# Non-vegetarians: What's your favorite non-meat meal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031 "2007-04-06T20:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/41 "2007-04-07T13:02:51Z")
I hadn’t thought of it for years, but this thread is giving me powerful cravings for my mother’s breaded eggplant, served with creamed potatoes on the side. I’ll be visiting her this summer; wonder what it would take to bribe her into making some for me? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/42 "2007-04-07T13:11:13Z")
Eggplant parmesan, much preferred to veal or chicken parm. Saag, paneer or aalu (that is, with cheese cubes or potatoes), and vegetable korma. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/43 "2007-04-07T13:13:45Z")
Pinto beans and cornbread. I usually make the beans with a ham bone or sausage, but I can make them without and they’re just as good. I also really love homemade mac & cheese – made with shell macaroni and sharp cheddar cheese, with crunched up potato chips on top. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/44 "2007-04-07T14:46:51Z")
> [@](#): > > **WhyNot** said: > Really? Huh. I’ve never heard of that. Anyone else have this problem? I haven’t, but now I’m wondering how many of my guests I’ve inadvertently made uncomfortable. Yeah I get gas from soy, and I absolutely will not eat fake meat like soy bacon, or tofurkey or any of that. It’s like I told my friend who doesn’t eat pork: turkey bacon tastes good if you’ve never had real bacon. There is just no comparison to the real thing. I don’t really do much in the way of ‘meals without meat’. Breakfast is about the only one and I rarely ever eat breakfast. Pretty much every meal I eat has meat in it somewhere. Spaghetti always has meatballs or sausage in it, anything alfredo usually has chicken, even breakfast involves bacon most of the time. I can’t remember going a day without meat. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/45 "2007-04-07T14:57:08Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] Yeah I get gas from soy, and I absolutely will not eat fake meat like soy bacon, or tofurkey or any of that. [/QUOTE] Ah. I guess what I was forgetting is that soybeans are…well…beans. And like any beans, contains those two flatulence culprits raffinose and stachyose which we can’t digest, but the bacteria in our gut can - producing gas in the process. Isn’t it kind of sad that even our gas isn’t ours, but we’re just collecting and expelling it for bacteria? 😃 I’ve never really had much of a bean problem. Navy beans give me a little extra toot, but that’s it. I guess I’m lucky like that. Beano should help with soy. It contains that enzyme we don’t make, so if you take it just before eating, it should help break down those sugars so the bacteria don’t get such a large meal! Here’s an article on [Soy’s embarrassing side effects](http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soyflatulence.html) and some strategies for dealing with it if you ever want to try my Awesome Veggie Sausage Biscuits and Gravy! Really…it’s worth it! (I won’t each much in the “fake meat” category just 'cause it tastes like crap and the texture is always wrong. Morningstar breakfast patties being the biggest exception.) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/46 "2007-04-07T15:28:12Z")
One of my cookbooks has a pretty good recipe for a brown rice and beans (it calls for kidney beans, but I’ve also tried it with black beans, Anasazi beans, and pinto beans) pie, which also has milk, cheese, eggs, red onion, and I think something else. I guess it’s only vegetarian depending on what you think of milk, eggs, and cheese, but it’s still pretty good. Lots of fiber, relatively low fat if you make it right (skim milk, cheese made with 2% milk) and tasty. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/47 "2007-04-07T19:17:49Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] …many if not most omnivores hate fake meats, and often soy based products too. Our digestive systems are not used to the–hah!–special properties of soy in the lower GI tract. …it’s best to go with a meatless pasta dish of some kind, or something similar, or something like lentil or bean soup of some sort. [/QUOTE] I still don’t get it - why are bean/lentil soups preferable to soy-based products? I’d say my favorite vegetarian dish is _mabo tofu_. [This recipe](http://www.womenof.com/Articles/cc_11_24_03.asp) is close to mine, except I usually don’t put any meat in it, and I add sesame oil. I’ve found that regular miso is a perfectly acceptable substitute to _tenmenjian_. You should be able to find _tobanjan_ in any Asian/Japanese market, but I suspect you can substitute crushed red pepper or similar. