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I think I'm a bad vegetarian
As a new-comer to the world of vegetarianism, I'm still figuring out how to eat a diet that is nutritionally balanced and varied enough that I don't get bored. At present, I'm not sure if I'm doing the former, but I'm definitely not achieving the latter.
The weekly menu my boyfriend and I enjoy (?) goes something like this:
Sunday: Baked potatoes with cheddar cheese, sour cream and steamed broccoli. Dan also adds hot sauce and a variety of spices to his (he's more creative than I am).
Monday: Spaghetti and marinara sauce. Salad.
Tuesday: Frozen veggie burgers. Salad.
Wednesday: Frozen perogis. Salad.
Thursday: Um... cereal, I guess.
Friday: Order in pizza.
Saturday: Maybe make a fish or sushi (yeah, we still eat seafood, but rarely).
And don't even get me started on the lack of variety in my lunches.
In the spirit of making both this blog and my diet more interesting, I've decided I'm going to try cooking foods I haven't previously enjoyed. Over the years, my ability to tolerate different kinds of vegetables has improved, so maybe if I force myself to try others, I'll like them.
Here's a list of vegetables from our trusty friend Wikipedia.
I challenge the readers of this blog to pick any vegetable off this list and, as long as I can find it in the supermarket, I will find a recipe and cook it and (gulp) eat it. I'll even share the recipe on the blog if it comes out well. If you have a recipe to suggest, that would be much appreciated.
Post your entries on the comments section.
Oh, and more about the nutritional balance stuff to come later.
The weekly menu my boyfriend and I enjoy (?) goes something like this:
Sunday: Baked potatoes with cheddar cheese, sour cream and steamed broccoli. Dan also adds hot sauce and a variety of spices to his (he's more creative than I am).
Monday: Spaghetti and marinara sauce. Salad.
Tuesday: Frozen veggie burgers. Salad.
Wednesday: Frozen perogis. Salad.
Thursday: Um... cereal, I guess.
Friday: Order in pizza.
Saturday: Maybe make a fish or sushi (yeah, we still eat seafood, but rarely).
And don't even get me started on the lack of variety in my lunches.
In the spirit of making both this blog and my diet more interesting, I've decided I'm going to try cooking foods I haven't previously enjoyed. Over the years, my ability to tolerate different kinds of vegetables has improved, so maybe if I force myself to try others, I'll like them.
Here's a list of vegetables from our trusty friend Wikipedia.
I challenge the readers of this blog to pick any vegetable off this list and, as long as I can find it in the supermarket, I will find a recipe and cook it and (gulp) eat it. I'll even share the recipe on the blog if it comes out well. If you have a recipe to suggest, that would be much appreciated.
Post your entries on the comments section.
Oh, and more about the nutritional balance stuff to come later.
posted by Lauren Garrison at
12:13 PM
6 Comments:
What about a nice veggie lasagna? It will incorporate a multitude of veggies and will freeze nicely. I also do a lot of stuffed breads ( spinach, broccoli...) and eggplant parm.
Thanks for the recommendation! Do you have a recipe I can try?
My first suggestion for someone who is busy is the veggie lasagna from trader joes. Whole wheat noodles and a delicious sauce make it a hit at my house, even with the kids! The BEST thing is it is meant to be microwaved so you can come home, stick it in the micro, and eat within 15 minutes!
However, for an ambitious sunday afternoon the homemade stuff is great. I will send that along!
I challenge you to use dandelion. We used to feed our tortoise dandelion leaves, partly because they are incredibly cheap. But they unfortunately taste kind of bitter. I'm curious whether you can take the bitterness away somehow (as you can with eggplant by soaking it in salt water).
Also I'd love a good lentil recipe if you have one.
Spinach Tofu Lasagna (cheese free)
Lasagna noodles
2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach
1 package medium/firm tofu
1 large onion
garlic (more or less, your choice)
1 egg (optional if you're vegan)
Herbs, fresh or dried (your choice of basil, oregano, etc.)
Tomato sauce (jarred, homemade, whatever sauce you like), the amount you'll need is like a big jar of sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Parboil the pasta so it's flexible (maybe 5 minutes...) then put it in a strainer and run cold water over it so the noodles don't stick together.
Cook 2 packages of frozen spinach according to package directions and drain WELL! Give it some good squeezing to get all the liquid out. I put it in a wire strainer.
Crumble/mash up the tofu so it is crumbly and looked a bit like the (to me) dreaded ricotta.
Chop the onion and mince the garlic and saute them together in a pan. Add the herbs when the onions are almost done. Saute a bit more.
Mix the spinach/onion mixture with the tofu. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Construct the lasagna in a lasagna pan layering sauce-noodles-tofu-sauce, etc.
Enjoy!
This can be a bit time consuming, but tastes good left over and also freezes well.
Okay-yes, you're a bad vegetarian in that you're not actually a vegetarian if you're eating anything with a face(re:fish)butI'm not hear to judge, only to help. You sure could use some tofu in you're life, sister, and here's the way to do it:
In a large tuperware type container with a tight lid, wisk together :
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce(try to use the low sodium type)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2" fresh grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
add 3 packs extra firm drained tofu, cut in 1" cubes
close the lid, and turn the container a few times to coat everything, then pop it in the fridge to marinate for an hour. turn it again in 60 minutes and sit for another hour in the fridge, then bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes on a greased cookie sheet or glass pan(I cover the bottoms with foil then spray with cooking spray for easy clean up). Add to stir fry, pasta, or just eat as a snack. My kids eat it out of zip lock bags on the go for a high protein snack, or serve on toothpicks with peanut sauce for a great party eat. And stop eating fish-what did they ever do to you?
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