Help for a picky vegetarian?!
I'm really bored with the food I've been eating, so I'm looking for help. I'm a vegetarian, and a picky eater at that. I don't like spicy food, meatless meats or eggs (or egg products like mayo).
Any suggestions of what I should try?
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33 Comments:
I write this blog KarmaFree Cooking - maybe you can find some inspiration here... It's all vegetarian, the recipes do not contain eggs, I do not like overly spicy food and I am not too fond of meatless meats either...
What are your usual go-to recipes/menus? Maybe knowing what you're tired of and can help us point you towards a new direction...
MadelynRodriguez at 4:10PM on 10/19/09
I was going to ask the same question as Madelyn. I'm not a veg, but eat vegetarian more often than not.
Oh - do you eat cheese? Any cuisines you really like/hate?
NYCEater at 4:27PM on 10/19/09
Risotto? It's what I make when my vegan brother in law comes over, and the carnivores usually dig in, too. What's not to like about rice, veg and cheese?
sarajane at 5:09PM on 10/19/09
I'm not a vegetarian; but I eat a lot of vegetarian by accident because it's an appealing lifestyle to me.
Here's some of my favourite recipes:
Lime and Peanut Coleslaw
Quinoa (in any application) tastes phenomenal, is extremely versatie: and surprising enough: SOURCE OF PROTEIN! :D
Mmm...leeks and beans
I have more; let me know if I'm on the right track!
hungrychristel at 5:33PM on 10/19/09
I made butternut squash soup last week and it was pretty good - eady too. Eggplant or zucchini parm, stuffed eggplant, falafel, SE's baked ziti (stir in some veggies for extra nutrition), mushroom sandwiches, mushroom bourguignon, what do you like? I would recommend finding a vegetarian food blog (I like 101cookbooks.com) that is very 'you'. Also, try going to the library and browsing through some veg cookbooks to see if you find one you like that you can get more ideas from.
joyyy at 5:47PM on 10/19/09
When I became a vegetarian I found the library to be really useful for finding new recipes. There are lots of non-spicy options in Thai cuisine. I like making variations on fried rice with adding different types of sauces and veggies.
You might also want to look at some African and Mediterranean cuisines for interesting veggie and bean ideas.
gingercookiewithlime at 6:29PM on 10/19/09
I'm not a vegetarian but that mushroom bourguignon @joyyy linked was nommy!
hmw0029 at 7:11PM on 10/19/09
Thanks so much for all your help. I've posted on sites like this before and never heard from anyone.
Anyway, you were asking what I usually eat. I usually eat a lot of pasta, broccoli and fruit. I've gotten into black beans lately, but I don't know how to do anything creative with them. I use soy milk to cook because I don't like real milk, but I loooove cheese.
I'm up for trying more or less anything.
TheresaB at 9:05PM on 10/19/09
You should look into Indian cuisine. Mostly veg, and it doesn't have to be spicy.
sailordave at 12:14AM on 10/20/09
You should look into Indian cuisine. Mostly veg, and it doesn't have to be spicy.
sailordave at 12:14AM on 10/20/09
Going with black beans you could make a black bean spread to use on sandwiches. One of my favorite sandwiches is black bean spread, spinach, avocado and tomato.
Plus there are a lot of fantastic veggies out there to try (fruit too). Rappini, parsnips, squash, leeks, beets, fennel, mushrooms, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, celeriac, turnips, and on and on.
phenoderr at 1:42AM on 10/20/09
Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, how about some delicious pork, beef, little birds, or even some succulent fish. In other words, quit being a crybaby about choosing to limit your diet with so many imagined restrictions. You have the nerve to complain about being bored with your diet and in the same sentence you continue to tell us everything you don't eat?
climbhighak at 2:18AM on 10/20/09
aren't vegetarians by definition picky? does that make it a foodie version of a double negative? i tease, i don't care what other people do. on the other hand, climbhighak makes a good case. i feel so bourdain-ish-ha.
gastronomeg at 11:51AM on 10/20/09
Do you have any cookbooks? Something like Vegan with a Vengeance would be a good resource. Also, you can try going to the grocery store, buying a fruit or vegetable you've never used before, and then googling recipes. I made a lot of stuff that way when I first went veg!
KarynMC at 12:32PM on 10/20/09
I made something really good and simple for dinner last night: buy a box of tabouli mix (or make your own, I was lazy) and make it. Add in around 2/3 cup chickpeas, 3 chopped plum tomatoes, a large chopped cucumber, around 1/2 chopped red onion, red and/or green peppers, and a few of those mediterranean pickles chopped up. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, and around 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Top with feta and serve with tzatziki and pita chips.
