A Reader's Request:

One of my avid readers (and a very dear friend) has asked that I touch on the subject of vegetarian menus, and keeping it interesting. My very simple answer is: creativity. Now anyone with a vegetarian in their household knows how hard it is to cook for everyone, and keep everyone happy! Without the usual proteins to mix it up at dinnertime, it's difficult to always find new and exciting things to put on the table, but not if you use your imagination!

There are so many people that are vegetarian now, it seems that a lot of places are finding more and more ways to make delicious dishes, using only what comes from the ground! It used to be that if you wanted a vegetarian meal, you got some bland tofu on a plate with some snap peas and broccoli and called it a meal. I don't think so, that's not the way I eat anyway...and I've been known to choose the vegetarian option over a protein one sometimes.



Nowadays, there are plenty of main ingredients that you can choose from, to build your menu around. Some examples that I gathered while I was in Whole Foods on this fine snow day here in Massachusetts are as follows:

• Quinoa
• Cous cous
• Portobello mushrooms
• Tofu
• Pasta
• Rice
• Beans

By the way, that's seven ingredients. There are seven days in a week, and you now have a menu for an entire week with no repeats!


Now, the question you ask may be: "What can I DO with these things though?"

My answer to you all is SO MUCH. How about stuffed Portobello mushroom caps? You could use cous cous or quinoa as the base and load it up with delicious herbs, diced peppers and onions, and maybe even a little parmesan cheese. That was just off the top of my head! Veggie fajitas are another good one, because the tortilla gives grilled vegetables a bit more substance, making it into a meal. There's plenty you can do with tofu if you master the art of cooking it. Believe me when I say, tofu will pick up ANY flavor you put on it...it won't taste like tofu if you cook it in some Sriacha and soy sauce, or try a teriyaki and honey marinade...see how that works out!

For more exotic inspiration, look to the Indian cuisine. They do so much with lentils, potatoes, okra, and chickpeas, and so much of their flavor comes from herbs and spices. It's very inspiring to see a dish with such bland main ingredients turn into something so vibrant and flavorful.



As a last little tidbit, I came across a cookbook at Whole Foods, which I noticed (upon looking through it) contains a TON of vegetarian recipes. Now, I don't claim to know if they are good (although I would bet money that the majority of them are delicious) but I thought it was worth mentioning as I happened upon it today, and it seemed apropos of the topic at hand. It is called The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, and I just added one to my Amazon cart as well! Next time I place an order, it will be on it's way to me! :)

In the future, I will try and include vegetarian equivalents of recipes that I discuss. We have to keep it interesting for everyone!

And to my Lauren - I hope this helped. Keep us all posted on your vegetarian endeavors, and I'll keep the ideas comin' for you! Thanks for the post idea! xoxo