Vegetarian

When you hear the word "Vegetarian Food" you might think it's weird. Be Open-Minded! Think of vegetarian as helping animals survive and being healthy. Vegetarian Food can be disgusting sometimes because it only has non meat related ingredients in it. Well think the other way, you can still enjoy what people who have a wide range of food to eat except have a limited range. Lets Continue.


 * What is a Vegetarian diet?**

A vegetarian diet is a type of diet that involves the consumer not consuming any animal products both from land and sea animals. Usually vegetarians consume eggs and dairy products but a person who doesn't consume protein from animal meat at all is called a vegan. Instead of protein, this diet is focused on vegetables and replace animal meat with eggs and tofu instead.


 * What are some benefits of Vegetarian diets?**

From dieting on vegetarian meals, the consumer has benefit on the following things:

- Lower body weight - Lower cholesterol levels - Longer life span - Lower risk at developing cancer - Lower risk at developing heart disease and other sicknesses - Consume food with less fat


 * Some vegetarian foods?**

Some of the most well-known vegetarian foods are salads, vegetable based foods, tofu and bean based products. Most cultures and cuisines have their own vegetarian foods that are well-known in the world. In Thailand, one of the well-known vegetarian dishes is Som Tam (Papaya Salad). This dish is made up of shredded papaya with spices.


 * More food...**

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

2. Place pumpkin and liquid in blender or food processor, process until smooth, return to pan. 3. Add CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk and nutmeg, reheat, do not boil. 4. Serve with a teaspoon of light sour cream and chives, if desired. ||
 * Ingredients  ||  Method   ||
 * # Butter
 * 1) 1 onion, chopped
 * 2) 1 1/2 cups water
 * 3) 750g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
 * 4) 100mL
 * 5) can CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk pinch nutmeg || 1. Melt Butter in large pan, add onion, cook 2 minutes. Add water, and pumpkin, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered 25 minutes, until pumpkin is tender.

or...

Chocolate Souffle


 * Ingredients  ||  Method   ||
 * 25g butter, melted

1 tablespoon caster sugar

 ** Souffle **

100g dark chocolate70%, broken into pieces

2 eggs, separated

1/4 cup caster sugar

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> ** Chocolate Sauce **

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">100ml thickened cream

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">100g dark chocolate 70%, broken into pieces

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> ** Chocolate Cream **

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">150ml cream

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">100g dark chocolate 70%, grated || <span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">2. Brush two 3/4 cup-capacity ramekins with melted butter using vertical strokes. Dust each ramekin with 2 teaspoons of sugar and tap out excess. Place moulds in fridge.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">3. For soufflé, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">4. Place egg whites in an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until dissolved.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">5. Add egg yolks to cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Gently fold in egg white mixture until just combined. Divide mixture between ramekins and bake for 10 minutes.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">6. For sauce, melt chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">7. For chocolate cream, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add grated chocolate and gently fold to combine.

<span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">8. To serve, place soufflé on a large plate. Pour chocolate sauce into a small jug and place on plate along with a quenelle of cream. Garnish cream with extra grated chocolate if desired. || The two samples above are the dishes you can enjoy. Just like people who can enjoy meat related ingredients :)


 * What are some influences for Vegetarian diet?**

Most vegetarians are influence by the fact that they don't want to harm or kill animals for their meals so they eat vegetables and fruits instead. Sometimes it is also because of religious influences. It has also been known that people have been believing that our ancestors were vegetarians from the beginning of human evolution and raising animals for meat was not common back then.


 * Is the vegetarian diet good for teenagers?**

It depends on the perspective of those who are eating and are wanting to eat vegetables as their main diet. Thus there might be several vitamins and nutrients that teenagers might lack from by dieting on vegetarian food. Some of the vitamins include: iron, calcium, protein, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B12.

More information on Vegetarian Diet:

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[|http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html#]

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