In general, a lot of middle eastern food is vegetarian, and very flavorful.
NYCEater at 1:09PM on 10/20/09
For a minute there I thought we might get through this post without someone feeling the need to tell the vegetarian to get over it and eat meat already, but no. Apparently that is just impossible. Yes you can be a foodie and a veg, as far as I recall vegetables (and other non meant foods) are foods too.
It seems to me TheresaB that you could expand your horizons by learning what spicy spices you don't like and omit or greatly reduce them. A lot of the stuff I make is Mexican influenced, lots of corn, black beans, tomatoes etc, but to make them less spicy, I just would decrease the amount of chilies, and then stuff all that in a bell pepper and bake, cheese optional.
sunshine6 at 1:37PM on 10/20/09
I suggest making some artisan no-knead bread (I got this from the website www.artisanbreadinfive.com/), and using part of the recipe to make a sort of calzone - basically, you spread out the dough, and on half of it put whatever nice vegetables you have (I like peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms), olives, any cheese you like, until you have a combination you think will taste good. The big deal is not to put in anything that's too soggy or anything that's hot - it makes the dough almost impossible to move later. Fold it over, slash it, slide onto the preheated baking stone and cook for half an hour.
Likeswords at 2:22PM on 10/20/09
A big bowl of thick pasta e fagioli is a nice cold weather vegan dinner, another idea is lentil soup. Ratatouille, stuffed tomatoes provencal, felafel, or maybe a Portobello mushroom burger.
I also think Indian food is a great idea, and you can go light on the spice if you don't care for hot food. This Aloo Palak is a good Dinner Tonight suggestion:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/08/palak-aalu-spinach-potatoes-recipe.html
And grilled Chinese eggplant with garlic and ginger sauce:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/07/grilling-chinese-eggplant-garlic-ginger-recipe.html
You can also go easy on the spices in firehouse vegetable chili:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/false-alarm-vegetable-chili
MMinNYC at 2:56PM on 10/20/09
Haloumi cheese is your friend. It works with almost anything. It doesn't melt when grilled, just gets a little gooey. I've posted before one of my favourite sandwiches...a grilled portobello mushroom cap with grilled haloumi and a big slice of roasted red pepper, served on a toasted bun with garlic mayo.
As a Brit, I also swear by baked potatoes with baked beans and cheese. And by baked, I mean hours in the oven. Crispy skin, hot beans, mounds of butter...what's not to like?
Broccoli and Stilton, in a mild cream sauce and baked in phyllo dough is also very nice. I also like making Greek salad wraps...just fresh spinach, tomato, cucumber, olives and feta, with a light yogurt dressing, wrapped in flatbread.
My wife really likes just taking a fresh pot of lemony, garlicky hummus to work, with a fresh half-baguette and some olives. Makes a nice, simple lunch.
And red beans or black beans with rice and your favourite spices and veg is always good. As are quesadillas, with frijoles (cooked in butter, not lard) with lots of salsa and sour cream.
If you want to get really creative, there are many types of sushi that are vegetarian. Japanese omelette, fermented corn, pickled beets, all wrapped with rice and seaweed. Could make it more fun.
NotAmerican at 3:01PM on 10/20/09
One of my favorite vegetarian meals is shepherd's pie, with standard mashed potatoes on top, and onion, corn, and lima beans on the bottom. I use Moosewood's mushroom gravy as a binder.
Googling the gravy recipe I find that Moosewood has a lot of recipes online, and my experience with their stuff is universally good. The gravy recipe is about two thirds of the way down the page as part of their shepherd's pie, or you can find the shepherd's pie in the list and click on it.
http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#49
lemonfair at 4:48PM on 10/20/09
I am a vegetarian, too, and I suggest beans of all types. We eat black beans with rice and feta cheese and various veggies for "rice salad." We also eat a lot of chickpeas in hummus, felafels, sandwich spreads, etc.
But, you don't have to eat beans. Tofu is a good and cheap ingredient. You can press it and drain it and then fry it or freeze it or bake it, all of which changes its texture. Lentils are great and filling. I make a simple lentil soup and then when we're tired of that, I boil it down and make lentil patties which freeze really well. Quinoa is another dish we have often. I make ours with tomatoes, peppers, black beans, corn, and cilantro but I'd tried a lot of quinoa recipes. These are all quick and easy dishes to make- without any pasta in sight. Best of luck!
