Vegetarian or Semi-Vegetarian Lowcarb

[pugluv9802]

Thanks, that makes sense. Before doing lc, I always read the labels about transfats, read somewhere how bad they were. Its a shame that I wasn't that strict about the carbs.

[TaDa!]

Here is some additional information on:

Non-Soy Vegetarian Proteins

I was asked in a pm for information on vegetarian proteins other than soy and I gave a little more information then in the list above in my original post and thought some folk that find this thread might also be able to use this:

Most vegetarians do rely on soy quite a bit as do I! .. however, there are other lowcarb vegetarian proteins that do not use soy:

1. Quorn (a protein derived from a mushroom! lol!)
2. Seitan (also known as wheat gluten)
3. Beans - excellent source - but not a "complete" protein.

I think if you do these along with:

4. eggs
5. dairy and milk

and you make sure to include some dairy or eggs daily, you will be safe as far as getting enough complete proteins.

The Seitan you can find pre-made in the cold case at a health food store and it is usually preseasoned and you use it in dishes where you might use chicken or beef. There is a wealth of information including commercial brands that use seitan here:

http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm

The Quorn is found in the frozen section of the health food store and the boxes are a gold yellow. They have cutlets of it (these are lowcarb 3 net carbs for one cutlet) you use kind of like tofu as well as premade breaded "nuggets", hotdogs, sausages, meatballs, etc etc. I can't get every product they make in my market, but they do have some of them!

http://www.quorn.us/firange.htm

[aloise]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm not a big meat eater and I love vegetables. You have some great ideas here. I am going to have to try that spinach bread. Sounds wonderful. and I love eggplant.

do you fix bitter melon at all?

I'm going to try that Quorn, too. Sounds interesting. Never heard of it.

thanks, Tada.

[TaDa!]

You betcha Aloise!

The quorn is a pretty new thing! but I have seen it at every health-type market now. I have never had bitter melon, unless maybe unknowingly at a restaurant!!! I was always a health-food challenged vegetarian ... the 70s were rough

[Purrgirl]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet by Rose Elliot *excellent (like Atkins for vegetarians), also has many recipes

Cookbooks:
Low-Carb Vegetarian by Margo DeMello *excellent
Carb Conscious Vegetarian by Robin Robinson * excellent!!! very gourmet!!

I also wrote the following before these books were published:

Lowcarb as A Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

Thanks Pauline for sharing all the info you have in this thread.

Do these books focus on eating soy? I don't want to eat soy, but I'm looking for some low carb vegetarian cookbooks.

[budilove]

This is a cool thread. Thanks mucho for the info...being lacto has is becoming more easier..yeeeeeee!

[Barbelicious]

Thanks for the info and encouragement!

Any suggestions for Atkins induction as a vegetarian? I was planning on a LOT of Quorn, eggs, and cheese. The way I see it is that I can do just about anything for 14 days.

[Purrgirl]

Anyone have any cookbook recommendations on vegetarian cooking w/out soy products?

[Joycelyn]

bumping for others. Great thread.

[lissbell]

Wow, it's wonderful to find other low-carbing vegetarians online. Thank you for this thread and for all the tips, Pauline.

Laura, like you I avoid soy. I've yet to find a low-carb vegetarian cookbook that doesn't rely on it as a frequent ingredient. When searching for new meal ideas, I've found the meatless main dish section of Linda's Low Carb Recipes site a great resource.

~Lissa

[Purrgirl]

Lissa - I feared that most lc cookbooks focus on soy. I do eat some meat currently

Can you give me any meal ideas that you like? Your stats are great and it's great to see you've come so far eating vegetarian!

[catkin]

Thanks, TaDa
How are things going?

[Purrgirl]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

I wish these were around when I started Atkins! I can highly recommend the following Books.

The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet by Rose Elliot *excellent (like Atkins for vegetarians), also has many recipes

Cookbooks:
Low-Carb Vegetarian by Margo DeMello *excellent
Carb Conscious Vegetarian by Robin Robinson * excellent!!! very gourmet!!

I just got The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet book today. I've been browsing through and I really like it so far!

[MintQ8]

I'm not a vegetarian - but I picked up Rose Elliots book recently - currently it is with a veggie friend of mine - but I loved the recipes in it and can't wait to get it back to try some of them. The book was brilliant - it was written as Atkins - but from a vegetarian perspective - amazing information.

[Purrgirl]

I'm glad you liked it too. I can't wait to read it.

[momto3boys]

Hi Pauline, Thanks for all the great info!! I guess I'm technically not a vegetarian as I still eat fish (though very little), as it does expand my protein options. I plan on reading your journal later in the day, I've skimmed it before and you're a very inspirational person! Have you read The Horn of the Moon Cookbook, it's a fabulous veggie cookbook!

