Vegetarian Information

For vegetarians, dining out presents many challenges; finding vegan choices can be even more frustrating. Add travel to the mix and you’ve got a potential recipe for disaster. While the Caribbean’s abundance of seafood will suit pescetarians, discovering true vegetarian meals requires a bit more work. Fortunately, a little research before you go will help find dining choices which are not only suitable but delicious.

If you’re planning to take a cruise, you’re in luck. A number of cruise lines offer vegetarian options, a complete vegetarian menu, or can make you special dishes on request. Celebrity Cruises has received rave reviews for their excellent gourmet vegetarian cuisine, which tailors meals to diners’ needs. NCL and Royal Caribbean also rank highly with vegetarian passengers. Carnival Cruise Lines, on the other hand, may be one to avoid. Although they offer one vegetarian item per menu and claim they can accommodate vegetarian requests, they don’t have a dietician on board, so their ability to make changes is limited. For vegans, this can be a big problem. One vegan reports that she was assured before the cruise that her diet would be no trouble; however, all she could actually eat was bread, lettuce, and an occasional baked potato. When booking a cruise with any company, tell them you’re vegetarian or vegan and ask any questions you may have about menu offerings.

Land-lubbers may find the easiest way to assure a variety of vegetarian choices is to stay at a resort with several restaurants. The Sandals chain, for example, includes up to eleven eateries at each location. Their menus typically include at least one vegetarian option in each category. While that may sound limiting, resort menus tend to change frequently, often nightly. Resorts also usually have a buffet, so you’ll be able to pick and choose. Sample menus are generally posted on a resort’s website, so logging online may be one way to do a bit of investigative work. Still, it’s a good idea to check with the resort before booking to find out how veg-friendly they are.

Higher-end resorts are often more conscious of serving healthy food, including vegetarian dishes. Some of them use locally grown and/or organic items in their cooking. Even if you can’t afford to stay there, you may be able to eat at their restaurants. For instance, the Sugar Mill Restaurant at the Sugar Mill Hotel (British Virgin Islands) is a local treat that’s worth the trip. Voted “The Best Restaurant in the Caribbean” by readers of Caribbean Travel & Life, this gourmet restaurant’s ever-changing menu always offers several vegetarian dishes and its atmosphere makes it a great place for a special night out.

Meat-free travelers interested in visiting the Dominican Republic should consider Sirenis Hotels, which have an all-vegetarian restaurant at their Punta Cana resort complex. Comprised of Sirenis Cocotal Beach Resort and Sirenis Tropical Suites, the vegetarian restaurant seems to be on the all-inclusive plan of Tropical Suites but not Cocotal Beach Resort. If you prefer to stay at Cocotal, check with them to find out if you’ll be able to eat at the vegetarian restaurant.

As far as specific countries go, Jamaica is veggie heaven. Because Rastafarians are vegetarian, options abound. The key word to remember is “Ital,” derived from “vital.” Ital cooking uses pure, organic ingredients, and is essentially vegan. However, some dishes may contain honey, so if you don’t eat honey be sure to ask about it. In fact, Ital is a good word to look out for anywhere, as Ital food can be found in other countries, too.

Puerto Rico also has a number of caf

Tags: Caribbean, cruise, cuisine, dining, healthy, Ital, Jamaica, resort, travel, vegan, vegetarianCaribbean, cruise, cuisine, dining, healthy, Ital, Jamaica, resort, travel, vegan, vegetarian

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From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories.

The two branches were defined by the French, were there is ‘normale cuisine’ which means home cooking, and ‘haute cuisine’, which is cooking conceived like an artform. The major difference between the two branches is that one form should be considered as practical cooking while the other is more like cooking with a view to demonstrating skill.

The boundary between ~normale cuisine~ and ~haute cuisine~ gets thinner and thinner over time. New professional kitchen equipment and more information about cooking allow people to perform like chefs at home.

Haute cuisine cooking gathers different techniques and ingredients together in an artform. Haute cuisine thrives to gather as many aromas and subtle variations as possible to let our taste buds discover the variations of even the most ordinarily food. Color is also an important factor in this type of cooking.

