Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I've always gone the sides route and have been vegetarian long enough that my family respects my decision and doesn't make the sides with chicken broth or whatever. It also helps that many of our family's traditional dishes don't have animal products, like my grandmother's roasted eggplant salad.

But, if there's any worry that you're putting someone out with your request (or that you're being put out), there's no harm in bringing something to the table yourself (or asking your guest to). It lets the vegetarian be in control of their food, introduces other family members to their lifestyle choice/veggie foods and helps the host/hostess out. Honestly, most veg*ans are used to this anyway and it'll be a good experience for your brother.

Since my grandmother is getting on in years, I plan on doing a lot of cooking this year anyway. I'll be making a veggie gravy (roux of margarine/flour, veggie broth, various herbs and soy sauce for umami), green bean casserole, garlic mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes from The Modern Vegetarian Table. My husband, an omnivore, is making his signature "bird in a bag" (roasting a spice-rubbed turkey in a paper bag).

Um...I'm Mexican and Filipino, so it wasn't really an option growing up. You either ate spicy food as is, or you went hungry!

My Mexican dad drinks taco shop hot sauce cups like little shots because he can't be bothered to pour it on his burrito. I've even heard my Filipino grandmother exclaim, a la Marilyn Monroe, "I like it hot, baby!" while adding another chile to a pot of stew!

My Sicilian husband also likes spicing up food in any way possible, so we have several different sources of heat on hand at all times -- from hot sauces like Sriracha and Tapatio to red chile flakes to spicy mustards, we've got it covered!

Hang in there, Ed; you're doing a great job at what would be a very difficult task for anyone, let alone a professional food reviewer/writer/blogger. I had a hard time yesterday at an office birthday party - we had mochi ice cream, bon bons, all kinds of savory snacks from Trader Joe's and more. Thankfully, I restricted myself to fruit only and lost a couple of pounds this week thanks to my perseverance.

And, yes, AAers do have sponsors - my dad's served as a sponsor to many other alcoholics and it's great to have someone "talk you down" from temptation. But, sponsors also help when you've given in - they help pick you back up. And I can guarantee that us Serious Eaters will always be there to support you - so please keep trying. ;-)

Just keep up the good work and get some squash, biking or walking in next week - I'll be thinking of you when I play tennis or go jogging this weekend!

Well, I have a tough time eating heavily on the road since I'm a vegetarian. But, every time we visit my husband's family in Chicago, it's tough to have any kind of self-control. From deep dish pizzas to my husband's favorite sandwich shop, there's a fattening vegetarian version for me to eat that I will NOT find at home.

So, any weight I gain, I chalk up to the vacation and just get back on track once I'm home. Since I live in San Diego, it's much easier to ease back into a healthier lifestyle (and I'm having a fruit-filled smoothie for breakfast simply because it's too hot -- 90+ degrees!).

Just eat a little lighter this coming week and walk around more, play squash or go for a bike ride, and the weight will come off. Promise. ;-)

@bkbella I'm sure you could use a vegetarian stock just as easily. Just be sure to use something flavorful, or doctor up some canned/packaged stuff.

As far as what to eat when I'm sick, it usually falls around comfort foods I grew up with, like veggie and rice soup, ramen, miso soup, bean burritos, Mexican tomato soup with fideo, and tea with toast.

As far as smoothies go, I don't use dairy at all since it just makes me more congested (dairy is a phlegm-inducer, which I have to avoid for my on-camera job). Instead, I just put in a frozen banana, frozen grapes and whatever fruit I have around (mango is a favorite), and whizz it up in the blender with some water or juice. If I'm so inclined, I'll also add a handful of baby spinach to it to make it green (the taste is unaffected). It's cold and has lots of vitamins/minerals, as well as having hardly any prep involved.

I love peanut butter, but don't have quite an addiction to it. But, for those looking for a healthy way to enjoy it, I love the classic "ants on a log" treatment -- fill celery sticks with a smear of PB and top with raisins. Not as many calories as if I had it on toast, but with some fiber from the raisins and crunch from the celery.

Of course, my husband is another story -- he dips pieces of my massive Fresh and Easy dark chocolate bar straight into the jar and eats PB toast with regularity. At least I've gotten him to switch to the all-natural stuff!

I usually resort to quick and easy comfort food eats, like a quesadilla, fideo or a burrito, a "dynamite" bowl (leftover short-grained rice with steamed vegetables on top, smothered in mayo with Sriracha sauce, nuked and topped with teriyaki glaze and sesame seeds), or just a bowl of cereal. Sometimes, I'll go the elaborate route if the leftovers are freezable, like tamales or lasagna. I guess it just depends on what's available and how much time I have to myself.

I've got fresh black plums from my grandmother's tree. Reminds me of my childhood, when we'd squat in the yard eating them straight from the branch, purplish juice running down our small chins as we wore devilish smiles of contentment...

Fun! This gets added to the RSS reader. Here's my own contribution for my healthier throwback to my elementary school lunches:

Delicious sandwich
Healthy veggie chips abound
Is it lunchtime yet?

Oh, there are plenty of other odd edibles straight out of the Philippines. Since our culinary heritage is comprised of Spanish, American, Chinese, Japanese, Malay and native islander culture, it's quite the hodgepodge of weird and weirder. Just check out Jollibee's official Filipino site: ube cheesy magic Ice Craze (yes, that's purple ube with cheese in a halo halo-like concoction) or their Breakfast Joys with hotdog (a hotdog with garlic fried rice and an egg on a platter).

Ah, sounds like a delicious idea for long, languid summer days with my Sicilian husband! Thanks so much for sharing this. :)

Hands down, my fav fruit is mango -- when I was a kid, my grandmother would cut slices of it up and put it in the fridge until snack time. Once I got my little fingers on those cold slices, it was over!

Ah, even though the Philippines is a hodgepodge of cultural influences, adobo is like our national dish! And even though I don't eat my grandma's chicken and pork adobo anymore (I went vegetarian, much to her initial non-delight), pretty much anything can be made adobo-style, like fried eggplant, green beans or okra. Serve it over rice and you're good to go!

Marvin over at Burnt Lumpia also has a rockin' take on the quintessential Pinoy dish. Now that I've been reminded of its deliciousness, I'm thinking I might have to make this over the weekend...