What Vegetarians Want to Eat

I’ll admit, I’m writing this at the request of a friend who called me to say, “I’m going to start carrying a peanut-butter sandwich in my purse when I go to the next fancy dinner.  I’m tired of being served a heaping plate of over-cooked vegetables.

“Can you believe I was served 14 spears of asparagus, eight baby carrots, with tops, as if that added anything?  Underneath this layer were several heaping servings of broccoli and zucchini? There were more veggies under those.  I was so disgusted after trying to get through all those spears; I ended up just drinking wine.”

“Do chefs realize that vegetarians want, and need, a protein-filled entrée?”  Are vegetarians served vegetables because chefs, as a group, don’t understand them?  Maybe chefs think they are called vegetarians because they just eat vegetables. For the most part that’s true.  But there are distinctions among vegetarians. My friend doesn’t eat any fish, fowl or flesh.  “Anything with a head,” is how she puts it. She does eat a small amount of eggs and dairy products although she limits them.

Today most chefs know their guests have special requests such as: no salt, no peanuts or peanut oil; no milk, no wheat etc.  Some chefs understand and respect allergies, some of which are life-threatening.  So why don’t chefs give the vegetarian the same focus as the non-vegetarian?  Do the chefs feel the vegetarian is less important than the non-vegetarian?

My friend continued, “It just happened that I went to three fancy dinners in one week . . . I was lucky.  Twice I had interesting, innovative entrees . . . I sent my compliments to the chef!

During one meal I had a Portobello mushroom sandwich. The other was a mushroom-stuffed Phyllo roll.  Don’t ask me for the ingredients…they was just as good and equal to the entrees the meat/poultry eaters were getting.

“Neither entree was high in protein . . . but hey . . . it was a start.  Both plates showed thought and care for the well-being of all their guests.”

“I don’t want to claim discrimination,” my friend said.  “Then again, maybe I do!    The over-cooked veggie plate, frequently served with limp pasta, has become one of my nightmares.  And can you believe I spent three days at a hotel for a convention and for three days, the chef sent out the same plate: Over-cooked vegetables, mainly zucchini, and limp pasta.  Guess what went back to the chef untouched!!  I headed for the vending machines.”

So what do vegetarians want?

“For a start, she said, we want a protein-heavy entrée”.  Isn’t that what you are serving your other guests?  Few vegetables are high in protein, which makes finding food we can eat harder.  But it can be done.  We can eat beans; they are a good source of protein.  We can eat tofu; also a good source.  Most of us can eat eggs and cheese.”

My friend suggested chefs start by purchasing a good vegetarian recipe book. Then tweak the ingredients to make the recipes theirs. Start with a protein heavy appetizer:

Camembert-Filled Artichoke Bottoms with Leek Puree/12 grams protein

Oven-fried Green Tomatoes with Lemon-Ricotta Cream/13 grams protein

Followed with a sturdy entree:

Mini-Pizza with Spring Herb Pesto/ 28 grams of protein

Grilled Summer Heirloom Vegetables with Black Bean Salsa/ 20 grams of protein

Oven-dried Tomato and Lentil Soup/ 16 grams protein

Stuffed Anaheim Chiles with Creamy Guacamole Sauce/ 11 grams of protein

Vegetarian Cassoulet/12 grams of protein

Anasazi Bean Chili in Corn Cups/ 13 grams of protein

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms on Porcini Couscous/ 13 grams of protein

Topped off with a few more grams of protein in the dessert tray:

Peach and Toasted Almond Ice Cream/7 grams protein

Berry Tart with Granola Crust/8 grams protein

Other handy protein fill-ins:

Black bean salad and cheese tray

Stir-fry vegetables (include dried kelp or dried seaweed, fava beans for extra protein) and tofu served with rice.

“That’s another thing,” my friend said.  “I have frequently been served a “vegetarian” soup only to find out that it was made with chicken or beef broth, on one occasion the chef told me“ ‘But there’s no meat in it.’

“Why don’t chefs get it?  We don’t want vegetables that have been cooked in the same pot as meat or meat broth.  We don’t want rice or potatoes that have been simmered in broth.”

“Here’s a surprise,” she said.  “Do you know where I used to get the best vegetarian meals?  On a plane, when my meal was served, the other people in the row would all look at my plate and say, ‘I wish I had ordered a veggie.’ It was always the best.”

My friend doesn’t want to put a burden on chefs. She would just like a meal that is healthy, balanced and appetizing.