I need some tips on vegetarian living for the beginner ?

any good easy to make vegetarian dishes ? i eat at a vegan restaurant once a month and they make some awesome foods with tofu i have tried to use tofu in cooking and it is a mess , i am also want ideas on other vegetarian dishes , how do i begin in the kitchen ?I need some tips on vegetarian living for the beginner ?
The key to happy living as a vegetarian is to start building your kitchen skills. Get comfortable with knife skills, practice different cooking techniques (saute, fry, bake, steam, etc.), and put together a small pantry of ingredients you can rely on. If you like Asian cooking, get soy sauce, mirin, ginger, for example. Or if you love Italian, make sure you have sun-dried tomatoes and frozen pesto on hand.



Here is a very simple but very delicious way to prepare tofu. Make sure you are using firm tofu, not the silken kind that comes in the vacuum box! http://inmybox.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/鈥?/a>



Next I would get a cookbook. The Moosewood series are all great and very clear and easy to follow. You could see what your local library has for vegetarian cookbooks, but I recommend that when you find one that has appealing recipes and easy-to-follow instructions you buy it, because cookbooks are good things to own. Many people like the Student's Vegetarian Cookbook as a great starter cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Students-Vegetaria鈥?/a>

although I have never read it myself.



My last piece of advice would be to learn one or two dishes really well. Practice them (the internet is a great source of many recipes for the same dish, with different techniques) until you have worked out all the details. You could pick stir-fry, or frittata, or pasta with sauce and veggies, or hearty soup. Whatever you want - but get it down until you can make it in your sleep, then move on to perfecting the next dish. This way you build a repertoire of dishes you are really comfortable making.



Great vegetarian main-dishes to learn: Indian food, stir-fry, lasagne, lentil soupI need some tips on vegetarian living for the beginner ?
i don't do tofu by myself unless it's the deep fried kind you can find at asian specialty stores. i'm terrible at cooking it. try seitan, it's a protien, used in substitution usually for chicken. it's delicious and can go in any dish you so choose. other than than, try making hummus, vegetable lasagna.. or try here http://vegweb.com/
lentil soup. falafel. ravioli with tomato sauce. veggie hot dog with onions and yellow mustard. boca soy chicken with mayo and black pepper.



instead of tofu try seitan. just fry in oil on both sides until crispy then add a sauce. easy.
I started very slowly.



I ate cereal for breakfast, frozen veggies for lunch, and bagged salad for dinner. My schedule is pretty hectic, so I never really cook -- I just buy raw veggies and steam them normally.
If you are a beginner, I'd suggest vegetarian companies like boca. They have great products like boca burgers which are made with soy, but taste the same as a normal burger. I really enjoy Mother's Natural. Really tasty. Morning star farms is good. It's like boca too.