Introduction
Have you ever wanted to try being a vegetarian or vegan, just dip your toe in without committing to taking the plunge until you're sure you want to give up meat? And what about learning to cook vegetarian food? Isn't that whole-foods, vegetarian stuff harder than plopping a steak or some chicken on the grill? How will you find everything you need? Do you really have to "food combine"? Do grocery stores even carry everything vegetarians need to eat, or do you have to visit out-of-the-way health food stores to buy ingredients?
Well, guess what? You can absolutely be a lazy cook, even hate cooking, and still cook vegetarian foods with a minimum of fuss and mess. Most grocery stores carry everything you'll need to keep your pantry and fridge stocked without ever having to set foot inside health food or other specialty stores, and you can use only whole-foods, from-scratch ingredients if you like and STILL do very little cooking. The Lazy Vegan is a free newsletter for vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike, whether you're a committed vegetarian or just interested in learning more.
The History
"But how do you get your PROTEIN?" my friends and family stammered when I first became a vegetarian more than twenty years ago. Time and again, I had to carefully explain that I didn't "need" meat to get protein, that beans, grains, fruits and vegetables (and dairy and eggs in the beginning) were fine and nutritious, ample to sustain me. "You're going to waste away from lack of protein," they muttered, looking at me suspiciously.
Two decades later, I'm still here (having chucked the eggs and dairy some three years after the start), not the least bit frail, and the mutters have subsided for all but the most die-hard of meat-eaters. Vegetarianism has become mainstream, even faddish, while doctors like Dean Ornish and John McDougall tout its benefits to the masses. Soy based burgers and cheese substitutes abound in most grocery stores now, instead of being tucked away in the dark recesses of the health food store; what's more, they're actually good, not just rubbery imitations of the real thing.
The Newsletter
Welcome to The Lazy Vegan. If you've found this website, you might already know what a vegan is: a vegetarian who shuns all animal products in the diet, from meat to dairy to eggs. The most common type of vegetarians are perhaps the lacto-vegetarians (vegetarians who avoid meat but consume dairy products), and lacto-ovo vegetarians (vegetarians who consume eggs and dairy). For a more detailed education on the types of vegetarianism, do a web search using the keywords "vegan" and "vegetarian"; you'll not only find definitions, but communities and resources as well.
If you aren't vegetarian or vegan but are just interested in the lifestyle or in getting a slow introduction to vegetarianism, you're also welcome. I decided to start The Lazy Vegan for two reasons. First of all, I haven't seen many resources that promote friendly relations between the meat-eating community and the vegetarian community. It's kind of like religion in that way: a very hot topic where group members are often absolutely sure they're "right," the others are "wrong," and there's no middle ground.
I don't agree with that, and that's one reason I call myself a "lazy vegan," lazy meaning that I'll never be militant about my choice. After all, I was once a meat-eater too, lots of us were. I can't say that I'd enjoy sitting down to a sirloin steak for dinner these days, but I once did so without a second thought. Most of my family and friends still do, and that's something that needs to be respected in my book. And like it or not, vegetarians and vegans depend on the meat industry too, especially if they have pets that consume commercial food. There are lots of changes that can and should happen in the industry itself so that the environment and the animals are treated much more gently, but let's face it: vegans are often animal lovers, and that often means pet ownership; that in turn means that they are meat consumers. Because of that, pet lovers would be at a loss if the industry disappeared tomorrow.
The second reason I call myself a lazy vegan is because I really am lazy, at least in the kitchen. Hate, hate, hate to cook. Rather difficult hurdle to overcome, considering that I wanted to do the whole-foods, from-scratch thing.
To that end, I've slowly
come up with a system and some recipes that let me do a minimum
of actual cooking and yet use no convenience foods, and I'll share
those here
too.
To subscribe, just send an email to:
lazyvegan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Welcome!
Kim Olson
October 6, 2002
***
Update as of February 2, 2009:
The Lazy Vegan newsletter is now a mailing list. Join the discussion!
To subscribe, just send an email to:
lazyvegan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
(This is the same address as the previous newsletter; I just changed the format and posting options. )
And you can still visit the blog at: http://thelazyveganblog.blogspot.com/.
I've also added an option there where you can get it by email if you'd like.
Take care,
Kim
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This page updated February 4, 2009
© 2002-2009, Kim Olson