VEGGIE GOOD

Trafford Publishing

Chapter One

"Roughly 1G years ago everyone in my household decided to be a vegetarian, except me. peeing as how I am the main cook in this household I had to adapt. This is Kind of ironic since I really love animals, go figure. As was to be expected I soon realized that I too, wanted to be a vegetarian.

This book started about 12 years ago when one of my sons decided to make a cookbook for his graduation project in graphic design. He finished his project but I only got as far as jotting down the recipes, with the help of a friend, into a rough draft. Days went by and my idea of writing a vegetarian cookbook, literally, got shoved into a drawer waiting to resurface. Now, with some gentle nudging from my other son; well maybe not so gentle, here I am. Who says mom's don't listen to their children!

There are, of course, different reasons for becoming a vegetarian, religious, humanitarian and health. There are also different types of vegetarians. There are vegans that do not eat any animal by-products like honey, eggs, cheese, milk, yoghurt and of course the obvious, meat, fish, poultry, etc. Then you have ovo- vegetarians that eat eggs, ovo-lacto-vegetarian that eat eggs and milk products, lacto-vegetarian that eat milk products and api-vegetarian that eat honey. Sounds confusing but I'm sure you catch the drift.

By the way, do not think that being a vegetarian is synonymous of losing weight. There are quite a few chubby vegetarians out there. We can eat carbs and sweets and yummy desserts. So, to lose weight you still have to watch what you eat. Sooorryyyy

Many people become vegetarians with no real convictions and soon become discouraged. This happens all the time, specially, because they become bored with the same old same old. They have it "sooooo wrong". Why, you ask? Well for starters you can still have your favorite recipes and simply eliminate the meat part. For instance, my sister makes a delicious" lamb-less" Irish stew, I make a pretty good "chicken-less" pie, one of my sons makes a yummy "chicken-less "ajiaco". Now, my other son made us a super artichoke and spinach lasagna, my sister in-law made us an exotic chicken-less "tagine", and my hubby makes a " killer" meatless tomato salsa for pasta dishes and so on and so forth. You can also buy "veggie" cookbooks like this one to get good ideas or look for recipes on the internet, once you are on a roil, just let your imagination lead the way. Don't be disheartened by the occasional "flop", it happens to us all. Like the proverbial metaphor, you must get back on the horse right away.

My strongest recommendation to all who read this is book is, "HAVE FUN COOKING". Cooking is an everyday chore for most of us. All the cooking and washing up and grocery shopping can become monotonous and "boring". By trying new recipes, new seasonings, being creative and making new twists and turns with your cooking, you can breathe new life into this daily task making it, guess what? SOMETHING YOU ENJOY

Another question that people ask themselves is "are you getting the required vitamins, minerals, proteins etc. that your body needs to thrive?" My answer is, of course you must eat a balanced diet with all its requirements which goes the same for when you are not a vegetarian. Proteins are actually in a lot of the things we eat like milk in all of its variations, dried beans, TVP and other soy based foods and gluten in all of its presentations. Your veggies also supply you with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Never forget to eat plenty of fruit. I feel that even though you are eating a balanced diet you should consult with your family doctor on what vitamin supplements you should take. I personally would recommend that non vegetarians to do the same. Here is a list, of some of the vitamins we require and where it is said you can get them.

Vitamin E - found in mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, sunflower seeds, collard greens, parsley, papaya, olives, Bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, Kiwi, tomatoes, blueberries, broccoli, wheat germ, whole grains and nuts.

Beta Carotene: found in carrots, spinach, pumpkin, apricots, peaches, melon and cherries.

Vitamin C: found in red berries, Kiwi, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, guava, grapefruit and oranges.

Vitamin A: found in carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, collards and Kale.

Q10: found in soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds, pistachios, walnuts, azuki beans, hazel nuts, almonds, chestnuts, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, peas, cauliflower and carrots.

Zinc: found in milk, cheese, yeast, peanuts, whole grain cereals, brown rice, whole wheat bread, potato, yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

Niacin (B3): found in fortified cereals and peanuts.

Vitamin B22: found in milk, cheese, eggs and added to some breakfast cereals.

Vitamin B6: found in Brussels sprouts, collard greens, spinach, bell peppers, turnip greens, garlic, cauliflower, mustard greens, asparagus, broccoli, summer squash, eggplant, onions, green beans, sweet potato, carrots, tomato, leeks, romaine lettuce, avocado, strawberries, watermelon and banana.

Vitamin D: egg yolks and fortified milk.

Omega-3: flax seed

Nevertheless, as I mentioned previously, vegetarians and meat eaters alike should consult their family doctor. By the way, remember you can get your Omega-3 requirements from flax seed. See the "before you start cooking" section for instructions on how to prepare flax seed.

I realize that some of the recipes are big. This is because many of them were developed before my sons married and flew the coop. My boys (hubby and two sons) are very big eaters and so were the friends they invited to join us for many a meal. £o feel free to cut them down proportionally to your needs.

After all is said and done, even if you are not a vegetarian but just a veggie fan you can still enjoy these recipes, don't you think?

ABREVIATIONS IN THIS BOOK

When you see the letters Tsp. they stand for teaspoon and when you see the letters Tbsp. they stand for tablespoon. You have probably figured this out but just thought I would explain anyway. Do not be confused with TV? (textured vegetable protein) and TSP (textured soy protein).

PREHEATING OVEN

"Remember to preheat your oven 15 to 20 minutes before you start cooking to make sure your oven reaches the required temperature.

FRESH OR FROZEN VEGETABLES? (WHAT IS BEST)

"Really fresh veggies are the best but hey that is not always possible. Don't worry, it is said that canned or frozen produce retain more vitamins since they are processed shortly after being harvested rather than sit in the supermarket for days before being purchased. So take heart. However, if using canned vegetables, read label for sodium content and preservatives.

DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR PASTA

Cook your pasta "al dente" which means, simply put, do not overcook. It should require a little effort to bite into as opposed to being, "mushy". Anyway, it is said to be less fattening this way.

WASH YOUR VEGGIES

please, please, please, make it a habit to wash your veggies before using them. This will eliminate any pesky little bugs or pesticides that may be Keeping your veggies company. I...