Getting out of the meat game. Need your help.

[JonFromMaplewood]

Fellow FOT,

I'm going vegetarian. No more bacon. No more sushi. No more nuthin'.  I've been clean for about a week-and-a-half. So far, it's not bad at all.  I miss Five Guys' burgers, but I'll get over it.

Anyway, if you are a vegetarian, I have a few questions:

1. How do you get your meat-equivalent protein? I am trying to incorporate more beans into my diet, but what else?

2. Any easy, delicious dinner recipes you'd like to share? Obviously, there are a gazillion non-meat dinners, but not all of them are filling, and I can only eat so much pasta.

3. Do you know of some good vegetarian restaurants in North Jersey or lower Manhattan?

4. Does a thread on such topics already exist? If so, my apologies.

Thanks in advance.

Yours,
Jon From Mapelwood

[cutout]

Sidenote: what made you quit meat?

[gravy boat]

sidenote: is there a Five Guys near Maplewood?

Here's a good side-dish recipe for summer bean salad:
red kidney beans, cannolini beans, diced cucumber, a small amount of chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, generous amount of cumin, a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar or italian salad dressing. chill.

Good luck.

[Bryan]

Tofu, beans (they'll start seeming more delicious the more you eat them), dairy, eggs, nuts, lentils, tvp. Most grains have some proteins in them, but usually need to be paired with something else to make a complete protein. Quinoa is an exception.

I've been making a killer veggie burger lately. Freeze, then thaw some tofu. (This is a little quicker if you slice the tofu into thinner pieces.) After it's thawed, you can squeeze the excess water out of the tofu. Crumble or grate it into a bowl. Add some breadcrumbs, an egg, some soy sauce, minced garlic, minced onion, and some flat leaf parsley, and seasonings as you please (salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, chili flakes, etc) Form into patties or meatballs or meatloaf. Delicious! You'd almost think it was bad for you!

[erika]

I wondered the same thing a while ago... here's what I found:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm#table2

I really like to eat a lot of eggs and egg whites. And lentils. Num.

I still eat meat but I don't cook it all that often so I eat a lot of veggie stuff.

[JonFromMaplewood]

Wow! I am already happy that I started this thread. Thanks for the great advice and recipes.

Sidenote: what made you quit meat?

Not one single thing. Health, concerns about cruelty at meat farms, global warming (Yes, there is a connection).

sidenote: is there a Five Guys near Maplewood?

Yes. On Vauxhall Ave. between Valley St. and Millburn Ave.  Way too close to my home.

[Emily]

i think peanut butter has protein?

[jed]

You can do a lot with salads and soups.

Also, those pre-packaged Indian food meals are really good if you are in a hurry.

[JonFromMaplewood]

Erika, that link is incredibly helpful.  Thank you.

[joanna]

yay! congratulations! i've been a vegetarian for fifteen years and a vegan for four and i think you're going to be really happy that you made the decision.

1. How do you get your meat-equivalent protein? I am trying to incorporate more beans into my diet, but what else?

so you probably already know that you don't need as much protein as we've been led to believe that we do (only 35 g or so a day, which i knock out before dinner), and that lots of foods that you don't normally think of as protein sources have buckets of protein, like oatmeal.

beans and brown rice eaten together are a complex protein, but most vegetarians get sick of beans and rice really quickly. i would recommend just adding a handful of chickpeas or black beans to something else you're eating, like salad or pasta. other quick options are nuts and seeds.

i would advise against replacing the meat in your food with processed veg foods like morningstar farms products. they're easy and they help with the transition, but they shouldn't be the foundation of your diet. but i still keep the occasional fake meat around for a couple of times a week. like the tofurky brand deli slices and gimme lean sausages.

2. Any easy, delicious dinner recipes you'd like to share? Obviously, there are a gazillion non-meat dinners, but not all of them are filling, and I can only eat so much pasta.

i would recommend buying a few cookbooks. veganomican outsold the latest rachael ray book and is considered to be the new bible for vegetarians. and here is where i shamelessly plug my own cookbook.

you might also want to look on flickr for vegetarian and vegan tags to get some idea from the foods people have posted there.

good luck!

[Bryan]

i would advise against replacing the meat in your food with processed veg foods like morningstar farms products. they're easy and they help with the transition, but they shouldn't be the foundation of your diet. but i still keep the occasional fake meat around for a couple of times a week. like the tofurky brand deli slices and gimme lean sausages.

I couldn't agree more. Most of that fake meat is downright weird, and has all kinds of weird additives, colours and salt. You can usually make something better yourself, or just use beans or tofu, properly seasoned.

[joanna]

not to mention the fact that soy, while wonderful in moderation, shouldn't become the center of your diet. a lot of vegetarians make the mistake of going veg and swapping all the foods they ate as an omnivore with the soy equivalent. so they're putting soymilk in their coffee and pouring it on their cereal and then they eat a soy burger patty at lunch and then they come home and make a big dinner with tofu as the main protein. that is way too much soy.

sorry if this is too much information all at once.

[Beth]

i would advise against replacing the meat in your food with processed veg foods like morningstar farms products. they're easy and they help with the transition, but they shouldn't be the foundation of your diet. but i still keep the occasional fake meat around for a couple of times a week. like the tofurky brand deli slices and gimme lean sausages.

I couldn't agree more. Most of that fake meat is downright weird, and has all kinds of weird additives, colours and salt. You can usually make something better yourself, or just use beans or tofu, properly seasoned.

Those veggie patch spiced apple sausages are nummy though. With melted cheese and onions and bread. I couldn't live without those.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

as a vegetarian, ive learned to make the nutrition facts label my best friend.  this gives me all the information i need, and i look like less of a dunce when someone calls me out ("didn't you know ________ has _____ in it?!") when im being lazy and making assumptions on ingredients in packaged food.  

eggs are a grey area for me.  MOST of the vegetarians i know stay away from eggs.  i personally dont care.  i stay away, but when it comes down to being at a place that serves eggs and not egg beaters, i go for the eggs.  sorry if that makes me less than a vegetarian in anyones eyes.  its been five years and im still being schooled.  

for me, i consistently eat LOTS of vegetables, rice and pasta are stables, tofu is a substitute (not a staple), and i stay away from as many packaged veggie-friendly foods as i can (boca burgers, amy's, etc.) because the idea of trying to be healthy and still nuking everything i eat is very unappealing.  protein bars and slim fast shakes between meals work for me, but they load that stuff with chocolate/sugar.  blegh.


granted, this is merely my own preferences.  good luck, JFM.

[Denim Gremlin]

go jon!

there's been a lot of good suggestions so far.

as for restaurants, north jersey is a bit tough. There's vegetarian places but they're kinda scattered all over. Veggie Heaven in Teaneck is really good but I think that a bit of a drive for you.

as for new york I'd really suggest picking up a little book called the Vegan Guide to New York City. try to get the most recent verson, 2007 i think, It lists all the good vegetarian and vegan places in the city and rates them. it's a must have guide to navigating the world of vegetarian food in new york, theres so much of it and finding the best places is the best way to stay happy about being meatless. going to a few bad vegetarian restaurants in a row can make you question your decision. my favorite place in New York is a food cart in Washington Square Park. NY Dosas. if you like cheap delicious indian food, all vegetarian, it's awesome.

you can also find alot of good vegetarian recipes free online, vegweb is usually pretty reliable. but if you want to pick up a cook book don't just grab one from barnes and noble, they suck. get a book called Vegan With a Vengeance. it's the best.

good luck! stay strong!