Defining Taste in Vegetarian Cooking

If you mention vegetarian to any omnivore, the first image that pops in their head is usually one of tasteless and colorless foods and beverages. I know because I thought that way.  This is sad because after becoming a vegetarian, I’ve noticed that the foods I eat are actually more flavorful and delicious than any food I ate as a omnivore.

Vegetarian cooking is a fine balance of oils, salts, spices, seasonings and sauces. The key is finding your perfect balance using these elements. Personally, I enjoy incorporating olive oil, garlic, Italian seasonings, mustards and basil into almost all of my meals. I don’t use much salt or pepper; especially pepper since it tends to totally destroy the flavor of foods.

                       

You’d be surprised how some of the most delicious foods can often be the simplest to prepare.

Notice the bright red color of the strawberries below and the intense lime green color of the seeds. This is a result of placing fresh fruit into the freezer for about fifteen minutes, allowing them to thaw, then lightly coating them with vegetarian sugar. I do this primarily because it’s often difficult to find truly ripe strawberries especially when most fruits are now engineered genetically. This process creates a perfect balance of sweetness and flavor (bright red and slightly soft yet not with any serious skin damage, personal preference).

So if you’ve just now ventured into a vegetarian lifestyle, do not be discouraged. Find what you like and you’ll notice the possibilities are endless in regards to variety and taste.

                      

Is Honey Vegan?

By definition, no, honey is not vegan. While some that claim to be vegan incorporate honey into their diet, they’re not vegan. By definition, a vegan does not consume any animal, animal byproduct or product produced through animal exploitation. This includes bees and their honey.

                           

Personally, I think this makes veganism a bit of a contradiction because in today’s world, there is no possible way a person can find and consume food that has never affected any animal in a negative way. This is why I prefer to classify myself as a  “strict-vegetarian.” This does allow some exceptions like honey and some ingredients derived from dairy. While I classify myself as a strict-vegetarian, I still do not eat dairy, honey, egg and also stay away from chemical ingredients derived from animal. I also do not wear clothing made from animals and so on. A person would have to be a chemist to understand half the ingredients in today’s food so in most cases, it’s best to go raw-vegetarian.

But to remain on topic, for those of us who strive for perfection in our efforts to eat only vegetables, legumes, nuts and wheat; honey is a food that obviously exploits bees and very often kills bees during the retrieval of honey. All those labeling themselves as vegans should avoid honey. It’s that simple.

Vegan Sugar Means NO Bone Char!

Well, it took me some time, but after searching long and hard, I’ve found a sugar suitable for vegans: Florida Crystals.

                           

According to their web site, their sugar is “certified kosher“, “gluten free” and “suitable for vegans and vegetarians.” That means no animal bone char. No animal byproduct is used in the manufacturing of this sugar.

Don’t believe me? Check out the web site for yourself: Florida Crystals. This sugar is fantastic and definitely makes my oatmeal taste ten times more delicious.

Three Simple Reasons to Become a Vegetarian.

While I’d prefer everyone to be strict-vegetarians, otherwise known as vegans, I understand that in today’s society it can be difficult for some, but that’s no excuse to ignore the brutally barbaric way in which animals are killed for human consumption, the hazardous methods of animal breeding and the effects factory-farming has on the environment. I’d like to point out the reasons why having a vegetarian diet can be a universally compassionate, healthy and an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Most obvious to everyone, a major reason why people follow a vegetarian lifestyle is morality. If you’re capable of any deep type of ethical or compassionate thinking, you’d be a vegetarian. Many animals like, chickens, pigs, turkeys and especially cows are tightly confined in cages, kicked, stomped, punched, thrown and brutally tortured slowly when being killed. To factory-farms age is no factor as cow calves are kept in small, dark boxes later to be killed when they are deemed tender enough for human consumption in a form of meat called, veal.

Cows also branded at a very young age and suffer third degree burns as a result. They are given no painkillers and are often branded several times.  In the last few years we’ve even learned that many factory-farm employees actually enjoy torturing these poor animals. The torturous brutality in which the life is taken from farm animals is inexcusable and wrong.

But if you’re not phased by mindless torture, violence and death, you may consider a vegetarian diet due to the lower cholesterol levels and fewer blood pressure problems associated with the lifestyle. Vegetarians also have a much smaller chance of suffering heart attacks as well as preventing many other cardiovascular problems. Vegetarians are also less likely to develop heart disease and are even less likely to develop weight problems.

Slaughter houses are filled with bacteria, viruses and diseases like E coli, salmonella and especially mad cow disease. Mad cow disease is not only a concern for people but also a big concern for people’s pets considering that limbs of cows are used in cat, dog and farm animal food, which can risk spreading mad cow disease to our pets thus, further contaminating the food supply. These slaughter houses are extremely unclean and over the past decade have been linked to very serious outbreaks of disease prompting beef recalls and consequently resulting in criminal investigations.

To make things worse, most farm animals are genetically bred, hormone injected and fed genetically engineered grains fertilized from dead farm animals. These methods have not been thoroughly researched or tested. Because of this lack of knowledge humankind will not know the effects of eating these engineered foods for several generations. Some speculate that engineered food may even cause cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome and a vast number of serious birth defects. Indeed, eating meat is gambling with your health. You can never know if your food is infected with any disease until people die and there is an investigation.

If you find that you are still not convinced that a vegetarian lifestyle is right for you, consider the positive environmental impacts of a vegetarian lifestyle. The United Nations now considers livestock to be among the leading causes of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. It is globally understood now that factory farming is actually the leading cause of global warming; not cars or power-plants, but animals bred for human consumption.

If you choose vegetarianism it’s easy to feel good about yourself with the knowledge that you help to save hundreds if not thousands of animal lives by giving up meat. The more people give up meat, the more the demand for meat is reduced, prompting farms to scale down, thus, saving animal lives, reducing greenhouse emissions and reducing the contamination of soil and water supplies. A vegetarian lifestyle will lower the chance of being diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, kidney stones, etc. On an even more long-term, global scale, by choosing to live a vegetarian lifestyle a single person can make a significantly larger and more positive environmental impact on the planet even more so than equipping your home with solar panels or buying a hybrid vehicle. Not to mention that all the area used to house animals and grow their grain to feed them, could be used for crops to feed the entire planet. Enough said.

While an omnivore lifestyle may be more convenient, the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle are numerous and irrefutable. The Truth is evident, but you need a heart if you want to make a difference.

The Great Debate: Why Go Vegetarian?

Most scoff at the idea of becoming a vegetarian. But say there is a legitimate reason to laugh at the idea of embracing a vegetarian life style. What would that reasoning be?

Maybe some find it funny that a vegetarian diet has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and a number of other cardiovascular problems. Maybe because those who choose a vegetarian lifestyle are less prone to obesity and diabetes?. Or possibly that going vegetarian can actually prove more environmentally friendly than owning a hybrid vehicle?

I guess when you look at reasons like these, there is a wide range of topics to find amusing. But to be honest, I’d rather be laughed at and reduce my chance of having any of the above mentioned illnesses.

A vegetarian diet is not a concept that should be quickly shrugged off. If you gave it a chance, I’m confident you’d find it to be one of the healthiest and most rewarding aspects of your life.

For writings on politics and government, please check out my other blog at: The Curious American.