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For the first installment of Remaking June’s new series “Behind The Blog” I wanted to share one of my favorite foodie bloggers. I’ve drooled over Kiersten Frase‘s recipes at OhMyVeggies.com for quite some time now and I think you will too. Oh My Veggies is a vegetarian cooking blog that has been featured on sites such as Cosmopolitan, Food Network, Women’s Health, Redbook and many more. It has been named one of the Top 10 Vegetarian Blogs online* and features everything from crisp, creative salads to decadent desserts.
I wanted to know more about the chef behind culinary treasures, and Kiersten was was happy to chat with me about being a vegetarian and her tips for those who might be considering the same lifestyle.
Why did you become a vegetarian?
I never liked eating meat and when I was a kid, my mom would always struggle to get me to eat it. You know how some people don’t like broccoli or refuse to eat mushrooms? That’s how I felt about meat—I just didn’t like the texture and even now, the thought of it grosses me out. When I was 12, my mom decided I was old enough to make my own decisions about what I ate and that’s when I stopped eating meat. Around that time, I also began to learn about factory farming and how meat gets onto our plates, so that kind of reinforced my decision.
How long have you been a vegetarian?
About 21 years!
When you made the switch, how did you do it? Was it overnight or did you have a system to slowly transition?
The meat itself was easy—I pretty much just stopped eating it immediately. But other things, like chicken broth and gravy and marshmallows, those were things that I didn’t really think about at first.
What do you wish you had known BEFORE you started?
That you can’t just eliminate meat and call it a day! For a long time, I was really lax about getting protein from other sources. Since I was so young when I stopped eating meat, I ate a lot of Doritos and French fries. I think that’s actually pretty typical, though—a lot of people who stop eating meat and don’t feel good, it’s because they’re not eating a balanced diet! A balanced diet is possible when you’re a vegetarian, but there’s more to it than simply crossing meat off your menu.
What was the most difficult part of changing your diet?
It’s different now, but back then, vegetarianism was much less common, so other people gave me a lot of grief about it. We’re much more accommodating of different diets these days, but when I was in school, when it was hot dog day, your options were to have a hot dog or have nothing. So I had a lot of lunches spent eating chips and empty buns.
Sprouted Quinoa Black Bean Burgers with Pineapple Salsa @ OhMyVeggies
Did changing your diet affect any other areas of your life?
Not directly, but I don’t know if I’d be making a living right now as a food blogger if I hadn’t stopped eating meat. That was a big motivator for me to learn to cook.
What obstacles do you deal with when dining out?
Usually restaurants are really great about knowing what vegetarians eat, but not always. Whenever I order a soup, I know to ask if it’s made with chicken or beef stock. And there’s a laundry list of foods I just know I need to ask about. Yesterday my husband and I went out to lunch and I asked to get the vegetable of the day as a side—it was Brussels sprouts. I knew to ask if the sprouts were made with bacon or animal fat and sure enough, they were.
A lot of restaurants have little icons to denote vegetarian or vegan menu items now. I try to stick with those because I don’t want to be one of those people. When I do want to order something that has meat in it, I just ask for it to be left out, rather than asking for all kinds of substitutions and such. If you keep things simple, there’s less room for error.
What advice do you have for beginning vegetarians facing these same difficulties?
I always tell new vegetarians to stop focusing on what they can’t eat and start focusing on what they can eat. Because there is so much you can eat! When I go to a restaurant now, I don’t even look at the non-vegetarian items on the menu—I don’t even think about them. There are almost always plenty of options to choose from. I’m more likely to say “There are 5 entrees for me to choose from—how will I pick?!” than “There are 25 things on this menu that I can’t even have—sigh.” When you approach vegetarianism with an attitude that you’re being restricted, you’ll hate it and you’ll be back to eating meat in a few weeks.
Have you ever thought of going vegan?
I actually do eat vegan most of the time, but I’m not 100% vegan. I cook with dairy once or twice a week, and I use eggs even less than that. Apart from the whole not eating meat thing, I don’t really take an all-or-nothing approach to what I eat.
Raw Strawberry Chocolate Dessert Pizza @ OhMyVeggies
Some foods seem vegetarian, but hide animal products. What food were you most surprised was NOT vegetarian?
Altoids! The fact that Altoids aren’t vegetarian completely blew my mind.
What are some of the most common ‘hidden’ animal ingredients new vegetarians should look for?
Gelatin—gelatin is what makes Altoids not-vegetarian and it’s in a lot of foods that you might not suspect it would be in, like candy corn. Some red dyes are made with insects (yes, your red velvet cake is made with bugs!), and many beers and wines are clarified with fish bladders. If you’re a vegetarian for ethical reasons, there are so many things to look out for, but if you’re a vegetarian for other reasons, there’s no sense in driving yourself nuts.
For people who have decided to become a vegetarian, what 5 ingredients should they always have in their kitchen?
1. Smoked Paprika. I think a lot of what people miss about meat is that smoky flavor, and smoked paprika is a great way to get it.
2. Lentils. Lentils have lots of protein, they’re cheap, and unlike other legumes, they require no pre-soaking and they cook quickly.
3. Tempeh. Tempeh can be a hard sell, but you can crumble it up and it makes the perfect whole food substitute for ground beef. It’s also really high in protein.
4. Hemp Seeds. I’m a recent convert to hemp seeds. They are the easiest way to get extra protein into your day—toss them in your oatmeal for breakfast, use them as salad topping, blend them into your afternoon smoothie. They’re awesome!
5. Tamari. It’s a great way to get some of that meaty umami flavor of meat without the meat.
What is your favorite recipe?
It’s impossible to choose—it changes all the time! One of my current favorites is my Salisbury Steak (Check it out: http://ohmyveggies.com/vegetarian-salisbury-steak). It took me a few tries to nail it and I’m pretty proud of the results. I love coming up with meatless versions of classic dishes—those are always my favorite posts on Oh My Veggies.
Vegetarian Salisbury Steak @ OhMyVeggies
There are more and more vegetarian brands to choose from each day. Which companies do you recommend?
In general, I’m not big on the brands that use dozens and dozens of strange ingredients to mimic the flavor and texture of meat. We never cook with things like that on Oh My Veggies. That said, there are a lot of brands that do a great job making meat substitutes without all those crazy ingredients. Field Roast is my favorite brand for sausages and lunch meats—they’re totally worth trying if you find yourself missing those foods. Neat makes a great meat substitute made with nuts, chickpeas, oats, and spices too.
What is the most common question you get from OhMyVeggies readers who are starting a vegetarian lifestyle?
Most of the questions I get are very specific, rather than being broad. People want to know practical things, like what are some recipes that freeze well? What can I bring to work for lunch? What are some recipes that my whole family will eat so I don’t have to make two different dinners? When I started blogging, my blog wasn’t about vegetarianism and it evolved into that because the more I posted about it, the more questions I would get from people and I realized that I could build a resource that was all about answering these questions.
What advice would you give people who are considering vegetarianism, but haven’t made the switch yet?
You know how people go on a diet and after a few weeks, they decide they’re over it and they go back to their old eating habits? I think a lot of people do that with vegetarianism too. Start out with one day where you don’t eat meat. If that works out, add another. If that’s your happy place, then leave it at that. You’re not a failure if you’re not able to stick with a 100% vegetarian diet 100% of the time.
If you’re new to vegetarianism, considering it or just curious – Check out Kiersten’s Resources to Get You Started. You can also find more amazing recipes and tips from Oh My Veggies via Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook
*sources: http://psychologyofeating.com/top-50-vegetarian-blogs/
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