I’m a vegetarian and the rest of my family isn’t. My birthday is coming up and my mother wants to know what she should make me for dinner. I honestly have no idea what my favorite vegetarian food is. When I cook for myself I tend to gravitate toward stews, casseroles, and other cheap bachelor fare. Any idea what suggestions I could give?
Lasagne
Spinach manicotti
Bean and cheese enchiladas (um, ok, my recipe for that one fits the “cheap bachelor fare” description only too well)
Oh, and, um, if you aren’t a cheese lover, my suggestions are no good.
But I’d suggest something moderately fussy–like the lasagne, or the manicotti) with no obvious meat substitutes (like tofu) in it for the benefit of the rest of the family.
ETA: Do you eat Fish? You could go for Salmon.
Stuffed portobello mushrooms. Mmmmm.
For me, a good stuffed pasta (manicotti, jumbo ravioli, etc) with an appropriate sauce would be good, but even better would be a quality meal featuring eggplant parmesan.
Some authentic chile rellenos with fresh salsa (rice and beans on the side) would also be a hit for everyone.
Happy Birthday
ETA–for someone who hasn’t made them before, the eggplant parm and chile rellenos would not be a great idea; too hard to do properly at home…
Chiles rellenos.
Rapturous spaghetti
Peel and seed about 20 fresh roma tomatoes (google this or ask somebody if you’ve never done it).
Simmer them down into a sauce with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook your pasta about halfway, throw it in a wok. Toss with about a tablespoon of butter.
Add the sauce, several fresh basil leaves (chopped), and 1/2 cup parmesan. Toss.
Dig in.
Goes good with salad, bread, and red wine.
All vegetarian-- and your carnivorous friends and family probably won’t even notice the lack of meat (as they surely will if you force them to gag down some lame-ass substitute).
Not to nitpick, but this recipe (which sounds excellent) and my three suggestions above are not actually vegetarian, strictly speaking, as each has milk/dairy ingredients, and the chile rellenos also have eggs.
I don’t know if Stentor 2.5’s food choices include eggs or milk-based foods…
ETA–I was going to edit my first post but ran out of time, and then saw Cisco’s recipe here, which again I am sure would be mighty tasty, even if not totally vegetarian.
They’re not vegan, but ovo-lacto is a popular form of vegetarianism.
If s/he isn’t cool with butter, use a substitute.
You have your standard nomenclature a little confused.
“Vegetarian” is the typical word applied to people who don’t eat meat.
“Vegan” is the typical word applied to people who don’t eat meat or dairy products.
Someone who calls him or herself a vegetarian will probably eat milk, butter, and eggs.
FTR, I’ve been a vegetarian for 11 years, and have run into pretty much every misconception about what I eat in that time.
I haven’t eaten any kind of meat, poultry or animal by products (broth, lard, gelatin, etc.) for nearly 17 years, but I am not a vegetarian, by definition.
I eat dairy and eggs whenever I feel like it, and I am pretty sure that by doing so, I am not an actual “vegetarian” as of course milk and eggs are not vegetables.
Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna would be my go-to.
I also have an Asian-fusion takeout place nearby that makes amazing dishes with soy gluten. The dishes are on the expensive side for takeout, so they’re for occasional treats or special occasions when other veg guests are coming over. The kung-pao is amazing.
So, where I’m going with this, is maybe your mom would be content with ordering amazing vegetarian food from a nice restaurant, where you normally wouldn’t go, and which would probably have some knockout veg dishes that your non-veg mom might not be so good at making?
Indian food comes to mind. Vegetarian smorgasbord that you probably don’t make for yourself and that you probably don’t bother to buy regularly.
I’m the only vegetarian in my family, and they just aren’t very good at it, so a restaurant of my choosing is the happiest solution, usually!
You’re still conflating vegetarianism and veganism; a vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat. Eggs are a grey area because they have or had the potential to one day be meat, but milk and cheese never had that potential and even a strict vegetarian can eat those.
Actually, you are a vegetarian. You’re just not a vegan. If you don’t want to call yourself one, I don’t care, but you’re making up your own nomenclature here, which can be confusing for other people.
Just start the Pit and GD threads now, link to them here, and move along. I’m interested in the OP.
And someone who eats fish, but not red meat or poultry is a pescetarian.
Strictly speaking, the dictionary and Wikipedia agree with my definition.
Also, you do understand that I have not eaten any meat, poultry or animal by products for nearly 17 years, correct?
I know the difference between vegetables and ovo-lacto based foods very well by now…
ETA—Cisco is right, if you and Kyla want to tell the world that you are vegetarians while eating a cheese omlette and hashbrowns fried in lard, be my guest, I will have no more to say about it…
Don’t project your misconceptions on me. I’m not a vegetarian by either the standard definition, or yours.
Fine then, if you want to tell the world you are a vegetarian while eating veal oscar washed down with a big glass of walrus milk, that’s also fine with me…
ETA—As I said, the technical definition (per Wikipedia) says that a vegetarian only eats plant based foods, so if anyone has a misconception, I will leave it to others to decide who that may be.
A really good vegetable lasagne. I recommend roasting the veggies because otherwise they’ll release water + roasting makes it a bit fancier and tastier. I recommend some meaty veggies like egglant and portobellos roasted with tomatoes and zucchini. Chop and make a roasted veggie mix and then integrate into the ricotta (easier to bind I think, otherwise they just spill out all over the place).
Smitten Kitchen also has a ridiculously tasty looking Mushroom Bourguignon recipe up. Amateur Gourmet has reviewed it as well. (easily google-able).
I don’t eat lard. I’m a vegetarian.