I'm more "fish-a-tarian" than strictly vegetarian these days, but my actual cooking from scratch involves vegetarian recipes. What does Delia need to know? The main thing is to get a balance of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, beans/legumes, and dairy/eggs (assuming she's not going the vegan route--that is not a good idea for a "picky" eater). Everything I'm reading in recent times is emphasizing that we need to mainly get lots of vegetables, whether we eat meat or not, so maybe she can begin by exploring ways that she DOES like to eat vegetables. And "cooked" vegetables encompasses a wide range of cooking techniques and degrees of cooking.
One of my favorite, totally lazy-ass ways to get veggies in my diet is to steam about half a bag of frozen vegetables (usually centered around broccoli, as it's one of my favorites and very good for you) then toss them in a bowl with a bit of salad dressing and chow down. Some veggies do well with oven roasting rather than steaming or boiling, e.g., brussels sprouts, which seem to lose the bitterness with oven roasting (olive oil and rosemary or other Italian herb = yum). And there are also salads, which can be made pretty substantial with the addition of chickpeas and cheese and other add-ins.
Does Delia like soups? There are TONS of recipes out there, and vegetarian soups are as easy as just using vegetable broth (or water, if you have veggies in the soup and are simmering it long enough) instead of the ubiquitous chicken broth. It's hard to recommend a specific recipe not knowing what she likes, but since she's into research, anyway :-D she can do the legwork herself. Two good authors I know of are Mollie Katzen (the original Moosewood Cookbook) and Nava Atlas (she has a Mediterranean cookbook that I'm thinking of getting).
If you and Delia would be interested in getting together at Namaste or Common Roots some Friday evening (or whatever is best for your schedule), I'd be willing to chat and share such knowledge as I have. Just e-mail me (or call, if you still have my phone number) and let me know!
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Date: 2008-03-28 09:45 pm (UTC)One of my favorite, totally lazy-ass ways to get veggies in my diet is to steam about half a bag of frozen vegetables (usually centered around broccoli, as it's one of my favorites and very good for you) then toss them in a bowl with a bit of salad dressing and chow down. Some veggies do well with oven roasting rather than steaming or boiling, e.g., brussels sprouts, which seem to lose the bitterness with oven roasting (olive oil and rosemary or other Italian herb = yum). And there are also salads, which can be made pretty substantial with the addition of chickpeas and cheese and other add-ins.
Does Delia like soups? There are TONS of recipes out there, and vegetarian soups are as easy as just using vegetable broth (or water, if you have veggies in the soup and are simmering it long enough) instead of the ubiquitous chicken broth. It's hard to recommend a specific recipe not knowing what she likes, but since she's into research, anyway :-D she can do the legwork herself. Two good authors I know of are Mollie Katzen (the original Moosewood Cookbook) and Nava Atlas (she has a Mediterranean cookbook that I'm thinking of getting).
If you and Delia would be interested in getting together at Namaste or Common Roots some Friday evening (or whatever is best for your schedule), I'd be willing to chat and share such knowledge as I have. Just e-mail me (or call, if you still have my phone number) and let me know!