Planning Vegetarian Meals

Vegetarians can use the four basic food groups and the vegetarian food pyramid as a guide to meal planning. However, it’s important to remember that no one plant-based food can supply all of the eight essential amino acids found in meat, as animal protein generally is a complete protein, but not all have a perfectly balanced ratio of amino acids. Various foods must be combined to create a nutritionally-balanced meal. As a general rule, there are two ways to select the main course for a vegetarian meal:

• Combine egg or milk products with grain products
• Combine grain products with nuts, dried beans, or dried peas

Vegetarian Ingredient Substitutions

If you’re just discovering the benefits of a vegetarian diet, you may be surprised to learn that you don’t have to give up your favorite recipes! There are many substitutions that can be used to adapt standard dishes to the constraints of this type of eating plan.

In many cases, you can replace the meat in a particular recipe with Portobello mushrooms, eggplant, or dried beans. Tofu or textured vegetable protein may also produce an acceptable result. If your recipe calls for meat stock, try using vegetable stock, garlic broth, or water with a touch of soy sauce.

If you’re trying to eliminate dairy products from your diet, soy or nut cheeses may be used in many recipes. Crumbled tofu can often be substituted for cottage cheese. Mock parmesan cheese, a blend of toasted sesame seeds and nutritional yeast, makes an acceptable vegan substitute for parmesan cheese. Many vegetarians and vegans enjoy cooking with oat, rice, soy, or almond milk.

When choosing vegetarian ingredient substitutions, it’s important to remember that these ingredients have properties that will allow a recipe to cook in a similar fashion. Substitutions can often alter the taste of a dish. It may take some time to adapt your favorite recipe to your needs.

Adding Pizzazz

Many people considering a vegetarian diet are afraid meals will be bland and tasteless. However, vegetarian dishes can be even more rich and flavorful than the foods you are accustomed to eating. Herbs, spices, sweeteners, and oils can be used to add pizzazz to any meal.

Most vegetarians or vegans prefer to use fresh herbs to flavor their dishes. However, dried herbs are more widely available and can be just as effective when stored properly. Whether you’re using fresh or dried herbs, remember to purchase the smallest quantity possible to avoid the loss of intensity that occurs over time.

Combining spices takes some practice, but this skill can make a significant improvement in the taste of many vegetarian or vegan dishes. Garlic, onion powder, chili powder, fennel seeds, and peppercorns are just a few of the many popular spices that can be used in vegetarian cooking.

Brown rice syrup, molasses, Sucanat, agave nectar, and sorghum are often used to alter the taste of vegetarian or vegan foods. In addition to being less processed than white or brown sugar, these sweeteners contain small amounts of beneficial nutrients.

While oils should also be used sparingly, they can often improve the taste of your favorite vegetarian foods. Safflower, canola, or sunflower oils can be used to prepare baked goods. For savory dishes, extra-virgin olive oil is the best choice.