The Truth About Easy Vegetarian Recipes by Diana Pells

There has been much talk about new vegetarians and critics about finding an easy vegetarian recipe. In some cases, the need to find an easy vegetarian recipe is motivated not just by the need to really find one but to satisfy curiosity as well. Is there really such a thing as an easy vegetarian recipe?

The Value of Cooking at Home
Some new vegetarians may be tempted to easily buy take outs at vegetarian restaurants. Most of us know however that there are great advantages to cooking meals at home. Home cooked meals are almost always cheaper to prepare and have the additional benefit of binding members of a family in a comfortable atmosphere. One other major plus factor for you as a vegetarian is that you are 100% sure of the cleanliness of your vegetables and what exactly goes into a dish.

Knowing What Type You Belong To
The first step to finding the right easy vegetarian recipe to cook and serve is to find out what type of vegetarian you are and the people you are going to cook for. The most common type of vegetarian is the lacto-ovo-vegetarians who eat vegetables, fruits, eggs and dairy products. A lacto vegetarian eats the same kinds of food except for the eggs.

If you are a vegan type of vegetarian, then you would probably want to do away with any animal meat and animal-based food in your easy vegetarian recipe. There are other kinds of vegetarians but these are the most common. Once you know where you, your family and your friends belong to, finding an easy vegetarian recipe will be easier.

The Recipe Myth
A common misconception with vegetarian recipes is that they are complicated to prepare. Since most vegetarians also lead busy lives, this may seem discouraging. There is however no truth to this common belief. In fact, some vegetarian recipes are the easiest to prepare.
Some vegans for example simply puree or blend fruits and vegetables for truly fresh and satisfying fibrous meals. Less strict vegetarians however also have a variety of choices. For lacto-ovo-vegetarians for example the only thing that needs to be omitted are meat products and meat based products. This means that you can basically sauté or steam anything you like as long as there isn't any meat in it. For a truly substantial, tasty and healthy easy vegetarian recipe, you can substitute meat with tofu, beans, legumes and nuts.

Stocking
It is advisable for vegetarians to stock variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products at home. Aside from the usual fruits and vegetables, you can also stock up on spices, seeds, olive oil, pasta, rice, cereal and noodles. Just imagine what you can cook up even with just these basic ingredients. An easy vegetarian recipe can be as convenient as sautéing some vegetables, spices, beans, tomato sauce and topping it on rice.

Washing
One thing you have to remember about any easy vegetarian recipe is that you have to properly wash and clean all of your fruits and vegetables even those with inedible peelings. Most of these food items have changed hands so often before reaching you that they're bound to carry some dirt or bacteria. Wash your food with running water and use a brush for fruits and vegetables with dimpled, corrugated or hard skins.

About the Author
Enjoy the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Learn how to become a vegetarian with some of the tastiest easy vegetarian recipe for you.

Smiling Boys Food by Vanessa Hamlin

Sick and tired of hearing "Mac n Cheese" every time you ask what your little boy would like to eat for lunch or dinner...or even breakfast?

Choosing foods that your child will actually eat can be very difficult and most mom's realize they need to be creative in order to get their boys to try new food. However, thinking of enough creative ideas for a week can be hard enough let alone coming up with an adequate amount of meals for a whole year!

After extensive searching, I've found several fun recipes that have boys everywhere smiling for food! 

All recipes can be found at the corresponding links!

1. Fun Fruit Kabobs ~ Let them pretend they are "spearing" treasure with their swords as they poke each piece of fruit onto a skewer! http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/fruit_kabobs.html

2. Veggie Animals and Edible Art ~ I'll just bet your boys will come up with some really interesting animals! http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/feature/famf19snack/famf19snack.html

3. Monkey Bread ~ Since every little boy is a "monkey"! http://www.weekiwis.com/monkeybread.html

4. Ants on a Log ~ You could call this a race track and cars too if your boys love racing! http://www.weekiwis.com/ants.html

5. Spider Crackers ~ Curious little boys everywhere love to play with spiders and they certainly love to play with their food. So, let them do both! http://www.weekiwis.com/spider.html

6. T-Rex Tortilla Pizza ~ GRRRR...anything scary is guaranteed to please him and dinosaurs are always a number favorite with little boys. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=446

7. Apple Smiles ~ You'll be surprised at how many funny "mouths" can be made with just a few slices of apple, some peanut butter and mini marshmallows! Try using different colored apple slices so he can really get creative! http://www.kids4kids.biz/125%20kids%20recipes.pdf

8. Chocolate Chip Muffins ~ Chocolate is a staple in every child's life (well anyone's life) , trick them into thinking they are "eating something bad for them" and make these with wheat flour! http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=128665

9. Banana Split Cereal ~ Who could ask for more? http://www.cspinet.org/smartmouth/recipes_articles/

10. Kids - Hot Dog Pizza-Dillas ~ Another great recipe for kids by Rachel Ray, this one's definitely a crowd pleaser! http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/kids-recipes/kids---hot-dog-pizza-dillas/article.html

The most important thing to remember when choosing your little boys food is, make it fun or gross! I promise if you choose either of those methods, he will eat it, regardless of what it is. Think bugs, dirt, animals or just plain silly. He loves those things...so what would make you think he wants his food any different?

