We have lately been eating a lot of good food

[ailbhe]

Rob cooked up a double batch of this soup for the shared lunch after Meeting the other week, and it was very well received. He's made it once more but we haven't finished eating it. Also, for lunches, the children and I have been eating a lot of pitta bread with olives, feta and hummous, and tomato and avocado and things. I'm not sure why. Emer and I had some very successful pittas filled with scrambled egg, one day, too.

Rob made bread at the weekend, so that we'd have something to eat with the soup, and it's good. He very very rarely makes bread, so it was a nice change. No doubt he'd feel the same if I cooked dinner.

We've been eating Quorn, too, which it turns out is sustainably produced within the UK, so that's good. I have been wondering how I could be vegetarian or vegan without dairy or soy, and I can't work out how to manage it without getting ill again yet. But it's probably at least partially a matter of altering habits. Meanwhile, our meat intake is all locally sourced organically reared meat, which is better than nothing.


I don't make many packed lunches any more, but I want an egg-shaper anyway. I will probably cave in and get one in time for spring salads and picnics. SO CUTE. Bet they don't persuade Emer to eat the yellow bit though.

For some reason, cakes and things haven't been happening so much. I wonder why?

Comments

[serene]

Usually, soy-free vegetarians eat lots of other beans, but it's not necessary from a protein standpoint: potatoes and brown rice and wheatberries and lots of things have plenty of protein to sustain people. Another thing is seitan, which some veg people love and some think is too like meat to be appetizing.

I have been too chicken (as it were) to try quorn. Is it wonderful?

[ailbhe]

Quorn is perfectly palatable. I should investigate seitan; I did have seitan ravioli which worked wonderfully once but haven't looked into it much since.

Most of what I miss when I go meat-free seems to be not protein but something else, and fat. If I could identify what it is I develop cravings for I'd be laughing.

[rosefox]

I have been wondering how I could be vegetarian or vegan without dairy or soy

If you ask for suggestions at vegancooking I'm sure you'd get lots of good advice. Mine would sum to "eggs, mushrooms, legumes", since no meat or dairy or soy means the hardest thing to come by is protein.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

And fat. The first time I tried to be vegetarian I was exhausted all the time and gave up. This time I am eating mainly cheese for lunch and it seems to be working. I have not yet asked my arteries if they agree.

Nobody can persuade me to eat the white bit of eggs. It's a bit weird actually - I can eat egg in cake, quiche, the yolk of fried eggs, Japanese omelette and boiled eggs with mayonnaise, but scrambled egg, the white of fried egg and ordinary omelette make me a bit ill. It's either something to do with proteins that are denatured, or some very specific intense dislike.

[ailbhe]

I know the basics, but haven't identified why I get ill on what ought to be a fairly well-balanced vegetarian diet. Fat is probably the hardest identifiable thing for me to replace; the children have a higher tolerance for greasy food than I do so have lots of vegetable spread, mayonnaise etc with everything, so they're ok, but I... well, avocados help.

[rosefox]

Baked goods might help with that. I have a much higher tolerance for fats when they're either part of or accompanying starches (e.g. bread dipped in olive oil, buttery croissants, mashed potatoes that are 25% cream).

[clare-s.livejournal.com]

My A will only eat the yolk, drives me mad !

I have enjoyed mooching through the shop you linked to with the egg shaper.

[ailbhe]

I love that sort of thing, but have, um, no reasonable excuse to buy it. Windowshopping!

[kiya]

THe only thing that persuades me to eat the yellow bit is devilling. It's a combination of flavor, texture, and dryness for me. :}

[ailbhe]

Emer will eat it if it's hot and dippy, with toast-crusts.

[kiya]

Mmyes. That is also acceptable to me.

[kateaw]

B will eat only the yolk when the egg is hot and only the white when the egg is cold. We share so that there isn't any waste.

I love those heart shaped moulds, but also cannot justify buying some.

[ailbhe]

At least that means you can leave the white to go cold and serve it later? No?

[kateaw]

Do you know, I hadn't thought of that! I do tend to hoover up her (rare) leftovers though :)

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Wait, feta? How too too utterly thrilling! (Srsly!) Can you eat it, or just the girls?

[ailbhe]

In moderation, all of us! It's SO HELPFUL. And imported, and wrapped in non-recyclable plastic.