Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Veggie "Burgers" (???)
Allow me to preface this post with a disclaimer. I am at home sick. Not mega sick, but missing class to get all the sleep I couldn't get tossing and turning last night. Outside the weather is cool and grey. This is the perfect day for chicken noodle soup and I have simply found no substitute for it. I have subsisted all day on vegetable thins instead. For this reason my post my be a bit lacking in pep.
Fresh BBQ Burger with Salad
This burger is vastly different from those described below. For one it is not really a fast food burger but a sort restaurant burger. Fresh is an odd mix of juice bar and diner style food joint which fits into that vast category of 'casual dining'. I thought it was important to include this since it will be the only option coming from a radically pro-vegetarianism establishment.
The burger is served with BBQ sauce, tomatoes and lettuce as well as two of the house onion rings. You can pick salad or fries as your side and the menu offers the option of getting your burger without the bun. This seemed a bit odd until I received my selection and was faced with the largest burger bun ever. Not just a massive kaiser which easily squishes beneath your fingers... no this bun was really a round Loaf of springy, resistant whole wheat bread. It was nice bread, topped with seeds and oats and very flavorsome, but it was definitely the worst case scenario in burger eating.
Inside the Loaf I found two massive MASSIVE onion rings also contributing to the impossibility of eating my burger. They are battered, believe it or not, in Quinoa. I decided to eat these and then try to get at the burger. They were amazing, unreal good. Very dark and crispy exterior with absolutely no grease but a perfect level of moisture and perfectly oniony exterior. I could eat these every single day and never miss a hashbrown or a curly fry. The had also picked up a bit of the house made BBQ sauce which was tasty and delicious. Classically, I can't be satisfied calling it a BBQ sauce since it was much too light and tangy. There was no tomato, smoke or molasses base to it and that is simply not BBQ to me. This sauce was partnered with a vegan mayonnaise and the fear of wondering what mystery substance was used to replace the egg and end up with the exact texture of mayonnaise made me ignore it completely.
The burger patty itself was disappointing to me. Along the lines of the BBQ sauce it tasted good but I can't consider it a burger. It was crumbly and awkward inside the Loaf. Crispy exterior clashed with mushy interior in an unnatural way and in the end it was easier just to break off bits and eat it like a side dish.
This experience raises one question for me: if you wont have meat on your burger why make a burger at all?
The Omnivore's Herbivore's Dilemma
This post is inspired by The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan which I received for my birthday and is an excellent read.
Being a vegetarian has thrown my whole system of deciding what to eat out of whack. I am not a person who very often has a gut feeling about what I would like to eat. Craving, hankering or lusting after a particular food is a rare phenomenon for me (and one, I might add, that is not to be trifled with when it does occur) and so I have had to work out a way of whittling down my options for any given meal. This is a system of logic and elimination that enables me to make decisions about food, without relying on the ever-elusive ‘preference’. The problem is that, without strong inclination towards any one thing, and as a person who will eat almost anything, everything is an option and I could quite easily end up in a situation where I buy ten different things and have a bite of each if I’m not careful.
This system revolves around meat. If possible, I would rather avoid eating the same meat for two, or sometimes three, consecutive meals. So, given the luxury of planning my meals I would choose to have a rotation of meats (fish, chicken, beef, pork, lamb on occasion) for dinner, having red meat maybe once or twice a week, and then I would design my lunches accordingly. I also don’t like to have foods of the same ethnicity in too close a proximity – Chinese food for dinner on two consecutive nights is a problem for me. Leftovers are an exception to this rule.
The next level of this is starch selection. I’m not going to have potato in two consecutive meals, even if one is baked and the other is fried. I also like to plan meals with ethnically appropriate starch – just because it’s easier from a cooking perspective to make something Chinese to go with rice noodles than it is to try and incorporate them into an Indian dish. The rotation of starches is potato, bread, pasta, couscous, rice, and Asian noodles. Pasta and Asian noodles are pretty cuisine specific whereas rice is good for Chinese, Thai or Indian and so will appear in my menu rotation more often than pasta.
Sometimes there will be an event happening in the week that I can work out the rest of my meals from – for example I am having lamb on Easter Sunday. So breaking that down into my criteria, that becomes lamb, English, potato. Therefore, Monday night might be chicken, Italian, pasta. Or fish, Indian, rice. But nothing with fries, red meat, gravy or anything roasted. Based on that selection, I can make my lunch and dinner choices for the next day and into the rest of the week. This is my preferred situation and so, if you want to make me happy for a week, decide what I should eat for one meal and I can work out the rest.
