How can I learn to like veges more?

Question

My husband and I have been trying to convert to Vegetarianism for about a month now. We have steered away from beef and pork and can't seem to get away from chicken/turkey. The problem is, we eat pasta all the time because neither of us grew up eating a lot of veges so trying to learn how to eat them has been very difficult. I go to the PETA site and watch the videos just to help. I want to do it but need suggestions about learning to like veges. Hell, I don't even know how to cook veges unless they are in a can.

Answer 1

Oh my friend! Raw vegetables are so much better! Canned vegetables don't give nearly as much vitamins, nutrients and minerals as fresh. Look up vegetable dishes on the websites I listed below and learn to love vegetables! Or to save time, you can use frozen vegetables. Most of the time, they're just as good as fresh and they're probably cut up and ready to use. If you need any suggestions or you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at [e-mail]. Good luck and happy cooking!

Answer 2

I think it's awesome that you're willing to try so hard for what you believe in.

Keep in mind, there's a lot of vegetarian foods out there, not just vegetables... there's fruit (delicious and doesn't require cooking), there's not just pasta but all kinds of grains, there's even vegetarian substitutes for just about every non-vegetarian food out there.

If if were you, I'd probably get a vegetarian cookbook or search online for some recipes, try some... and once you've cooked with recipes, you'll know how each individual ingredient should be cooked, and then you can even start inventing your own recipes.

Answer 3

My advice would be to try as many different kinds of vegetables as possible because there are probably some out there that you will like. There's loads of cookbooks out there with vegetarian recipes as well as websites. Keep in mind that you need protein in any diet, so that if you're not getting that without meat, thats probably why you're having trouble getting away from poultry. Try eating vegetarian protein sources & see if that makes a difference.

Answer 4

A really good way to add a lot of flavor to cooked veggies with out the fattening butter and cheeses is to find a 'no sugar added' marinara sauce (trader joes makes the best). It goes great on all type of squash, cooked greens, green beans, even broccoli. You can toss it with some whole grain pasta and have a very healthy, delicious, vegan meal.

Answer 5

Some of the best ways to cook vegetables is to steam them...this is easy, get a collander (a bowl with holes in it) and wash your veggies and put them in that. Put some water in a pot that will suspend the collander over the water (you can buy a pot/collander at most stores). Just bowl the water until you still have a little bit of crunch to the veggies. For some flavoring...try adding some spices or mixing the veggies with something you like. Another good trick is to put cheese slices (Velveeta is best) on the veggies just prior to taking it off the pot.

Answer 6

There are dozens of websites you can go to for vegetarian recipes, www.goveg.com is one. There is also a magazine online called vegetarian times. Try using other starches likje potatoes, rice and cous cous and adding grilled vegetables.
Make a vegetarian chili, even the food network has vegetarian recipes you can search for them there. Good Luck

Answer 7

It's nice to want to save the animals.
But the truth is, homo sapiens are carnivores. And if you're not completely into vegetarianism, you don't have to be. If you're not killing animals and leaving them dead that would be cruel and pointless. If you eat the meat and do not waste, it isn't gruesome, it's the circle of life. Those animals that feed us, if we didn't eat them, something else would, or they would over populate and take over.
I'm all for the animals, believe me, I love them. But I'm not above a burger. It's better than a pointless death in which they just die in vain and rot.
If you're doing it for health, some meat is healthy for you. Turkey and chicken especially (depends on how its cooked). So don't take it too hard. Pasta is actually not healthy, too much yeast.
Still it's always good to eat your vegies. Get a vegitarian cookbook for help, you can find one at your local bookstore.
And don't forget fruits as well.

Answer 8

goto allrecipes.com and just try different veggie recipes till you find some you like.. one of my favorites is..

take green beans.. either fresh frozen or canned( if using canned drain the liquid and fresh or frozen blanch them in boiling water a few minutes)place in a fry pan with a mix of a little olive oil and butter or margerine add some fresh minced garlic and stir fry until crips tender over low heat so you dont burn the garlic:)

Answer 9

I like to eat my Raw vegetables like carrots and green peppers with Ranch dressing. why not try to make homemade vegetable soup.
1 lg can top juice
1 bag frozen Vegetables
8 peeled potatoes cut in med size

Put in crock pot and let cook all day till all is tender and salt and pepper to your Taste.

Answer 10

That is great that the two of you want to transition together.=)
If you really want to be successful in your new way of living, learning how to cook your own satisfying meals is an important key. The more meals you have that fill you up and are balanced, the less likely you are to crave the foods that you want to leave behind.

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If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.

You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.

A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.

When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.

Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.

A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.

Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.

If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.

If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.

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I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:

Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.

Lunch: VEGAN "SAUSAGE" SANDWICHES, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.

Dinner: sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup

I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com