Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part II:

Here is a delicious simple vegetable soup recipe, suitable for vegan weight loss plans or regular vegetarian meals. (Recipe is at the end of the post.) While preparing your soup, here are some things (continued from Part I) to think about:

Why do anatomical and biological arguments, based on evolutionary evidence from fossil records in favor of eating meat and in favor of vegetarianism, both fall short?

1. the argument in favor of eating meat today, based on evidence that our brain size expanded due to eating animal flesh, therefore “why stop now”, fails to provide a reason if we consider that our brains have remained a stable size during several hundred thousand years. It may therefore seem plausible to predict that other factors (not just eating meat) may contribute to continued “brain” or intellectual development. It’s possible that, today, a choice between a meat-based diet or a vegetarian one is no longer as much of a determining issue when it comes to development of cerebral capacity since survival of the species (or extinction) is a far more complex issue.

Today, with our big evolved brains, we’re trying to find ways to feed billions of people a healthy diet without destroying the planet by growing grain to feed animals which we kill and eat for protein, or growing grain for vegan consumption (which also destroys ecosystems) and could eventually lead us to extinction, with or without big brains.

2. the argument in favor of vegetarianism, based on evidence that our distant ancestors (pre Homo Erectus) were herbivores, and that we’re still not true carnivores, therefore biologically and anatomically best suited to eat plants, fails in light of the evidence suggesting rapid cranial expansion in our flesh-eating ancestors who thrived on high levels of animal protein. Yet all the same issues (as stated in 1. above) also apply to growing grain and/or some kind of crop for a vegan or vegetarian diet. What good is “believing” we’re herbivores, carnivores or omnivores if no planetary ecosystems remains to sustain food sources for any of them?

It must be taken into account that our early small-brained herbivore ancestors were also the ancestors of other species (or sub-species) that are now extinct, and that our big-brained meat-eating ancestors were also ancestors for Homo Neanderthalensis, with brain capacity equal to that of modern humans (and apparently superior physical strength), and are now extinct. (And based on the 2010 report finding “cooked plant matter in the teeth of a Neanderthal skull”, it’s possible they were omnivorous – still they didn’t survive.)

What does all this mean in practical terms?

It means that modern humans, being a mélange of evolutionary benefits derived from carnivorous and herbivorous ancestors, cannot depend on ancestral fossil records to tell us what we aught, or aught not, to eat for dinner. We are not absolute carnivores or absolute herbivores, and by all accounts, we do a really poor job of being healthy omnivores.

So how do we decide what type of diet is the best?

Putting environmental concerns to one side (just for a minute), and not considering humanitarianism, animal right issues, baby rabbits in corn fields or orangutans in Borneo, and just for a second leaving cultural/religious or highly emotional aspects out of the picture, one way to examine human dietary needs (based on health) is to use the available studies and statistical information to see who is healthier and what these healthy people are eating. Who’s surviving, who’s thriving, and why? What do studies indicate about who’s surviving better today? Meat eaters or vegetarians and vegans?

Continue reading: Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part III: Stuffed Mushrooms and Survival of the Fittest Fit Enough…

Post in this series include:

- Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part I: Tofu Recipes and Brain Food

- Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part II: Evolutionary Mélange and a Vegetable Soup Recipe

- Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part III: Stuffed Mushrooms and Survival of the Fittest Fit Enough…

- Vegan / Vegetarian Meals Part IV: The Spicy Vegetarian Chili Issue – Protein vs. Carbs

- Vegan Vegetarian Meals Part V: Vegetable Lasagna: What’s Under the Vegan Layers Without the Cheese?

Editor’s Vegetable Soup Recipe:

This is more of a soup making system as opposed to a single vegetable soup recipe.

During 10 years living in Asia, it was normal to eat “fast food” from small street vendors, but what was unique about their system was that most stalls were equipped with nothing more than a large vat of steaming hot, boiling water.

The constantly steaming caldron is where street chefs dipped their noodles, fish, seafood or tofu balls, and from which all soup bases were derived.

Near the large pots were assorted raw vegetables, finely chopped, from which customers could choose and customize their soups. For a few pennies, a full meal could be served in less than a minute. Some of the vegetable choices:

• onions
• leaks
• cabbage /baby bok choy
• Chinese parsley, cilantro or regular parsley
• crushed garlic
• minced mushrooms
• diced carrots
• whole bean sprouts
• pre-cooked sweet corn

(Personally, I like to add finely chopped tomatoes to the list although not a traditional Asian choice)

Here’s how it works:

Take a ladle of steaming hot water (plain, slightly salted or from a vegetable / fish bullion base) and serve into a large bowl. Then add spoonfuls of assorted finely chopped raw veggies.

Dry seaweed can be added if desired, a few tofu balls or squares, a spoonful of hot cayenne sauce and a dash of soy.

The soup requires no further cooking. It’s ready to eat immediately.

Basic Ingredients:

• boiling water
• finely chopped vegetable assortment
• Kikkoman – Soy Sauce
• Huy Fong – Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

At home, it takes about 5 minutes (or less) to make this kind of soup you have an electric kettle.

This vegetable soup recipe (system) is good for vegan / vegetarian diets as well as an alternative for raw food menus. The vegetables are nearly raw, just slightly blanched by the hot water, but on cold winter days when cold soup (or a gazpacho) just doesn’t satisfy, any variety of this vegetable soup recipe quickly hits the spot.

Shabu-Shabu – a Vegetable Soup Recipe to share with friends

Elaborate variations of the above cooking system include Chinese hot pot and Japanese / Korean Shabu-Shabu – which can include tofu / tempeh (and some recipes have meat and seafood though not essential). If you’ve never heard of shabu-shabu, watch this video called “Shabu Shabu at A Thousand Cranes” by karlaredor, which demonstrates a shabu-shabu meal at a restaurant. Yes, you make your own food at your table with a pot of boiling water!