As I’m sure you can imagine, this makes going to a restaurant something of a stressful experience for me and those around me because, unless I’ve already had a chance to review the menu, and in the absence of a ‘little-bit-of-everything’ option, I have to go through this process at the table in a short amount of time. The menu itself serves as a natural option limiter, but I have to make quick decisions about starter and main pairings that won’t overlap too closely, whilst considering what I ate for the previous meal and what I anticipate eating at the next (and possibly the meal after that). This is the only way I can ever make a decision about what to order. Well, besides other people becoming (understandably) impatient and forcing me to make a panic decision by calling the waiter over and telling them that we are ready (this never ends well). “John, I’m starving – can we please order?” is a phrase that I am sorely familiar with.
So, now that you are familiar with my process of menu deduction, I’m sure that you can understand that taking meat out of this equation has been quite a shock. In some ways, it is a boon because less options means less decisions to make. Going to Subway, for example, I only have a choice of two sandwiches – picking one of them doesn’t take much brain power. And I can’t have parmesan and oregano bread because it has gelatine in it…but I wouldn’t have it anyway because it’s a double whammy of words that I sound and feel ridiculous saying in Canada.
The downside of this is that it’s harder to find variety whilst fulfilling my nutritional requirements. Having a different type of bean in two meals isn’t quite the same as having a different meat is it? And some cuisines are completely out of the question - Pho, BBQ, Mcdonald’s (yes it is its own cuisine type), and Korean Grill are a few things that, though I wouldn’t necessarily eat them usually anyway, I can’t even consider them now and I find that difficult. Now that they are off limits, it’s like all I can think about it that steamy hot soup with the tender meat cooking in it. So I have discovered that being limited in this manner is not something that I enjoy – one of the things I love about Toronto is how many options there are for everything. And I have a process that I laboriously worked out over many conversations with my patient sister! I don’t need any limitations beyond the idiosyncrasy of my own mind.
I think that I have come to some sort of balance with it – at first I felt like I was on a diet, as well as being vegetarian. It was just the sense of limitation that put me into automatic diet mode – why else would you limit yourself unless to stop getting fat after all? But now I’m tucking in to a reasonable amount of cheese and fried goods and so the constraints of vegetarianism are manageable. I hate to think what’s going to happen when I’m back to being an omnivore though…so many options…
John
Being a vegetarian has thrown my whole system of deciding what to eat out of whack. I am not a person who very often has a gut feeling about what I would like to eat. Craving, hankering or lusting after a particular food is a rare phenomenon for me (and one, I might add, that is not to be trifled with when it does occur) and so I have had to work out a way of whittling down my options for any given meal. This is a system of logic and elimination that enables me to make decisions about food, without relying on the ever-elusive ‘preference’. The problem is that, without strong inclination towards any one thing, and as a person who will eat almost anything, everything is an option and I could quite easily end up in a situation where I buy ten different things and have a bite of each if I’m not careful.
This system revolves around meat. If possible, I would rather avoid eating the same meat for two, or sometimes three, consecutive meals. So, given the luxury of planning my meals I would choose to have a rotation of meats (fish, chicken, beef, pork, lamb on occasion) for dinner, having red meat maybe once or twice a week, and then I would design my lunches accordingly. I also don’t like to have foods of the same ethnicity in too close a proximity – Chinese food for dinner on two consecutive nights is a problem for me. Leftovers are an exception to this rule.
The next level of this is starch selection. I’m not going to have potato in two consecutive meals, even if one is baked and the other is fried. I also like to plan meals with ethnically appropriate starch – just because it’s easier from a cooking perspective to make something Chinese to go with rice noodles than it is to try and incorporate them into an Indian dish. The rotation of starches is potato, bread, pasta, couscous, rice, and Asian noodles. Pasta and Asian noodles are pretty cuisine specific whereas rice is good for Chinese, Thai or Indian and so will appear in my menu rotation more often than pasta.
Sometimes there will be an event happening in the week that I can work out the rest of my meals from – for example I am having lamb on Easter Sunday. So breaking that down into my criteria, that becomes lamb, English, potato. Therefore, Monday night might be chicken, Italian, pasta. Or fish, Indian, rice. But nothing with fries, red meat, gravy or anything roasted. Based on that selection, I can make my lunch and dinner choices for the next day and into the rest of the week. This is my preferred situation and so, if you want to make me happy for a week, decide what I should eat for one meal and I can work out the rest.
As I’m sure you can imagine, this makes going to a restaurant something of a stressful experience for me and those around me because, unless I’ve already had a chance to review the menu, and in the absence of a ‘little-bit-of-everything’ option, I have to go through this process at the table in a short amount of time. The menu itself serves as a natural option limiter, but I have to make quick decisions about starter and main pairings that won’t overlap too closely, whilst considering what I ate for the previous meal and what I anticipate eating at the next (and possibly the meal after that). This is the only way I can ever make a decision about what to order. Well, besides other people becoming (understandably) impatient and forcing me to make a panic decision by calling the waiter over and telling them that we are ready (this never ends well). “John, I’m starving – can we please order?” is a phrase that I am sorely familiar with.
