Eating Out....

Well, Andy asks a good question about eating out. It is true that pretty much ANYWHERE in the world a vegetarian can get a meal at an Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Nepalese, or Japanese restaurant. In the case of Indian, they do not use many animal products, but they do use Butter and other Dairy based sauces; so vegans need to be sure to ask for NO cream sauce or butter in their meals. Thai food is pretty heavy on the Fish Sauce or Oyster Sauce as they give the sauces (apparently) a good sodium jolt. If you go to a Thai place you HAVE to ask for NO fish or oyster sauce. Some places I have found know what vegetarian means and will automatically leave those products out. (Especially Asian places; if you say you are Buddhist, Jain, or Hindu they know to leave out all animal products) So, when I travel I tend to not say vegetarian, but Buddhist and all the places know what that means; even if they do not speak English. Vietnamese places also tend to have Chicken Stock as bases for their sauces and soups, so if eating at a Vietnamese place, be sure to ask if the sauce is vegetarian (which there are some). (Also be sure to ask them about fish sauce) Tibetan and Nepalese tend to fall alongside with Indian since they are both steeped in religions that accept vegetarianism.

It is generally a good idea to forgo American, French, German, or Latin cuisine. Whereas there are some places in these genres that have SOME veggie cuisine, they are all based on meat; even sauces. The only thing on an "American" menu that is good would be a veggie burger, but beware where it is cooked.

The exception to that rule would be Mexican. Most Mexican places know about lard and if you ask, most places have beans that have not been cooked in lard. Even in Mexico it was not hard to get a bean and rice burrito, or veggie fajitas, or a veggie quesadilla.

Italian Cuisine is relatively vegetarian friendly. Most chains like Olive Garden use Vegetable Stock for their Minestrone, but beware of Chicken Stock in soups elsewhere, including Minestrone (which is mildly humerous since Minestrone soup is known as a vegetarian soup; some people do not count the Stock as part of the soup....so ASK before eating). Also beware of Chicken Stock in their sauces; always ask if the sauce is vegetarian.

Groceries- What is in my closet

In future postings I will show many easy recipes that can be made every day. These can be accomplished using very common items with a few 'specialty' items.

Since I live in Boulder, vegetarian shopping is really easy. However, as I travel, I have noticed that most places have easy access to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or a local grocery with a large natural foods section. Here in Denver/Boulder we have a local processor that makes tofu: Denver Tofu. We also are in the hometown of White Wave Foods, makers of soy products and other vegetarian options. So for us, that makes it very easy to buy everything a vegan would need using local products. Most people are not going to stop importing/exporting products from other states, so even if they have to be shipped in, at least the processing of vegetarian products before shipment was low.

Produce should also be easy to find from relatively local sources. The exception for us in the arid tundra would be citrus fruit. Most fruits do not grow well here, but mostly we can get the citrus fruit from California, which is not too far away.

My grocery shopping experience means our fridge/freezer/"pantry" looks a little like this:

Onions (usually White), Green Peppers, Red Peppers, Asparagus, Broccoli, Potatoes, Spinach, Corn, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Carrots, Garlic, Ginger, Bananas, Strawberries, and differing Fruits/Veggies in season.

Sub rolls, loaf of bread (certainly both whole grain, no refined products), sugar (usually locally produced 'normal' sugar), unrefined flour, cereals, vegetable oil, olive oil, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, cocoa, bread crumbs (yes, there are vegan versions available regularly), powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, various spices (lots of 'em; ground pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc..), soy milk (we like Soy Dream original or Silk), pasta sauce (I like Prego Original since it is merely a base...I don't like to cook with already flavored sauces), orange juice, frozen fruits, tortilla chips, salsa, Silk Soy Yogurt, Tofu, different types of Tempeh, Seitan, Morningstar Farm 'Griller' crumbles, french fries, Soysation brand Soy Mozzarella (yes, it is not 100% vegan.....but we'll get into that later), crescent rolls, BBQ sauce (Bull's Eye is the best mass marketed brand, but I love just about any vegetarian BBQ), ketchup, mustard, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and veggie burgers.

This is a list that anyone can have and produce a wonderfully healthy, tasty, and eco-friendly lifestyle/diet.