Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Vegan Cooking - One of the Greatest Fads Today



Vegetarian food is becoming a hot favorite for many. Some are motivated by religion, while some are motivated by their wish to improve their health. Yet others shift to vegan cooking because they find it more nutritional than any other type of food. Among the vegetarians, there are those who insist of on organic foods, while others are not so choosy about what type of raw material goes into their vegan cooking recipes. Before we go into details, let us be sure you understand what vegans are. The vegans are a section of vegetarians who do not eat any type of animal products that could be used for procreation. Hence, eggs are also considered as non-veg by a vegan and they will not eat mayonnaise or cake due to this. The vegans are also called lacto-vegetarians because of their preference of eating, i.e. they take only milk from among all the animal products existing.

Basically, vegan cooking is extremely tasty if cooked well and in the right combination. Those who are vegans from birth will not need these tips. However, those who have changed from meat eating to vegan food would tend to substitute mean with protein-based vegetables. However, this is definitely not the way to cook vegan food. Substituting is not the way for best vegan cooking. Remember this point whenever you are tempted to do so. If you like a certain recipe with meat, understand that it will taste that way only with meat. When you shift your style of eating, you will need a completely new book of recipes. No meat recipe can be used for vegan cooking, so do not attempt it.

Hints and Tips

A wonderful tip that I picked up during my research is that vegan cooking taste is highly enhanced by use of sea salt. This salt, besides making the food tastier, will add to its mineral content and make the food healthier. The only pre-requisite for the use of this salt is that it should be added to the food while cooking; not when the food is served.

If you are new to vegan cooking, remember than vegetables are different to cook than meat. While meat required less oil because of high animal fat content, the vegetables are tastier and healthier when cooked in oil. Use oil, which stays liquid at room temperature, i.e. sunflower oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc. Those who are looking for high protein content vegetables, consider the soy beans as soy products your best allies both in terms of protein and fiber.

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