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Easy Cooking Ideas

I spent a year and a half as a vegetarian between 2003 and 2004. I once again began eating meat for the protein when I turned my attention back to the wrestling ring full-time. I continue to eat free-range meat when possible and start every day with a vegetarian breakfast, and will likely cut back down on meat substantially whenever I hang up my boots, and no longer need to be 205lbs.

To clarify, I don't necessarily disgree with the "food chain" concept, and certainly there are just as gruesome deaths in nature every day as any we've inflicted on animals, no doubt about that.

However, unlike most species of animals, we humans have an uncanny thing called conscience; and it is that conscience which empowers us to set a better example than what came before us - namely George W. B... the primates. While death, survival, all these things occur naturally within nature, keep in mind that so does vegetarianism. There are thousands of animals that never eat meat.

For me, it's not as much the eating of the meat but how we treat the animals with which I have a problem. While a great big tiger can - and does - show up and rip its prey limb from limb with nae a moment's notice, he doesn't force his prey to live its whole life in captivity in cages, nor does he feed it dehabilitating growth hormones or mutilate it to promote unnaturally high production of cheeses, milks or eggs. Most of all, a Tiger doesn't treat his prey as a commodity; he kills so that he may live, not because chicken is worth three bucks a pound this week, and his kid wants the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip.

Every time the media talks about a new sickness like Chicken Flu or Mad Cow Disease - diseases which are encouraged by poor, the cramped conditions in which many animals are raised - a rep comes on TV and talks about the hit it is to have to slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals, because of the "massive loss of revenue." I caught a story on CNN some time ago of an Asian country where thousands of chickens were being sacked and buried alive for the sake of the chicken flu. Here we are, killing thousands by the most inhumane of methods because they could have a disease; therefore, they are no longer of use to us any more, and taking up space on our precious planet. That kind of selfish attitude is so disdainfully disrespectful to mother earth and the billions of years and millions of forms of life which have brought us to this point in evolution that it has had a great impact upon my diet.

I believe that evolution involves stepping beyond the self-serving enslavement of more vulnerable members of our society.

So, whether you are a vegetarian or not, here are a couple of my favorite recepies. They're all so simple and straight-forward that even I can make them. For those considering the idea of dabbling in the vegetarian groove, there is an excellent free video which outlines some of the moral reasons for the pursuit, narrated by Alec Baldwin, over at Meet Your Meat.com.

The first few dishes below are high in protein; there is a myth out there that vegetarians are anemic and sickly, which is a totally untrue urban myth born out of ignorance (and anemic, sickly vegetarians - that's for screwing it up for the rest of us, guys!)

Chilli

Ingredients

• Beans (Soy, Kidney, any and all)
• Tomato Sauce
• Vegetables (Green, Red, Yellow, Carrots, Corn, Leeks, Broccoli)
• onions
• Spinach
• Chilli Flakes
• Black pepper
• Cayenne Powder
• Olive oil
• Rice

Beans are very high in protein, particularly soy beans. You can buy them soaked in cans or unsoaked; the canned version is fine, and quick, but be sure to rinse them well, as companies tend to throw sugar, salt and junk you don't need in there. If you buy unsoaked, boil them steadily until they are soft all the way through. Some beans, such as Kidney beans, take 30-45 minutes. Meanshile, a couple - like soy - take a few hours; which encourages one to buy them in the can.

Buy a nice, high-grade tomato sauce. My personal favorite is Lloyd Grossman, which my mother turned me on to. All of his stuff is excellent quality.

When it comes to vegetables, go for whatever you like. Each vegetable has its own strengths and positive effects on your health. I really go for a lot of color, hence the listing of different color peppers, carrots, and corn. I can tell you all sorts of reasons why it's better for the environment to buy organic veg - you know, not poisoning the earth and polluting the environment with chemicals - but the most immediate impact is on your own health. When I'm stuck for cash I don't buy organic myself, but if you can, do. They are far better for you. Whichever you get, be sure to rinse well.

Spinach I list separate to other vegetables, because it's insanely good for your immune system. Popeye didn't scarf it for nothing.

Directions

1. Wash and chop the vegetables. The finer they are chopped, the quicker they will cook, but everyone has their preference.
2. Get yourself a nice big wok and bring a dabble of olive oil to medium/low heat. It's better to go with a lower heat, as the oil retains more of its nutrients at lower temperatures.
3. Drop in the chopped vegetables and cover, so that the veggies "sweat" for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. When vegetables are crispy but cooked, drop in the cooked beans and mix well. The proportions of each are entirely up to you. For a crunchy taste, move right ahead; for a more fluid, soft chilli, let it cook as long as you want. Add more olive oil if the contents become too "dry."
5. When you've achieved the consistency you're looking for, mix in your tomato base and spinach. Cut with water as required. Mix well, and let the contents return to the boil. The spinach is best prepared in low heat, and you'll find it turns soft very quickly.
6. Add a little black pepper, and 50/50 cayenne pepper and chilli flakes. I personally make the dish so damn hot it melts through the stove unless it's cooked in a three-inch cast-iron pot specially commissioned from NASA, but that's just me.
7. Serve with rice. I go for the slow-cook wholegrain. The basic rule in buying foods is that the more you have to pay and the more effort it takes to prepare, the better it is for you; so find your own balance. That doesn't apply to buying name-brands, though, who often are just ripping you off.

Optionally, serve chilli with pasta instead of rice, which is a terrific dish akin to the Tex-Mex Pasta served by Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada. Another option is to serve in a wrap or tortilla, with grated cheese, salsa, lettuce, diced onions and sour cream. Finally, you can use mince meat instead of beans, simply frying it up for ten minutes and throwing it in where the beans would go.

