Anybody else a vegetarian?

hawaiianbass

Hey all,

I recently made the decision to become a vegetarian and was just wondering if there are any other vegetarians or vegans around. If you don't mind sharing how did you make the transition?

CK

phobicsquirrel

how can one give up steak or pork chops.... mmmmm I'm tired but now hungry.. But I do like greens and fruits just I need meat. Everyone has their tastes..

Jetmech_63

Or Bacon!

hawaiianbass

phobicsquirrel:

how can one give up steak or pork chops.... mmmmm I'm tired but now hungry.. But I do like greens and fruits just I need meat. Everyone has their tastes..

Thinking about eating meat is a bit nauseating for me now.

I used to enjoy a steak and what not. Lately I haven't been eating meat just because I haven't had the desire too but then I watched a movie last week that pushed me over the edge so to speak.

I completly agree that everyone has their own tastes.

CK

kuzi16

i am not a vegetarian

however, because my wife and I keep kosher, we end up eating vegetarian on a regular basis. our freezer has a plethora of Morning Star Farms products in it. we also go out to eat at many places that have a wide vegetarian selection.
our favorite section in the grocery store is the produce section.

betasynn

My favorite section of the store is the fruit and vegetable section, but my next favorite is the cereal section. I could never be a vegetarian because I love meat too much, and yeah, I know she said that. But I also love fish, since I grew up in connecticut during the summers and fished a hell of a lot there.

bigharpoon

Go for it, it's really not that hard. Especially now with grocery stores and restaurants all having vegetarian options. I haven't eaten meat in over 15 years, although I bet I still have a little undigested steak in my colon.

The meat that is available now is nothing like the meat we grew up on or our parents ate. It is filled with growth hormones, steroids and anti-biotics. Animals are on medicine to keep them from dying because the feed we give them also gives them disease. So do their living environments, etc., etc. I don't feel sorry for them or believe they are poor, tortured souls, it's just gross and toxic. Fish is also toxic and they are being rapidly depleted from our oceans. In Maine it is recommended to only eat one fish a month. One! That's terrible.

Making the switch for me was as easy as learning the true state of animal products and over-fishing. I don't miss meat at all, and my favorite vegetable used to be hamburg! It's a personal decision but really being a vegetarian is not that hard and getting sufficient protein is way easier than people make it out to be. I'm a very physical guy and not eating meat doesn't hold me back at all. In fact, as soon as I stopped eating meat the first thing I noticed was how much more energy I had. There are tons of great cook books out there for veggie fare. Good luck.

Also- be aware of GM (genetically modified) foods. This is especially important as a vegetarian because a lot of meat substitutes are soy based and soy is America's #1 GM product.

kuzi16

bigharpoon:

The meat that is available now is nothing like the meat we grew up on or our parents ate. It is filled with growth hormones, steroids and anti-biotics. Animals are on medicine to keep them from dying because the feed we give them also gives them disease. So do their living environments, etc., etc. I don't feel sorry for them or believe they are poor, tortured souls, it's just gross and toxic.

this is actually one of the reasons why i will never switch back to eating "regular" meat instead of kosher meat. A kosher animal, by Jewish law, has to be 100% grain fed and not hormone or steroid therapy. the animal must be able to walk itself to the chopping block unaided. i find it to be higher quality meat, but more expensive.


there really are some very good veggie cook books out there. I have a few things that i make all the time. it also doesnt hurt that there is a vegan restaurant just down the street from me.
all i have to say is :
mmmm grilled watermelon ....

Jdorais

hawaiianbass:

Hey all,

I recently made the decision to become a vegetarian and was just wondering if there are any other vegetarians or vegans around. If you don't mind sharing how did you make the transition?

CK

Good for you! I have this idea to be a vegitarian as well, but I don't think I could go total vegan. I only eat red meat about once a month now, down from 2-3 days a week with the goal of zero to be set soon. However it is BBQ season and when I smell that hick'ry smoke I just want to throw some ribs in the smoker, pour a few tumblers of vodka, light a stick and .... oh man I've got to go have BBQ for lunch today.

jihiggs

when I eat healthy, my dinner consists of mostly vegitables. I have a pretty small portion of meat with it, but breakfast and lunch are a different mannor. I am on a basicaly diabetic diet most of the time, even though I do not have diabetes, I eat low carbs high protein. when I work out, I need high levels of protein in my diet, I dont see how you can get this out of tofu, beans and nuts. you CAN get that much protein that way, but its really not healthy. soy has a lot of plant estrogen, NOT good for people in large ammounts. beans are pretty good, but you dont want to be in the same room with me. nuts are so high in fat compared to lean meat its not even funny. I used to know quite a few vegitarians, and I dont recall any of them being particularly healthy. they were all pale all the time, and very low on energy, this is especialy true of the vegans I knew. those people looked dead all the time and were always angry.

Garen B

Didn't know we had so many vegetarians on the boards, but sadly, I find it a bit hard to give up pollo asada, especially when I can get the real stuff from this mexican grocery store a few miles from me. I do have a lot of vegetarian friends though, I have tried it, didn't really appeal to me though.

Dang it, now I want to go to Chipotle for a burrito.

hawaiianbass

Thanks for the support guys.

I'm finding cutting out dairy is difficult. Meat and eggs were pretty easy because I never ate that much in the first place.

For those who cook vegetarian what are some of your favorite recipies? I experimented a little and made a killer spaghetti pizza.

Jihiggs: I knew about soy and the estrigen so I'm staying away from that. Since I started eating vegetarian I feel a lot better than I used too.

