boullon in the fridge could be a good move. It keeps a long time, and a spoonful in some water means instant veggie stock. The mushroom and "no chicken" versions are good too.

Congrats! I always recommend this cook book to people who are trying to eat less or no meat/people trying to watch their calories since the recipes are generally lower and it gives a full nutrient break down. Anyway the book focuses on protein sources of all kinds and getting enough! It also breaks down all sorts of meat alternatives and other veggie stuff like beans and lentils and such! Haven't had a bad recipe out of it! The vegan lasagna is actually amazing considering it uses tofu to make "ricotta"

​

https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Times-Plant-Powered-Protein-Cookbook/dp/1493030973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1540474266&sr=1-1&keywords=plant+powered+protein

I understand what your son probably means by too much flavor: Indian and Thai dishes have pretty complex flavor profiles and a lot going on in one dish. For a person who is still learning what tastes they like and don't like, complicated flavors make it hard to understand what you're tasting.

I raised my kid vegetarian until he took the opposite path: around age 6, he decided he wanted to be an omnivore. He still prefers vegetarian food, and it's what I cook at home.

I bought the original edition of Better Than Peanut Butter and Jelly when he was a toddler. It has a lot of recipes with simpler flavors that appeal to kids and adults alike, and most of them are pretty quick to prepare, too. What I frequently did was make the recipes with less seasoning, set aside a portion for my child, then spice up the rest of the dish to my taste.

My kid is 14 now, and is a much more adventurous eater – he enjoys eating dishes so spicy that they make adults cry.

This cook book is a staple in our house. It is vegan but if you want to add cheese or whatever it's easy to modify. Though I think the vegan recipes are fantastic in their own right.

https://www.amazon.com/Isa-Does-Amazingly-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0316221902

I had a time when I was obsessssssed with their tofu corn salad and ate it basically every day for a while. So good!

thanks for the heads up!!

Edit: Here's the Amazon link to the cookbook. Seems like they're offering a Kindle edition too.

Maybe check out your local library. I love scoping out cookbooks and seeing if there really are recipes I would make before committing. Some of my favorites:
-Thug Kitchen is one of my favs. I love how they combine different food cuisines but there is a heavy texmex influence which works for me because tacos.
-The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. This book does use a little bit more meat substitutes (beefless grounds and such) than other books I own but I like what i've made so far. There is a whole section called "hearty vegetable mains."

Miyokos also has a cookbook with all her nut cheese recipes that are pretty simple to follow- and a lot cheaper. http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Vegan-Cheese-Miyoko-Schinner/dp/1570672830
You can find other recipes online with nuts and some that are nut free! There are so many options out there :D have fun exploring

I am a lover of the America's Test Kitchen Vegetarian Cook Book. There are a ton of options without citrus or nuts. This book helped me to be a better cook and a healthier vegetarian.
Link to Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UGBBWFK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Love Real Food is my favorite https://www.amazon.com/dp/1623367417/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_BdZtDb62KZSDQ

I'm a big fan of Love Real Food: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Real-Food-Feel-Good-Vegetarian/dp/1623367417 I also second the Minimalist Baker recommendation!

Plant powered protein


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1493030973/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523119760&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=plant-powered+protein+cookbook


The recipes are bit too complex for me, but it's a great cookbook

I've had a good experience with Deva Vegan Vitamins.

They cost $18, but it's for 6 months worth of vitamins. You're paying $0.70 per week to keep your body health. I'd say it's a worthwhile investment.

My favorite Pollan quote goes something like "Eat Food, mostly vegetables, not too much." (I think it's from In Defense of Food)

Plenty and Plenty More are the absolute best cookbooks I've ever owned of any kind.

You can try this or this or this or this or this or this. Lots of options. This subreddit is also a great place to come for ideas.

This book is awesome --> http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398378500&sr=8-2&keywords=moosewood+cookbook

You can try In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. The basic philosophy of the book is "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

It doesn't advocate a strictly vegetarian diet, but more goes into the food production system in North America, and talks about things like the corn subsidies in the US, how many resources it takes to raise a cow, ect. It's a helpful book if you want to know how the food industry has changed for the worse (for our health and environment).

http://www.amazon.com/The-Oh-She-Glows-Cookbook/dp/1583335277

All these recipes are really good and I'm not even vegetarian, my wife is.... I've cooked half the book with her.

Peter Singer. He's a great modern philosopher. Writes on a lot of practical issues and his arguments are just brilliant but his focus is animal rights. Try this one.

I made my gravy using Better than Bouillon vegetable base -- would highly recommend using this stuff over any cans or cartons of vegetable broth!

I definitely miss seafood the most out of all of the meats.

If you do really miss fish, or other meats, you could eat them once in a while and still eat vegetarian most of the time. If you’re only eating once in a while, you might be able to splurge on ethically raised and killed meats.

There are some recipes for seafood replacements out there.

This book has recipes for 4 seafood-related recipes:
Everyday Vegan Eats: Family Favorites from My Kitchen to Yours
https://www.amazon.com/dp/098546626X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_Sd4.BbKHZ08XD

1. New England Chowder
   
2. Manhattan Chowder
   
3. No-Fish Filet Sandwiches
   
4. Tempeh No-Tuna Salad sandwiches
   
   This book has many more seafood-related recipes:
   Seitan and Beyond: Gluten and Soy-Based Meat Analogues for the Ethical Gourmet
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/1516860888/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_pi4.BbKRACWZ7
   
5. Tunada
   
6. Mock Tuna Sashimi
   
7. Carrot Caviar
   
8. Ceviche
   
9. Clamz (and many clamz associated recipes)
   
10. Maryland Crab’less Cakes
    
11. Breaded Jackfysh Filets
    
12. Battered Tofysh Filets
    
13. Shirataki Scallops
    
14. Mock Lobster
    
15. Mock Lobster Rolls
    
    Both of the above books have numerous other meat replacement recipes in addition to the seafood ones. You could try these. My mom really likes these recipes for seafood. I haven’t used them yet, so I can’t speak to that. However, it might be enough for you to satisfy your craving.

If you want to eat healthy I suspect you are going to have to change some of your expectations. Preparing an entire week of healthy meals will take more than an hour, vegetarian or not. The processed foods themselves are bad for you if its turkey loaf or to-furkey. Sometimes its fine but in neither case do you want to be living off of that. Swapping out the milk in chocolate milk for soy milk will at least release animal suffering but it isn't great to be feeding children so much sugar either. There is another book that really affected me I suggest you read called "In Defense Of Food" by Michael Pollen. I found it way more engaging than the Omnivores Dilemma in explaining why these foods are not ideal and will help you in developing not only a better meal plan but a better way of thinking about food.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0143114964/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_pk5tzbNGZTCGM

The book Dominion deals with this. Check out the product description on the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Power-Suffering-Animals-Mercy/dp/0312319738#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1459217136222

I take this vegan multivitamin daily with food and don't have any B problems: http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vitamins-Multivitamin-Supplement/dp/B001GAOHVG

Moosewood Cookbook

These can't be the ten best cookbooks for vegetarian meals, because The Vegan Stoner Cookbook isn't on that list.

The Flavor Bible

The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook (by America's Test Kitchen)

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Also...buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Isa-Does-Amazingly-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0316221902

This book http://www.amazon.com/Change-Heart-Psychology-Spreading-Social/dp/159056233X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375324185&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=psyhology+of+spreadin+gsocial+change

Vegan Stoner

here ya go! :)

Artisan Vegan Cheese has many French cheese recipes. There's also a chapter on first courses and small plates (Gruyère and pear croustades with red wine glaze, Brie en croûte with dried fruit and nuts, etc.).