About the Author
Need more boys food? Check out - Boys Food

Types of Vegetarians by Zhafran

Whatever your reasons are, you have decided to explore the interesting and exciting world of vegetarianism. If you have been a vegetarian for a while or have been researching about vegetarianism, you might already have some idea of what kind of vegetarian you are or want to be.

Many people think of vegetarians as one homogeneous group that just doesn't eat meat. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are different categories of vegetarians as diverse as the reasons for going vegetarian in the first place.

A vegetarian is generally defined as someone who doesn't eat meat. But someone who is vegetarian could conceivably eat dairy products such as milk, eggs and cheese. A lacto ovo vegetarian doesn't eat meat, fish or poultry, but does consume eggs, milk or cheese. A lacto vegetarian consumes milk and cheese products, but doesn't consume eggs.

A vegan is someone who doesn't consume any animal product or by-product, including dairy food. They eat only vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes. They also don't use animal products, such as leather. Vegans also don't use white sugar because it's often processed with a substance derived from animal bones that whitens the sugar.

There are other categories within the vegetarian community. Fruitarians, for example, eat only fruit. Their rationale is that fruits, including fruits such as tomatoes, are self-perpetuating and don't need to be planted to create the food source. They consider it a way of eating that's most in balance and harmony with the earth, the most natural.

All of the above will eat cooked vegetables, fruits and legumes. There is also a growing movement towards eating only raw or living foods. This based on the assumption that cooking food processes most of the nutrients out of it, and to get all the nutritional value, vitamins and amino acids from food, it's best consumed raw, or juiced. If cooked at all, it should only be cooked to slightly over 100 degrees, so the nutrients are still retained.

The more restrictive you become with your diet, however, the more educated you need to become to be sure you're getting all the necessary proteins and vitamins that you need to maintain good health, especially muscle and heart health.

Here are 4 types af vegetarianism:
1. Lacto vegetarians- Their diet consists of no animal products, or eggs, but do include dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.
2. Ovo-Vegetarians- Their diet consists of no animal or diary products but will eat eggs.
3. Lacto-ovo vegetarians- As you may have already guessed; don't include any animal products in their diet but will include dairy products and eggs.
4. Vegan- Their diet consists of only plant-based foods, which means it excludes everything that has come from an animal, such as meat, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.
If you haven't decided what kind of vegetarian you would like to be don't worry! Not everyone knows exactly what kind they want to be at first (I didn't), but by experimenting and trying different recipes you will figure out what you need and want or don't need and want.

About the Author
mampang.com Vegetarian recipe becoming vegetarian directories

Homemade Wine Recipes by Didier LeScraigne

The ardent fans of homemade wine, know the significance of getting some good homemade wine recipe. Putting some fruit juice and a fermenting agent in a jar and letting it ferment for awhile will only get you a nasty fruit juice. Try your own mixtures if you are adventurous, and the fun of making your own wine is all yours, but particularly if you are a novice you'll want to follow the easy wine recipes. After getting experienced, you can start experimenting with different fruit mixes and sugar levels.

In addition to growing in your garden, concord grapes vines are beautiful ornamental and valuable plants.

A great alternative to hot cocoas, ciders, and other such drinks are Mulled wines. Not only are they very effortless to make, and once you get used to it, you can come up with your own mulled wines recipes. Take one regular bottle of any red wine and put it into a big stewing pot. Add a quarter cup of brandy, about ten cloves, 2/3 cup of sugar, some whole cinnamon sticks, and about a teaspoon of ginger. Let it simmer over very low heat, stirring it occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Experiment with this type of simple wine recipe by adding some favorite pureed fruit or fruit juice, or by using honey instead of sugar as a sweetener. Different types of red wines will get you either stronger or mellower flavors. This is a frenzied home made wine recipe.

