A beginner’s guide to eating vegetarian

Natasha Kwan remembers the moment that she decided to stop eating meat. She was 9 years old and one of the most unlikely candidates for a vegetarian lifestyle, considering she grew up in a small farming community. Her father raised cattle for a hobby, and she spent a good amount of time on her best friend’s family dairy and veal farm. Still, one day—she doesn’t quite recall why—she took a glass of milk, threw it down the drain, and exclaimed to her family that she was no longer going to eat meat. Her mother gave her grief, Kwan recalls, admitting that it wasn’t easy, but four decades later, she’s confident in her decision.

“It really can be transformative,” Kwan says. “And it doesn’t have to be this ‘holier than thou’ change. I don’t want people to be hesitant because they think they have to go to Whole Foods or a specialty market and do it cold turkey. Small changes really make a difference.”

Forty-plus years later, Kwan has not looked back, and she’s made it her mission to provide a venue for those who are interested in exploring a meatless or at least a flexitarian lifestyle. (Kwan now eats seafood on occasion.) The owner of Frida’s, Diego’s, and Station No. 3, she believes that even cutting back on meat and adding more vegetables into you diet can be a good thing, even if you don’t go full vegetarian. In fact, she’s a believer in small steps rather than drastic, wholesale change, which she feels just sets someone up for failure. In that spirit, she’s shared a few tips on how to add more vegetarian and vegetable-forward eating to your diet.

1. Get rid of the all-or-nothing mindset. “Get rid of the holier than thou attitude,” Kwan says, noting that small changes can help sustain dietary changes. She suggests taking baby steps toward incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet, rather than quitting meat cold turkey. “I recommend tiptoeing into it,” she says. “ If you start eliminating everything, you are going to fail, be pissed off, have headaches, be hangry, and then overeat and binge something, because you weren’t able to have it. That’s not healthy. Making the little steps is progress.”

2. Begin with addition, not subtraction. If your goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables, Kwan says, you can achieve that through small additions to your meals. “Go ahead and have your pepperoni pizza, but instead of eating four or five pieces, eat two or three and have a salad with it,” Kwan suggests. “Have some blueberries or other fresh fruit with your breakfast sandwich, or try a cabbage slaw on top of your burger during lunch or dinner.” 

3. Make small substitutions. If your breakfast go-to is a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit, then try a veggie sausage or some thick-sliced tomato and veggies, Kwan suggests. Another option is to try a veggie burger with all of your usual beef or turkey burger trimmings. Or substitute mushrooms and/or olives for sausage on a pizza.

4. Find satisfying meat substitutes and ingredients. Kwan swears by Butler soy curls, a plant-based and heart-healthy meat substitute that she insists she cannot tell from chicken. She also uses a lot of pea protein and is a big fan of lentils and mushrooms. She also suggests cooking with curries, which are rich in flavor, as well as Chinese black soybeans, a fermented condiment that adds a big umami punch to dishes.

5. Be mindful of cooking techniques. Kwan likes to braise or grill vegetables to give them depth of flavor and a hearty texture. Grilled mushrooms or potatoes, especially when seasoned properly, can have a meaty and satisfying feel to them, she says. She also notes that seasoning is key; layers of spices, vinegars, and citrus will enliven your dishes and make them extremely flavorful, she suggests.

6. Be open-minded. For Kwan, the most important thing to keep in mind when experimenting with vegetarian cuisine or incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet is to be open to trying new things. Maybe that is a meat substitute, a vegetable you haven’t heard of, some new-to-you fermented foods or a vinegar from an international market that is unfamiliar to you. “I see a lot of people who are skeptical at first, but just try it,” Kwan says. “So many people think they can’t have a meal without meat, but every person has had a cheese pizza.” 

bhofack2/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

bhofack2/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Recipe: Frida’s Coconut Curried Lentils

Kwan used to call her coconut curried lentils “The Super-Duper Anti-Inflammatory Soup,” thanks to its healthy, fiber-rich ingredients. Gluten, oil, and soy-free and completely plant-based, this comforting, aromatic dish can be served as a soup or over basmati rice.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz.) bag brown lentils, rinsed
• 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
• 1 can organic tomato sauce
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 oz. fresh ginger, finely diced or grated
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 ribs celery, diced
• 2 large red or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 2 cups packed spinach, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup Madras curry powder
• Water, as needed
• Cilantro for garnish, optional
• Salt, to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and celery. Sauté 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water if ingredients begin to stick.
2. Add ginger and Madras curry. Stir until fragrant and onions become translucent.
3. Add lentils, and stir until evenly coated in the spice mixture.
4. Pour in coconut milk, tomato sauce, and enough water to reach about 4 inches above the lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
5. Add potatoes and spinach. Return to a gentle boil, and simmer for about nine minutes or until potatoes are tender.
6. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
7. Serve as a soup or over basmati rice.

• Yield: 6–8 servings
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35–40 minutes