Becoming a Vegetarian – Making a Case For the Vegetarian Lifestyle
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Let's talk about becoming a vegetarian. First of all, let me tell you that I am a vegan so this is a subject that I'm passionate about. I know that being vegan seems extreme to many people so we can talk about becoming vegetarian but trust me the more you clean out your diet the better you will feel and vegan is an extremely clean way of eating. The vegetarian diet has become much more common and it is a trend that will certainly continue. Fortunately, the medical community is now supporting becoming vegetarian strongly and suggesting that people cut out the saturated fats and cholesterol ingested by eating meat.
There are many myths associated with becoming vegetarian. Many people think of vegetarians and imagine long-haired hippies eating granola in their VW bus. Well, let me assure you that there are vegetarians and vegans in every social class, every ethnicity and every religion. There are people who make this lifestyle change for health reasons, for ethical reasons, for religious reasons and even for environmental reasons. It is multi-faceted to say the least. I will tell you that I became vegan after learning about what really goes on in the factory farming industry in this country. It is nothing like what you would imagine it is and the cruelty is unspeakable and difficult to face. Of course people can eat meat and drink milk and not have to face the horrors, they are all tucked away behind closed doors, hidden from view. We call it 'beef' when in reality it is a dead cow; we call dead pigs 'ham'. It comes all cut and packaged so we don't have to face the reality and do it ourselves.
Unfortunately, in trying to reduce the bottom line there is no limit to what will be done to animals, forgetting that they are living, breathing creatures that feel pain and feel fear. It never ceases to amaze me how horrified a meat eating person will get when there is a report of an animal abuse case or find it disgusting that people in other countries eat cats & dogs. Why do people see a difference? Could it be that we just don't know what is done to the cows, pigs and chickens that are eaten or is it that somehow they don't appreciate that these are indeed living, feeling animals? Have we been conditioned to think of them as things instead of animals? There are many books and websites on the subject of factory farming. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and I encourage you to learn more, that's what I did, and as a result I have not had an animal product in over 8 years. Becoming vegetarian or vegan was never a goal of mine, far from it, but once I learned the truth I simple would not have been able to eat meat and look at myself in the mirror.
I wouldn't eat animal products no matter what but it turns out that my ethical choice has also led me to feeling better physically than I ever have in my life. No one will ever be able to tell me that being a vegetarian or vegan is not the healthiest way to eat. I live it and I feel it! I have a family plagued with cardiac problems so my heredity is not good. Well, let me tell you, I am now the only one in my family who has not had an episode of some sort and not only that but also my cholesterol and blood pressure are extremely low.
Since becoming vegan, my energy level is so high and contrary to popular belief you do not need animal protein to build muscle. My workouts and results have not been the least bit compromised because of the change in my diet. Far from it, my muscular endurance is the highest it's ever been and since becoming vegan I have much more stamina to during my workouts.
I encourage you to learn more about becoming vegetarian (or even vegan).
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Green Beans and Peas Recipe by Manjula, Indian Vegetarian Gourmet
www.manjulaskitchen.com Green Beans and Peas Recipe Ingredients 4 cup or 16 oz frozen French cut green beans 2 cup or 6 oz frozen green peas 2 tablespoons oil Pinch asafetida (hing) 2 teaspoons cumin seed (jeera) 5 red chilies (lal mirch) 2 tablespoons washed urad dal 2 teaspoons coriander powder (dhania) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste 1 tablespoon lemon juice adjust to taste
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A Delicious Vegetarian Meal – Eliminating Animal By-Products
After eating meat and animal products your whole life, you may ask yourself why should I consider the change to a vegetarian lifestyle. For most of your life you have survived on eating eggs, hamburgers, hot dogs, poultry, so why change now?
To honestly answer this question you need to start by looking in the mirror. Is your weight at a healthy level compared to your height? Do you look and feel good about yourself? Are your energy levels where they should be or do you wake up tired and sluggish?
What you eat on a daily basis definitely has an effect on your general health, as well as your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and much more.
