WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY

Resources

October 1st is "World Vegetarian Day", which conveniently falls on "Meatless Monday!"  I've been mostly vegetarian since 1998 after a chat with a friend of mine who was studying to become a Doctor.  Much of what he told me is covered in the documentary "Food, Inc" which I highly recommend you see.  

Tommy recommends this movie as well (I'm planning on watching it tonight) 

Whether you're open to vegetarianism or not, you owe it to yourself to see where your food comes from.  I promise you will make smarter choices for you and your family after watching this.  You might also want to read any of Michael Pollan's books (I've read "In Defense of Food" but have heard good things about the others!) 

The best way to have a plant based diet is to make meals with whole, organic ingredients.  Good alternative sources of protein include quinoa (which includes all essential amino acids to create a complete protein), legumes (lentils, beans, peanuts)  soy and nuts.

However, I like to point out to skeptics that it's very possible to be a meat lover and vegetarian at the same time!

Products

You really don't have to sacrifice a lot in order to go meatless.  New products are coming out faster than I can keep up with.  of course, just because a product is made, doesn't make it tasty!

The main reason I'm taking the time to write this is to save you from all the nasty crap out there.  I've sifted through quite a bit of lousy vegetarian products to get to where I am today.  I can't have you trying the wrong thing and turning your back on the idea forever, right?   

Another important thing to point out is that the price of these products depends greatly on WHERE you buy them.  Without exception, all of the products I talk about here will be cheaper at Whole Foods.  I'm not kidding.

Here are some products I love:

Fantastic Foods Vegetarian Chili:  The box includes the spices and veggie protein you need (which has the same consistency as ground beef) and the instructions.  You just add whatever veggies and beans you normally use, along with a can or two of either diced or stewed tomatoes!  I personally like buying whole tomatoes in the can so I can cut them into larger chunks myself!  Fantastic Foods also makes great vegetarian taco filling!  I don't really care for refrigerated veggie protein as it has a strange aftertaste!

Hummus and carrots are a great veggie snack.  I personally like Tribe Forty Spice hummus, but you really can't go wrong with any flavor you choose, and hummus is really easy to make in the food processor.  

Bacon

I agree.  Bacon is delicious.  Thankfully you have a lot of options when it comes to mimicking that amazing flavor!  Make a BLT with Morningstar Farms bacon strips and tell me that isn't everything.  

Whether or not you enjoy Morningstar Farms, I also encourage you to try Lightlife Smokey Tempeh strips, or make your own vegetarian bacon by soaking tempeh in liquid smoke.  You can also sprinkle Bacon Salt on just about anything!  

Sausage

 Sauté some "Gimme Lean" sausage and add it to your pasta sauce or slice it into rounds and brown it up with your eggs for Sunday brunch!  If you prefer sausage links, any product from Tofurkey is a winner.  I like the Italian sausage the best!  

Deli Slices

While on the topic of Tufurkey,  these people are geniuses!  Don't waste your time or money with any other deli slices.  A good start is the roasted turkey.  They also make a pretty tasty bologna.  I'm not crazy for their roast beef, but they pretty much do everything else right.  

Chicken

When it comes to replacing chicken in your recipes, nothing compares to Quorn.  It's unreal.  I buy the "Naked Cutlets" and slice it differently depending on what I want to do with it.  You can dice it  up and combine it with "No Chicken Broth", carrots, celery and noodles for an amazing "Chic'n Noodle Soup" or slice it diagonally to add to a stir fry.  Amazing.

That should be a good start!  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  If you've got a favorite recipe you think I would enjoy, please email me or send me a link via Twitter

*Some products mentioned may contain  GMO's,