Any seasoned vegetarians?

[Christine]

OP here. I thought if I put pescetarian/ovo-lacto vegetarian it would get way off topic over what that meant.

I don't eat any meat other than fish, and I'm allergic to shellfish. I don't want family & friends to go out of their way for me. If there's bacon in a salad or vegetable, I just pick it out. But I don't freak out if I eat a bite. I do cook meat for my family, DH is Texan. (Not to propagate any stereotypes! )

I will probably not be vegan, never giving up hershey kisses & reese cups!

I'm in graduate school to be a nurse practitioner & I want to model healthy behaviors. That drove my decision along with the aging process.

I made a yummy vegetarian biryani yesterday and my extended family loved it.

I hate artifical flavors and am looking for something that is plain. Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, cauliflower is $5/head but it's good to have options. And really, pound for pound it's probably equal to chicken or beef. I have not tried tofu yet. A local bar serves seitan wings. I'll ask them for suggestions too. I haven't seen seitan in my area stores but I'm sure I could find it.

Can I suggest you read the book "How Not To Die" by Michael Greggar (sp), MD. Essentially, it is about being a vegetarian (actually it might lean vegan), although the author is SO totally non-judgey about meat it took me through 2/3rds of the book to realize it was about a plant-based way of eating.

Of course, the book won't tell you how to chicken wings, but I think it's filled with solid advice. Additionally, the other is not a proponent of the processed substitutes (including tofu) because of them being so processed, but again, not judgey about it but more informational.

 

[mombrontrent]

I have tons of recipes, but for wings I just do the cauliflower buffalo wings I suggested. Of course, there is apparently some kind of cauliflower shortage now and it is ridiculously expensive so I probably wasn't of any help anyway!

My suggestion was going to be cauliflower as well, I've made them and liked them. I have also served them to meat eaters who liked them as well. The trick is not to say they are cauliflower "wings" just that's a cauliflower dish or else they are going to compare it to actual meat.

I actually work in a grocery store and we have no cauliflower on the shelves right now, it's just not being delivered when we order it. On the rare chance we do get a case it's ridiculously expensive. The last time I seen it at Walmart which is one of the cheaper places to shop for groceries it was $7.99 for a small head.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I have done tofu wings - the key is to press the tofu well to get most of the liquid out of it. It is not hard to make your own seitan if you can buy wheat gluten where you shop (Bob's Red Mill is one brand). My daughter will also make it out of whole wheat flour but that's a bit more work.

I know that everyone has their own approach to eating. But it does help if people can get the "labels" correct. Like my friend who heard that a vegan diet could help lower cholesterol (his was high) but was frustrated that it didn't seem to be working. No, because he was eating lots of eggs and high-fat dairy because he didn't realize that wasn't part of a vegan diet. Or people who serve me a dish with fish in it because the last person who called himself vegan ate fish.

 

[Poohforyou]

You aren't a vegetarian if you're eating fish. I don't think vegetarians eat eggs either. Heck, I could be a vegan if it weren't for my eating fish and eggs. I hate meat, poultry and dairy.

 

[ronandannette]

This is why people hate vegetarians / vegans. I am not saying she has the definition right (bacon, fish, and animal broth definitely don't define vegetarians) but she is trying. How about we not judge and just be happy she is looking at ideas for reducing her animal product intake?

Why would anybody be happy or unhappy about how someone else decides to eat? Same with the concept of "hate" - simply what difference does it make? And why would one even make a point of identifying themselves to others as vegetarian/vegan (correctly or incorrectly) unless they were trying to make some ideological declaration that was courting a response of some kind? How about just going with "I'm looking for recipes that don't use beef, pork or poultry and I don't really like the processed meat-substitutes I've tried." That would do the trick, wouldn't it?

 

[Allons-y!]

On the OP's topic, we're searching for meal ideas, too. My daughter, 14, is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and she's getting bored with what we've been making. One goal we have for January is to expand our recipe repertoire.

On the labeling topic, the term vegetarian has come to mean different things to different people, and it is often used as an umbrella term. Most vegetarians/vegans I know are aware of this and are happy to explain their version of it.

Unfortunately, some vegetarians and vegans seem to be offended when others simply don't know what they mean or interpret the terms differently, and they seem to correct others in a not-so-gentle manner. Those are the people, IMO, who give vegetarians and vegans a bad name.

 

[Marionnette]

You aren't a vegetarian if you're eating fish. I don't think vegetarians eat eggs either. Heck, I could be a vegan if it weren't for my eating fish and eggs. I hate meat, poultry and dairy.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat milk products and eggs. I'm pretty sure that they still consider themselves to be vegetarians.