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/48 "2007-04-07T19:19:47Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] I still don’t get it - why are bean/lentil soups preferable to soy-based products? [/QUOTE] Because some of us prefer the taste of what something is - beans, tofu, lentils, whatever - to the taste of “imitation meat”. I don’t _have to_ eat meat - I eat it because I like the taste. I also like the taste of many other foods. I seek good tasting food, not food pretending to be what it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/49 "2007-04-07T19:25:30Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] Because some of us prefer the taste of what something is - beans, tofu, lentils, whatever - to the taste of “imitation meat”. [/QUOTE] I can understand that, but I thought **Spectre of Pithecanthropus** was claiming health reasons for not wanting soy products? Also, I’d like to point out that **tofu is not “imitation meat.”** It does taste like what it is - a soybean product. It’s not even designed to taste like meat, and it’s not intended to be substituted for meat in arbitrary meat-based recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/50 "2007-04-07T19:28:44Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] I seek good tasting food, not food pretending to be what it isn’t. [/QUOTE] This assumes that some of the ‘food pretending to be what it isn’t’ isn’t tasty. I doubt anybody is going to try to snow you that a veggie or soy burger is just like a meat one, but many are mighty tasty on buns with all the fixin’s. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/51 "2007-04-07T22:13:37Z")
Recipes I’ve made and reviewed on my blog: [Broiled Polenta with Ratatouille](http://5recipes.blogspot.com/2007/01/eat-rainbow-ii-broiled-polenta-with.html) [Cream of Tomato Soup](http://5recipes.blogspot.com/2005/10/simple-delicious.html) [Chilled Cherry-Plum Soup](http://5recipes.blogspot.com/2006/09/arrr-back-to-arf-we-be-chilled-cherry.html) And way more. I have a weakness for soups, and beans. Susan ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/52 "2007-04-07T22:36:13Z")
Polenta at Nodding Head in Philadelphia ---
**Author:** ![Magical\_Mustard\_Seed\_Tour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@Magical\_Mustard\_Seed\_Tour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magical_Mustard_Seed_Tour)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/53 "2007-04-08T01:32:48Z")
Bean tostadas…Crispy corn tortilla, layered with refried beans, cheese, lettuce and tons of diced tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/54 "2007-04-08T01:37:38Z")
Any meal at a good south Indian thali place. Sambar, rasam, curd rice, dry curries, pickles that make flames shoot out of your ass, all drenched in ghee. I can’t get enough of the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/55 "2007-04-08T01:38:19Z")
Frijoles refritos con queso y salsa!!! ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/56 "2007-04-08T01:40:13Z")
Heck, my dinner last night, which sounds odd together but was superb: Rice and beans (I used Zatarain’s mix), a bean burrito, a falafel, some tabbouleh. Delicious! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/57 "2007-04-08T01:48:28Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] I still don’t get it - why are bean/lentil soups preferable to soy-based products? I’d say my favorite vegetarian dish is _mabo tofu_. [This recipe](http://www.womenof.com/Articles/cc_11_24_03.asp) is close to mine, except I usually don’t put any meat in it, and I add sesame oil. I’ve found that regular miso is a perfectly acceptable substitute to _tenmenjian_. You should be able to find _tobanjan_ in any Asian/Japanese market, but I suspect you can substitute crushed red pepper or similar. [/QUOTE] That sounds good. You got a carbohydrate count on it, by any chance? (I’m back on a low-carbohydrate diet and while the tofu and the pork isn’t a problem, nor the substitution I can make for the cornstarch, I’m not sure about the miso and the tobanjan.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/58 "2007-04-08T01:55:12Z")
Vegetarian chili with chunks of tofu. Used to be a tofu/thyme/asparagus pasta salad I would make, but then stopped eating gluten - and haven’t found rice noodles that will hold up to it - so right now the pasta sounds distressing. I’m a big fan of fake meats and soy (soy is so good fried and salted - its like protein popcorn - though many of them I can’t eat any more 'cause of the gluten thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/59 "2007-04-08T02:41:27Z")
Spinach salad with blue cheese and granny smith apples and candied walnuts with a blood orange vinagrette dressing. Hot spinach/artichoke cheese dip with fresh pita chips. Mama’s tortillas with butter! ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031/60 "2007-04-08T02:59:24Z")
spinach and rice pie with lemon zest and garlic thai salad wraps vegetarian laksa paneer curry soy cheese pizza with spinach and avocado Actually, on preview anything that has spinach in it. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-vegetarians-whats-your-favorite-non-meat-meal/399031.md?page=4)