More and more people are moving towards a vegetarian diet. Eventually, you're going to come face to face with a food dilemma.
Should you include a dish at the party that vegetarians can eat? What are
you going to do when your now vegetarian daughter comes home to visit? What
will you eat after the doctor scolds you for your high cholesterol level?
Thankfully, the answers are easier than you probably thought, and none of them involves the phrase "rabbit food"!
TYPES OF VEGETARIANS & WHAT THEY EAT
First, let's go over the types of vegetarian diets. There's lots of variations,
but most people who call themselves vegetarians don't eat animals. This includes
fish, chicken (and chicken stock), shrimp, lobster and even scallops. If they're
in the "fauna" category, they're not vegetarian.
More and more people are becoming strict vegetarians, more commonly known
as vegans (VEE-guns). Vegans don't eat anything made with ingredients that
come from an animal. This includes milk, eggs, butter,
mayonnaise and cheese. Many
vegans
(though
not all) also avoid honey.
You're probably wondering how vegans meet their nutritional needs.
It's not as hard as you think! See this
factsheet for more information.
Your friend might tell you that they're a vegetarian, even if they're a vegan. They probably think that you don't know what "vegan" means! If you'll be serving vegetarian food, you may want to play it safe by sticking to vegan dishes.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT LEAVE?!!!
Believe it or not, a lot of common foods are already vegan. Here's just a
few:
many pasta dishes (like spaghetti marinara)
many rice dishes (like black beans & rice)
corn chips & salsa
cobbler
many breakfast cereals
French fries
peanut butter & jelly
tater tots
spring rolls
sorbet
Other common foods can easily become vegan. For example:
Always be sure to read the ingredients on the packaging first. It's amazing how many manufacturers add animal products to foods that don't usually use them. Here's some common animal-derived ingredients to be on the look-out for:
If you want to get really serious, here's a
more complete list.
A word of warning: Telling someone that a dish is vegetarian
or vegan when it isn't can cause real problems. Many people
have serious allergies to foods like milk. Furthermore,
vegetarians
may become physically ill when served animal products.
COOKING TIPS FOR THE COURAGEOUS CHEF
If you're cooking from scratch, you can use "vegan equivalents" (recipe
substitutions) in place of the animal products that your
recipe calls for.
Most can be found at your local health supermarket or even
many grocery stores. Here's some examples:
If you don't have the time or inclination to cook from scratch, there's still
plenty of pre-packaged foods that meat-eaters and vegetarians alike will enjoy.
Again, check your supermarket and larger health food stores. Here's some of
our favorites:
If you'd rather go out to eat, you still have plenty of
choices. There are delicious cuisines from around the world
that feature vegetarian dishes. We list some of the most
promising below. You can then find restaurants in your
area here.
An advance phone call is a good idea. Otherwise, your
guest will probably need to ask the server some questions.
They
aren't
trying to be difficult. They just want
to be sure that they can eat the food that's served to
them.
CHINESE: What you can
get varies widely from restaurant to restaurant. In New
York City, for example, there are plenty
of restaurants where everything is vegan. On the other hand, Chinese
restaurants in rural Texas may not stock tofu and probably cook everything
in chicken or beef stock.
ETHIOPIAN & ERITREAN: No,
Ethiopian cuisine isn't a single grain of rice. In fact,
injera bread may be the tastiest way
to roll up sandwich fillings on the planet. Sample the various vegetable
"alichas" and "wats", or try some tasty "gomen" greens.
GREEK & MIDDLE
EASTERN: Good bets include hummus, tabouli, falafel, couscous, stuffed
grape leaves (dolmas) and baklava. Spellings vary depending on the country
of origin. Some places have belly dancers on the weekends, so this could
be
a real adventure!
INDIAN: Try aloo gobi, chana
masala, pakoras and papadums on the side, or just ask.
India is a mecca for vegan food and the chef probably knows
some recipes that aren't on the menu.
ITALIAN: Pasta dishes like
spaghetti marinara, pasta primavera and even gnocchi are
often vegan. Ask to make sure there's no egg in the pasta
or cheese in the sauce. If you're having a pizza, ask about
eggs or milk enzymes in the dough. Once the sauce and dough
pass inspection, load your pizza down with vegetables and
extra sauce, skip the cheese, and you've got a delicious
vegan
pizza. (Don't forget... You can do this with just half a pizza and put cheese and anything else you want on the other half!)
JAMAICAN: Look into the curry vegetables, callaloo, Johnny cakes (corn bread patties), rice & red peas, and plantains. Double check that the Johnny cakes don't contain eggs or milk.
JAPANESE: Most places have seaweed salad,
miso soup, vegetable sushi (it may not be on the menu, but ask for it), vegetable
teriyaki and vegetable tempura. Make sure the miso soup doesn't contain fish
powder (bonito) or chicken stock.
THAI: Most Thai restaurants can make anything on the menu into a vegan dish. They just replace the animal flesh with tofu and leave out eggs. Treat yourself to Pad Thai, Panang or Masaman curries, and sweet sticky rice with mangoes.
EXPENSIVE RESTAURANTS: Obviously, this isn't a type of cuisine, but for the most part, highly trained chefs will be able to create truly tasty vegan dishes on request. Call ahead a day in advance, if possible, so they can pick up any special ingredients they might need.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: If the only dining choices
that you can offer your guest are chain restaurants, there's still hope. This
page has done the research for you. For a more comprehensive listing, order
the inexpensive 'Vegetarian
Menu Items at Restaurant and Quick Service Chains'.
There's lots of other options, but your head is probably spinning by now.
Relax and enjoy yourself! You may find a new favorite cuisine, and your guest
will think you're amazing. How can that be a bad thing?
