Meat Free for an Entire Year

It is hard to believe it has been an entire year since we made the decision to become vegetarians. It has been interesting to see all of the reactions we have gotten as we have "come out." I think it is safe to say that my family thinks that we are truly out of our minds! They are meat and potato type of people and don't really try a lot of new foods and if they do, I can assure you it is gonna include some sort of meat.

I think some of my favorite responses are:
"So.....what do you eat?"
"Well, I actually like meat."

Let me just set the record straight here people; there are MANY things you can eat besides meat. Not all dinners have to center around what meat you have in the freezer. I would challenge all of you who still eat meat, to try to be vegetarian for just a week. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with all the yummy foods that are out there that don't require meat.

Secondly, I don't eat meat because I don't like it. I LOVE the taste of meat (as I remember it) and did not become a vegetarian because meat tastes gross. In a nut shell we stopped eating meat due to the way animals raised for eating are being raised and slaughtered. We don't feel it is healthy for our bodies and it is very cruel to God's creatures. We felt this was the best decision for our family and have not regretted it.

Things I have learned this year:

• The meat I crave most is a nice turkey sandwich. I really haven't missed red meat at all and my cravings for meat decreased greatly after about one month of not having meat.
• Going out to eat hasn't been too challenging; there are usually quite a few options on the menu for us to chose from. The hardest places to find something vegetarian are the big chain restaurants surprisingly. Big Chains like Chili's, Cheesecake Factory, The 99, etc have proven to have the least options. I get very frustrated with menus who don't start off vegetarian and then give you the option to add meat for an additional cost. What happens is you get charged the full price of a meal, lets say a salad, but you don't get the meat which costs the most money. I REFUSE to do this, and have learned to stay away from chains. Being in Somerville/Cambridge area has many local restaurants and this is never an issue.
• Getting fast food is nearly non existent for a vegetarian. When you don't eat meat, then going through the drive thru to get something quick isn't really an option. However, Burger King just came out with a pretty yummy veggie burger and we did try that once. This has saved me with my love affair with french fries, as I can never justify going through the drive through for just a bag of greasy fries (ok, I may have done this on two occasions).
• I have felt much healthier since becoming a vegetable eater. I rarely get sick to my stomach any more and have not dealt with any stomach bugs during the year. This is a huge change for me.
• We now eat a lot less fried foods, as well as greasy food. I feel that this change has really helped in my weight loss.
• I didn't die without turkey on Thanksgiving. There were plenty of other delicious foods to eat and we had a wonderful holiday.
  

Over all I would say it has been a very positive experience that we plan to continue.
For Christmas we received The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen; it is quickly becoming our favorite cookbook. It has many wonderful and creative vegetarian meals that are amazingly tasty! We had this recipe on Monday night and it was VERY delicious; there really are so many things you can make without meat. Try it, you just never know, you might like it!!! (Even you Dad!!!!)


Mexican Pepper Casserole
45 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to bake

1 Tbs olive oil
2 cups sliced onion
6-8 medium sized bell peppers (a mix of colors, if available) thinly sliced
4-5 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
black pepper, to taste
cayenne, to taste
2 Tbs. flour
2-3 eggs
2 cups yogurt and/or sour cream
Optional Items:
1 tsp dried coriander, 1 tsp dry mustard, a handful of freshly minced cilantro, 2 cups sliced jack or cheddar cheese, paprika for the top

1) Lightly grease a 10 inch square pan or its equivalent. Preheat oven to 375

2) Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven. Add onion and saute about 5-8 min over medium heat, until the onions begin to soften.

3) Add peppers, salt, cumin, dried coriander, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne. Saute another 8-10 minutes, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook and stir another 5 minutes, or until the peppers are very tender. Transfer to the baking pan.

4) Beat together the eggs and yogurt or sour cream. Stir in the minced fresh cilantro. Pour this custard over the peppers. Top with slices of cheese, if desired, and dust with paprika.

5) Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes until firm in the center and bubbly around the edges. Serve hot with rice and beans and or warmed tortillas.

We served ours over rice and beans and it was really enjoyable to our taste buds. We added the cilantro and cheese to our casserole and found it to be wonderful.
Next on the list this week is Gado Gado; an Indonesian extravaganza: Yellow rice on a bed of spinach covered with vegetables, tofu and hard boiled eggs. I will let you know how that turns out.

Here is a blog my friends and I (mostly my friends) contribute to, if you are look for other vegetarian recipes. Hope you find it helpful!
http://www.legumesamis.com/