Mar 10

Written by: Sandra Simpson
3/10/2005 1:06 PM

It is about this time every year that my friends tell me that their kids come home from college (or high school) and announce that the friend they have brought home for the weekend or they themselves are now vegetarians. With the rest of the family thinking they can’t eat a meal without meat; my friends are at a loss. How are they going to feed their meat-loving family and their “veggie” kids and/or guest without making two separate meals?
Since this has happened to me more than once I will share with you a few of my secrets. Because we Southerners (new to the South and natives alike) love to see our family and guests happy when they leave the table. The first step is to figure out if you are feeding vegetarians that eat dairy products (lacto-vegetarians) or folks that eat no animal products at all (vegan).
There are two completely ready made vegetarian items (vegan) that we always have on hand and they come right out of the frozen food section of our local supermarkets. Morningstar Grillers (veggie burgers) and “Chicken” soy nuggets are always in the freezer. My husband is the biggest meat eater in the house and he also eats the most grillers. These soy burgers can be thrown on the grill alongside regular hamburgers or heated in the microwave. Just follow the directions and then top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo or coleslaw, and, of course, a big fat slice of onion. Morningstar has several different varieties, so have fun. For the Morningstar black bean burgers try avocado and salsa for toppings. Use your imagination.


My kids and all my neighbors’ kids were reared on the “fake” meat “chicken” nuggets. Veggie “chicken” nuggets were the only ones we served and the kids did not know the difference between the soy nuggets and the real chicken ones. Your veggie guests can eat their baked (or micro-waved) “chicken” nuggets and potatoes while the rest of the family enjoys their usual meat and potatoes.
Besides the frozen section there is a refrigerator section in the grocery store with ready-made vegetarian barbecue sandwich fixings, fake sliced turkey, hotdogs etc. Most often I find these items in the middle of the produce section. These are the easiest ways I know to feed a vegetarian or to introduce more soy into your diet.
The next step up or if you feel you need to make a little better presentation is Mexican for everyone. Burritos, tacos and fajitas make great dishes for “blended” families and/or guests. You can serve the refried beans, hamburger, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato on the side. If you really want to make an impression on the vegetarians, slice and sauté’ a couple of portabella mushrooms. Portabellas are great for fajitas. There is not much better than sizzling onions, peppers, and mushrooms served hot from the iron skillet right onto one’s plate. I bet you’ll find the meat eaters will indulge in the mushrooms also.





Stir fry is another dish with which you can easily serve the meat on the side. Almonds are a good addition for a little kick of protein. Also in the cold section of your local grocery you will find a product that is soy but looks just like sliced and sautéed chicken. This is another good ready made veggie product that is quick to make.
If I want to really take it up a notch, I make chicken parmesan cutlets and eggplant parmesan cutlets. It is very similar to old fashioned fried chicken except in place of flour you use Italian bread crumbs and you use skinned, boneless, chicken breast (or sliced eggplant). Just before the cutlets are ready for serving, I add mozzarella cheese. There they go over a bed of cooked spaghetti noodles, topped with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. Just remember to cook the eggplant in the pot first (or separately) and then the chicken. Really fussy vegetarians don’t like any meat grease in their veggie dishes. Also make sure the spaghetti sauce is vegetarian.

To make the eggplant parmesan slice the raw peeled eggplant about 1/4 inches thick. Dip in beaten egg, the batter of choice, fry until tender.



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Secrets to success:
1. Of course Italian bread crumbs work great but if you want to go a little gourmet try the Japanese brand of bread crumbs called Panko. It is really delicious when you want a very fine coating over what you are cooking. This is my first choice when frying oysters.
2. You can make your own bread crumbs by putting day-old bread in the food processor with the single blade.
3. If you want to save calories you can broil or bake the eggplant until tender.
4. Instead of noodles, use the fried eggplant, cheese and sauce to make an eggplant parmesan hero sandwich. This is really good in a hoagie roll or hard French bread.

I hope you enjoy these ideas. It is a few of the ways I have found to help folks who want to introduce more soy and vegetarian foods into their everyday diet and for the everyday cook who wants to be prepared for any and all guests that come for lunch or dinner.
For comments or ideas please respond to southernsandra@earthlink.com

Copyright ©2006 Sandra Simpson

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