[Purrgirl]

Becky - Is the Horn of the Moon cookbook low carb? Does it have lots of soy products in it? I'm trying to stay away from soy.

[momto3boys]

Purrgirl, Nope unfortunatly it's not LC. It really is a great cookbook and I'm sure some of the recipes could be adapted.

[Purrgirl]

Ok. Thanks Becky. I may check it out but I'm really anxious to find a recommended lc vegetarian cookbook that doesn't focus on soy!

[Joycelyn]

With so much talk about vegetariansim on this board the last few days, I thought I would bump this excellent post by Pauline (Ta Da!), to give an example of how easy it is to be a low carb vegetarian for anyone interested.

I am no longer one, but obviously this subject is of great interest, so enjoy! And thank Pauline for all her effort in putting it together.

[CARLINI]

thanks for taking the time to post this. it was very helpful

[Jake]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

2. Seitan (also known as wheat gluten)

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm here to add that Seitan is amazing, and easy to make. YUMMO.

[TaDa!]

Ok Happy Cricket ...lol! Now you have too tell me how you make your seitan!! Do you buy the pre-marinated stuff? or make it yourself? and how do you prefer to prepare it?! Seitan and TVP are two vegetarian proteins I have never prepared myself .. being as I am the ultimate lazy cook (and I am cooking for 4, and I am the only one eating low lowcarb, lol!!), -- I have eaten them at vegetarian restaurants, etc, but it would be cool to try to prepare them myself!

[stargirl21]

Homemade Seitan :: theppk.com Vegan Recipe Database

My Personal Favorite: Post Punk Kitchen Forums/ Seitan O'Greatness.

[flatferenghi]

However, an omnivore I shall always be. If it has a horn, a snout, an exoskeleton, or a scale, sooner or later it will end up on my plate. Veggies will always be a "contorno", something to have with the aforementioned. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[Jake]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

Ok Happy Cricket ...lol! Now you have too tell me how you make your seitan!! Do you buy the pre-marinated stuff? or make it yourself? and how do you prefer to prepare it?! Seitan and TVP are two vegetarian proteins I have never prepared myself .. being as I am the ultimate lazy cook (and I am cooking for 4, and I am the only one eating low lowcarb, lol!!), -- I have eaten them at vegetarian restaurants, etc, but it would be cool to try to prepare them myself!

I had read about it on the internet at some point and was just dying to try it myself. Here's a very basic process:

Take about half a bag of whole wheat flour, put it in a large bowl, and add water, 1/2 cup at a time until you get a sticky dough. Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes or so.

Next, knead the dough just enough to get it to ball up and be easy-ish to handle. Now comes the fascinating part - you'll take the dough to the sink, and rinse it. Keep a bowl under the faucet, and run the water over the dough in a light stream while you squeeze and knead the dough. The water will begin to rinse away the starch.

This part takes a long time, but you find the dough becoming spongy in your hands - once the starch is rinsed away, and the dough is all spongy, and the water is running clear (not coudy), and your hands hurt like hell, you now have raw seitan.

From here, the seitan goes in a pot of broth - bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about an hour. After that, you can slice it, chunk it, whatever, and use it in recipes.

In addition to my babbling, Wiki has a much better explanation:
Cookbook:Seitan - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks

[Jake]

Originally Posted by stargirl21

My Personal Favorite: Post Punk Kitchen Forums/ Seitan O'Greatness.

Oh wow, that just looks amazing.

[nadi namaki]

What a great post. I have a vegetarian husband and u cant imagine how hard it is to cook 2 different dinners everynight. What a big help. Thank u

[TaDa!]

Originally Posted by nadi namaki

What a great post. I have a vegetarian husband and u cant imagine how hard it is to cook 2 different dinners everynight. What a big help. Thank u

oh ... I absolutely can, lol!! I make 3 meals at most meals:

1 lowcarb vegetarian
1 medium-high carb vegetarian (for my very skinny 11 yo who also is a bit picky)
1 meat meal (sometimes 2!! for dh and my youngest dd)

However, you absolutely could cut down on the meals you have to make! The easiest way is to take really good recipes like Linda Sue's ones that use ground meat, and substitute a vegetarian "ground meat"-style product like Lightlife's Gimmelean (looks like a big sausage or salami in a white packaging and is found in the grocery store in the produce section near the tofu).

Stargirl and Happy Cricket Thanks so much for the Seitan info!!! Gosh, I might even try to make it!!! I've had it before in these awesome vegetarian eggrolls and it was soooooooo good! I guess the broth or the spices are probably the key! I'm a garlic and spicy chili lover, so that might be an option. Thanks again!! I'd love to find some new proteins for my fussy vegetarian 11 year old, lol!!

[rae_rae21]

Thanks for bumping this thread! I'm a full-blown vegetarian, and I could always use new ideas for LC veggie meals...I'm gonna look for that book tomorrow as well!