Long story short, I'm seeing this girl. She's veg. I'm not. But I've long used my cooking ability to impress women who would otherwise write me off as a funny, but lumpy wrestling fan with Shane MacGowan teeth.
So is there anything that's veggie-tastic I can make for her that a burger chomper like myself can stomach?
Anything that's worked for all y'all would be appreciated.
"We have to fight back. But we can't fight like they do. The Right's entertainment value comes from their willingness to lie and distort. Ours will have to come from being funny and attractive." -Al Franken
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I lived with a vegetarian for 3 years and actually got turned on to a lot of different things. For a carnivore one very easy and veg-friendly thing to look into is Portabello mushrooms. They are thick and hearty, kind of the steak of the veggie world.
Originally posted by DJ RanLong story short, I'm seeing this girl. She's veg. I'm not. But I've long used my cooking ability to impress women who would otherwise write me off as a funny, but lumpy wrestling fan with Shane MacGowan teeth.
So is there anything that's veggie-tastic I can make for her that a burger chomper like myself can stomach?
Anything that's worked for all y'all would be appreciated.
Vegan, lacto-ovo, cheese/no cheese... what are we working with here?
Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
If she is lacto-ovo (eats eggs and dairy) then yes, there is lots you can do. If she doesn't eat those things, then take CRZ's advice. Personally I am primarily a lacto-ovo veggihead who eats meat on rare occasions so there is probably lots of advice I could offer. Just need a little more detail.
Tell her you are against the senseless killing of helpless vegetables.
OR
Explain to her about the food chain. And that cow would eat you if he had the chance!
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I'm seeing a lot of "She'll drag you in". Not neccesarily. The future Mrs. A-MOL is a meat eater. She still has a good supply of bacon, ham etc. in the fridge and I have no problem with that. Maybe I'm not militant enough.
And who's to say it won't work, Grimis? Maybe DJ Ran will eventually embrace the veggie way of life. Just because you can't imagine living without steak doesn't mean everyone else will have the problem. For me, I've found that I'm much healthier and actually have a more varied diet that I did 10 years ago.
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I've been with a lacto-ovo vegetarian for close to 3 years now (and she's not the first grazer I've dated). She doesn't push it on me at all, but maybe that's because I really don't mind cooking without meat. At the same time, I'll eat bloody and blue -rare steak in front of her too.
As for recipes, pasta, portabellos and tofu are your friends. I find the trick with it all is big flavors and quality ingredients. You can't hide behind the mouth-filling flavors of animal fat, so you've got to buy the good stuff and flavor it well. Oh, and use good olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, fer chrissakes.
Sun-dried tomatos (preferably packed in oil), artichoke hearts, garlic, ginger, basil, sesame oil, and soy sauce are your best friends.
If you've got some killer meat recipes, you can experiment with anti-meat. Some of the veggie ground rounds are not bad; they take flavor better than the real thing, but you'll have to be more careful with them and the texture will never be quite "right".
Oh, and if you can find a way to make a really good vegetarian soup, she's yours forever.
/tarnish...
It is what it is. You are what you it. There are no mistakes. --Tom Robbins
Amen brother. The thing I found with being a vegetarian was that it forced me out of the meat and potatos conditioning of my youth. It taught me that there is a whole big world of wonderful flavors and textures out there. A grand array of sauces and spices just waiting for me to discover them. Basically what I am saying is it forced me to learn how to cook.
And tarnish is right about the soup. I taught myself to make soup from scratch and now my girlfriend is wrapped around my finger. :)
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in the ginger. Add the chopped carrots and stir until the carrots are coated. Pour in the vegetable broth, and simmer until the carrots are soft - about 20 minutes.
Transfer the carrots and broth to a blender - puree until smooth. Pour back into the pot and then stir in cream or coconut milk. Serve
(edited by dunkndollaz on 26.9.03 1138) 5 Time 5 Time 5 Time 5 Time 5 Time Wiener of the Day Runner-up
I appreciate the feedback from all sides. I mean, I lived in Greenwich Village amongst gay neo-hippie actors for 7 years and I work at a worker owned co-op coffee wholesaler. And I come to what's ostensibly a wrestling message board for this kind of thing. Man, I'm a boob.