So, now that you are familiar with my process of menu deduction, I’m sure that you can understand that taking meat out of this equation has been quite a shock. In some ways, it is a boon because less options means less decisions to make. Going to Subway, for example, I only have a choice of two sandwiches – picking one of them doesn’t take much brain power. And I can’t have parmesan and oregano bread because it has gelatine in it…but I wouldn’t have it anyway because it’s a double whammy of words that I sound and feel ridiculous saying in Canada.
The downside of this is that it’s harder to find variety whilst fulfilling my nutritional requirements. Having a different type of bean in two meals isn’t quite the same as having a different meat is it? And some cuisines are completely out of the question - Pho, BBQ, Mcdonald’s (yes it is its own cuisine type), and Korean Grill are a few things that, though I wouldn’t necessarily eat them usually anyway, I can’t even consider them now and I find that difficult. Now that they are off limits, it’s like all I can think about it that steamy hot soup with the tender meat cooking in it. So I have discovered that being limited in this manner is not something that I enjoy – one of the things I love about Toronto is how many options there are for everything. And I have a process that I laboriously worked out over many conversations with my patient sister! I don’t need any limitations beyond the idiosyncrasy of my own mind.
I think that I have come to some sort of balance with it – at first I felt like I was on a diet, as well as being vegetarian. It was just the sense of limitation that put me into automatic diet mode – why else would you limit yourself unless to stop getting fat after all? But now I’m tucking in to a reasonable amount of cheese and fried goods and so the constraints of vegetarianism are manageable. I hate to think what’s going to happen when I’m back to being an omnivore though…so many options…
John
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Veggie Grump
Although I admit that my schedule is busy- I work between 24 and 40 hours a week, take 5 courses at University and then cram the rest of my life into the space in between- I don't think it is enough to really merit how tired I am.
Don't get me wrong. In the past, there have been times (particularly midterms and finals) when things have gotten a little out of hand and I have found it hard to have any time just to relax. This is the sometimes difficult but ultimately expectable tired that comes with choosing a hectic lifestyle.
The kind of tired I am now is something very different. Of course I am in the midst of writing papers, family ceremonies and march break at a children's store, but these things are anticipated forms of exhaustion. You can prepare for them. It is possible also that my body is rejecting the notion of daylight savings time after having been robbed of an hour's sleep this weekend.
Another possible answer to my ennui is a nutritional one. The human body needs protein and iron for energy and strength. Despite my best efforts to have protein at every meal and to monitor my nutrient deficiencies it is very possible that I am not quite getting enough. Let's face it; if you are feeling tired already you are 100% less likely to want to think about what you are eating. I have also noticed that the limit sources of protein available to me mean that, where I would normally consume 5 small meals a day, I am now regrouping protein sources to eat only 2 or 3 larger meals.
So there are the environmental factors of being busy and the nutritional factors of limiting intake but there is something bigger lurking out there. It is psychological, physiological and probably chemical. I am calling it "The Veggie Grump".
The Veggie Grump is a serious infliction. Brought on by the dryness of the mouth which snacks on granola and nuts. Fed by the alienation of being able to order nothing but grilled cheese ! Compounded by the bloating caused by pounds and pounds of flavourless, Canadian winter vegetables. The Veggie Grump makes you put down your cookbook and pay over 9$ for a veggie patty. The Veggie Grump steals your vitality, vigour and love of quinoa. Yes, even lentils are mushy, baconless masses of fiber. And how could anyone survive this much fiber?
I do not know if there is a cure for the Veggie Grump. Maybe the cure is succulent, energizing lamb for Easter dinner. Maybe the cure is to dig deeper into the cookbooks, to return to the drawing board, to seek exotic vegetables grown in warm and distant climates.
I am also considering buying a juicer.
Don't get me wrong. In the past, there have been times (particularly midterms and finals) when things have gotten a little out of hand and I have found it hard to have any time just to relax. This is the sometimes difficult but ultimately expectable tired that comes with choosing a hectic lifestyle.
The kind of tired I am now is something very different. Of course I am in the midst of writing papers, family ceremonies and march break at a children's store, but these things are anticipated forms of exhaustion. You can prepare for them. It is possible also that my body is rejecting the notion of daylight savings time after having been robbed of an hour's sleep this weekend.
