Vegetarianism in the news!

It's all a bit crazy here at the moment! I am trying to finish my uni course and so my essays are priority which means not much time for blogging about vegetarian food. However - there is still lots going on behind the scenes!

I have read a couple of good articles about vegetarianism around lately, so I wanted to share them with you and give you some thoughts on them:

Where Vegetarianism is an exotic illness and 20 Tales of Vegetarian Woe - These articles tells tales of how hard it is to be a Vegetarian in some parts of the world. As a seasoned traveller I can very much relate. Although Vegetarian food in this country has drastically improved over recent years - especially in the supermarket, it is still hard to find good veggie food in restaurants, and in some countries abroad, it is even harder.

In the USA, I typically end up living on Cheese Quesedilla's, garden salad's and potato chips, as it is virtually impossible to get anything else, although I do remember an awesome pasta dish I was served in a Steakhouse - Pasta Alfredo with lots of garden veggies in it.

When we went on a school Choir trip to Prague once, I think I ended up living on cheese and bread - the fail-safe vegetarian alternative as none of their dishes were vegetarian and as we didn't speak the lingo, it was impossible to ascertain whether they were or not!

We like to cruise with an Italian Cruise firm and I have to say, I never fail to find things to eat as Italian food is one of the most vegetarian friendly. You can't go wrong with a margarita pizza, or Pasta in tomato sauce. They even had some great vegetarian options for their 5 course dinner's every night - although they don't label the food vegetarian, so it's a bit of a guessing game to figure out whether the food is vegetarian or not. I have also had to send "vegetarian" dishes back on numerous occasions as they contained meat.

A recent trip to France proved quite interesting as although France is the land of bread and cheese - they don't do well at other vegetarian food, even though they have improved in recent years. A dance trip to France as a teenager is particular memorable as I think I lived on Fried Egg and Chips all week. This time the selection did include Vegetarian Burger's and more pasta, but I still don't think France is the most Vegetarian-friendly country.

Germany too is a Vegetarian's nightmare. Amongst all of the Bratwurst, beyond chips, and salad, there is not much that they sell in restaurants without meat. Thank goodness we were staying with lovely friends who did cook Vegetarian food for me.

Whenever I go abroad, I always go with the expectation that I probably will be living on very basic foods such as bread/cheese/salad/pasta - as then, I can't be disappointed, and I am always pleasantly surprised when I find something I can eat. After 20 years of being a Vegetarian, my expectations are typically low when I walk into any restaurant or shop - in this country, or abroad. Apart from the occasional gem, the only way I can typically get delicious, flavoursome food, is to buy tried and tested vegetarian brands in the supermarket, or,  if I cook it myself.

What are you bad or good experiences of eating Vegetarian food abroad? Do you have any secret tips to share?

Featured Post: Can Vegetarians and Carnivores find a healthy balance?

Food often plays an important role in our love lives, whether we realise it or not. From the very first dinner dates to cooking for each other in a long-term relationship, if you are a Vegetarian, it's important to make sure you’re on an even footing with your partner when it comes to meal times.

Many couples have different preferences when it comes to food, but if one of you has decided to cut out all meat and the other can’t live without burgers, it may seem tricky to see the way forward. However, there are many happy couples who have, perhaps, met through a relationship site, such as Eharmony, who are happy to co-exist, even if one person is Vegetarian and the other is not. Here are some tips for getting a healthy balance in your relationship.

Talk About Your Preferences
Nowadays, there are many different diets available and the word “Vegetarian” may mean something different from one person to the next. Some Vegetarians don’t eat any meat or fish at all, some people will call themselves Vegetarians but are actually Pescatarians as they will eat fish. Some Vegetarians will try and avoid animal by products, such as rennet (the residue from a cow’s stomach, often found in cheese) and gelatine (found in jelly and other desserts). Others are comfortable wearing leather shoes. It’s good to know as much as you can about your partner’s eating habits so you both know where you stand, and so that you don't end up cooking a meal they won't eat or choosing a restaurant which doesn't serve suitable food.

Draw Your Boundaries
There are many reasons why someone may choose to become a Vegetarian. Adopting a Vegetarian lifestyle could be due to personal or political beliefs, or concerns over health and the environment. If you found your partner abroad through using international dating sites, it could be that they’re Vegetarian for religious or cultural reasons. Whatever the reason, you’ll both need to decide what you can and can’t live with when it comes to food. Some Vegetarians are fine with preparing meat for others and some cannot stand to put a sausage roll in the fridge or to even have meat in the house. Work out how you both feel and then try and compromise.

Choose Restaurants You Can Both Enjoy
These days, most restaurants can cater for even the strictest of Vegetarians so do your research in advance to find a restaurant which serves decent vegetarian meals. Most Indian. Italian, Thai and Chinese restaurants cater well for Vegetarians. Some restaurants serving more traditional fayre typically only have a couple of vegetarian choices on the menu. It's important to be flexible. If your favourite restaurant has a meagre vegetarian menu, it might be time to give it up. A bowl of chips doesn’t count as a meal!

Allow For Meat and Veggie Versions
Popular meals, such as spaghetti bolognese or lasagne, can easily be made with vegetables or a meat-substitute like Quorn. Other options could be creating meals where the meat portion can be easily substituted with something different. It can be fun to think up different recipes and try new ideas together. Who knows – the meat-eater may discover they enjoy eating vegetarian food more often!

Disclosure: This is a Featured Post which I received payment for

Dr Oetker launches new Vegetarian Pizza - "The Vegetale"

In December, we were sent some vouchers to sample the Dr Oetker Pizza Ristorante Range.

Dr Oetker recently launched their new pizza, "The Vegetale" which contains tomatoes, mixed peppers, chilli and red onion, topped on the much-loved thin, crispy base.

We thought that the Christmas period would be the perfect time to sample the Dr Oetker range as amongst all of the other festive cooking, this mean meant zero cooking for me. All I had to do was pop the pizza in the oven and serve it - perfect!!

We sampled two different Dr Oetker pizza's - The Mozzarella and The Vegetale.

We loved the crispy thin bases of both pizza's as they do make you feel like you are eating an authentic restaurant-style Italian pizza rather than a supermarket pizza.

Although we really enjoyed both pizza's, we preferred the Mozzarella over the Vegetale as the tomatoes were a bit wet and soggy on the Vegetale (as I find on most pizza's with tomato on) and myself and the kid's are not big chilli fans.

As a range, we think that Dr Oetker pizza's offer a great Vegetarian range as like I said, the Pizza's are much nicer than what other brands offer and the pizza's were not too heavy on the cheese - which is sometimes the case with other vegetarian pizza's.

You can find Dr Oetker Pizza's in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Disclosure: Product Offered in Consideration for Review