Another favorite homemade wine recipe is Apple wine and while these easy wine recipes are a bit longer, they yield a very good product. The wine mix is merely 2 containers of frozen apple juice and 4 cups of sugar, with about 2-1/2 quarts of water. Now boil the sugar in about a quart of the water until it is dissolved, and add this to the apple juice. Add about 6 teaspoons of acid blend, a campden tablet, a quarter teaspoon of grape tannin, a half teaspoon of pectic enzyme, and a package of wine yeast. This is one of the most basic homemade wine recipes. You can experiment by mixing the apple juice with other fruit juices. Half apple juice and half grape juice are good; cherry or blackberry juices are also equally good. Using half grape juice and half grapefruit juice alone you may try your luck.

Do not use only sweet fruits or only tart fruits for making this delicate wine. Think of the colors of the fruit, and use two from different colors. Grape and apple, for example banana and cherry, and so on. These types of mixtures more often than not make the best easy wine recipes for homemade wines. Remember never to do the following things.

Never try to sell homemade wine as it is illegal. Do not allow vinegar flies come near your wine. Never use metal containers. Never forget to stir twice a day. Never use too much sugar. Never try to speed up fermentation by increasing the temperature. Never use unsterilized bottles. Otherwise, enjoy these simple homemade wine recipes.

About the Author

Didier LeScraigne is a grape growing expert and experienced wine maker. For more great tips on how to grow grapes and make wine visit http://www.growinggrapesandwinemaking.com

Cooking Vegetarian At Your Dinner Party by E.S. Cromwell

So, you're having a dinner party and cooking will soon be underway. You've invited friends and family, set the date and planned an unofficial bill of fare, yet, there's a bump or two in your dinner party path. A few of your friends have selective eating habits, as they live vegetarian lifestyles.
At this point, you've been ready to prepare a standard meal, but now you've been positioned to prepare food in an unfamiliar cooking scenario and you're probably a bit intimidated, at least slightly unsure of what to do. Endless culinary complications and dead ends are running through your noggin. You're thinking "What can I make that will satisfy my vegetarian guests and not scare my meat-eating guests away...what can I do to solve this problem?" This 'problem' is really more so a challenge. Cooking a la vegetarian isn't a nuisance either, nor is it difficult to resolve.
There are simple ways to assure your dinner party is a success and goes over well with all your guests. Consider some of the following basic suggestions:

Consult A Vegetarian Recipe:
There is an abundant amount of recipe resources available in printed book and Internet format you can consult before starting to cook for your party. Recipes will range from levels easy to involved. It would be best to try out a beginner's or intermediate's recipe, as it would assure you less hassle and basic vegetarian preparation.
Be sure to use a strictly vegetarian specific recipe instead of altering a normal recipe to make it vegetarian. Do this simply to avoid cooking with ingredients that are otherwise vegetarian unfriendly. Many ingredients included in non-vegetarian recipes can include animal additives and to vegetarians, these are what they try to avoid.
Even while reading a vegetarian recipe, be cognizant of all ingredients that will be used. Research each one, making certain none include animal byproducts or add-ons.

Don't Stress About Shopping For Provisions:
Vegetarian friendly grocers are almost everywhere. As it stands, every grocer has a produce section, some more varied than others, but still, vegetables and fruits are plenty and not difficult to attain. And if the usual grocer does not have what you're looking for specialty stores can be visited. Farmer's markets and organic grocers can provide you with a great produce selection of the freshest quality.
If you're interested in meat substitutions, a vegetarian section in any grocer is your best bet. Any type of meat has some sort of vegetarian alternative. Vegetarian forms of lunch meats, chicken, pork and so on are all available in frozen packages which can be prepared to your liking or culinary specifications.

Separate Meat Dishes From Vegetarian Dishes:
When all your party food is cooked and ready for serving, make sure the meat dishes and vegetarian dishes are served on separate platters. Even consider visibly marking which dishes include meat and those that do not by tagging them with folded note cards.
This might be a bit silly, but also be aware to keep serving utensils separate. Assign each dish it's own serving fork and/or spoon. Do this to avoid meat dishes mingling with vegetarian dishes by utensil sharing. Even if a utensil used for serving a meat dish touches the wrong platter, especially the vegetarian one, the vegetarian guests could easily be swayed to not eat that dish.
So, that dinner party is finally here and guests are about to arrive. You went ahead to mull through some vegetarian recipes, shop for the best vegetarian food and produce, and you even meat-proofed your plating and serving methods. When it comes time to let your guests into your party, be confident. Do so because you've taken considerable steps to be a polite and accommodating host. This will show, as your guests will be comfortable, whether vegetarian or not. Enjoy your party and company knowing all is well.

About the Author
Cooking vegetarian at your dinner party? You'll need a way to store your freshly purchased produce before then. To keep your produce as fresh as the day you bought them consider green bags, specifically their reusable produce bags.