Another possible answer to my ennui is a nutritional one. The human body needs protein and iron for energy and strength. Despite my best efforts to have protein at every meal and to monitor my nutrient deficiencies it is very possible that I am not quite getting enough. Let's face it; if you are feeling tired already you are 100% less likely to want to think about what you are eating. I have also noticed that the limit sources of protein available to me mean that, where I would normally consume 5 small meals a day, I am now regrouping protein sources to eat only 2 or 3 larger meals.
So there are the environmental factors of being busy and the nutritional factors of limiting intake but there is something bigger lurking out there. It is psychological, physiological and probably chemical. I am calling it "The Veggie Grump".
The Veggie Grump is a serious infliction. Brought on by the dryness of the mouth which snacks on granola and nuts. Fed by the alienation of being able to order nothing but grilled cheese ! Compounded by the bloating caused by pounds and pounds of flavourless, Canadian winter vegetables. The Veggie Grump makes you put down your cookbook and pay over 9$ for a veggie patty. The Veggie Grump steals your vitality, vigour and love of quinoa. Yes, even lentils are mushy, baconless masses of fiber. And how could anyone survive this much fiber?
I do not know if there is a cure for the Veggie Grump. Maybe the cure is succulent, energizing lamb for Easter dinner. Maybe the cure is to dig deeper into the cookbooks, to return to the drawing board, to seek exotic vegetables grown in warm and distant climates.
I am also considering buying a juicer.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My Favourite Quick Vegetarian Recipe
Amidst all of my musings on vegetarianism, burgers and the texture of tofu, I realised that I haven't put up any recipes so far. Below is my favourite recipe for a quick vegetarian meal. This recipe pre-dates my current vegetarianism and I hope that it will be supplanted by something even more fantastic over the coming weeks. I should mention also that this recipe is a Crank's recipe from one of the Crank's vegetarian cook books (which I highly recommend for interesting vegetarian food) which I have altered slightly because I've forgotten the exact timings.
Tikka Roast Veg on Naan
Ingredients:
- 1 x large carrot
- 1 x large courgette (zucchini)
- 1 x large/2 x small leeks
- Roughly half a head of cauliflower - more if you are a big cauliflower fan.
- Plain yoghurt - the runny stuff, not the wobbly type (I think this is called 'stirred')
- Curry paste of your choice - I really like Patak's. Pick a variety based on the flavour profile/spice level you like. I use Tikka paste or Masala paste for a medium spiced, tomatoey flavour
- 2 x Naan breads - again, I like the Patak's ones but the President's Choice aren't bad either
(Serves 2 with a little left over for snacking)
Chop all of the veg into nice chunky pieces, roughly 2cm wide, and separate the cauliflower into florets.
Boil a large pot of salted water and pre-heat your oven to your preferred baking temperature. I cook pretty much everything at 350-400 (180-200 UK temperatures).
The idea is to par-boil each of the vegetables so that they are at the same point of cookedness (new word) - tender enough to get a fork into but not all the way through i.e. half cooked. You can do this all in one pan by adding the veg at intervals appropriate to it's cooking time.
First, add the carrot to your boiling water.
2 minutes later, add the courgette.
2 minutes later, add the leek.
1 minute later, the cauliflower
After one minute, removed from heat and drain.
(These times are rough and should be altered depending on how crunchy you like your veg.)
Return your par-boiled veg to the pot and stir in a generous tablespoon or two of curry paste - enough to coat all of the vegetables with a visible layer of paste. Again - more paste = more curryish so adjust to taste.
Transfer curried veg to baking sheet and whack it in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the curry paste is starting to crisp up and the edges of the vegetables start to blacken.
Remove veg from oven and put in naan bread to cook according to instructions - usually 2-3 minutes after splashing with water
Transfer veg back to your original cooking pot (or another container if you have already started cleaning up you efficient thing) and stir in a generous tablespoon or two of yoghurt to make your veg creamily curry coated. Again, adjust to taste - more yoghurt = creamier taste.
At this stage you will know if you've overcooked your veg as they will fall apart a bit as you stir. The cauliflower especially can disintegrate quite quickly. This is not necessarily a bad thing though - you end up with a nice mix of soft chunky veg and a sort of roasted vegetable curry sauce. If this is the case, and you want a crisper dish, adjust your boiling/roasting times slightly. All being well, they should be tender but with a little bite.
Remove naan from oven and serve veg on top of naan. Goes well with mango chutney or soy sauce or both.
You can also fry up some sliced chicken in curry paste, stir in a bit of yoghurt and add this to your veggie mix at the end if you want to make this meal omnivorous.
Enjoy!
John
Tikka Roast Veg on Naan
Ingredients:
- 1 x large carrot
- 1 x large courgette (zucchini)
- 1 x large/2 x small leeks
- Roughly half a head of cauliflower - more if you are a big cauliflower fan.
