Recipes, Vegetarian...

Sounds like something I'd eat if I found myself stranded in the wilderness.

Aberdeen definitely qualifies as 'wilderness'. And I do feel stranded.

I'm interested to hear from any of you vegetarians if you've ever taught children, or people with learning disabilities, how to have a vegetarian diet?

It's quite complicated, if you're going to do more than just eat lots of pasta, and complicating this issue is that the guys I will be discussing this with live in a residential setting with limited ability to change their diets. I don't think tofu will be making an appearance on the menu...

So, what are some easy ways that I can introduce meat-free choices to lunches and dinners and how can I discuss this with the population I am working with?

Vegetarian Nut & Vegetable Abattoir.

Kill ten nuts. (Choose those nuts who have show the least readiness to conform to accepted morality).

Crush these nuts.

Pick out their descendants and parade them around in front of the other legumes, while all the time pointing out that descent will not be tolerated in the kitchen.

Single out 5 vegetables from the same race.

Torture and kill one of them by lowering into boiling water.

When this first vegetable is dead, undress the rest and similarly kill them with hot water.

Bury everything in a mixed and shallow grave and set fire to the whole mess.

Using tools, hurry the smouldering carnage into the opening at the front of your head.

Chew.

Jeanius

^too right!

Jenne, out of interest, why are you thinking of doing this?

As for changing the menu, there's only a single rule: Make it tasty so that they'll gladly eat it. That's all you need to know.

Oh Oliver, you should be in bed and resting. Not chatting about vegan cooking.

I now work at a mental health hospital and two of the guys have decided they want to be vegetarian. One we know is only doing it b/c he thinks he'll lose weight without having to do anything "extra", the other may have made a decision in truth and I want to offer him information in a way he'll be able to take in. My usual routes to give someone protein alternatives are gone as a) I don't know where the heck to get tempeh or seitan here, and b) the hospital likely won't spring for that, and c) the cook probably won't know how to cook it. So it follows that I'll have to up beans and legumes. However, when I said, "You can't just drop meat and be fine, you need to find an alternative for the protein, like beans," to which he gave WTF face. I finally figured out he probably thinks I mean baked beans. So I need a good, basic primer, to give him information, and easy recipes that will not tax the cook. I don't think it's going to happen.

Thanks, Jenne, that's interesting. The Vegan Society do quite a bit of work on catering and I think they might be able to help you there--I can certainly see them being interested in the issue. I'm afraid I'm genuinely unaware whether the Vegetarian Society do something similar.

(If you're interested in nutrition generally, this is still the book to go for:

)

(Disclaimer: I don't know much about nutrition, but I'm pretty sure that this hasn't been superseded. Don't take my word for it, though.)

Ugh, too much work. I'm not being paid to read up on vegetarian diets in order to offer a menu to people who claimed to want to be vegetarian only to eat meat dishes over the weekend. In fact I know I will be dissuaded from taking this on. They won't hire a dietician, they certainly won't pay for vegan catering. This will be very useful, however, for my own edification.

Are there any renowned books that anyone could recommend? Or anything from this list?:

http://www.lfgss.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46331&stc=1&d=1321991266

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I recommend Das Sreedharan's first two books (there are meat recipes in the first one). I learned to cook using them. They're called 'Fresh Flavours of India' (Conran Octopus) and 'The New Tastes of India' (Headline). Between them, they contain most of the RASA recipes.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Hugh FW Veg book. It's very very good. I got it for my birthday a few weeks ago and have been eating from it just about every night. I can honestly say that the aubergine parmigana (sp) is amomg the best ever things i have eaten.
I'm a commited carnivore, but now having just turned 40, the middle aged man starts to think of his mortality and in my case eating more veg and much much less meat. Thanks to Hugh, i can see it's possible.

The Ottolenghi cookbook's ace if you can be bothered to source the ingredients.

I'm about to make this. If I can be bothered.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/23/udon-noodles-miso-walnut-ottolenghi?cat=lifeandstyle&type=article

mmm that looks great. Noodles + aubergine = win. I'm a terribly lazy vegetarian and rarely deviate from very basic meals :(

I don't like ottolenghi's-
I took an instant dislike to this phrase- paraphased:
[I think I'm the reason za'atar is now sold in supermarkets]

still- it does have good food, I just don't like reading it.

as its my only veggie cookbook- I use it a lot, and then simplify/ make cheaper replacements to all the recipes.

[this post makes me sound like a twat- I apologise]

I think it just makes you sound sensible. He does come across as a massively arrogant supercock sometimes and I've just replaced 150ml of dashi with water. Doesn't seem to've done it any harm.

his food tends to be great, but he comes across like most of the horrendous clientele in his Notting Hill restaurant.

amazing food, terrible service and the most pushy, self centered arseholes on the planet, it was like a room full of me's

mmm that looks great. Noodles + aubergine = win.

+68.6473

I think it just makes you sound sensible. He does come across as a massively arrogant supercock sometimes and I've just replaced 150ml of dashi with water. Doesn't seem to've done it any harm.

I'm sure it'll still be a dashing dish.

Over the weekend I saw two food programmes making (Cornish style) pasties. Both of them were meat ones.

I've not made one before but on the strength of the programmes I fancy having a go (and it might take care of lunch for the week).

Any suggestions for veggie fillings? I'm a little bit concerned that potato, onion and carrot for example might end up a little bit dry.

beetroot helps make veggie pasties awesome in do many ways.

olaf - how about lentil/pearl barley mix? (a bit like the commercial vegetarian haggis which are super nice)

mushrooms, kale and beetroot?

can you make a mexican pasty?

And if one of them was the Jamie Oliver pasty, I think if you just removed the meat it would be delicious!

beetroot helps make veggie pasties awesome in do many ways.

I love beetroot but didn't think of it. Thanks!

olaf - how about lentil/pearl barley mix? (a bit like the commercial vegetarian haggis which are super nice)

Again never occured to me - great idea. I can start that tonight, save some pastry and use it as a filling tomorrow.

mushrooms, kale and beetroot?

can you make a mexican pasty?

And if one of them was the Jamie Oliver pasty, I think if you just removed the meat it would be delicious!

I think it was Jamie Oliver (I was trying to remember where I had seen the programme, thanks for the memory jog). Good idea too!

To the kitchen.... (well, once work finishes)