Vegetarian Food...

[RandomAnthony]

I've been a vegetarian since I was fifteen, but I sometimes say I was historically a vegetarian who didn't many vegetables. I survived high school on pizza and Tang, college on cheap burritos. I guess the burritos had lettuce.

Anyway, even if you're a carnivore, what non-meat food works for you? Any recipes? Ideas? I'm not a vegan, but I don't fish or chicken...I eat cheese (OF COURSE) and free-range eggs.

By the way, tofu seems to be a great divider amongst human beings. Let me just draw the line right here...I love tofu. I mix it with simmer sauces (Trader Joe's has some good cheap ones), throw in some vegetables, and my life is good.

And...you?

[Félix]

I make zucchini parmesan that gets many compliments. It's a lot of work, but it's very tasty. Sliced thinly, dredged in flour, egg, and seasoned bread crumbs, then lightly fried and baked with marinara and cheese on top.

Tofu is ok.

[Sandi]

I love going to Ruby's Diner (a fifties-style restaurant chain in Southern California) and ordering their guacamole burger with a Gardenburger patty instead of beef. It's soooo good.

I also love the Syrian lentil soup recipe I got from my husband's aunt. You simmer some lentils until almost done. Saute some onions and add them to the lentils along with some frozen chopped spinach, and some wide egg noodles. Cook it altogether until the noodles are al dente. Salt and pepper to taste. It's really good with a dollop of plain, nonfat yogurt on top and pita bread on the side. I don't measure anything when I make it, it's an eyeball thing.

For easy veggie side dishes, try roasting veggies. I especially love roasted asparagus. I just lay the stalks out on my baking stone, spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I roast it at 350 for about 15 minutes.

[smetchie]

My favorite zucchini recipe is so easy! saute some garlic in olive oil. Then add sliced zucchini, red onion, chopped tomato, basil and red pepper flakes. cover with chicken stock (but you can use vegetable stock and it still tastes good), bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low for maybe 10min. Serve over pasta with lots and lots of parmesan. MMMMM MMMMM!

[Michelle]

I love black beans with rice on a tortilla, plain simple and yummmy.
I am also loving the fresh tomato, with fresh basil and olive oil on toast, throw in a little garlic. to yum

[Sally, la reina]

I'm with Bun.

[Sandi]

Another dish my husband's Syrian aunts make that's awesome is laban (spelled phonetically). It's just sliced cucumber mixed with plain yogurt, salt, pepper and mint. Easy, delicious and refreshing.

[Sally, la reina]

I like it on my falafel.

[Sally, la reina]

Or Saag.

[Félix]

Sally wrote: "I like it on my falafel."

You feel awful?

[Rita]

Angabel wrote: "It took me five minutes to figure out what "Tang" was because I read it aloud to myself with a long "aaa" rather than a short "eh". Then when I figured it out, I laughed. I'm still pronouncing thin..."

tvp is awesome. I like it much better as a ground beef substitute in my recipes that I have that pre-date my vegetarianism. Even my children don't realize it isn't ground beef.

There are a lot of reasons that I don't eat meat. It started for economical reasons, and the more I read the more I realized that this was a path that was meant for me.

[Sarah]

I've been vegetarian for about thirteen years. Partly because I feel healthier when I don't eat meat, partly because I feel like I shouldn't eat anything I wouldn't be willing to kill. I do eat fish.

At the beginning, I was a terrible vegetarian, and had huge cravings for meat. In hindsight, my body was just craving iron and protein, because I really wasn't getting it anywhere. I didn't eat beans or tofu or eggs.

I love veggies, and I love meat substitutes (TVP, tofu, seitan, tempeh... my current favorite is the gluten product that they sell in our local Korean megagrocery). The few times when I've felt compelled to eat chicken (South Africa, Germany, France...why can't I visit someplace vegetarian-friendly?), I have noticed that it really doesn't taste any better to me than its substitutes at this point. I am fairly sure that real steak still runs rings around its substitutes, but I'm content to leave that as a happy memory).

On a related note:
We have a really cute new restaurant in our neighborhood. It bills itself as a restaurant/charcuterie, and as such, I really shouldn't expect much in the way of vegetarian options. We went the other night. The only veggie option was a $17 veggie pad thai, and I love me some pad thai, and I figured that a $17 pad thai must be a really good one.
Not so. It was good fresh vegetables + pad thai noodles. No peanuts. Barely a sauce to speak of. No tamarind, so it lacked that hint of sweetness. No tofu, or protein of any kind (not even peanuts, for pete's sake).
Why do otherwise good restaurants assume that vegetarians don't need protein? Or flavor?

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I love three bean salad.

[Michael]

This is the best bean salad I've ever had even though it's only got one bean variety and corn. I got the recipe from the grocery store that sells it.

Mexican Turtle Bean Salad
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup diced tomatoes
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 ½ T white vinegar
4 ½ T vegetable oil
2 T taco seasoning
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro (optional)
3 tablespoons green chilies, drained (optional)

Combine beans, corn, tomatoes, chilies and green onions. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, taco seasoning, sugar and salt. Add to bean mixture and mix gently. Top with cilantro. Refrigerate covered, several hours. Serves 6.

[Rebecca]

I eat like Bun (only not so crazy about zucchini on its own). I have lots of good meatless dishes I rely on. My favorite lunch lately is hummus on tortilla with feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, sometimes avocado. I think I may have written about that here before, though.

Usually I like to make the big stews and soups and that lasts a few days.