- Plain yoghurt - the runny stuff, not the wobbly type (I think this is called 'stirred')
- Curry paste of your choice - I really like Patak's. Pick a variety based on the flavour profile/spice level you like. I use Tikka paste or Masala paste for a medium spiced, tomatoey flavour
- 2 x Naan breads - again, I like the Patak's ones but the President's Choice aren't bad either
(Serves 2 with a little left over for snacking)
Chop all of the veg into nice chunky pieces, roughly 2cm wide, and separate the cauliflower into florets.
Boil a large pot of salted water and pre-heat your oven to your preferred baking temperature. I cook pretty much everything at 350-400 (180-200 UK temperatures).
The idea is to par-boil each of the vegetables so that they are at the same point of cookedness (new word) - tender enough to get a fork into but not all the way through i.e. half cooked. You can do this all in one pan by adding the veg at intervals appropriate to it's cooking time.
First, add the carrot to your boiling water.
2 minutes later, add the courgette.
2 minutes later, add the leek.
1 minute later, the cauliflower
After one minute, removed from heat and drain.
(These times are rough and should be altered depending on how crunchy you like your veg.)
Return your par-boiled veg to the pot and stir in a generous tablespoon or two of curry paste - enough to coat all of the vegetables with a visible layer of paste. Again - more paste = more curryish so adjust to taste.
Transfer curried veg to baking sheet and whack it in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the curry paste is starting to crisp up and the edges of the vegetables start to blacken.
Remove veg from oven and put in naan bread to cook according to instructions - usually 2-3 minutes after splashing with water
Transfer veg back to your original cooking pot (or another container if you have already started cleaning up you efficient thing) and stir in a generous tablespoon or two of yoghurt to make your veg creamily curry coated. Again, adjust to taste - more yoghurt = creamier taste.
At this stage you will know if you've overcooked your veg as they will fall apart a bit as you stir. The cauliflower especially can disintegrate quite quickly. This is not necessarily a bad thing though - you end up with a nice mix of soft chunky veg and a sort of roasted vegetable curry sauce. If this is the case, and you want a crisper dish, adjust your boiling/roasting times slightly. All being well, they should be tender but with a little bite.
Remove naan from oven and serve veg on top of naan. Goes well with mango chutney or soy sauce or both.
You can also fry up some sliced chicken in curry paste, stir in a bit of yoghurt and add this to your veggie mix at the end if you want to make this meal omnivorous.
Enjoy!
John
Monday, March 1, 2010
Vegetarian Aggressive
Hello vegetable fans,
I've had a very busy week and so have neglected my vegetarian blogging duties. I'll bring you up to date by focusing on the highlights of the past week, rather than the day to day eating. There are only so many times I can type 'leftovers' and 'granola bar'.
Monday - President's Choice fresh ravioli (stuffed with roasted veg).
When I was at university I would eat fresh, stuffed pasta about once a week. There was always a 2 for 4 pounds deal on pasta and a sauce at Sainsbury's at Jacksons in Lenton. It's an excellent, lazy meal - it takes minutes to prepare, it's filling and cheap. There seems to be a much wider selection of this sort of food in England, and a stronger overall tendency towards fresh, almost-ready-to-eat meals. The only equivalent I can think of here is Longo's which carries a variety of fresh ready meals, or things that only need a little cooking. This seems to be considered something of a niche area of food here as it isn't strongly represented at Loblaw's, with frozen food or Kraft Dinner being the stop-gap for lazy chefs.
Tesco - one of the major supermarkets in the UK - launched Fresh & Easy in the US a few years ago to address precisely this gap in the market. They were launched to sell only ready meals or, 'ready-to-cook' meals as they put it.
'Our ready-to-cook meals are made with the highest quality ingredients, and like all of our fresh&easy products, they contain no artificial colors, flavors or added trans fat. They’re delivered daily to our stores, so they’re always fresh from our kitchen to yours.'
That's a far cry from Hungryman. They've branched out to produce since then but it is an interesting strategy and one that has been very successful in California.
Anyway, to summarise, stuffed pasta is delicious. Hungryman is not....well it is but it shouldn't be.
Tuesday - Salad from Freshii
Until recently, my opinion of Freshii was that it was an overpriced leaf vendor, squeezing as much as it can out of a hyper-health-conscious culture by charging $8 for a plate of spinach. This verdict was based on a single experience in which I was disappointed to receive a snack sized Buffalo Chicken Wrap for $7.50 before tax one lunchtime.