When you eat the right foods that your body responds to, you should feel energized rather than tired and sluggish and feeling like you need a nap after a meal. How do you feel after eating? Food should nourish and feed the body and leave us energized and refreshed.
A delicious vegetarian meal, eliminating animal by-products will have your body running in peak condition like a well-oiled machine. It needs the right kind of fuel to run at peak efficiency, and when you're eating high-fat meat, or meat that's been fed antibiotics throughout its life, that's simply not the kind of fuel the human body flourishes on.
If you are serious about your health why not try eating vegetarian for a set period. Your body will respond in a way you have not seen previously giving you extra energy, feeling more mentally acute and more physically fit. The change can make a big difference in your overall health and well-being.
To maximize the 'healthy heart benefits' of a vegetarian food lifestyle for you and your loved ones you will need to master the art of cooking quality, mouthwatering, delicious meals that are easy to prepare and sumptuous to eat.
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Getting the Most Out of Your Chili Vegetarian Recipe
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Chili is now an accepted mainstay of vegetarian cooking. A true chili vegetarian recipe cook however, knows that there is more to just randomly adding any kind of chili pepper. There are some things that you need to take into consideration with your recipe.
Know Your Chili
Naturally, the amount of chili in your chili recipe will of course depend on your natural capacity to endure hotness. The question however is how to find out if there is too much chili. One basic step is to know your chili peppers. It is a fact for example that bell peppers and pimiento provide no hot taste at all so you can basically add as much as you want in a dish. Habanero and santaka chilies however are among the hottest so you would do well to add moderate amounts in your recipe. The famous jalapenos are only about moderately hot and are often the favorite ingredients in a vegetarian cooking.
Rev Up on Moderately Hot
For those who can't handle habaneros that are too hot, they can increase chili peppers to the middle or lower range of hotness. It is a fact that a this cooking is packed with full flavor which means that you need less of salt, sugar or other sources of flavor which are not healthy in large amounts.
Chilies have also health benefits like the antioxidants that can help clean up your system. They are also natural pain killers that do not dull all of your vital senses.
Handle Chilies Properly
Chilies can burn the skin. Handle chilies only with your bare hands if you only have a small quantity to cut. Handling lots of them for a flavorful chili can burn your skin. It makes better sense to use cooking gloves with lots of hot chilies. Make sure too that the juice of peppers never find its way into your eyes. Chili juice on your eyes can be a very painful experience. You can also keep your skin and hands off peppers by grinding them instead.
Manage the Heat
If you can't take too much heat then the best solution for your cooking is to simply remove the seeds and the white membrane before cutting and adding to your recipe. Tomato sauce is also said to be effective in helping lessen the hotness of chili.
Beer and other beverages should be avoided if it is already too hot on your mouth. While people still popularly use water to kill the fire of a chili recipe, yogurt and milk seem to be more effective.
Mix with Other Tastes
Your food would taste best with garlic, beans, tofu, onions and tomatoes. Just make sure that you mix your ingredients well so that the flavor does not stick in just some parts of the recipe but watch out for burned ingredients. Experts advise though that ingredients shouldn't be mixed all at once since this could kill the hot taste. Sauté the spices gradually to release the oil that holds the secret to its hot taste. Depending on the dish, you can serve a chili dish the next day to give time for flavors and tastes to mix.
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Crispy Spinach Pakoras Recipe by Manjula Indian Vegetarian Gourmet
Crispy Spinach Pakoras Recipe by Manjula www.manjulaskitchen.com Ingredients For Batter 1 cup gram flour (basen) 1 tablespoon corn starch (arrow root powder) 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (hing) About 1/2 cup water Also need About 30 fresh spinach leaves Oil to fry
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Vegetarian Foods – A Brief Introduction
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High in fibre but low in fat, whole foods can form the basis of a vegetarian diet. Many of the ingredients used will be quite familiar to you but the lesser known ingredients are illustrated in greater details when required.
