How to Cook for a Vegetarian
Easy All Inclusive Catering for Veggies in a Meat-Eating Family
Nov 7, 2008
Has a family member decided to become vegetarian? Worried about how to include them at meal-times, when everyone else eats meat? Vegetarian cooking doesn't need to be daunting. Simple, hassle free measures can be taken to enable everyone to enjoy eating together.
Different Types of Vegetarian
It's important to know exactly what foodstuffs are allowed and what are not. People choose to adopt a vegetarian diet for many different reasons. It may be because of their moral convictions, for the good of their health, or a combination of the two. Several categories of vegetarian exist:
- Lacto Ovo Vegetarian – Does not eat meat, fish or poultry, but does eat eggs, milk and products containing them.
- Lacto Vegetarian – Does not eat meat, fish, poultry or eggs. Does consume milk and some products containing milk such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream. Avoids products containing eggs (such as veggie burgers).
- Vegan – Does not eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy produce. Avoids all products (food and otherwise) derived from animals.
New converts are usually lacto ovo vegetarians. This article presumes all family members are prepared to consume vegetarian food products containing dried egg powder and milk, but it is important to check this is indeed the case.
How to Cope with a Vegetarian at a Family Roast Dinner
With a few minor amendments to freezer and store cupboard ingredients, cooking a roast dinner appropriate for vegetarians is an absolute doddle. There's no need to cook separately for the vegetarian as apart from the actual meat, everything can be enjoyed by the whole family.
- First, make sure roast potatoes, or any other vegetables being roasted, are cooked in vegetable oil or vegetable fat.
- Second, make sure the meat component of the meal is cooked in a part of the oven where fat won't inadvertently drip onto the other vegetables being cooked.
- Third, use vegetarian gravy granules to make the gravy. There are loads of excellent products on the market, so make the switch to veggie gravy and the whole family will be able to partake. No need to worry about cooking separate pans of gravy, using different spoons to stir or cluttering up the table with two gravy boats.
Finally, bung a quorn fillet, a vegetable grill or a quorn slicing roast in the oven and dish it up at the same time as everything else. Quorn roasts are incredibly simple to cook, they just sit on a tray in the oven for about an hour, and slice up like a turkey roll when they're done. Quorn fillets can be quick fried in a pan with a little vegetable oil, and vegetable grills can be grilled in a few minutes – an easy job to do whilst the meat rests just prior to dishing up time. All these convenient vegetarian products are readily available in supermarkets, and are incredibly handy to keep in the freezer at home. Simple!
Further reading: For more tips on eating and living healthily check out Get Fit, Stay Healthy, Live Happy. Readers may also be interested in the great cooking recipes found at Suite101's Vegetarian Cuisine pages.
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