dabbling with vegetarianism.

[littleoldme]

I have decided that as a family we should be eating much less meat.

I am reasonably clueless about veggie recipies. I'm a competant cook but, along with the rest of the population, low on time and engergy.

Any inspiartion welcomed !

I speak as a second generation vegetarian and an enthusiastic cook. I think one of the most important aspects of vegetarian cooking is the use of spices and seasoning. If you don't, then it can be dreadfully bland thus leading to the bad reputation that vegetarian dishes are tasteless.

What sort of food do you generally like? For example, when you go out, what might you choose to eat? And what meat dishes do you eat?

Vegetarian food, esp. if you include dairy products like cheese and eggs, is quite adaptable. One simple meal that I do is pasta with a tomato sauce and some form of cooked pulses for protein. Own brand tins of pulses are usually not too expensive and only take 3-4 minutes of cooking. I usually add some form of bagged salad along with that.

The tomato sauce I like to use is quite simple and mostly to taste. I start by chopping and frying an onion, then I put any vegetable I choose in there (last time I did aubergine), fry that for a bit, add oregano and a bit of garlic, then the beans, a bit more oregano and garlic, then the tomato (can be fresh chopped or rinned chopped, doesn't matter). I let it simmer while the pasta cooks and when the pasta has cooked, either I mix the pasta in with the sauce or put both the pasta and the sauce on the table and people can mix and match. Up to you what to do.

Also, grated cheese is nice to put on top whatever type you choose. DH and I usually just have cheddar.

Hope this gives you a start.

Curries, tagines, casseroles and soups made from beans, lentils, chickpeas etc are a good way to go. Really cheap, too. I can give you some recipes if you like?

ReasonableDoubt, agree completely. Can't believe I left those out. In fact, littleoldme, I owe you a debt. I was in a dilemma over what to cook tonight and your request for inspiration inspired me! So thank you!

I think it depends a lot on what styles of cooking you like to follow. If you do a lot of English roast-and-two-veg you might need to think quite differently. Curry, on the other hand, is really easy to translate (just use chick peas instead of meat, and slightly more spices - and halloumi can make an interesting substitute for panir). Greek or Middle Eastern mezze-type meals are very easy to low-meat or vegetarianise and, in summer, you can get away with only cooking one item and making the rest "cold assembly" dishes like bean salads that are rather less work.

Mexican, though traditionally very meaty, is easy to veggie-adapt. Kidney beans in veggie stock and a bit more cumin (I tend to say "more cumin" rather a lot) substitute easily for the beef element in chilli or in wrap fillings.

Then again, some things aren't genre at all. I like cannelini bean and caramelised pumpkin soup and that doesn't rely on pastiching a country's cooking at all (as far as I know!)

Give me a clue about the sort of thing you like and I'll see if I can come up with any recipes.

(LLKH's husband)

I suggest buying Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, he also has a column in the Guardian weekend. He's not a vegetarian but does many vege recipes and they are really interesting but very accessible.
I used to hate artichoke and DH wouldn't even try but now we both like it thanks to this recipe

We eat around 70% vegetarian for health reasons and our everyday favourites include:

1. Curry - a tablespoon of Patak's paste, onion, tomatoes and various combos of veg - we have even tried swede Sometimes we add coconut milk for a creamy version.

1. Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

1. Lentil stew with carrots and other veg

1. Various pasta dishes with a tomato-based sauce and veg

1. Veggie pizza (sprouts (!), red/yellow peppers, courgette, spinach etc)

1. Salmon and sweet potato fishcakes (if you still eat fish)

1. Fritatta / Tortilla with feta cheese and cherry tomatoes

1. Goats cheese and red pepper quiche

And have a look for info and recipes on The Vegetarian Society's website: www.vegsoc.org

Thanks so much everyone. I went and did an almost meat free weekly shop today and saved a fortune.
BL - thanks , I'll check out that link.

PF - Will try a curry, also found a spinach and ricotta recipie in Delia that i like the look of too.

