[Stanley-RN2B]

Originally Posted by Tweety

I think the tofu in Chinese restaurants is deep fat fried. To get a chew texture try freezing it in the box. After thawing it becomes like a sponge and you can squeeze the tofu out like a sponge in your hand. This provides a more chewy texture when cooked.

I love tofu and eat a tofu stir fry probably weekly.

The restaurant I use doesn't deep fry. It is actually 2 restaurants next to each other. A Chinese one and Veggie one. Everything they have is non or low fat and they limit the frying and other unhealthy things that restaurants usually to do. They don't deep fry and they don't have what you'd expect from a typical Chinese restaurant.

I mainly eat veggie for the weight loss and correcting 20ish years of bad eating habits. No ethical dilemma for me. I may or may not add meat back into my diet later on but right now I am focusing on the balanced diet that being veggie forces me to be.

[jkal]

Another way to get that chewy texture for tofu is to "dry fry" it--after pressing out the water for an hour or so, put it in a non-stick pan (or a well-seasoned pan) and press it, cook for a while, flip it, press it some more. It will get golden on the outside, and a lot of the water cooks out, then you can add any sauce you want! Yum!

[jkal]

Thanks, Tweety, for so eloquently explaining the protein situation. I get so tired of that question, too--and from people who should know the basics of nutrition! I like your response, and I'll be tempted to use it myself!

[MaineEMT2RN]

You have to love that protein question. I always tell people I get it from the same place elephants and cows do - from things that grow! Think about it...if plants contain enough nutrients to adequately sustain these massive, powerful animals, surely a human can manage.

And you never hear of anyone getting sick from mad tofu disease.

[Jaguar Boy]

Originally Posted by MaineEMT2RN

And you never hear of anyone getting sick from mad tofu disease.

That's great! I love it

[Tweety]

Good article here: The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet

[Tweety]

Another good article: http://www.enviroveggie.com/

[AussieTina]

I had a yummy dinner tonight, veges in a satay sauce with couscous. quick, easy to make and yummy

I have recently bought a new cookbook "OXFAM: the community aid abroad vegetarian cookbook" it has reciepes from all over the world, very interesting. Now all I need is the time to cook some of the recipies

http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/products/81456/81473

[Jaguar Boy]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Good article here: The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet

Tweety,

Thanks for posting that article. It raises some really good points about the use of grains and a couple of thoughts came to my mind.

Feeding corn to cattle: Cattle evolved to eat grasses, weeds and wild flowers, plants which have a very high fiber content...thus their four stomachs and being ruminants. Corn fed cattle can develop painful digestive conditions since corn has such a high sugar content and they don't digest it well. Also, corn has been cheap because it has been supported by the availability of cheap fossil fuels...

Biofuels: This one is interesting for me...Again corn has been cheap because fossil fuels have been cheap (and I think too there is a certain amount of government subsidy involved in corn pricing)...so, I can't see how grains can be sustainable biofuels.

I read an interesting article about a guy who had converted his car to run on left over McDonald's cooking oil!

On another note, I made an awesome spinach sauce for pasta last night. I sauteed some onions and lots of garlic, put the spinach in. Once the spinach was cooked down, I drained some, but not all, of the water and put it into the blender. I added some fresh basil leaves and some butter (but I think Olive oil would work well too) and whirred it all together. Mmmm.....It was so good! I had it over pasta...next time i might try adding some fresh firm tofu...I think it would be good with a naan or injera bread.

[7daysatsea]

Great thread idea!

I was also a "flexitarian" for many years since age 13 (I'm 26).
Around age 22, I became a full-fledged vegetarian and am now interested in moving on to vegan.

Mostly out of health interests (I've always been sort of semi-destined to be a health nut) and interests in animal rights.

When making the transition, I would give up one or two dishes I loved per week. I was a big fan of spaghetti and meat balls (the actual hardest thing to go without!) and so, for a week, I basically ate nothing but that. Then after that - it was easier. I never much cared for red meat or fish. Chicken was pretty hard to let go.

Now it all seems like an afterthought. And I'm much happier and guilt-free. And my weight seems way more manageable.