I was just investigating halal slaughter as I was contemplating a beef curry tonight and I quickly came to the conclusion that I don't want to be responsible for the deaths of any more innocent animals. The look on the face of a cow about to be killed was heartbreaking.
I think as a nation of animal lovers, but also mostly carnivores, we have largely made a conscious effort to avoid thinking of the reality of meat production and slaughter. I reckon if people were to be reminded of how the meat they were about to pick off the shelf actually got there, many would think twice.
I'm not sure how I'm going to cope as a lifelong carnivore that absolutely adores chicken and bacon, but I am going to give it my best shot.
Are there any vegetarians here who have any tips or recipes for the newly converted ?
Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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And remember being imperfectly veggie is better than not being veggie at all.
Secondly, I note that you specified 'halal slaughter' - whilst I appreciate that the majority of this country has just elected a brazen Islamophobe back into the prime minister's office, I can assure you that, whilst I personally believe and maintain as evidenced by my vegan lifestyle that all animal slaughter is barbaric and completely unnecessary, non-halal slaughter is often crueler and more horrific than halal methods.
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I started by giving up beef pork duck etc. And just eat chicken and fish and replaced most meals with veg options. I'm not vegan yet but whilst pretty much every meal I used to eat included meat of some sort, I now eat 90% veggie, fish maybe once or twice a week and a cheeky chicken kebab prob every two weeks. It's not ideal I know but I've made a huge effort and every time I dont eat meat I'm making a difference so i try not to beat myself up too much when I do.
Just do your best is all, it gets easier. I find I dont miss meat at all now in fact mostly I dont WANT to eat it rather than feeling like I'm depriving myself.
Some things to try if you feel you want the meat experience
Impossible burgers (I've grown to love linda mcartney mozzarella quarter pounders for a burger fix but these are more er..meaty)
Quorn southern fried chicken strips
Tesco quorn mince for all your chillies, bolognese etc. Its better than quorn mince (dont cook it long it goes horrid, add it last thing just to heat it through)
BOSH books are great! Theres a sticky shiitake mushroom recipe which is as good as anything I've ever cooked! I'll pm you it.
Good luck
(2). Make sure it hasn’t got animal in it.
Seriously, this is it.
That’s all there is to it.
Other than don’t broadcast it. Enjoy it.
I personally seriously doubt going vegetarian have any factual health benefits since eating chips 3 meals a day for a month constitutes as being a vegetarian but we all know doing that is not healthy.
So I don’t equate going vegetarian as being healthy, even if you end up eating nothing but salads, that’s still isn’t healthy as you need fats in your diet, you need protein in your diet.
its all a able balance.
Like anything it is all about dosage.
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The conclusion I've come to, from the perspective of a meat eater looking for non-meat meals, is that mushrooms are your friends. Look for different varieties, and experiment with them; they take sauces really well, and in big chunks they add a good bit of texture to a meal too. Just be careful not to overcook them, otherwise they'll fall apart or go soggy, which defeats the point of using them to ease the transition.
Not only that, but if you've got the time then making your own mushroom and/or veg stock is brilliant for adding a bit more body and (ironically) a meaty taste to gravies and sauces. If you've got a pressure cooker handy, it barely takes any time at all (probably an hour or so including prep time) and you can make a couple of litres of the stuff at a time.
Also...start using fresh herbs. Even better, buy some potted ones to give you a headstart on growing your own. Makes a world of difference compared to the dried stuff, and when you're going from meat to veggie...you need to be adding all the flavour you can get your hands on. Seasoning's going to become hugely important for you, as well; that'll take a bit of getting used to, if our experience is anything to go by. Get yourself some low-sodium salt (given your history), and you might end up using a bit more than you'd expect. Also bear in mind that short of going for seaweed and the like, there aren't many ingredients available that will self-season a meal like bacon does (which is actually a huge part of the reason people love bacon - it makes everything better because it's salty, not necessarily because of its own taste).
Finally...my wife finds most store-bought meals (and a lot of vegetarian meals in cheaper restaurants and pubs) really bland, so she usually has a couple of different varieties of hot sauces around to add a bit of pep to otherwise-boring food.