While cooking was mainly a means to survive, food cooking techniques were simple ~ roasting by the fire, or wrapping in leaves to steam. The first revolution in cooking took place twelve thousand years ago, when pottery was invented.

Pottery opened the door to new cooking techniques like stewing, boiling, and frying. Actually, the heart of modern cooking is the combination of these simple techniques.

Historically, the three most important cooking styles are Italian, Chinese, and French. The oldest is Chinese. Its most popular equipment is the wok, which is a special frying pan, where food is prepared fast and effectively. Food ingredients circulate permanently inside the wok. Its design also allows to fully utilize the heat.

Chinese cuisine chops ingredients in small pieces. On one hand, this saves fuel, which is a scarce commodity, and on the other ~ since maximum surface of the ingredient is exposed to heat, dishes are prepared in no time at all.

Chinese food is considered light and fresh. Sauces and various flavors and aromas help to fine-tune the taste of Chinese food. Chinese dishes are light and fresh and Chinese restaurants are very popular internationally.

Because fuel was also a rare resource in Italy, Italian cooking, similarly to Chinese, relies on the fast and efficient exposure of ingredients to heat. The main ingredient of Italian cuisine is pasta, to which small pieces of meat, rice, corn, and tomatoes are added.

In the beginning, French cuisine involved too many spices and was heavy. This was changed by Catherine de M~dici, a French Queen, born in Italy. In 1534 she came to France, together with a crowd of Florentine chefs and bakers. They introduced new equipment that revolutionized French cooking and set new standards all over Western Europe.

Today it is very different. We can expect to find everything mentioned above and much more besides in most cities in the developed world. When next you find yourself spoilt for choice, think of those earlier gourmets who would be amazed at your good fortune!

David Owenforth is the Operator of
U Love Cooking. This site has an array of info especially for the cooking enthusiast. You will find great articles and resources.
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Tags: barbecue, Cake, cooking, Fish, food, Frying, healthy, meat, Oven, recipes, Stir Fry, vegetarianbarbecue, Cake, cooking, Fish, food, Frying, healthy, meat, Oven, recipes, Stir Fry, vegetarian

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Tofu - that’s just for vegetarians, right?

Wrong.

Tofu is a highly nutritious food that, rather than being
seen as just an alternative to meat, should be included in
your baby’s diet on its own merits!

Tofu is part of the legume family. It is fermented soymilk
curd — the process by which it is made compares to the way
that cheese is made from milk. Tofu is a rich source of
protein, calcium, iron, fibre and fatty acids — key
components for good nutrition.

There are two basic types of tofu — hard/firm tofu, often
used in recipes that needs a consistency which holds
together well — and soft or silken tofu, generally used for
desserts, smoothies, soups and sauces.

Fresh tofu has a sweet aroma when opened — any sour odour
would indicate that it is stale and should not be used for
your baby. It will keep for seven days in the refrigerator
and should be placed in an airtight container of water. It
is, however, essential that the water is changed on a daily
basis. Tofu does not freeze particularly well — upon
defrosting it becomes somewhat spongy in texture and appears
discolored.

You can introduce this versatile and healthy food to your
baby once he/she is at least 8 months of age. (It is
important, however, to be aware that soy is a potential
allergen. When introducing it to your baby for the very
first time, watch carefully for any signs of an allergic
reaction. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stuffy or runny
nose, watery or red eyes and wheezing. Should you ever
suspect your baby is allergic to a particular type of food,
then contact a medical professional immediately).

It is very easy to incorporate tofu into your baby’s diet
because it has very little taste of its own. Instead, it
absorbs the flavors of any foods it comes into contact
with.

Initially, you could try blending tofu with cottage cheese
or avocado, for a simple, nutritious meal. Soft tofu creamed
with fruit would make a delicious dessert for baby.
Alternatively, tofu can be cut into chunks and served to
your baby raw, as a healthy finger food.

Taking into account tofu’s extensive nutritional properties,
along with its versatility, it would clearly provide a very
worthwhile boost to most babies’ diets.

Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html, a site providing a range of recipes for baby’s first year, plus information, tips and advice for successful infant feeding.

Tags: baby, food, healthy, nutritious, tofubaby, food, healthy, nutritious, tofu

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