Indian Lentils

Ingredients

• Lentils (of any color; often labelled "soup lentils")
• Onions
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Curry Powder (medium heat)
• Cumin
• Garam Masala (optional)
• Pillau Rice Seasoning (optional)
• Olive oil
• BAsmati Rice

The lentils are also referred to as split peas and soup lentils. They look like very small peas, and usually come in small packs. They expand a lot in water, so keep in mind that you'll get out more than you put in. Curry Powder and Cumin are fairly easy to get a hold of, but Garam Masala and Pillau Rice Seasoning often is not. Garam Masala is simply a collection of Indian spices, and a similar product is no doubt available under a different name. If you can't find it at all, no sweat. Same with the rice seasoning; I'd often boil basmati or wholegrain rice and use the seasoning on it, but it's not a requirement, and you can also get many boxed rices that comes with yellow saffron and all sorts of other interesting seasonings in the box. Take a look in your local grocery store, and see what seems appropriate.

I use a lot of Olive Oil in this dish. Many people are of the mistaken impression that oil is bad; not true. Burned oil is bad. Animal oils and fats are a one-way ticket to blocked arterys; however, vegetable oil is fine in moderation, and olive oil is packed with properties that not only improve your heart but has many other positive health effects too.

Directions

1. Boil the lentils gently for 30 mins or so. I personally like them very soft. Strain 'n' drain.
2. Dice onion and garlic; substantial amounts of onion, I'd typically put in a whole medium onion for a 2-3 serving size of lentils. Don't ask me what the hell a "serving" is, everyone has a different idea, but just put a whole bunch in. Dice the garlic very finely. Use a clove or two the first time; too much garlic can be a bad thing, and the strength of any particular clove can be a unpredictable.
3. Heat a little olive oli and saute the onions and garlic until soft and cooked.
4. Dice some carrots in thin strips an inch long. They'll cook quickly this way. Mix them in with the onions and garlic. It will only take a minute or two for them to become soft.
5. Pour in the soft, dried lentils. Mix well. Pour in more olive oil until the contents are nice and soft. Insert diced spinach. Lower heat.
6. Shake on a heaping teaspoon of cumin, and then two teaspoons of curry powder, continuing to add more to taste.

Mediterranian Pasta

Ingredients

• Penne Pasta
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Herbs: Oregano, Basil
• Veg: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Onions
• Sweet Peppers

The fresher the oregano and basil, the better. We grow it in the garden and use it on all sorts of dishes. Sweet peppers are a really nice optional ingredient. Directions

1. Cook the pasta as directed on package and drain in strainer. It's good to use a big pot, so that you only need to half-fill the pot with water, and half-fill the water with pasta, which will expand and cause INSTANT DEATH moderate inconvenience if the pot isn't big enough. Dropping some olive oil into the water and sirring well as it cooks will help it not to stick, but it's no big deal if it does.
2. Rince & dice vegetables into strips one-inch long.
3. Heat a pan or wok on medium heat with enough olive oil to cover the flat. when it starts to gently bubble, toss in the vegetables, mix well and cover. Turn to medium-high, and stir regularly, as you move on to the next step. They will take five to ten minutes. You are "flash-frying" them, cooking them quickly, which is why they are cut thin. When they are crunchy but cooked, preferably slightly browned in places, remove from heat.
4. Place a dabble of olive oil and finely diced garlic into the original pasta pot. Only use 1/2 - 1 clove per person eating.. If you have sweet peppers, finely dice and add those too, Add some extra finely diced onions. Cover.
5. In five minutes, check the onions and garlic, which should be sizzling gently. When they are brown on one side, add the strained pasta and mix thoroughly. Turn heat down to its lowest setting and cover, adding olive oil if the pasta is at all dry.
6. When the vegetables are ready, pour dollops of diced oregano and basil (not to mention any other herb you may like) into the pasta and stir well. Stir in the vegetables. Again, ensure that the dish is glistening, and add olive oil for texture. It's good stuff!

Stir Fry

Ingredients

• Vegetables: Broccoli, Mushrooms, Corn, Carrots, Leeks, Peppers. Onions.
• Meat: Optional, chicken or beef strips.
• Rice noodles
• Basmati Rice
• Olive oil
• Soy Sauce
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Honey
• Cabbage

Fresh Garlic and Ginger is best, both health-wise and taste-wise, but the bottled stuff is fine too. Fresh honey is nice, but Of all the times I've kept a bee-hive in my kitchen, the net results have never been the best.

Don't get "light Soy" sauce. Like those non-fat potato chips that were taken off the market a few years ago when it was discovered they cause cancer, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Nobody's ever gotten fat on a tablespoon of good ol' soy, and when we think we've done better than mother nature, we usually haven't.

Directions

1. Chop the vegetables thin but clunky, so they're nice and big but will cook quickly. Dice the garlic small.
2. Heat up a wok or large pan with a dab of olive oil to medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, add garlic, then vegetables in on top of it. Cover immediately. The cooking will take five to ten minutes. Be sure to maintain a medium-high heat so it's not burning on contact but keeps a good sizzle going. Add a little oil if the veggies are dry, but you'll only need very little for this dish. If the veg is at all fresh, its own moisture will seep out and keep them moist under the lid.
3. Cook the rice as directed on the pack. Bless the pack.
4. Cook the rice or wheat noodles as directed on the pack. Pay homage to the pack and sacrifice a small goat in its honor.
5. As the vegetables are nearing readiness (cooked but crunchy), add a splash of honey, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a dash of water, and crush a lil' lump of ginger in (using a cooking crusher). Stir well. You'll find your exact proportions in time, but the best saying is "all things in moderation."
6. Toss the noodles into the stir-fry and stir well. Add another dash of soy sauce, and cut with water if the soy flavor is too strong.

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