[Aynge]

I love tofu, and almost all vegetables. Mimi's makes a fantastic grilled veggie sandwich I could eat every day for the rest of my life. I've even had really good veggie burgers, so if I had to I know I could live as a vegetarian.

Once I gave up red meat for almost a year, but then the craving for a steak just overwhelmed me and I gave in.

[Pam]

I've been a vegetarian since 1990 (no particular reason why) but I have no culinary imagination. Without my Moosewood and Deborah Madison cookbooks (and girlscout cookies), I would be very skinny.. hmmmm. maybe someone should hide them? I printing some of these suggestions.

[Pam]

I'm printing, rather..

[Pam]

Stephanie, I'm going to make your soup tonight! I'm adding the cilantro though. I love cilantro.

[Pam]

OH,I definately liked it and will use your recipe again. I had everything except an anaheim pepper. I had some red pepper that I cut up and threw in. Delicious!

[janine]

BunWat wrote: "I may be your opposite - historical opposite? - RA. I am a carnivorous vegiphile."

i am too

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I have some fava beans and I need to figure out how to cook them. I've never made them before. Maybe I'll do something like this:

Scafata (Umbrian Fava Bean Stew)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shelled fava beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fennel
1 1/2 cups chopped chard leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes
salt, pepper

1. Cook oil, beans, onion, fennel, carrot and chard over low heat in medium saucepan.

2. When beans are quite tender, after about 45 minutes, add tomatoes and cook for another 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

[Mary]

BunWat wrote: "I may be your opposite - historical opposite? - RA. I am a carnivorous vegiphile. I looove vegetables. My plate is usually a big collection of veggies with a little meat here and there for flavo..."

I have a great zucchini lasagna recipe that uses the zucchini in place of the pasta. It does have meat in it.

[Mary]

I couldn't find the thread where someone posted the recipe for quinoa from a vegetarian website.
Anyway, it was delicious! It had green and red bell peppers, eggs and cheese. Yum!

[Félix]

Not all mixed together, I hope.

[Félix]

Maybe just keep the last two separate.

[Helena]

I’m not a vegetarian, but I can go for a week or two without eating meat. My husband is a meatetarian. I have to compromise on the veggie dishes with oodles of cheese on his. There are loads of yummy recipes in this thread!

Here’s one I like and people seem to like:

Two or three eggplants, the insides scooped out, leaving the skin and a bit of flesh to make ‘boats’.

Chop the eggplant into smallish peices and sautee the insides of the eggplant with onions, garlic, peppers, zucchini (whatever you want really) in olive oil and a bit of tomato sauce. If it’s not thick enough I add a bit of bread crumbs to the mix or even jarred pesto.

Put the sauteed veggies back into the ‘eggplant boats’.

Sprinkle with grated parmesan or mozzarella or asiago- whatever floats your boat. Spoon tomato sauce over the boats and bake in the oven at about 350 for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Serve it with extra tomato sauce & crispy warm bread. YUM!

[Michael]

Mary wrote: "I have a great zucchini lasagna recipe that uses the zucchini in place of the pasta. It does have meat in it."

That sounds good. The zucchini doesn't get mushy? I used to have a really good recipe for a tofu and spinach lasagne (with pasta) but it's gone.

[Mary]

Michael wrote: "Mary wrote: "I have a great zucchini lasagna recipe that uses the zucchini in place of the pasta. It does have meat in it."

That sounds good. The zucchini doesn't get mushy? I used to have a rea..."

It is soft but you slice the squash lengthwise which helps keep from getting too mushy.

[Sarah]

At the farmer's market this morning I bought a pound of fresh peas, and beautiful local asparagus. I plan on combining it with goat cheese or ricotta, pasta, and orange mint from my garden. I wish I could make it tonight but I have to wait til tomorrow.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Slideshow of the Giant Vegetable Championships.

http://todayspictures.slate.com/20110...

[Helena]

I had no idea leeks could grow that big! I have to send this link to my dad... he’d be so jealous. He’s won a contest at our local ‘Bigga Tomato Fest’ for the biggest tomato. Not sure how big it was, but they’re usually about the size of a small pumpkin. He’s been working on them for years.

[Heidi]

Lately I've been eating not much meat, if any at all... and that's kind of weird for me because if you'd asked me a year or two ago, I'd have claimed I was a meatatarian.

The thought of eating chicken or turkey just grosses me out. I would catch myself wanting to skip the meat portion of the meal and stick with the veggies. I think I'm done with yardbird for a long while - I was eating it every day for quite a while as my protein source. About the only meat I can tolerate right now is fish. That or steak... but since I typically can't afford beef except for on special occasions, I stick with fish, egg whites, beans, seeds, nuts, & yogurt for protein.

It may be a summertime thing, though. You know - hot weather, light on the stomach kind of food...

Lunch today is field peas cooked with green beans, jalapenos & onions, topped with cheddar & yogurt. And cornbread w/ flax meal & jalapenos cooked into it... and an avocado half. In fact, I must go warm it right now. :)

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Heidi, are you a quinoa eater? It contains all the amino acids so it's protein.

I am sick of chicken, sick. I really don't see the point of it. I am about 85% vegetarian anyway; sometimes I make myself buy chicken just for variety and protein but it just bores me to death. I also don't enjoy cooking meats. It's too much work. In restaurants I will often order a meat dish either to get my protein, or because it sounds or looks tasty, but at home I'm virtually meatless.