My daughter has been a vegitarian for over a year now.?

Question

I want to encourage this change in her eating habits because its healthier. But now I don't know what to cook (most of my recipies are meat based) and when we go out to eat its hard to find a place that we both like (I'm tired of chinese and italian). Most places only offer a veggie burger. Do you know of any good vegitarian restraunts (in the chicago area) and recipies?

Answer 1

I'm so glad your daughter has made this decision. And I'm so glad you are supportive of her.

Two great websites: www.vegweb.com for recipes

www.happycow.net for restaurants. I always see ads for Chicago Diner in veg magazines, so maybe you could check that out if it's not too far away. If I ever get up that way, I will have to check it out myself!

There are also tons of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks out there, more than I can possibly list here. Sarah Kramer's cookbooks (How it All Vegan!, Garden of Vegan, and La Dolce Vegan) have a fun, kicky feel to them and fairly simple recipes.

Answer 2

culcc is a moron. Hindus and Seventh Day Adventists, among others, have been raising their kids vegetarian forever. There is nothing in meat that your daughter or any other kid will die without.

That said, I'm really glad that you're supportive of her eating habits. My mom was great about it when I went veg at 16, but I hear so many kids on here that don't know what to do about parents that are trying to order them to eat meat, or trick them into it. You're doing the right thing supporting her.

I don't go to vegetarian restaurants all that often, simply because they are few and far between. But I find that I can get something to eat practically anywhere. There's usually a dish or two that can be modified a bit to be meatless, as well as at least one that I can order right off the menu. Try Indian for a break from Chinese and Italian. Many Indians are vegetarian and the menus usually have many options.

As for cooking, you can always try out some faux meat substitutes in the recipes you already use; that's always an easy option. Websites like allrecipes.com have entire vegetarian sections. One of my favorite cookbooks is the original Moosewood Cookbook. It will likely introduce you to some ingredients you're not accustomed to, but it's not to far "out there." The marinara version of the tomato sauce is fabulous, especially if you use it to make the lasaga recipe. I've made the "Comprehensively Stuffed Squash" as a compliment to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner; it's satisfying as a main dish and fits right in with the rest of the sides for the turkey-eaters.

Answer 3

That's great that you're so supportive.
I've been vegetarian for about a year now too, and my mom has made small adjustments to cook for me. A typical meal at my house would be a chicken dish, with a fruit side, then maybe rice, a vegetable, and beans. Most of the time, just eating side dishes is fine for me.
Since i became vegetarian, she'll make a few more meatless dishes, like a veggie lasagna and a great crockpot recipe. But there havent been drastic changes at my house.

Almost any place to eat out works, because you can get the cook to leave out the meat. Try Indian, Thai....

Answer 4

If you want some good restaraunts, go here: http://vegdining.com/Home.cfm and just type in your city. It showed 23 results for Chicago.

I found this list of recipes on MSN the other day, it might be a good place to start: http://lifestyle.msn.com/foodandentertaining/recipes/recipesearch.aspx?q=vegetarian&st=k

If you want some convenience foods, Annie's (makes organic, vegetarian versions of things like mac and cheese dinners, spagettios, snack foods, etc) and Amy's Kitchen (mostly frozen foods, canned soups, all vegetarian) are great brands you can find at your local grocery store or wal mart.

I'm also not a big believer in the fake meats. They seem a little overprocessed and not natural to me. Nothing wrong with a veggie burger every now and then, but I think they should be occasional treats not your main source of protein. After all, you wouldn't eat real hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets everyday.

Answer 5

There are a lot of places that can make a vegetarian substitute. For example Applebee's has wraps that you can get without meat (I love the asian wrap), Outback steakhouse has the Walhalla Pasta and sides, Logans has grilled skewers, most sub places have veggie subs, Mexican places nomally have meals with rice and beans, and a lot of places make just plain stir fry. At home you can use meat substitutes in things like tocos and chili because to be honest I think it improves the quality and even the meat eaters who have tried mine agree. Yakisoba from a oriental grocery store is very good with tofu and zuccini, steamed peppers, onions, peas, and tomatos over baked accorn squash with cheyenne pepper and white pepper is very good. Grilled cheese with vegetarian soup, Stir fry, pizza, and vegtable pot pie are all good plus you can make a meat on the side to add to your meal and it isn't very time consuming at all. That is what I do with my boyfriend and it takes an extra five minutes or so.

Answer 6

There are many good vegetarian cookbooks. Try Amazon.com if your local bookstore doesn't carry them. Visit a local natural foods store. They often have cookbooks for sale. The main thing is to create healthy sources of protein other than meat. Learn about tofu and other soy products. They can be prepared in many delicious ways and they are healthy for your whole family.

Answer 7

For one thing, it's vegetarian. I don't know why people keep spelling that wrong :(

Secondly, Asian food (not "takeout" brand Chinese, which is just meat in sugary, goopy sauce) has lots of veggies and tofu based dishes. Also, Middle Eastern food is famous for being popular with vegetarians, since it is based largely on beans, grains, and veggies (like eggplant, which is very hearty).

Hope that helps.

Answer 8

For recipes, try www.vegcooking.com. For vegetarian restaurants and health food stores, I recommend the Northside neighborhood Lakeview. Traders Joe's is also a great place to shop for vegetarian dinners, soups, pastas, salads, frozen meals, juices and organic fruits.

Answer 9

It is actually better for your daughter to be a vegetarian than a carnivore. First of all, your body makes proteins naturally and that most vegetables supply your body with protein, so don't worry about that. Your daughter is much healthier than you think, meat isn't good, it supplies protein, but tons of fat. Vegies are low in calories and high in nutrition, it's better for her. Cook beans if you want her to eat "meat".

Answer 10

in the frozen and organic section they make all sorts of fake meats from ground beef and chicken strips to chicken nuggets and corn dogs. These are great!!
Try sushi restaurants for vegetarian sushi, chinese places where u can get veggies and tempura and also Indian restaurants have lots of vegetarian dishes