Part 5 (1/2)
ADD MORE VEGGIES.
It's also a good idea to boost meals with more fresh vegetables in place of other calorie-dense items, whether or not you're trying to drop a few pounds. Particularly these should be of the leafy, green variety (spinach, bok choy, etc.) with the addition of red vegetables (tomatoes, red peppers, etc.) and a few other colors to that rainbow. So have that pasta, but instead of two cups of pasta with one-half cup of veggies, have one cup of pasta with two cups of veggies. See our vegetable section for a million ways prepare veggies. Well, a couple dozen at least.
When NOT to Cook Low-Fat!
BELIEVE it or not, there are key times when you don't want to cook low-fat meals: Situation 1: First-Time Vegan Food-Tasters They may not know it yet, but your flesh-eating dinner guests are going to go vegan. Someday. And part of your devious plan is to render them speechless with a most outrageous richly sauced seitan piccata, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and ”b.u.t.tery” cookies slathered with homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread. This is where you want to pull out all the stops and smother them with tender, loving fat. Don't let their first memory of vegan eating be steamed kale and fat-free bean b.a.l.l.s.
Situation 2: Holidays, Birthdays, Special Occasions Similar to Situation #1, you want to ill.u.s.trate that vegan cooking does not exclude the good times. Many holidays are based in ancient beliefs celebrating that new babies continue to be born, the crops have returned, and that we didn't starve to death this winter. Save the oil-free lentil soup for an occasion other than Pa.s.sover. Isn't eating matzo for eight days a trial and tribulation enough?
Situation 3: Sad Times Okay, maybe we're going to get into trouble with psychologists for saying this here, but there's nothing wrong with a stack of chocolate chip pancakes when you're dealing with a serious emotional crisis. Loss of family, friend, pet. The big stuff. If you're normally working hard at watching what you eat, how much you exercise, read labels, and so on, then you know what you have to do when you're ready to get back on track. And you will, since you're made of the tough stuff.
Situation 4: Party Times A lot like special occasions, but with potentially more people. Potlucks and picnics fall into this category. You don't want to be known by your local rotary club as ”The Blanched Tofu” boy or ”The Poached Spinach” lady, now do you?
EAT LOW-GI FOODS.
Choose foods that are low on what's called the ”glycemic index.” Don't worry, you don't need to be a nutritionist to figure out what those foods are, it simply means carbohydrates that are digested more slowly, raise your blood glucose more evenly, and keep you feeling fuller longer. Basically, you want unrefined carbohydrates, so instead of white rice choose brown rice, eat fruits rather than sugary desserts, and consume more whole grains such as quinoa and millet. Hey, this book you're holding in your hand even has some recipes for those things! For more info on the glycemic index (including where foods rank), visit .
USE YOUR SPRAY BOTTLE OF OIL.
See Spray Bottle (page 15) in the kitchen equipment list. It's a dieter's best friend.
HOW TO COOK A VEGETABLE.
(OR, THE ART AND SCIENCE OF TRANSFORMING EDIBLE ROOTS, SHOOTS, LEAVES, AND FRUITS OF AN ARRAY OF PLANTS WITH CRITICALLY APPLIED HEAT, OILS, AND SEASONINGS SO THAT THEY WILL BE EATEN WITH GREAT PLEASURE AND THE LEAST AMOUNT OF COMPLAINING).
Dear Veganomicon, I don't know where to begin. I've been eschewing meat and dairy products for years but I can't bring myself to eat vegetables. They are often so bland and flavorless I presume that if I ate my napkin I might acquire the same amount of fiber, without the ”ick” factor of having to eat something green. But, I have heard that there are some advantages to eating these things that grow in the dirt. Whatever should I do?