MeganCochran at 5:20PM on 10/20/09
I made this meal based on something I ate in Hawaii a couple years ago:
http://lveggplant.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/recipe-of-the-week-er-i-mean-tri-annual-recipe-purple-potatoes/
it is PHENOMENAL. If you like Asian flavors you'll love it (just omit the shrimp if you don't eat seafood)
carolynmittens at 8:24PM on 10/20/09
also this is a really creative, and from what i've tried delicious recipe index from a great vegan blog:
http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/recipes/recipe-index/
carolynmittens at 8:27PM on 10/20/09
My wife has similar restrictions (vegetarian, not spicy, no detectable eggs). When we first me there were a lot of foods that she "didn't like". It turns out she mostly just doesn't like the taste of cumin (that took a long time to figure out!). On the other hand, I love all sorts of food. I've found that I can make just about any of my favorite foods if I just limit the amount of cumin and chili peppers.
Most of the recipes I make are found by Googling "recipe vegetarian [name of food/country/cuisine]". Tonight we had a vegetarian Thai tom yum soup (hot/sour soup made w/ lots of veggies and limes/lemon grass).
Other favorites include corn salad with bean, tomatoes and bell peppers. We eat it hot or cold with rice or tortillas. We also make calzones but sometimes with oil, no sauce and less cheese. And we love Asian rice/noodles with peanut or hoisin sauce. You should also try Central and South American vegetarian dishes. Many of the central/South American countries avoid spicy foods.
gwmccull at 1:54AM on 10/21/09
I just made a big batch of burritos for the freezer. No real recipe, but here's what I did...
I used two cans of black beans and added some salsa and cumin, sauteed all that until warmed through. Take that off the heat and add two cooked chopped sweet potatoes. I added enough brown rice until I had the proportions that I liked. Fill burritos with mix, add some cheese if you'd like and wrap individually.
I keep a bag at work and a bag at home.
Other veg-friendly go-to ideas at my place: Lentil soup, black rice and beans, roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwiches.
ceebee at 9:27AM on 10/21/09
when you say you don't lilke milk or eggs, is that also to cook with? i mean, if you make a sauce out of milk or enrich something with eggs, you don't actually taste the milk or eggs? but maybe you aren't eating them for other reasons. just trying to clarify.
try bittman's book on how to cook vegetables.
carriebwc at 9:42AM on 10/21/09
@TheresaB
re: "I've posted on sites like this before and never heard from anyone."
This community is really full of surprises. But I'm not surprised by this.
I agree with @carriebwc re: bittman's techniques. They could really inspire unlimited ideas.
@climbhighak - howdy capitain! I tend to want to make comments like that sometimes :) I heart pork and could not live without consuming pig meat LOL
hungrychristel at 11:10AM on 10/21/09
Vegetable soup is always great for picky eaters. You only put in the veggies you are interested in eating. Winter minestrone is good for this time of year, and you can even thicken it to a more stew-like consistency to make it more hearty. I agree with the risotto suggestion as well. And if you like cheese, a potato gratin might be nice.
hmark80 at 4:32PM on 10/21/09
This time of year, when all of the fall veggies are appearing on the shelves, I like to go through the produce aisle or the farmer's market and just pick out vegetables to eat during the week.
So we may bake potatoes and serve with kale and a salad. The kids like steamed cauliflower and broccoli with a cheese dipping sauce and apples. I love all the different squashes, baked!!
Plus I usually make a soup, chili or casserole a couple times a week to have in the refrigerator.
onehotcook at 8:30PM on 10/21/09
My Mom is veg, no spicy, no dairy, and she does a lot with Indian dal and/or veg curry recipes minus the chilis.
Dcarl1 at 10:44AM on 10/23/09
My recipe for sesame noodles is not only vegetarian, but also super healthy and packed with veggies. It's one of my favorites!
http://www.avacatau.com/2009/04/much-lighter-sesame-noodles.html
avacatau at 5:18PM on 10/25/09
for cookbooks, i borrowed moosewood from the library soooo many times. i love the hot and sour soup.
blizcheetah at 7:46PM on 10/25/09
Vegetarian foods and flavor combo ideas:
pumpkin/squash and peanut butter/almond
black beans with plantains on the side
tofu and braised greens (kale,chard,spinach)
lentils and rice/bulgar
cheese and tomato (grilled cheese sandwich anyone?)
mushroom and barley (sorry not much protein there)
hummous!
falafel!
Cantaloupe Alone at 11:47AM on 10/26/09