If I had a pickle for every time I’ve heard, “I don’t know what to make for the vegetarians,” I’d be in relish heaven. A late comer to the vegetarian movement and mother of four (some veg, some not), I find this phrase near laughable. Often the only thing keeping even a semi-decent cook from producing a healthy vegetarian meal is a little creative constipation.
Many foods, such as tacos, chili, and spaghetti, lend themselves well to the use of veggie crumbles. This protein packed soy food comes frozen and ready to add to your favorite recipe. In many cases you can use it just as you would ground beef. Try tossing a handful into casseroles, lasagna, tomato sauces, and pizza. Use in sloppy joes (my family calls these sloppy jodies) or as a base for “meat” loaf. Veggie crumbles provide a painless, healthful transition from meat to meatless.
Remember, however, that even though crumbles, veggie burgers and other faux meats provide easy-to-use products with all the benefits of soy, they are still processed foods. Fake bacon, imitation turkey, and simulated sausage do not grow out of the ground. Likewise, I have never seen “chik” nuggets hanging from a bush. As such, we should avoid relying too heavily on their convenience.
What then is a nutrition-conscious mom or dad to do in order to support a newbie veg teen? How about turning to nature’s own meat substitutes? Fill your next pot of chili with various beans and a handful of barley. Cut up some zucchini and summer squash for lasagna. Try a grain-and-nut loaf instead of the more traditional belly-busting meatloaf. And who says breakfast needs to include meat to be good for the body? How about hash browns, cantaloupe, blueberry muffins, and strawberry pancakes with those scrambled eggs (or better yet, with that tofu scramble)? Because, after all, isn’t this vegetarian cooking at its most delectable---foregoing the meat and meat substitutes and diving fork first into nature’s bounty?
Why bother at all? Why not just stick with foods more reminiscent of stereotypical sixties vegetarian cooking and avoid the obvious meat based dishes? Why not browse specialty aisles for foods you can’t pronounce and grains you’ve never heard of? Why? Because a person is more likely to stick with a new diet if it isn’t terribly different from the one they already follow. And mostly because food is love. Nothing speaks comfort on a cold winter day like a pot full of chili. It wouldn’t be summer in America without firing up the grill. And when you had a cold as a child, did your mother soothe it with a nice bowl of sprout salad? Of course not, nothing would make you feel better like a steaming cup of chicken noodle soup. Hear me when I say no child should have to go through life without sloppy jodies, spaghetti, or homemade lasagna.
--Tammie is an at-home mother of four with a Masters in the field of Developmental Psychology. She has parented through two transitioning teens and an I'm-gonna-do-everything-I-can-to-keep-up six-year-old. Her essays and recipes have appeared in Veggie Life, Vegfamily, Vegetarian Baby and Child, and mothering.com.