For the OP: I found a lot of great tofu recipes on Nasoya's website. There's a great one for BBQ tofu bites that could probably be altered to be similar to chicken wings. The key is to drain the tofu well and not to over-marinate (tofu absorbs flavors quickly).

 

[Alice Sr.]

Google cauliflower buffalo wings. They are fabulous! A vegan staple, but I noticed grocery stores are even carrying frozen ones now so they seem to be well accepted by meat eaters. The grocery store ones are full of crap so I suggest making your own.

Awesome thanks, looking forward to trying the CBW recipe.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Jeeze where are you people buying cauliflower? I just bought it for $1.99 each here in Ohio.

 

[lauracitawita]

Why would anybody be happy or unhappy about how someone else decides to eat? Same with the concept of "hate" - simply what difference does it make? And why would one even make a point of identifying themselves to others as vegetarian/vegan (correctly or incorrectly) unless they were trying to make some ideological declaration that was courting a response of some kind? How about just going with "I'm looking for recipes that don't use beef, pork or poultry and I don't really like the processed meat-substitutes I've tried." That would do the trick, wouldn't it?

People are unhappy about what people decide to eat because of the torture and cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industry. Also, anyone who is worried about the environment understands that meat production/factory farming is one of the biggest contributors of our planet's environmental problems.

Whenever I hear someone is cutting out or limiting animals from their diet it makes me extremely happy!

 

[Christine]

Jeeze where are you people buying cauliflower? I just bought it for $1.99 each here in Ohio.

It was actually BACK in our stores today. It was $4.99 a head. I usually pay about $3.49 a head anyway so not a huge difference, but still.

The worst part was right before Christmas. My DD was signed up to make a veggie pizza which calls for coarsely chopped Cauliflower. Went to the store and it was GONE. I noticed that the prepared foods section of our store had it wrapped up and were using it for veggie trays. The worker there said that they were having a shortage and had pulled all the store's cauliflower in order to satisfy the veggie tray orders they had promised people. She was nice enough to wrap up about 6 florets so we could make our dish. All over the holidays I didn't even see it until this morning.

Oh, this is in Virginia.

 

[Domo]

I am a pescetarian but not really by choice. Fish is safe for me but meats can go badly wrong... due to medications I take I cannot eat many meats without suffering severe reactions. Other stuff too, but we're talking about meat. Fortunately that's not the be all and end all of foods. Pizzas for example. Pasta. Fish (like I said). Vegetable concoctions (I like veggie lasagne). Omelette. Chinese I love. Indian is lovely. Japanese a rare treat. Salads good for a light meal. It's all good

 

[Teresa Pitman]

On the OP's topic, we're searching for meal ideas, too. My daughter, 14, is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and she's getting bored with what we've been making. One goal we have for January is to expand our recipe repertoire.

On the labeling topic, the term vegetarian has come to mean different things to different people, and it is often used as an umbrella term. Most vegetarians/vegans I know are aware of this and are happy to explain their version of it.

Unfortunately, some vegetarians and vegans seem to be offended when others simply don't know what they mean or interpret the terms differently, and they seem to correct others in a not-so-gentle manner. Those are the people, IMO, who give vegetarians and vegans a bad name.

I think you have to keep this in context, though. I'm vegan. I know that not everyone knows what that means and I'm happy to explain it ("I don't eat meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs - no animals, no animal products") and in a positive way. However, what happens sometimes is that I start to explain "I'm vegan, so I don't eat..." and then I am interrupted by "I know what vegan means, my friend Joe is vegan. Here, you can eat this cheese lasagna." And they are offended when I explain that I can't eat that, insisting that vegans DO eat cheese. And if I have been through five or six conversations like that before I meet up with you, I'm not always as polite and patient as I want to be.

Honestly, this is partly why I almost never eat out. I don't want to have these discussions with a lot of people. And while you see the vegans being offensive, it is also not much fun for me to have to defend what I eat and don't eat. There are many, many people out there who give you a really hard time about not eating meat.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I'm an on again/off again vegetarian. Currently eating a pescitarian diet, but my longest strict vegetarian stint was 5 years solid.

