Any vegetarians/vegans in here?

the other arguments against eating meat is look at our closest related animals. monkeys. what do they eat? fruit and insects. they don't eat cows, pigs, chickens, etc.

Our closest living relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos and they hunt and eat other monkeys (red colobus mainly, raw).
I'm not suggesting anyone should eat meat though.
 
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Our closest living relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos and they hunt and eat other monkeys (red colobus mainly, raw).
I'm not suggesting anyone should eat meat though.


they don;t hunt often though, and actually many of the grouops don;t hunt it is only some. Most are opportunistic and will scavenge on a carcass though
 
In an attempt to bring the thread back on topic; I've been vegetarian for about 7 months now and cook with a lot of Quorn and tofu. A lot of Thai, Indian, Chinese and Mediterranean dishes. Like you, I use a lot of beans like cannellini beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans and the like for cassoulet, chilli, bolognese, etc. There has been an explosion of vegetarian options in my local supermarkets of late which is great to see.
 
Any favourite recipes with quinoa ? - as a side dish rather than a main course.

Have been finding it a bit bland using below recipe,
- have tried with 5-spice during the sweat at the start,
- also using rice-wine as opposed to sake (which seemed expensive, but may try some shaoxing)
- have hesitated to add fish sauce or balsamic

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/quick-cured-sake-salmon-with-quinoa
Heat butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add pepper, carrot, and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Add quinoa; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup water, remaining 1/2 cup sake, juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley. Keep warm.
 
Bumping this thread to share these bad boys.

With the girlfriend being pescatarian, I am always on the lookout for new things in supermarkets. The range seems to be booming these days and is very affordable, with quorn now being cheaper than any meat.

I'm not veggie but my diet involves a lot of meat alternatives. At the moment these chorizo sausages are my most recent favourite find, especially as they very nutritionally forgiving.
 
Beetroot and paneer kebabs are my fave none meat dish.

i tend to not use paneer these days and just use halloumi however you then have to remember not to add any salt as halloumi already is salty.

i even made it for someone and they said the paneer was amazing and they were shocked when i told them it isn't paneer.
 
i tend to not use paneer these days and just use halloumi however you then have to remember not to add any salt as halloumi already is salty.

i even made it for someone and they said the paneer was amazing and they were shocked when i told them it isn't paneer.
Paneer is just easier to make so I tend to use that.
 
I just don't seem to get on with halloumi like everyone else. Whenever people order it or cook with it i just find it so salty i can't have more than a taster. Weird because I am not particularly sensitive to too much salt.
 
I just don't seem to get on with halloumi like everyone else. Whenever people order it or cook with it i just find it so salty i can't have more than a taster. Weird because I am not particularly
sensitive to too much salt.

Halloumi is great, just wash it under a tap to get rid of any excess salt before you cook it. Anari is another great Cypriot cheese but it will be very hard to find here, you'll have to go to one of the Greek delis in NE London I reckon.
 
How many vegans just stick to food items or take it to extremes and refuse to wear anything animal related such as leather, wool, silk etc? certain cosmetics, medicines and common vaccines contain animal by products, would they refuse a flu vaccine because it involved a chickens egg?
 
How many vegans just stick to food items or take it to extremes and refuse to wear anything animal related such as leather, wool, silk etc? certain cosmetics, medicines and common vaccines contain animal by products, would they refuse a flu vaccine because it involved a chickens egg?

I can't imagine many but that is likely more a case of convenience than anything else. I am neither vegetarian or vegan but when someone says they do it for moral reasons, often it is simply because they feel better not using animal products rather than because they think they are saving the world or a species. Breaking the pattern here or there doesn't make them a hypocrite or diminish their previous efforts in the same way someone who become vegetarian for environmental reasons doesn't reverse their previous efforts when they drunkenly buy a kebab once in a blue moon.
 
I'm not vegetarian at all I just like all foods.
I mostly like Indian vegetarian dishes they don't pretend ie none of this Quorn rubbish they just make great non meat dishes.
 
There aren't many dishes where you can swap out meat for quorn and expect it to be exactly the same but i will say that quorn and stuff does have its place. Cooking with it is different but there are many dishes i actually prefer with quorn over mince after a bit of tweaking.
 
How many vegans just stick to food items or take it to extremes and refuse to wear anything animal related such as leather, wool, silk etc? certain cosmetics, medicines and common vaccines contain animal by products, would they refuse a flu vaccine because it involved a chickens egg?

If you go by the definition of veganism given by the Vegan Society (quoted below), then I guess anyone who only avoids consuming animals as food but wears leather, wool etc. or uses cosmetics tested on animals would not be vegan, however using medicine which is animal-derived would be considered acceptable if there was no alternative. Those who only follow an animal-free diet would probably fall under plant-based, I guess.

Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.
 
How many vegans just stick to food items or take it to extremes and refuse to wear anything animal related such as leather, wool, silk etc? certain cosmetics, medicines and common vaccines contain animal by products, would they refuse a flu vaccine because it involved a chickens egg?

sounds like an ignorant view from a meat eater.

a lot of people don't eat meat because they don't want to eat the flesh of a living being. they will still eat pastries and stuff which have egg but maybe not an egg itself. because egg is in pretty much everything these days. so you have to have a relaxed view.

just because someone has leather shoes/jacket and doesn't eat meat doesn't make them a hyprocrite but a lot of meat eaters are just simply ignorant of differing views.
 
Hey, suggested to my wife last night I fancy going veggie/fish during the week and only having meat dishes on weekends. This should work out well as we love a roast on a Sunday. I am concerned though with costs of eating in the week as it seems sometimes twice the price on a veggie meal when you take in to account all the ingredients. I get that most will be 2nd or 3rd time use but we do budget our shopping to £50 - £60 a week for a family of 3 (3yr old boy)

Can anyone share a typical weeks meal planning so I can get some ideas of what we can eat as we got so many recipe books but never know what to do. I like the sound of that black bean chilli someone mentioned at the top.

Cheers
 
Hey, suggested to my wife last night I fancy going veggie/fish during the week and only having meat dishes on weekends. This should work out well as we love a roast on a Sunday. I am concerned though with costs of eating in the week as it seems sometimes twice the price on a veggie meal when you take in to account all the ingredients. I get that most will be 2nd or 3rd time use but we do budget our shopping to £50 - £60 a week for a family of 3 (3yr old boy)

Can anyone share a typical weeks meal planning so I can get some ideas of what we can eat as we got so many recipe books but never know what to do. I like the sound of that black bean chilli someone mentioned at the top.

Cheers

What? Having a veg/fish diet is miles cheaper. My girlfriend is a pescetarian and I’ve massively dropped my intake of meat and I’ve saved a lot of money.
Handily, we have a shared Note which she puts upcoming meals in, this was the last week or so:

Root veg, sumac & feta roast

Spicy pEanut noodle salad


Dhal makani (gbc)

Risotto dumplings & zoodles (gawker)

Zatar loaded home fries, spinach and eggs (gawker)

Ratatouille lasagne (tasty)

Chilli fish w avocado crema and salsa (tasty)

Paneer stuffed roti

Rostis

Croque Madame

Mackerel & dill risotto

Gnocchis
 
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