Hello,
My name is "Bwings" and I'm still a vegetarian.
As I stated in the previous post I can sum up most meat-eaters into seven categories. Open-minded, close-minded, jealous, offended, "practically a vegetarian", former vegetarian, compensating. Each has their own responses to the statement, "I'm a vegetarian." and each plays their own role in my life as a vegetarian. My friends, who for the most part are meat-eaters, know I respect and appreciate them regardless of their animal consumption and I hope it is the same in the reverse.
I started this post because I received a letter asking for vegetarian recipe ideas. Although I have responded individually I have thought of this letter a few times. The genuine desire to make a vegetarian meal for their friend warmed my heart. I have friends who have done the same and I love them for it so this letter reminded me of how much a person can care. I have had a vegetarian meal made for me and I in turn have cooked my share of chicken or hamburger for someone. It's not easy for me to do but I have done it out of love before.
Dear Hippie Mom,
I read on here that you are a vegetarian. I was wondering if I could get a good recipe from you. My friend has always been so helpful for us in the past. Always cooking for us and taking care of us when we need it and now I'd like to return the favor. But she is a vegetarian and her husband is a huge meat lover so it is hard thinking of a meal to make them. Do you know of any good casseroles or soups to make that they both might enjoy. I don't want to just give her a salad or veggie hamburger because it's not original. I just don't know of any good recipes without meat or what could be substituted for the meat that would taste good. I know she makes bean burritos that are good. If you know of anything good please let me know it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Thoughtful Cook
Well, Thoughtful Cook, it is wonderful for you to think of your friend and want to do something for them. Even more so for you to want to make it individual to her diet and unique at the same time. I can understand not being sure of what to make as a vegetarian I am always trying to spice up my cooking.
A few recipes come to mind but in general it's your own creativity that makes the dish special. For instance I love burritos but my fiancée hates beans. So I make egg burritos, which are incredibly easy. Imagine an omelette, scrambled, put into a wrap. Similar to a crepe I suppose. In mine I put paprika, garlic, and mild-medium salsa all mixed in two eggs. While that is cooking on the stove (scrambled so stir often) I grate some cheese over the centre of a tortilla wrap (cheese flavored typically) and occasionally I will put a tbsp of plain unflavored GELATINE FREE yogurt. I stress Gelatine free because some don't realize that Gelatine is actually made using pig tendons and bones. If it jiggles check to see if it uses Gelatine! The yogurt is not necessary and I only put it in occasionally, mostly for extra nutrition.
Make one for yourself first to see what you think of it.
As for casseroles one of the easiest things to do is go into the salad section and buy the fake ground meat they have there. It may seem like cheating but why put yourself into chaos of trying to master what someone else has already figured out. Unless of course you're going to be doing it a lot and could save yourself money by mastering making fake meat. Fake meat is usually made using TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and there are plenty of recipes online to try out. But in a hurry the pre-faked-fake stuff is just as good 9 times out of 10. But I will try to make my own again soon and when I do I'll definitely post my results :)
Using the fake meat you can make that lasagna or your tried and true family recipe passed down from great-great-grand-mama. Just use the fake stuff in substitute and most meat-eaters wouldn't know the difference unless a vegetarian was serving and or eating it. I suspect if I made a huge casserole and served it my meat-eating friends would ask what was in it. If I was biting into it they'd either faint or assume it was fake. Actually I once panicked a friend when they saw me take a big bite of a veggie burger they didn't realize was fake. They couldn't tell the difference and I had thought they already knew. Whoops.
One final thing to note is to always check the ingredients on the products you buy. You might be surprised as to what you'll find. I once grabbed a recipe from a vegetarian cookbook. The recipe called for Worcestershire sauce, if you look at the back of your bottle and read the ingredients you'll learn that Worcestershire sauce uses anchovies. Same is true for a lot of Caesar dressing. Not so alarming that it happens but more so that a vegetarian book called for this ingredient. Moral of the story is to always question what goes into the products you purchase pre-made.
I hope that helps some, I do have lots of other recipes although most just involve subtracting the meat, such as the case with my quiche recipes and such.
If you have recipes or suggestions for Thoughtful Cook then post a comment below for them to discover.
Your friendly neighborhood Hippie Mom
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