And yes, she eats eggs and dairy. Occasionally fish. Since I don't eat pork and I beg off red meat most of the time, it's not a huge jump. But to give up chicken and an occasional steak would be too much to bear.
And while I could run, that would defeat the whole purpose of the pursuit, wouldn't it?
Anyone able to tell me more about this soup thing?
"We have to fight back. But we can't fight like they do. The Right's entertainment value comes from their willingness to lie and distort. Ours will have to come from being funny and attractive." -Al Franken
Equal Exchange: Shade grown, fair trade, gourmet coffee. Modern Humorist: Scathing social commentary and a dog that humps a Pikachu toy.
A regular old Vegetarian you can work with. If there's any hit of Veganism, or even knowing what a Vegan is (lacto-ovo?), then run. Very fast. There's a lot of people out there that are Vegetarians for health reasons, or simply because it's the diet they like and they're used to it.
Which brings me to the next step - why is she a veggie? If she has some kind of ideological or health reason, she's probably going to look for protein and meat substitutes in her diet. If it's just because that's what she happens to like eating, then probably she won't. If it's the former, you're going to have to get into all that Tofu crap. If it's the later, there's a million simple pasta or rice based dishes that you can go with. Get yourself a Middle-Eastern, Greek, Italian (to some extent) or Indian cookbook and go nuts.
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Can I just say that tofu is not evil if you know how to use it. The problem most people have with tofu is that they don't have a clue how to cook it. Poorly cooked anything will taste like shit and tofu is no exception. The thing with tofu is that when you buy it, it is generally soaking in a liquid within the package. This makes it very wet and soggy. If you remove it from the package, cube it and then (over medium heat) sautee it in a tiny bit of olive oil a splash of soy sauce and a little salt for a while, you will draw a lot of that water out. It will be much more palatable and will be a great addition to any stir fry. Its a good thing. :-)
As for soups, there are a million and one recipies around the internet for great soups. Many times they dont even have meat and it's as simple as subbing vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Since she eats cheese, one of my favorite veggie dishes is spanikopita. Its a greek dish which basically contains spinach, onions and feta wrapped in filo pastry. There are numerous recipies on the internet for this as well It is quick, fairly easy and makes a great snack. It is also a favorite at the hippy potlucks I attend from time to time.
And Stamp is right, it really is hard to go wrong with stir frys. Personally I have yet to master good currys but when I dont have to make them, I love to eat them :-P
(edited by Pilgrim on 26.9.03 1504) And so it begins...
Case in point - you can do some great things with Worcesteshire sauce and grilled Tofu. It's actually quite good. The catch is that there is one fish per barrell of Worcesteshire sauce made, so it's not technically vegetarian.
In my life, I could deal with a vegetarian who would still eat Worcesteshire sauce. If that one fish per barrel was enough to stop them, they would be too much of a PITA for me to deal with (Pain in the ass, not PETA)
Things you may not think to grill: eggplant, tofu (firm), mushrooms
Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
Head to your local produce department and check out their soy-based pseudo-meat products. They are much more expensive than regular meat stuffs, but if it's getting you some nookie it's worth it right?
The veggie ground beef is really good ... use it to make spaghetti sauce or stew and you can't tell the difference between it and the real thing.
Veggie hot dogs are pretty good barbequed or boiled. They have the consistency of real hot dogs down and the taste is close. Lots of garnishes make them palatable.
Avoid the veggie hamburger patties. Not good at all. Instead, check out the frozen section for frozen mushroom burgers. They are really good barbequed. Or, if you are feeling ambitious, you could try to make them fresh.
When cooking for a vegetarian, you can't go wrong with stir fries -- lots of big chunks of onions, red and green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, and bean sprouts cooked fast in a very hot frying pan ... yummy.
Ironically, I have to go check on a top sirloin steak I'm cooking on the barbie right now. This thread has helped me build an appetite, anyways.
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