My opinion has changed dramatically in the last week. I still think freshii is overpriced but, as a temporary vegetarian, it makes a lot more sense and is much better value. There are a wide variety of options - soups, salads, wraps, bowls - and the 'free toppings' are really all that you need if you don't want meat (though additions are nice too). The free toppings also cover most of the important food groups - sliced egg, sunflower seeds and brown rice providing protein, fat and fibre. The salads are enormous. I could have swam in mine, and it was $6.25, fresh and full of vitamins. Fantastic. It is only when you start adding those premium toppings that it can really add up. Some chicken and a little goat cheese and you've increased the price by 50%.
I think really that the wraps are the worst deal though. They just aren't very filling, they seem like a dramatic reduction in the amount of food and the price is only slightly lower (or not if you want a morsel of blue cheese on it. Needless to say, I will be eating there more often and I expect not to get bored due to the selection of dressings and different arrangements of ingredients. I might even throw in a few nuts, some roasted portabello mushrooms, or a smattering of feta if I'm feeling decadent. I'll probably stay away from those wraps though...
Wednesday - Subway Veggie Patty Sandwich
I'll cover this in more detail on my sandwich blog in the near future. In short, it was much more satisfying than my disappointing veggie sub of a couple of weeks ago. I would recommend trying it if you are looking for something a bit different at Subway. I couldn't tell you what was in it though....there were orange bits so maybe carrot?
Friday - Swiss Chalet Veggie Burger
One thing that I have really missed in the last couple of weeks is a good burger. I don't think it is so much the actual meat as it is the burger setup. The flavour combinations you get, the bun, unashamedly throwing as many sauces and toppings on it as will stay upright before cramming it into your mouth in a king cobra-esque feat of jaw dislocation. These are the moments I enjoy.
Friday night, watching the hockey, was a perfect time to splurge a little. I think Sam is going to cover veggie burgers in closer detail, as she has been doing a lot of field-testing, but I would like to address two important points.
First: you know you have been vegetarian too long when you can't tell if something is meat or not. Our burgers arrived and, overjoyed by the sight of that familiar layering of bread, protein, sauce and pickles, mine disappeared into my mouth and was never heard from again. I would like to tell you how it was but I really have no idea. The barbecue sauce was nice...I know this because there was some left after the burger vanished and I came round enough to dip a fry in it.
Sam was busy on the computer while I was gorging and then sat down to eat hers. She took a bite and said, "Is this meat?"
I looked at it. It was brown, it was kind of grilled looking. It looked like it could possibly be meat. It had those criss-crossed black marks on it and it was slightly crispy on the very outside. If it was meat, it was low quality meat. Surely I would have noticed if it was meat though, frenzied though I may have been. Wouldn't I? I looked at the receipt. It said veggie burger. I took a little nibble. I was no closer to the truth. It was a bit drier than meat...wasn't it? Is meat dry? It is when it's overcooked...maybe it IS meat? Did I eat meat because someone at Swiss Chalet got our order wrong and I couldn't see through my ketchup-red mist?
Eventually we decided that it was not meat. If there is any question as to whether it's meat or not, it probably isn't. Plus meat doesn't have that cardboardy aftertaste...most of time....I think...my memory is a bit fuzzy.
Secondly a question: is chalet sauce vegetarian friendly? I did a little research before our order arrived and the internet pointed towards chalet sauce being vegetarian aggressive. Apparently it has chicken fat in it and their gravy has beef fat in it. However, both veggie burgers arrive with chalet sauce. As I'm sure you can imagine - this caused something of a conundrum. At first, it lent credence to the idea that we had in fact just eaten meat. You wouldn't put something with animal fat in on the same plate as a veggie burger would you? Because that would be the culinary equivalent of spitting in the face of someone who has temporarily given up meat. So, either we'd had a meat burger and this was our meaty sauce, or chalet sauce is in fact vegetarian, or Swiss Chalet think that people who eat veggie burgers aren't actually vegetarian...they just like the way they taste but they really want chalet sauce to dip it in.
After a little discussion we decided not to eat it. It was really very close though...I'm still a little upset about it.
That's all for now. More to come tomorrow.
Happiness and bacon to you all....(tautology?)
John
I've had a very busy week and so have neglected my vegetarian blogging duties. I'll bring you up to date by focusing on the highlights of the past week, rather than the day to day eating. There are only so many times I can type 'leftovers' and 'granola bar'.
Monday - President's Choice fresh ravioli (stuffed with roasted veg).
When I was at university I would eat fresh, stuffed pasta about once a week. There was always a 2 for 4 pounds deal on pasta and a sauce at Sainsbury's at Jacksons in Lenton. It's an excellent, lazy meal - it takes minutes to prepare, it's filling and cheap. There seems to be a much wider selection of this sort of food in England, and a stronger overall tendency towards fresh, almost-ready-to-eat meals. The only equivalent I can think of here is Longo's which carries a variety of fresh ready meals, or things that only need a little cooking. This seems to be considered something of a niche area of food here as it isn't strongly represented at Loblaw's, with frozen food or Kraft Dinner being the stop-gap for lazy chefs.