Yours truly,
Cautious of Carrots
Okay, we've never received a letter like that. However, we know that they are out there, reckless vegans and vegetarians who are pulling the green and orange blocks out of the bottom of the food pyramid and replacing them with things fried, sugary, and bready. We don't blame them. We blame society, or more exactly a society composed of limp, boiled broccoli; iceberg lettuce salads; and canned mushrooms. Don't even get us started on ”baby” corn (that ain't our baby!). For those of you who love vegetables, this will be a tribute to everything glorious about the delicious part of the plant kingdom. At the very least, it will get you excited about roasting an extra bulb of garlic or two next time you fire up the oven. Learning how to cook vegetables so that they're flavorful, enticing, and exciting is about the best thing you can do to help spread the word about veganism, hands down. This chapter is organized according to different methods to coax the most flavor out of your veggies, to give you the skills to last a lifetime. Notice we're not a big fan of boiling (except for the occasional root vegetable, of course). It's so last century and kind of a mean thing to do to vegetables, if you think about it.
Tools for Outdoor Grilling METAL TONGS: Tongs are like an extension of our arms if there's a grill within fifty feet. Don't bother trying to turn things with a spatula; tongs are the tool of choice for flipping your veggies with precision. Simple, cheap metal ones will do, but you can get exotic with silicone-handled, heavy-duty tongs.
SPATULA: So you don't need a spatula for turning vegetables, but don't worry, it doesn't have to join the unemployment line just yet. Spatulas are great for flattening things out on the grill to ensure even cooking. Just be sure to get a really long-handled one for the grill, or feel free to use the little guy used for flipping pancakes if your hands are made out of asbestos.
PASTRY BRUSHES: Kitchen supply stores sell pastry brushes that are just a little too dainty and precious for our tastes, not to mention more expensive. So we use the kind of fat, round, nylon brush that you can find in a hardware store. Grill like a Veganomicon author and keep two at your side: one for brus.h.i.+ng the grill with oil and one for brus.h.i.+ng the veggies with oil or marinade during cooking.
METAL SKEWERS: For some reason, grilling vegetables in kebab form makes them 76 percent more fun to eat, according to our studies. You can also use wooden skewers, but to make sure that they don't burn: soak the wooden skewers in water beforehand for at least an hour. Get those freeloader picnic guests to a.s.semble bite-size veggie chunks onto skewers while you make the marinades or just work on your fierce tan.
LIDDED PLASTIC CONTAINERS: They make for easy transport of your veggies, and you can shake them to coat your veggies in oil or marinade with no worries.
LARGE, RESEALABLE PLASTIC BAGS: For some vegetables, such as asparagus, it's difficult to find a container that's the right size. Hence bags.
ALUMINUM FOIL : You always need it for something. It's almost a mystery how aluminum foil saves many a grilling day.
THE GRILL : We don't live in the suburbs, so therefore we never really developed an unhealthy obsession with obtaining the perfect grill. Use any charcoal, gas-fired grill or campfire that pleases you. Generally we like the permanent, for-the-people kind you'll find in the park (a good a reason as any to leave the house on a Sat.u.r.day before 11 a.m., just to lay claim on the good ones), or anything under thirty bucks. The great part about cooking veggies is that it takes a fraction of the time the meaty stuff does, so you really don't need that monster grill that costs as much as a down payment on a car.
GRILLING VEGETABLES.
Vegetarians are sometimes at a loss for what to put on the grill. It's often a sad toss-up between the oddly orange-hued tofu hotdogs or frozen disks of veggie burgers. We know this is a crazy thought but how about . . . vegetables?! Grilling brings out so much flavor in vegetables that you don't even need to dress them up too much. So pretty to look at and toothsome, perfectly grilled vegetables are like the Spring Break of parties in your mouth. A little olive oil and you're good to go, or if you're feeling especially inspired, some garlic and lemon juice never hurt. You don't have limit your grilling skills to the outdoors or miss out because it's snowing outside-a cast iron grill pan works wonders on the stovetop as well.
The #1 Tool for Indoor Grilling CAST aside your fears and get a cast-iron grill pan!
We probably say this about ten times throughout the book, but since this section is specifically about grilling it would be remiss not to mention it here. You absolutely need to get one! Once you have procured this, the most important purchase you will ever make in your life, then you can follow these same directions for outdoor grilling, only you will be indoors. (See Grill, page 19.)
Asparagus