Can You Handle Vegan Cooking

Next week is Thanksgiving and with that the stress of catering to everyone's dietary needs. One of the most flummoxing  - at first - is cooking vegetarian or vegan for those herbivores in your life. It can be a bit of a shock - especially when you try to recreate meaty main courses.

To begin with know the difference between veganism and vegetarianism. Vegans eschew all meats and their dairy byproducts. That means all meats and fish are taboo but also cow's milk, butter any and all kinds of cheeses. That also means no eggs either which can ruin your making any holiday cake or custard along with sweet breads. Vegetarians are a bit more lenient.There are the lacto kind that do allow themselves milk, cheese and yogurt. Some also include butter too. The ovo-vegetarians will not reject any eggs or foods that have them.  The most common type are the lacto-vegetarians which allow both dairy and eggs - and that makes cooking and baking for them a bit easier. There's also the pescatarian whose diet only allows fish and the pollotarian who can eat any fowl. The flexitarian swings back and forth with his or her beliefs. They many only eat meat on special occasions such as holidays.These are not considered real vegetarians like the hard core ones. They also will not make Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's a headache for you. The others will, which means special care when shopping and cooking. Luckily you can find substitutes that will facilitate cooking and baking.

One of the most eye opening is the main course. Tofurky will not have the rich gamy taste of a real turkey and neither will the gravy have the same flavor as the its' real counterpart.. How do you make it palatable.?There is a recipe online that suggests marinating it in vegan beer (Budweiser can be used). Another - and maybe better idea is using the Gardein brand. It and its' accompanying gravy tastes the most like turkey and gravy. The only downside is that there are only four slices and two gravy packets per package. It's fine for two vegans but forget a group. Then there's cooking it which is extra work if you're also making a turkey. Best bet is get out the air fryer which nicely cooks and even crisps the slices. Another headache is cooking for pescatarians. What could work for them? Salmon or halibut with a sheet pan of  veggies. A hearty bouillabaisse with crusty baguettes could also be made. This is a very labor intensive. Not only does the stew have to be made but the accompanying rouille which is the sauce added to every bowl. One of the hardest aspects of vegan meals is baking. Imagine not adding milk, butter and eggs, essential for every cake and cookie recipe. Nut and soy milks do come in handy - as do vegan butters. You can sub in coconut oil for as well and it also works well in creating a faux buttercream. Applesauce also works too , just don't get the chunky kind. There are also egg substitutes as well as aquafaba for creating meringues and Pavlovas. Just bake tester ones first to see if everything gels. It's a lot of work but worth it. If not, just serve fruit.


Can you handle vegan cooking and baking? It's different and will put your tried a true recipes on their heads. Going meatless is noble. Cooking and baking without animal products is daunting. Be sure you're ready for it.

Healthy Frying

Everyone, including your doctor, will tell you fried food is bad . Yet it can be made healthier which is great for those who love batter dipped morsels. sizzled to a golden brown.The trick is choosing the right ingredients  as well as the right oil.This does make a difference and will produce something that gets a doctor's or nutritionist's seal of approval -more or less.

Mark Bittman explored and experimented with this in his Flexitarian column in today's New York Times Dining section. He chose healthier ingredients, chickpeas for falafel as well as veggies for tempura and zucchini .He also selected  healthier oils such as peanut or olive oil as well as grape seed. You can use the usual ones for frying  such as corn or Wesson along with soy or vegetable. Diners and restaurants use these because of their low prices. I would go with the olive simply because it's the most healthiest and to be honest it's better for frying. It imparts a nicer flavor and is also more affordable than the fancier oils.

Mr. Bittman gives  good recommendations to creating the perfect fry. One is to allow the food's exterior to be the crisp part. Do not over fry otherwise it will be too hard and not appetizing. Another is picking a light dusting that suits the ingredients.Pick a light coating and use it sparingly. He suggests. corn meal,or flour  along with  the classic eggs,milk and then a dredging of breadcrumbs.The next step to the perfect batch is not overcrowding the pan. fry in batches if you have too many. Also serve hot  in order to get the best flavor. If not then keep warm in an oven or a toaster oven.
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Fried food is on almost everyone's no eat list. However if 's done  right it can be healthy and even tasty. Try a batch to enjoy that crunch and tasty deep fried flavor.

Grain Range

Grains have been part of our diets since the beginning of time immemorial.They are versatile, going wells with any kind of meat, fish or even vegetable.They are healthy for us as well,adding to our nutritional blanche.Best of all they can be made in variety of ways from salads to beds cradling the main dish. They were the subject of Mark Bittman's Flexitarian column in today's New York Times Dining section.Mr Bitman gives ideas about cooking it as well as serving it.There are so many different types from wheat berries to faro .He laso gives a shout outvto rice and its many varieties from red to black ,from basmati to wild.He offers suggestions on how to cook it,which is usually for a while to ensure the full flavor and how to serve it - any way you want.You can even use unsweetened puffed rice cereal too.This is a quick and healthy addition to any salad. There Re some good recipes.Mr. Bittman recommends a faro Nicoise using faro as the base along with the classic salad's ingredients.It's a tasty alternative and makes a nice summer dinner dish.There's also a millet dish featuring corn, mango and shrimp.You could add quinoa too to this for another healthy dish.These grains can work well on their own, but remember grains do need a sidekick.You can cook them in water but add some butter and spices too to being out their true taste.You can also cook them in a veggie, beef or chicken broth too. Grains are a wonderful addition to any diet.There's a variety of them out there to add to salads and meat dishes.They not only give the kick of nutrition but also flavor too.

Your Meat Primer

This is the season for cooking and serving all kinds of meats.It pays to know what's out there and how to buy it. Most home cooks and barbecue chefs usually wind up with the wrong cut for what they want and that can lead to disaster. Be meat savvy before you shop. It'll make for a better meal or a better barbecue.

Finding the right meat was the subject of Mark Bittman's Flexitarian Column in yesterdays New York Times Dining section. This is a  small comprehensive guide to buying everything from chops to burgers. It's good to bookmark online for future reference.Mr. Bittman also explains the various grades as well as where meat comes from. According to him ,it pays to go  for meat that's the product of sustainable farms.The animals are treated and fed better and that means a more tastier, more organic meat. This also means more expensive cuts, a true deterrent in eating more red meat.

There's also explanations about how to cook everything from chops to  burgers. Mr. Bittman is a big advocate of less is more so the amount of veal and beef is decreased. Vegetables an d spices make up for it ,He has created a semi veggie burger that has ground pork mixed with portabello mushroom pieces. He also has a Chinese vegetable and veal stew.This has a wide melange of different Asian veggies that you don;t mind it not bursting with veal. The last is a grilled quesadilla that is not only has the added goodness of steaks but also avocados, peppers. radishes and scallion to name a few.

It is meat season.Be armed and ready with tasty artesan meats balanced with an equal amount of veggies and spices. You'll not only have tasty barbecues and dinners but also healthy ones too