Nearly a year ago, I decided to give up meat. Several factors contributed to this decision, but I've always been like 80% vegetarian anyway. Lots of things happened once the meat was gone. I lost about 15 pounds, began noticing every gastric event my body took part in, and got sort of bored with food. That's when I started avidly cooking--all right, I really taught myself how to cook one boring summer in high school when all I did was watch the Food Network for 8 hours a day and try to bang out dinner to the groans of my parents--but this was when I really got serious. I was living alone and started cooking meals for myself--breakfast, dinner, things to bring to work with me (and I work in a restaurant)--you name it, I was cooking it.
But I still felt a bit limited to pastas, tofu stir fries, salads, the basics; I was using vegetables I already knew how to cook, and techniques with which I was familiar. So I started reading recipes, and experimenting, and keeping a food journal. The biggest change came over the holidays when I was given a couple of excellent vegetarian cook books. The one I refer to as "the Bible", Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and Rose Elliot's The Complete Vegetarian.
Bittman opened up my world. I started soaking my own beans, buying gigantic squash without fear, even baking. But like I said, I've known how to cook since high school, so I was able to riff on the recipes and add my own style. That's why I've decided to start this blog, as a guide to other enterprising vegetarians who won't settle for just a veggie burger, and as a reminder to myself of what I've cooked, what I want to cook, what works, and what doesn't. Let the blog adventure begin...