CK

brc81

I'm closer to a meatatarian. I probably eat too much meat, but if you guys are going to swap some recipes post them up on the boards. I'm always looking for new recipes to throw in the dinner rotation.

bigharpoon

Here's a recipe we love to eat for breakfast. It's fast, easy and delicious:

1/2 onion diced
2-3 garlic clove diced
1 C Grits
1.5 C boiling water
1/2 C cheese of your choice
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1 can Black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can corn (drained)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease square pan 8x8ish.

2. Saute onion and garilic.

3. Empty grits into square pan; stir in boiling water; stir in cheese and egg; continue stirring until cheese is melted; stir in saute, beans, toms,corn.

4. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until firm. yummy

blustar4life

Garen B:

.

Dang it, now I want to go to Chipotle for a burrito.

dude, Chipotle Rocks!! I could eat there everyday!

hawaiianbass

bigharpoon:

Here's a recipe we love to eat for breakfast. It's fast, easy and delicious:

1/2 onion diced
2-3 garlic clove diced
1 C Grits
1.5 C boiling water
1/2 C cheese of your choice
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1 can Black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can corn (drained)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease square pan 8x8ish.

2. Saute onion and garilic.

3. Empty grits into square pan; stir in boiling water; stir in cheese and egg; continue stirring until cheese is melted; stir in saute, beans, toms,corn.

4. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until firm. yummy

That looks pretty good. If I try it I'll have to use an egg substitute though.

CK

Jetmech_63

Substitute the grits and water for corned beef hash:)

Luko

Jetmech_63:

Substitute the grits and water for corned beef hash:)

Perfect...well, perfect if you also substitute the black eyed peas with bacon. Then it's perfect.

Jetmech_63

Wow! Well played sir!

hawaiianbass

Jetmech_63:

Substitute the grits and water for corned beef hash:)

That sounds disgusting to me.

CK

MAJORdorMo

I was a vegetarian for about a year because of a girl ^_^

It wasn't too difficult for me and I'm glad I did it because now I know that if I need to change my diet for medical reasons, I know that I can.

When I was a vegetarian, I always just cut up a shitton of vegetables into a bowl and put some dressing on em. It never got old!

kuzi16

MAJORdorMo:

I was a vegetarian for about a year because of a girl ^_^

worst. reason. ever.

MAJORdorMo:

I always just cut up a shitton of vegetables into a bowl and put some dressing on em. It never got old!

thats my favorite snack.


when i get home (if i remember) ill post a great veggie pasta dish that i like during passover. it works well all year round though.

im gettin hungry just thinkin about it.

hawaiianbass

MAJORdorMo:

I was a vegetarian for about a year because of a girl ^_^

I knew a guy who changed religions because of a girl he was interested in. I think they only dated for a week.

CK

Krieg

I have been a vegertarian for 31 years...(my entire life) but not by choice...in fact...it's because I can't eat protein...so trust me when I say that there are plenty of things to eat that aren't meat

PuroFreak

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

gmill880

PuroFreak:

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

PURO YOU PERVERT !!! Where ya been lately man ...hadn't seen ya around much ...

PuroFreak

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

PURO YOU PERVERT !!! Where ya been lately man ...hadn't seen ya around much ...

Spent the last 4 days moving. I'm back at work now, just so damn sore I can't hardly move! haha It's hell getting old.

gmill880

PuroFreak:

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

PURO YOU PERVERT !!! Where ya been lately man ...hadn't seen ya around much ...

Spent the last 4 days moving. I'm back at work now, just so damn sore I can't hardly move! haha It's hell getting old.

Moving is a biatchh in and of itself I hate doing that haha. But now I just call a moving company for the big stuff , furniture , etc. that takes some of the sting outta it cause when you get my age buddy you accumulate a lotta chit !!!

PuroFreak

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

PURO YOU PERVERT !!! Where ya been lately man ...hadn't seen ya around much ...

Spent the last 4 days moving. I'm back at work now, just so damn sore I can't hardly move! haha It's hell getting old.

Moving is a biatchh in and of itself I hate doing that haha. But now I just call a moving company for the big stuff , furniture , etc. that takes some of the sting outta it cause when you get my age buddy you accumulate a lotta chit !!!

Yea, I know what ya mean! I should have paid some movers to do it. We have a ton of stuff with me, the wife, and the little one. Plus the day we were moving all the big stuff we had some major storms hit the area. You might have seen the storms on the news because they caused the Cowboys practive facility at Valley Ranch to collapse. That was when we were right in the middle of moving.

gmill880

PuroFreak:

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

gmill880:

PuroFreak:

I'm a VAGitatian! Does that count??

PURO YOU PERVERT !!! Where ya been lately man ...hadn't seen ya around much ...

Spent the last 4 days moving. I'm back at work now, just so damn sore I can't hardly move! haha It's hell getting old.

Moving is a biatchh in and of itself I hate doing that haha. But now I just call a moving company for the big stuff , furniture , etc. that takes some of the sting outta it cause when you get my age buddy you accumulate a lotta chit !!!

Yea, I know what ya mean! I should have paid some movers to do it. We have a ton of stuff with me, the wife, and the little one. Plus the day we were moving all the big stuff we had some major storms hit the area. You might have seen the storms on the news because they caused the Cowboys practive facility at Valley Ranch to collapse. That was when we were right in the middle of moving.

Man that blows ...

hawaiianbass

Putting this thread back on track...

I found a sorbet recipie that looks good.

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
4 cups whole strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2 Tbsp. orange juice
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until reduced by one-fourth. Remove from the heat and cool.
In a blender, combine the strawberries and the orange juice until smooth. Press through a fine sieve.
In a large bowl, combine with the sugar mixture. Cover and freeze until set.
Whisk until smooth, freeze for an additional hour, and whisk again. Repeat twice.
Serve when creamy.

I might try to make this over the weekend.

CK