Tesco - one of the major supermarkets in the UK - launched Fresh & Easy in the US a few years ago to address precisely this gap in the market. They were launched to sell only ready meals or, 'ready-to-cook' meals as they put it.
'Our ready-to-cook meals are made with the highest quality ingredients, and like all of our fresh&easy products, they contain no artificial colors, flavors or added trans fat. They’re delivered daily to our stores, so they’re always fresh from our kitchen to yours.'
That's a far cry from Hungryman. They've branched out to produce since then but it is an interesting strategy and one that has been very successful in California.
Anyway, to summarise, stuffed pasta is delicious. Hungryman is not....well it is but it shouldn't be.
Tuesday - Salad from Freshii
Until recently, my opinion of Freshii was that it was an overpriced leaf vendor, squeezing as much as it can out of a hyper-health-conscious culture by charging $8 for a plate of spinach. This verdict was based on a single experience in which I was disappointed to receive a snack sized Buffalo Chicken Wrap for $7.50 before tax one lunchtime.
My opinion has changed dramatically in the last week. I still think freshii is overpriced but, as a temporary vegetarian, it makes a lot more sense and is much better value. There are a wide variety of options - soups, salads, wraps, bowls - and the 'free toppings' are really all that you need if you don't want meat (though additions are nice too). The free toppings also cover most of the important food groups - sliced egg, sunflower seeds and brown rice providing protein, fat and fibre. The salads are enormous. I could have swam in mine, and it was $6.25, fresh and full of vitamins. Fantastic. It is only when you start adding those premium toppings that it can really add up. Some chicken and a little goat cheese and you've increased the price by 50%.
I think really that the wraps are the worst deal though. They just aren't very filling, they seem like a dramatic reduction in the amount of food and the price is only slightly lower (or not if you want a morsel of blue cheese on it. Needless to say, I will be eating there more often and I expect not to get bored due to the selection of dressings and different arrangements of ingredients. I might even throw in a few nuts, some roasted portabello mushrooms, or a smattering of feta if I'm feeling decadent. I'll probably stay away from those wraps though...
Wednesday - Subway Veggie Patty Sandwich
I'll cover this in more detail on my sandwich blog in the near future. In short, it was much more satisfying than my disappointing veggie sub of a couple of weeks ago. I would recommend trying it if you are looking for something a bit different at Subway. I couldn't tell you what was in it though....there were orange bits so maybe carrot?
Friday - Swiss Chalet Veggie Burger
One thing that I have really missed in the last couple of weeks is a good burger. I don't think it is so much the actual meat as it is the burger setup. The flavour combinations you get, the bun, unashamedly throwing as many sauces and toppings on it as will stay upright before cramming it into your mouth in a king cobra-esque feat of jaw dislocation. These are the moments I enjoy.
Friday night, watching the hockey, was a perfect time to splurge a little. I think Sam is going to cover veggie burgers in closer detail, as she has been doing a lot of field-testing, but I would like to address two important points.
First: you know you have been vegetarian too long when you can't tell if something is meat or not. Our burgers arrived and, overjoyed by the sight of that familiar layering of bread, protein, sauce and pickles, mine disappeared into my mouth and was never heard from again. I would like to tell you how it was but I really have no idea. The barbecue sauce was nice...I know this because there was some left after the burger vanished and I came round enough to dip a fry in it.
Sam was busy on the computer while I was gorging and then sat down to eat hers. She took a bite and said, "Is this meat?"
I looked at it. It was brown, it was kind of grilled looking. It looked like it could possibly be meat. It had those criss-crossed black marks on it and it was slightly crispy on the very outside. If it was meat, it was low quality meat. Surely I would have noticed if it was meat though, frenzied though I may have been. Wouldn't I? I looked at the receipt. It said veggie burger. I took a little nibble. I was no closer to the truth. It was a bit drier than meat...wasn't it? Is meat dry? It is when it's overcooked...maybe it IS meat? Did I eat meat because someone at Swiss Chalet got our order wrong and I couldn't see through my ketchup-red mist?
Eventually we decided that it was not meat. If there is any question as to whether it's meat or not, it probably isn't. Plus meat doesn't have that cardboardy aftertaste...most of time....I think...my memory is a bit fuzzy.