NH - I'd love some good curry recipes. I'm also a big fan of mexican.

RD - any recipies gratefully received , especially slow cooker friendly ones.

Thanks so much everyonex

Dear LittleOldMe

OK, Mexican. In a veggie form you basically need to base it on the beans, so the peripheral things (salsas etc) might need a bit more work than with a meaty main. Two things I find helpful...

FANCY REFRIED BEANS

Basic refried beans are probably already rather familiar. I prefer kidney beans to more-authentic pinto as they're more substantial. Anyway, I reckon it's worth souping them up a bit in a veggie rendition, maybe like this: (allow 40mins)

• Boil up suitable quantity of kidney beans (per packet) or rinse the contents of 2 cans
• Finely chop 2 onions, gently fry in sunflower oil (or olive is fine, you won't need to get it really hot) in a big heavy-based pan (cast-iron is good if you have one).
• When the onions are turning translucent, add lots of ground cumin, stir to oil-coat the cumin, then chuck in the beans.
• Turn it all over quickly, then add a modest amount (a cupful or so) of strong hot stock* or, lacking that, hot water + celery salt + garlic powder.
• Also throw in dried oregano at this stage. Simmer down.
• In the process, stomp some/all of the beans with a potato masher. This may absorb all your liquid rather quickly so have a spot of hot water left in the kettle to top up.
• The tricky bit is the transition back to frying. As it gets almost dry enough to stick, pop a bit more oil in and stir vigorously. Garlic would be appropriate at this point. Once it's back in "frying mode" turn it right down.
• You can fry in some chopped tomato and cumin seeds and add a spot of beer at this stage if so inclined.
• Stir chopped fresh coriander through just before stirring.

Serve in wraps (or on tortilla chips) with some permutation of salad, cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, salsa (of the fresh chopped variety) and/or guacamole as ambitions and budget permit. In a pinch you can skip everything bar the salad and either cheese or sour cream. Creme fraiche with a spot of lime juice (spare some from the salsa) or white wine vinegar substitutes rather nicely for sour cream if unavailable, and is healthier and probably cheaper. I find it dangerously easy to blow the budget on a lot of fresh avocados, nice cheeses, and posh tomatoes with Mex if entertaining.

*(Marigold bouillon is the best widely available veggie stock powder; be very wary of Knorr/Oxo as they tend to put MSG in, ugh! I reckon it's worth paying for the good stuff but, having said that, Tescos economy cubes are surprisingly OK).

STRICTLY INAUTHENTIC RAJAS CON QUESO

You should have big, mild poblano chillies for these, but they're pricy and hard to get. So, cheating interpretation with sweet bell peppers and added chilli: (allow 30mins)

• Slice two or three red peppers into 1/4" x 2" (ish) strips. Start slow-frying in sunflower oil (or other temperature-tolerant oil). Stir occasionally, but also neglect enough to allow to scorch just a little. Slowly reduce the heat.
• As they start to look soft and cooked, throw in a moderate quantity of mild chilli powder and chilli flakes. Stir well and back the heat right down. Depending on how much oil the chilli powder soaked up you may need a spot more. If you're somewhere with Turkish supermarkets, Pul Biber chilli flakes have much more flavour per unit of heat** than the rather seedy chilli flakes found in Tesco/Sainsburys, and don't need more oil either.
• Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, turn out a tub of ricotta or curd cheese. (Substitution at this step is dangerous, most of my attempts have lead to a very bad texture). Mix in a goodly splash of white wine vinegar, finely chopped spring onions and coriander or parsley, and a little sour cream if available. Beat with a fork until fairly broken up, fluid and homogenous.
• Add a few cloves of garlic to the peppers and stir in until cooked, just a few minutes.
• Then stir in the cheese mix. Return to bubbling heat and serve.

I like to serve this one on brown rice cooked with cumin and beans thrown in at the end, with fresh spinach salad and tortilla chips as sides. Plus extra fiddly bits if there are guests.

**Apparently that's a Scoville.