To cook and prepare vegetarian foods, one must have a grasp of how to deal with the processing and cooking of simple food stuff such as, how to cook brown rice, how to cook wholemeal paste and how to prepare, beans, nuts, lentils and dried fruit.. All of the previous ingredients will keep for a long time under correct storage conditions. Not only do these ingredients provide and excellent contribution to your food store, but they are very handy should an unexpected or unannounced guest descend upon you.
Most vegetarian recipes require no special cooking skills and most defiantly need not be a burden on your time as many vegetarian dishes can be made ahead of time and finished off at the last minute.
It should be noted that dried beans and pulses could be replaced with already processed produce from a tin. A dried bean or pulse will approximately double in its size when re-hydrated, so if a recipe calls for 4oz of dried chick peas, you can substitute these for 8oz of tinned chick peas. A similar situation arises with the use of herbs in cooking vegetarian dishes. If you do not have access to fresh herbs, you should substitute them with dried herbs but be sure to half the quantity.
A vegetarian diet makes full use of fresh fruit and vegetables and are used both cooked and raw. A rich source of many of the essential minerals and vitamins, fruit and vegetables are a great way to add colour, flavour and texture to any dish.
Fruit and vegetables in a vegetarian diet are very versatile and this alone adds interest to your diet. So many fruit and vegetables in all shapes and sizes are freely available throughout the year, although cheapest during their own growing season.
There is now a huge range of fruit and vegetables available to the vegetarian cook, from the common or garden, onions, potatoes and brassicas, through to the more exotic delights of warmer climates.
Fruit in any diet, can help to offset the cravings of a sweet tooth, so it maybe possible for you to cut down on additional sugar or sugary foods. A bonus for those of us who need to watch our waistlines!
Vegetarian cookery is more of a lifestyle for a true dedicated vegetarian but it also provides a very tasty alternative to meat based cooking.
Look at it this way.
A meat eater can eat vegetarian food but vegetarian can't eat meat, so next time you entertain, why not consider a meat free recipe or two for your guests?
Vegetarian cooking is no longer the elitist weirdo cooking that it once was, it has become a way of life for millions of people across the world.
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Cooking Vegetarian Chili the Right Way
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The type of food that you may cook in your homes will obviously vary depending on your cultural background. Seeing that we all live in a multicultural society, many have started to adopt the dishes that other countries cook traditionally as well. One of the dishes that are most widely cooked amongst all home types regardless of their cultural background is vegetarian chili.
Vegetarian chili is traditionally a Mexican dish that is loved by many all over the world. The great thing about the vegetarian chili as the name suggests, is that it has been intended for vegetarians. Seeing that some people do not eat meat due to their own personal beliefs, the great thing about it is that it is open to all food lovers. The ingredients that are used in the chili are known to only contain those that are suitable to be eaten by a vegetarian.
There are many ways that you can go about in making chili that is vegetarian. There are a number of websites online that offer a complete guide on how to make tasty chili that will best suit your wants and needs. The standard procedure is obviously the same; however you are always open to add your own custom touches. If you are not the type that would want to cook by yourself, there are other options available. Preferably it is advised that you try at least having one go at making vegetarian chili yourself as it allows you to experiment with the type of taste that you are looking for. Most vegetarian chili that is made are quite mild. For this reason if you are the type that enjoys spicy food, you will be better of making it yourself.
There are many restaurants that offer vegetarian chili as one of their dishes. Some restaurants are known to offer it as a side order where as for some, it is their speciality. Ideally you would expect to find vegetarian chili at a Mexican restaurant. However there is a good chance that you could fine some decent chili in a local restaurant as well.
Seeing that vegetarian chili is liked by the majority, many people have started offering it as an option in their restaurant even if it is not their main dish. If you are still a bit weary about chili that is "vegetarian" actually being for vegetarians, we advise that you check online. There are many websites that are offering the complete recipe of vegetarian chili that you can easily use to cook at home. If you are a non-vegetarian and would like to include pieces of chicken in your vegetarian chili then by all means you can do so. The great thing about it is the fact that you can easily add your own little touches to make it unique to your self. Seeing that it is a healthy and easy to make dish, there is no surprise that it is enjoyed by the majority.
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