Tips & Recipes For The New Vegetarian

You have finally decided to become a vegetarian; something you have been thinking about for sometime but were concerned about what you would eat. A lifetime diet of celery sticks and carrots was not appealing nor did you relish the idea of living off of potato chips and cola.

You found a few recipes, did some net surfing maybe bought a book or subscribed to a magazine and discovered there was more to eat than you had previously imagined.

If you have made it this far then let me help you take a few more steps. I recommend that if you do not already have a rice cooker or a slow cooker, then you, as soon as you can, get both.

It does not matter which you buy first, my preference would be the slow cooker because the possibilities are vast but a rice cooker allows you to make perfect rice every time and that rice can be used in a variety of dishes.

I make rice in the rice cooker and while it is cooking sometimes I add sesame seed oil or soya sauce. Sometimes, I add diced celery and onions.

I will also use the vegetable soup stock that I have set aside to cook the rice rather than to make soup; however, I frequently make enough vegetable soup stock to do both.

Stirred Fried Rice and Vegetables:

This is a basic dish and we often have rice left over because the rice cooker makes more than we eat at one meal. So when the unused rice has cooled, I put it in an airtight container and into the refrigerator for another day.

Ingredients:

1 cup already cooked rice

½ cup frozen peas

2 thinly sliced green onions

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup thinly sliced celery

½ cup sliced button mushrooms, use fresh if you can.

Soy sauce, black pepper, crushed chilies to taste.

Preparation:

1- In wok or frying pan add olive oil

2- Heat

3- Add celery, green onions, mushrooms

4- Cook five minutes

5- Add rice

6- Stir

7- Add frozen peas

8- Stir

9- Cook five minutes

10- Serve

11- Add soy sauce, chilies and pepper to taste

You can add the soy sauce and crushed chilies during the final minute of cooking.

A slow cooker is the ideal appliance for the person who wants to eat well but may be rushed for time in the evening. You can prepare the food ahead of time, when you have the time and then simply add the required ingredients to the slow cooker in the morning set the cooker at the appropriate temperature and go about your business.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew:

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes diced

2 large carrots sliced

1 cup diced turnips

1 diced onion

1 clove garlic finely sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups vegetable stock

Sea salt to taste.

Preparation:

Add all ingredients to slow cooker set on low. Cook six hours. You can add ¼ cup tomato sauce when you come home or about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. Also flavour with a hot sauce and black pepper.

The two recipes have a number of variations you can try. Use your imagination and enjoy.