Vegetarian Cooking

Stovies are a Scottish dish traditionally made from beef and potatoes. This is my veggie version which is a great comforting winter dish.

Veggie Stovies

8oz Quorn chunks or other meat substitute.
5 large potatoes partially boiled and sliced
2 onions sliced into thin strips or rings
A half tablespoon of Marmite (yeast extract)
Three quarters of a pint of weak vegetable stock (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper
1 heaped tablespoon of butter or vegetarian margarine.

1. Fry the onions in the butter add the Quorn, Marmite, and salt and pepper.

2. Cover with the sliced potato and pour over half the stock. Add the rest of the stock gradually depending on how moist you like your stovies.

3. Simmer on the hob for about half an hour over a medium heat.

4. Serve hot with a good bread to mop up the juices.

*You can also make this with any left over veg you have -mushrooms work really well.*

This makes a fantastic side dish with a tapas style meal or a light main meal served alongside a good bread.

2lbs Tomatoes
1 Bell Pepper diced (I prefer to use yellow, orange or green for contrast but you can use whatever colour you like)
15-20 Olives stoned and chopped
1 Large mild white onion chopped.
5 tbsp of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss in the olive oil. I like to use garlic infused olive oil for this recipe though this is optional. If you really hate olives leave them out and replace with some fresh ground sea salt. Another variation is to add freshly chopped herbs or mix with cooked pulses for a bean salad. This is a really flexible recipe so feel free to adapt it to your needs.

Most people who are interested in a pure 100% vegetarian lifestyle do so for many reasons. These may include reducing suffering, improving one's health, or environmental issues.

Regardless of why one explores an animal-friendly lifestyle these choices could be the most important things one can do to make that difference in the world. By removing things like meat, eggs and dairy from ones life, you can make a statement against cruelty to animals, better health and helping to heal the planet and it's environmental issues. As supporting the production of vegan (100% vegetarian) products you are supporting a much more sustainable future, therefore these decisions send a message to others and help society become aware of a more humane way of living peacefully and lightly.

There are many pure vegetarian foods and products on offer across the globe these days. Shopping has become a way of showing one's compassion and awareness for many vegetarians. And yes you don't have to go without if you do not consume animal by-products.

Here's just a sample list of some of the great many foods on offer for you:

Veggie Burgers, Veggie Hot Dogs or Sausages, Tofurky, Vegan Mince, Veggie Bacon, Almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, oat and potato milks (some contain sweeteners or come in flavored options and most vegan milks are fortified with calcium and vitamins D & B12 as well). Non-dairy Ice Creams, sorbets and desserts, egg replacers, tofu, seitan, soy margarine, tempeh, TVP (texturized vegetable protein), soy cheeses including sour, creamed and whipped creams. And we can't forget about the many fruits, grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables to choose from as well.

So as you can see there is an abundance of food to choose from. And as stated by many vegetarians across the Globe, what we do is as important as what we don't do. Therefore living with compassion and exploring the vegetarian way of life could and most probably will change your life for the better.

About The Author
Rebecca Bennett has worked in the vegetarian/vegan industry for years, writes for Vegan Voice Magazine, is the founder of Vegan Secrets.com a portal with vegan and vegetarian books, articles, veg living tips and tricks plus you can also find further veg information at her blog (see links below for Rebecca's blog).