Over the past year, I have been trying to learn how to cook more vegetarian items. Sadly, I’ve encountered much failure, though I have come up with a few great meals. What I really want to learn is how to cook tempeh, firm tofu, seitan and quinoa without soy sauce or having to pan fry! I don’t want fried food every night, nor do I like soy sauce all that much.
I much prefer comfort food sauces: mushroom gravy, veggie broth, cream sauces, marinara sauces, and the like. I love thanksgiving food and italian food. I wish I could make a fake-meatball sub, a cheese fake-steak sandwich. I don’t want the flavor of soy or sweet/sour sauces. I don’t want sweet bbq either. I don’t like onions, and I don’t want to cook with them.
Do you guys have any suggestions? I have veggie cookbooks, and they are great; but, none of them teach how to cook without soy sauce, onions, or bbq sauce when it comes to veggie ‘meats’. Bah! I have had amazing ‘steaks’ and ‘burgers’ at restaurants, but they don’t share their recipes. I would really love to learn to cook protein-rich, low-fat meals with substance!
On a similar note, when I do cook, I make too much. Recipes call for 4 or 6, but I always cook just for me. John & I eat very differently. He likes chicken and asian flavors. We cook for ourselves. The thing is, I can’t eat the same meal 4 days in a row. I buy ingredients for the recipe, and am left with fresh veggies that never get eaten. I am left with left-overs that never get eaten, and I feel like I am wasting food and money. I made great egg salad, but only ate it 3 days in a row. I had enough left for another week’s worth of lunches, but I didn’t want it; so, I ended up tossing it after a week.
I made veggie stew, I used tons of fresh veggies, made enough for a family of 12 for two nights… I only ate it three days in a row, then a week went by… I tossed it. I am afraid to eat food after a week of it sitting in the fridge, untouched.
How do I make food for one? Cutting recipes into single or double servings is easy, but buying ingredients for one is hard! I end up with fresh stuff that goes bad, and I am terrible at planning other meals with those same ingredients. Bah!
Maybe I should just eat mixed frozen veggies and frozen meals more often… seems easier. I just wish it were cheaper! What I’d really love is a personal chef!