Can you live without your meat?

It seems that Vegetarians and Vegans are now taking the country by storm! Is it because more and more people are becoming increasingly aware about their food products, specifically meat products? Is it because they are becoming more cautious about their health? Is it a trend? Or are people starting to notice that preteens in America look like adults?  From what I understand, it is a combination of all the above added to the unfair treatment of animals. Regardless of the reason, my real  introduction into the Vegetarian/Veganism world was eye-opening and exciting!


Let me state, that I am neither Vegetarian nor Vegan. I do eat meat and animal products. However, I do have Vegetarian/Vegan tendencies...  Why? because it is healthy. I am a firm believer in moderation and variety. Long gone are the days when being Vegetarian or Vegan meant tofu and vegetables. There are SOOO many options out there that makes cooking and eating in these lifestyles fun, healthy and delicious! It is a new year and a time when people create new diets for themselves for the next three months (including myself). My diet goal, however, will be to add more variation to the foods I eat. I'm not talking about eating more sushi or gyros. I'm talking about substituting ingredients from time to time because I know it will be better for me. For example, I won't use milk in my chai lattes (like most I am lactose intolerant but love dairy). I'm going to try another type of milk.  Perhaps I will cut out a meat product one day out of the week. I am not trying to sway you one way or the other. But I am trying to encourage mixin' it up from time to time. You may be surprised. Don't knock it till you try it! Here are some subsitutes:

Dairy Free Milk Products:
-Soy Milk (Everyone knows)
-Soy Creamer
-Oat Milk (can't wait to try!!!)
-Nut Milk- like Almond and Hazelnut (also can't wait to try)
-Rice Milk
-Hemp Milk
-Vegan Cheese- gonna take my time with this one..


Alternative Flours/Grains:
-Soy Flour
-Spelt Flour
-Chickpea Flour
-Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
-Quinoa (Keen-wah)- One of the healthiest grains in the WORLD! Contains 9 essential amino acids
-Brown Rice- takes a bit longer to cook
-Jasmine/Basmati Rice

Other key ingredients:
-Seitan- made from wheat gluten, used as a meat subsitute.
-Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)- meat substitute (my Grandma has been making her "beef patties" with this for years and we never know it wasn't beef. Still Yummy!
-Tofu- Comes in several forms from silken (yogurt-like) to firm
-Liquid Smoke- adds a meaty and smokey flavor to such dishes like Collard Greens
-Vegan Worcestershire Sauce- If you didn't know Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, the Vegan Worcestershire sauce does not.

(P.S. I found two great Vegan Cookbooks I will experiment with, being a foodie and all. One is "Caribbean Vegan" by Taymer Mason, and the other is "Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia C. Simpson)