One year a Vegetarian

Well, today makes it one whole year since I decided that I would become a vegetarian. For those unfamiliar with my story my partner Charlotte became a vegetarian some 25 years ago at a young age. I was different; I had eaten meat all my life until our paths crossed in 2010.

We moved in together back in 2011 and almost immediately my meat consumption dropped overnight. It was nothing to do with her preaching vegetarianism at me, as far as she was concerned if I was going to eat meat that was my choice and she accepted me as I was. From my point of view I didn’t think it was necessary to cook separate meals; I would eat whatever Charlotte ate, and that’s what we did at home. It was an easy choice for me because the food Charlotte prepared was absolutely delicious. When we ate out on occasions I would venture into the meat dishes on the menu but this was becoming rarer as time went on.

Eventually the penny finally dropped.  Why was I still bothering to eat meat? The food I was eating at home was all vegetarian and was by far tastier than meat dishes.  I was also feeling a whole lot better for my reduced meat intake so, one year ago, I made the decision: “no more meat”.

Has it been hard? No not at all.  What is there not to like about vegetarian eating? It’s tasty, healthy and nutritious food.  Charlotte has inspired me and given me the confidence to experiment more in the kitchen.  Now I enjoy discovering new recipes and sharing them through this blog. I can honestly say that I don’t miss the meat in the slightest.  I only wish I’d embraced a vegetarian diet sooner in life.

You won’t get in a stew over this stew

Split pea stew with Ethiopian spices

I have found that the Times newspaper often has some great vegetarian recipes.  Last weekend, I made this lovely stew with Ethiopian spices.  It takes a little time, but please don’t be put off.  It tastes delicious.  I halved the recipe and it made enough for 4.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

250g yellow split peas, rinsed and thoroughly drained

2tbsp olive oil

20g butter

3 onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves

1tbsp grated ginger

1tsp cardamom seeds, crushed

1tsp turmeric

Salt and ground black pepper

250g spinach, cooked, drained and chopped

Handful torn basil leaves

Method

1). Simmer the split peas in a saucepan with 600ml of water for about 50 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to break up.

2). Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, and fry the onion over a gentle heat until translucent and sweet smelling

3). Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, taking care they don’t burn.  Stir in the cardamom and turmeric and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 

4). Drain peas, reserving any water, stir into onions and spices.  Season and cook for another 20-30 minutes. 

5). Stir in spinach and basil and serve.

I served the stew with some onion seed flatbreads from a recipe I’d also found in the Times.  Here it is:

Makes 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

250g plain flour

1tsp salt

2tbsp olive oil

150ml warm water

1tbsp black onion seeds

Method

1). Form ingredients into dough with hands.

2). Knead on floured surface until smooth.

3). Roll into sausage and cut into 8.  Roll balls into thin discs.

4). Cook in hot, dry frying pan for 2 minutes each side until charred.

Unlike the stew, I didn’t halve the quantity here.  We ate the left over flatbreads with houmous.

I’d recommend searching for flatbread recipes online.  I can’t believe how much ready-made flatbreads cost – it’s so much cheaper making them yourself.  And so simple too.  If you haven’t got onion seeds, then you could experiment with other store-cupboard herbs and spices, for example, paprika or parsley.