I'm hungry

[crys]

Ok. I'm really hungry and what I'm living off of isn't good. Every day I have spring rolls, a banana, some kind of vegetable, and usually potatoes, and/or fantastic cup of soup. This is far from a complete diet but my nutrients aren't too bad since I drink milk with vitamins, but I'm hungry. Today's food was a banana, mashed potatoes, spring rolls, peas, and a disgusting oatmeal cup. Of course I'm predominantly eating flavored liquids (nothing is really solid food) so that is part of why I'm constantly hungry. I can't keep relying on store foods because I'm going to starve to death. The stores here just don't offer enough food for people like me. My ability to order food online is limited, especially during winters so I need to start finding specific recipes. It seems like everything I find is either like spaghetti (I like the noodles but don't like the actual food spaghetti; makes me feel like I'm going to puke) or isn't specific about how much seasoning or whatever to put into food. I was not gifted to guess seasonings. I also get really frustrated because they seem to usually involve ingredients that I don't even know so the odds of finding them are next to none. To further complicate things I recently learned that Ferrous gluconate may or may not be vegetarian. Dextrose even from a vegetable source might also not be vegetarian because it can be processed through bone char. My beliefs prohibit food filtered in bone char. Of course all of this made me wonder exactly what is going on with cornstarch.... How it is made... if it has bone char or anything in the process because it's white and who knows how it was created. This means the India food I usually buy is off of the list until I figure out the whole process of making cornstarch. I think I will try to make some crackers soon. We should have recipes for them somewhere hopefully. I like pasta also, but like I said finding recipes that are actually useful has been hard. Oh, and I can't eat tofu because for some reason it makes me sick like I'm going to vomit. Textured vegetable protein resembles real meat too much for me (I don't eat fake meat). I'm hungry. Please, any food suggestions... Besides telling me to stop having such picky beliefs. ha ha.... They just happened...... then I started wondering how every single thing I eat is produced...... I even wonder about cooking oils..... That will have to be another search...... I think I have pretty much vented everything now..... And no I'm not going to stop being a vegetarian out of frustration....... I will likely starve before that happens so if somebody could contribute some information to the cause of me not starving that would be great. Oh... and my beliefs completely prohibit alcohol of any type. Any help.....

[Adams]

Have you already looked through this thread:
http://www.plantbasedpeople.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=282

Maybe you'll find some meal ideas that suit you there?

[jenzie]

Veggies with rice is really filling! :)

[crys]

Thank you Adams. I didn't even think of looking through a list of stuff people eat every day. Vegetables with rice.... Doesn't sound like it would have much flavor but maybe I'll pick up some rice and try it. Ty.

[Rosemary]

How do you feel about canned beans?

I often mix up rice, drained canned beans (chickpeas are my fav), cut up green onion, and some flax oil and rice for seasoning.

I find there is something very grounding somehow about eating legumes.

[crys]

hmm...... sounds pretty good except for the flax oil. I'll have to look that one up. Chick peas are pretty good though because I have had some with a curried rice meal I eat and I liked it. I also love green onions. Will you please give me some examples of seasonings you use? I'm horrible at guessing seasonings.

[Rosemary]

Well, those are the seasonings I use (salt, flax oil, green onion).

But it might be good with a generous sprinkle of garam masala (though I have not tried that myself).

[Emiloid]

If rice seems too plain, try making it with some veggie broth (cubes are often good) instead of plain water. You can also add a handful or two of lentils (and an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water) at the same time as the rice and--voila!--you've got rice pilaf!

If you want to get really fancy (and yummy), saute some onions and/or garlic in the pan you'll be making the rice in, then add the water and rice right on top. You could also stir in some raisins or dried cranberries in the last five minutes or less, and top with some of your favorite nuts.

For a well-rounded meal, serve with steamed veggies, veggie soup, or a salad.

Hope this helps. :)

[crys]

I don't eat vegetable broth or cranberries, but the rest sounds pretty good. Do I first cook the rice and then stir fry or do I stir fry it dry? I'll have to do some experimenting with cooking rice that way. It actually sounds pretty good, probably because it's something different. Thank you. :)

[Emiloid]

You're right, toasting the rice for a minute or two before adding the water is a good idea. It makes it nice and nutty. Just use a little oil (maybe 1 tablespoon) and stir the rice over med-high heat until it turns a little bit golden. Then add the water and whatever herbs & spices you like. If you're making fried rice I'm not sure what you do; you definitely "fry" it after it's cooked, but maybe you also do so ahead of time?