Secondly a question: is chalet sauce vegetarian friendly? I did a little research before our order arrived and the internet pointed towards chalet sauce being vegetarian aggressive. Apparently it has chicken fat in it and their gravy has beef fat in it. However, both veggie burgers arrive with chalet sauce. As I'm sure you can imagine - this caused something of a conundrum. At first, it lent credence to the idea that we had in fact just eaten meat. You wouldn't put something with animal fat in on the same plate as a veggie burger would you? Because that would be the culinary equivalent of spitting in the face of someone who has temporarily given up meat. So, either we'd had a meat burger and this was our meaty sauce, or chalet sauce is in fact vegetarian, or Swiss Chalet think that people who eat veggie burgers aren't actually vegetarian...they just like the way they taste but they really want chalet sauce to dip it in.
After a little discussion we decided not to eat it. It was really very close though...I'm still a little upset about it.
That's all for now. More to come tomorrow.
Happiness and bacon to you all....(tautology?)
John
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Protein Pie
After an overnight shift at work (which itself followed a busy stretch of time) I find myself exhausted today, not to mention sore and achy. Truth be told I am not sure that I would have made it through an eight hour shift of moving and lifting, cleaning and purging, organizing and fluffing without a secret magic weapon: protein pie!
Okay.
Not so much protein pie as Chocolate Tofu Pie. Approved by my sister and her boyfriend, as well as my coworkers I can say that this particular stab at vegetarian dessert was a success. Even if the above mentioned people weer simply being polite, I love the stuff.
I have made Chocolate Tofu Pie before, but not directly. A friend of mine was making it for some dinner party and I vaguely remember helping out. I do recall the basic premise, though, which is to combine a ratio of melted chocolate and silken tofu and allow to set in some kind of crust.
In order to gain some more details about this baking adventure (which I have been set on creating for weeks) I consulted several recipes. Many of these add bits and pieces to the basic formula I laid out; maple syrup, peanut butter etc. I elected to combine the amount of tofu I happened to buy (3 packs of blue menu President's Choice silken tofu, unflavored) with the amount of chocolate chips we had in the house (1 package of President's Choice Decadent milk chocolate chips and around 60% of a package of Chipits).
I am slightly ashamed to admit that I bought two premade Graham Cracker pie crusts both 7 inches in diameter. To the basic ingredients I threw in my own twist of a handful of fresh mint finely chopped (by my boyfriend and his new mini food processor/hand mixer/immersion blender) with two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Once the chocolate was melted it went into the tofu along with the mint and voila! Two pies fulls of fat-free, proteiny, vegetarian goodness.
Seriously, a slice of this stuff can keep you going for hours.
Pictures to follow with John's assistance!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Breakfast
I don't believe in breakfast.
I know that there are those out there who have a 'nutritious breakfast' at times, even on a regular basis. In the search for this elusive thing full of 'food groups' and 'balance' I have only ever found this that were "part of" but not the whole. My stomach, so often abused with heavy dinners followed by hours of snacking before bed time, has never been willing to digest so much as a grapefruit- let alone the contents of a Cheerio's Ad- prior to 11 am.
Growing up with this anti-breakfast ideology in my family was difficult at times. My mom always had a rule that no one could leave the house before they had eaten something and although she was not particular about what exactly we ate (high fructose cereals, left-over birthday cake etc) she was adamant about it. My father, on the other hand, relishes every opportunity to compose a new meal from the hodge podge of left overs in our fridge. Since these either include something just on the edge of food safety or an omelette of what ever treasures has found, his suggestions for breakfast have never held any appeal for me.
Breakfast is also difficult for me because I don't eat eggs. I don't have any particular problem with eggs on a moral or a creepiness level but I understand there are those who do. My problem is not a textural one, since I like all sorts of eggish textures like custards, tofu, etc. I just can't stand the taste.... the odd sickly bitter after taste of the whites and the sharp, grainy sweetness of the yolks. Gross. Not eating eggs limits pretty much all worthwhile breakfast meals, and the one mainstay of an egg-less breakfast, Bacon, is currently lost to me.
Luckily, vegetarianism encourages a type of breakfast rarely appreciated in North America cuisine. That is, the non-breakfast food breakfast. My breakfasts can include foods like Watermelon and Feta salad, or any combination of cheese and bread products I feel like. I have even had some hummus for veggie breakfast. I feel much more comfortable with the small meal type of eating that has developed with both John and I. It reminds me of French eating (though not so much French cooking which values a very large sit down meal). I mean specifically the type of French eating you experience on an average day tromping around Paris. Begin with a piece of crusty bread and some cheese, nibble something fruit-based around 10 or 11, have a soup OR a sandwich OR a salad for lunch then a one-dish dinner and, always, something for dessert.
In a much less romantic fashion, this also reminds me of the appetite of Hobbits in the Shire.
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