I just haven’t tried a lot of foods. As I’ve discussed
before, I’m a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make many
vegetarian dishes.
I think this comes from my upbringing. We Italians are not particularly outgoing in the food department. My mom pretty much stuck to the
basics at mealtime. Especially for her vegetarian daughter.
Anyway, so it wasn’t til after college when I was on my own
that I started looking into other foods.
It kind of seems like picky eating, but it’s not. I’m
actually pretty open to trying vegetarian foods, as long as they’re relatively inexpensive
and easy to make. I just often don’t know where to begin.
This weekend though, I had my first acorn squash with
Boyfriend.
So, I tried it. It wasn’t bad, but it needed a little
something else in it.
 |
| Baby steps. |
Anyhoo, I thought I should poll you guys: what slightly odd
foods should I try next? By slightly odd, I mean not part of the standard American
diet (hello, quinoa!). As long as it’s
vegetarian and not incredibly expensive or hard to find, I’m open to it.
Also,
share your picky-eating-but-not-really stories! You know I hate being the only one with the embarrassing confessions.
You mean it's NOT pronounced Quinn-oh-ah?
ReplyDeleteTis the season for tofurkey. No? I've never heard of anyone who likes tofurkey. Stuffed shitake? Don't let "shit" being in the name fool you, it's pretty good. There's a lot of great things you can make with chickpeas, and those are fun to say. I also like Japanese eggplant, but those are hard to find.
ReplyDeleteGoogle kale chips. You'll love them.
ReplyDeleteLentils - either soak them overnight, then cook for about 90 minutes, or put them in a slow cooker and leave them going all day. Cook with water (stewy to soupy as you prefer), a few cut up carrots, one or two small potatoes, three or four minced garlic cloves (I use the pre-cut up stuff) and a thin-sliced leek (just the bottom half, not the dark green leaves). Add a tablespoon of salt or so.
ReplyDeleteThey will taste even better on day two, but you may have to add more water, since they tend to absorb what was in the storage container with them. Best part - super cheap.
Have you had spaghetti squash?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a vegetarian, but when I want meatless meals my go-to options are veggie burgers, bean burritos and hummus.
I like couscous - which I suppose is kind of like that other I can never remember how to pronounce it Q one. And you can flavour it however you like - with chicken or beef broth, or coconut milk - whatever. Hot or cold, and you can add just about anything to it.
ReplyDeleteLike someone already mentioned, I like spaghetti squash better than the acorn too.
And I also LOVE sweet potatoes - there are so many ways to cook them: mashed, baked, in a casserole. And they can be sweet, or salty or spicy depending on how you do it.
(I really like a sweet potato, turnip and apple casserole with - very tasty!)
Do you eat falafel? I love falafel.
ReplyDeleteI was always accused of being a picky eater. Turns out I'm sensitive, not allergic, to certain foods. Nuts, onions, and anything spicy give me the runs. TMI, I know. I'll have to ask The Hurricane what you might like to try. She's an ab-fab cook. When I moved here four+ years ago, Favorite Young Man claimed to be a vegetarian and ate nothing but pizza except when he got drunk. Then I'd see McDonald's Big Mac packages in the garbage.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
ummm.... you're hilarious. You should just make spaghetti squash and toss it with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Then you can be SAFE and TRY SOMETHING NEW at the SAME TIME! yay!
ReplyDeletelemon kale chips are awesome, you can put anything in smoothies, couscous, wheat berry salad, polenta is easy to make... I love your pictures.
ReplyDeletePro tip. Add a bit of brown sugar and butter to the acorn squash while you are baking it. Then salt it before you eat it. The salt will bring out the sweetness.
ReplyDeleteMy basic recipe is
ReplyDelete1-Go to frozen food section
2-Buy a box of pizza pockets
3-Eat cold on the way home because you're too hungry and impatient to wait 60 seconds for the microwave.
Sorry... do you NOT pronounce it quinnoha?? Oh god x
ReplyDeleteRed beans and Mexican cornbread. Pour the beans over the cornbread. Redneck Heaven.
ReplyDeleteAll of the squashes are good!! Try honey. It's healthier. It's like dessert for dinner. Same with yams/sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteWe recently tried quinoa at our house (and yes, according to various online sources it is pronounced "keen-wah" though I can't figure out which syllable gets the accent - sorry, tangent). We're not vegetarians, just trying to eat a bit healthier and we enjoyed the quinoa. I've even found recipes for quinoa cookies! Haven't tried those yet though.
ReplyDeleteVegan Frito Pie. Open a small bag of Fritos. Pour over them vegan chili. Sprinkle shredded cheese on it and some sour cream. Enjoy your redneck feast!
ReplyDelete