Life goes on

Oh my goodness, I'm horrified at how lax I've been with new posts. I'm sure everyone can relate, but life the past few months has been ridiculously crazy. I got a job, lost a job, moved three times, took a vacation, and gained a brand new nephew. 

         
                  Hello there, Caden Lucas, 
                       and welcome to Aunties blog :)

I'm currently living with my sister and brother in law, helping them where I can, and enjoying watching my nephews first weeks. Though its making life a bit more complicated, I'm happy to get to spend as much time with him as I do, and that I can help them.

So while going through this crazy little bump in my life, I started to think...what's the point of this blog? What am I gaining from it? Or, better question, what are you gaining from it? Is there even a you out there? Am I talking to myself? Probably. But I would like to think that there was some point to this blog. I was considering this while cooking dinner for my sister, who eats meat. That's right, I cooked meat. Touched it and everything. It started out innocently enough, just microwaving some budget meals. Then I started making real, honest to goodness food. At first I used latex free gloves, which worked pretty well for me. Then one afternoon, I decided to be brave (more like lazy. I couldn’t find the gloves, and didn’t have the patience to turn the kitchen upside in a frenzied attempt at locating them) so I took a deep breath, hiked up my pants (figuratively) and took the plunge. Though the experience was very uncomfortable, and I did suppress my gag reflex several times, it wasn’t quite the traumatic experience I expected it to be. By the fourth day of cooking, I was even able to suppress the urge to vomit, and only wash my hands every five minutes, instead of two. Then came the harrowing, gut wrenching experience of dumping raw ground turkey all over my arms. That’s a long story that I’ll save for another day, but let’s just say it consists of several minutes of yelling, hysterical sobbing, and several unsavory words.

But back to the topic at hand. What is the point of this blog? Since first starting this, I’ve come upon several other blogs similar to mine. Vegetarians talking about being a vegetarian cooking vegetarian food. So what would make mine different? And then I remembered the premise: a vegetarian, in a primarily carnivores world. What does that look like? How does it work? Unless your life is filled with nothing but other herbivores (ha!) you’re bound to end up in some situation, at some point, in which you have to somehow bridge the gap between these two worlds and, yes, cook meat. Whether helping a family member or falling in love with a meat eater, it’s going to happen. Trust me. So how do you handle that situation? How do you get through it? How do you cook, when you can’t taste test anything you’re cooking?

Boo-ya, I’ve found my blog. Though it would be ideal for everyone in my life to be vegetarian, this is hilariously presumptuous. The fact is, I can’t control other people’s choices. I can’t pick my family; I wouldn’t change my friends for anything. And eventually, I will meet my soul mate, the man that God created just for me, and I will love him, whether he heats meet or tofu. Would it be ideal if he shared the same issues with meat as I do? Of course! But I’m not going to throw him away even if he doesn’t.

So there you have it, that’s my blog. The honest, no holds diary of a vegetarian. Surrounded by amazing; beautiful, lovely, meat eating people that God blessed her with, and wouldn’t change that for anything :).

So even though I'm still not quite sure if anyone's reading this, I'll do my best to make a real commitment to it.

The Basics of Substitution

When most people think of being a vegetarian, their mind immediately flashes to lettuce, beans, rice, and bland soggy tofu. While this may have been the case 5-10 years ago, it isn’t anymore. Our generation is spoiled-- in a very good way. We now have a substitute for, well, just about everything. In fact, yesterday I encountered something new (to me at least)—soy chorizo. That’s right ladies and gentleman; we can now enjoy meatless chorizo. How awesome is that? They truly have thought of everything. You name it, there’s a substitute.

So while a decade ago being a Vegetarian might have meant sacrificing flavor, it now means enjoying meatless delights.

In this blog I hope to dispel the age old stigma that meatless means tasteless, and along the way share my experiences and any tips I can.

So let’s go over some basic meat replacements. One of my favorite brands is Morningstar Farms. 

Morningstar Farms

They have a replacement for just about everything. Here are a few of my favorites:

Meat Crumbles- These are the perfect replacement for ground beef. They can be used in anything from homemade chili to tacos. Simply heat it up on the stove and add your seasoning.

I love these. They can be used in lettuce wraps or by themselves. A quick snack or even crumbled over salad. But beware, these little guys pack quite a punch. So if you aren't a fan of spicy, steer clear.

These are amazing in fajitas! They also have "steak" strips, though I couldn't find a picture of them. I love the fry both kinds up, add some bell peppers onions and mushrooms, throw in some fajita seasoning and viola, you have fajitas. Of course, they can be used for other things too, but we'll get into that later.

 These are such great little snacks, tasty and quick.

I'm still on the fence about these guys. They're a pretty good imitation, but not necessarily the best. I'm still experimenting, attempting to figure out the secret to making them as close to the real thing as possible.

These are great for breakfast. With some eggs and toast, or even crumbled up and used in some biscuits and gravy.

These are amazing! They can either be used in burgers, or just cut up and served with salad and bread. Delicious! 

These are awesome! My local market no longer carries them, so I'm on the lookout for another store that stocks it.

Now let’s talk about my all-time favorite meat replacement, which can be used as a substitute for just about everything—Tofu. Unfortunately, this versatile source of protein has gotten a bad rap over the years. Most people cringe when they think of Tofu, which is usually due to its appearance. Let’s face it, uncooked Tofu looks disgusting. Of course, uncooked meat isn’t exactly esthetically pleasing either, but anyone who eats meat knows that it’s all in how it’s prepared. The same goes for Tofu. If you don’t know how to cook it, Tofu can be downright disgusting.  So if you’ve tried Tofu, and think it’s not for you, let’s go over a few basics and see if we can’t turn that around J

I get asked quite often if there’s a certain “miracle” brand of Tofu….the answer is NO. In my experience, the brand doesn’t matter, but rather the type.

Have you ever stood in the middle of a grocery store, staring at the Tofu section, and feeling completely lost?

 I’ve been there, and it took some interesting “experiments” before I figured out the secret. It’s called Extra Firm. This is the key to well cooked, yummy Tofu, and soggy prevention.

So to sum it up, the secret to good Tofu lies not in the brand, but the type. Later we’ll get into proper cooking to insure your meal doesn’t end up with bits of sogginess in it.

There are many other meat substitutes available; these are just a few of my favorites. As I go along in this blog, I’ll continue to introduce you to more as I try them.