What do you feed a child that refuses to eat meat? That’s the question I had to ask his doctor because I was worried about his diet. My son was 2 and refused to eat the meals we would prepare. He would eat fruits and vegetables just fine but no meat, dairy or cheese. As a meat and potatoes kind of family, I didn’t have a clue what to fix him in the beginning.
Vegetarian cooking is actually simple. It only requires a few easy changes to the meal without giving up the familiar textures and tastes of meat.
* A soybean based Temphe ” it offers the texture of meat without any of the animal by products
* Tofu – very popular product that is easy to find and inexpensive
* Beans ” O.K. not only cheap but the possibilities are endless with the many variety of beans available
* Nuts ” perfect for a vegetarian snack but also adds flavor to your vegetarian meals
* Legumes – great for cheap meal ideas, better deals when in season
Keeping some of the basic ingredients well stocked in your fridge and pantry will also help create easy vegetarian meal planning. A variety of basic ingredients can include:
* fruits and veggies – fresh from the garden or purchase whats in season to save cash
* seasons and spices – the key ingredients for vegetarian flavor
* whole grains like noodles and/or pasta
* brown rice and white rice
* cereals
* lots of various nuts/seeds
* beans – beans -beans -yes lots of different kinds of beans (you will thank me for this)
Get creative. These are just a few examples of what we use when creating easy vegetarian meals. Try different items and recipes to get a variety of new vegetarian meals. And if like my son dairy is also excluded from the diet, there are so many soy based substitutions available for that as well.
Along with fresh fruits and veggies taking a trip through your local health food store will guide in the right direction in creating easy meals for vegetarians.
I hope this helps answer the question “What Do Vegetarians Eat?” As you can see everything, just with a little variation. Easy Vegetarian Meals is about helping with that variation. There are ideas for Vegetarian Dinners that can be created for both meat and “meatless” eaters. There are excellent resources and Vegetarian Cookbooks found on-line.
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