My favorite meals :

Black bean burgers
Quinoa stuffed peppers
Portobello burgers
White bean chili
Veggie chili
Jackfruit bbq sandwiched
Buffalo cauliflower
Salads if all kinds
Falafel
Vegetarian pot pie
Grilled vegetables with miso dipping sauce
Stir fried vegetables/ veg fried rice with an egg for protein
Whole wheat spaghetti tossed with olive oil and sautéed onion, spinach, basil, tomato, topped with a bit of parmesan
Black bean fajitas on whole grain tortilla
Quesadillas with vegetarian refried beans

Vegetarian Times Magazine is fabulous. I make a ton of stuff out of there, and they keep it interesting. I still have my subscription and make stuff out of it. We tend to eat about 50/50 vegetarian/pescitarian.

 

[CPanther95]

If you're just going casual vegetarian, get yourself a quart each of beef lard and duck fat. It adds tremendous flavor to just about anything you cook in it. Far better, and healthier, than any of the nasty vegetable oils out there. Between those, leaf lard, butter and olive oil - you have the only fats you'll ever need.

Cauliflower can't fly - I doubt you'll find cauliflower wings.

 

[LisaR]

I think you have to keep this in context, though. I'm vegan. I know that not everyone knows what that means and I'm happy to explain it ("I don't eat meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs - no animals, no animal products") and in a positive way. However, what happens sometimes is that I start to explain "I'm vegan, so I don't eat..." and then I am interrupted by "I know what vegan means, my friend Joe is vegan. Here, you can eat this cheese lasagna." And they are offended when I explain that I can't eat that, insisting that vegans DO eat cheese. And if I have been through five or six conversations like that before I meet up with you, I'm not always as polite and patient as I want to be.

Honestly, this is partly why I almost never eat out. I don't want to have these discussions with a lot of people. And while you see the vegans being offensive, it is also not much fun for me to have to defend what I eat and don't eat. There are many, many people out there who give you a really hard time about not eating meat.

My DD (vegan) and her boyfriend (not vegan) went out to eat on New Year's day and the BF got black eyed peas and collard greens. My DD got a vegan dish, but was eating some of the BF's collard greens. As they got to the bottom of the plate, they discovered ham. DD wasn't pleased with herself, but she knew it was her own fault for assuming it would be meat-free.

After that, they went to a relatives home (the same one I mentioned earlier who made a dairy and egg filled "vegan" dessert. The BF mentioned the ham incident and the relative said, "And you didn't die, did you? So a little ham is just fine. Trust me, vegan people eat a little meat here and there and they all live to tell about it."

Unfortunately, I think this is the way most people feel about the way vegans eat.

 

[Allons-y!]

I think you have to keep this in context, though. I'm vegan. I know that not everyone knows what that means and I'm happy to explain it ("I don't eat meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs - no animals, no animal products") and in a positive way. However, what happens sometimes is that I start to explain "I'm vegan, so I don't eat..." and then I am interrupted by "I know what vegan means, my friend Joe is vegan. Here, you can eat this cheese lasagna." And they are offended when I explain that I can't eat that, insisting that vegans DO eat cheese. And if I have been through five or six conversations like that before I meet up with you, I'm not always as polite and patient as I want to be.

Honestly, this is partly why I almost never eat out. I don't want to have these discussions with a lot of people. And while you see the vegans being offensive, it is also not much fun for me to have to defend what I eat and don't eat. There are many, many people out there who give you a really hard time about not eating meat.

It's a shame that others give you a hard time. But I've never subscribed to the idea that just because someone else was rude to you, it means you can be impolite completely different people.

 

[disneychrista]

My daughter is Vegan. A seemingly smart co-worker told her she should be able to eat cheddar because it was vegan it only had cheddar in it. When my daughter told no, that it was dairy the girl had to google it before she would believe her. We're not sure what she thought cheddar was.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

My ex-brother-in-law's brother was a "vegan who eats fish". In other words, a picky eater.

 

[MommyJKM]

I like making black bean and quinoa burgers myself..very easy to do. Also, I make egg rolls with the ground tofu pieces from the grocery store and they come out great because you season them and they have a great texture.

Try putting Extra Firm tofu on a towel and another towel over it and something heavy - like a book - on top to get all the juices out. Then marinate the tofu and sear it. I also like to do tofu "fries". Coat tofu in cornstarch and put it in the broiler about 10 minutes each side until crispy.

BTW - you're Pescetarian not Vegetarian and if you're wanting to truly be vegetarian you can't eat any normal cheeses (rennet), jello (gelatin), or Worstechire sauce (anchovies) , coffee creamers (casein), some yogurts (carmine), or marshmallows (gelatin). If you're just trying to be healthier stick to avoiding that bacon!