How To Be A Lazy Vegetarian

Humans slaughter 9 billion animals a year (as of this writing, that number is more than human beings on this earth) to feed their meat consumption and of those animals, cow farts make a significant contribution to climate change. It would be in our interest to be aware of our meat consumption and curb it.

Open air fish market in Honolulu

Start with eliminating or minimizing the consumption of beef.

Then fill your diet with nuts: from cashews to peanuts to pecans. Enjoy peanut butter jelly sandwiches, garbanzo beans and tofu. If you are into seafood, enjoy fish, mussels, shrimp, squid and crab.

Bite sized bits of raw fish served up with sesame oil, soy sauce and green onions. Called “poke” in Hawaii.

Fish served Cantonese style – steam whole, then drizzled with oil, soy sauce, green onions and minced ginger

American fast food options challenge vegetarians as many vegetarian options exist beyond just a veggie burger.

Even then, a veggie burger can satisfy your tastes buds. Just put a lot of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and relish on it so the burger is juicy. Sounds bland?

Hot dogs and hamburgers work the same way as much of the texture is from the condiments.

Vegetarian food need not be bland and be a deprivation.

Look at the following sampling of foods from the 2011 Triangle Vegetarian Society Thanksgiving.

(SF = soy free, GF = gluten free)

Baked collard chips (SF, GF)
Wheatberry-wild rice salad with lavender-blueberry vinaigrette (SF)
Breads, crustinis, and pita with walnut and red lentil hummuses, baba ganouj, and raw pumpkin-sunflower pâté (SF)
Sweet and savory pumpkin leek velouté (thickened soup) (SF, GF)
Lightly steamed corn-off-the-cob with smoked poblanos & cumin, lime juice & salt (SF, GF)
Lime-marinated seared jerk seitan with lemon sage, peppercorns and fig glaze (SF)
Roasted garlic olive oil mashed potatoes with chives, porcini gravy, apple-pecan stuffing, and fresh raspberry-cranberry relish (SF)
Shepherd’s Pie with wheat gluten, roasted root vegetables, and mushrooms, with a potato crust (SF)
Fall vegetable paella of three rices with tempeh (GF)
Fall squashes cubed and roasted with yellow beet chunks, cranberry, chestnuts, and dill weed (SF, GF)
Braised sweet potatoes with leeks and vegan maple “butter” chutney (SF, GF)
Orecchiette pasta with fresh tomato-basil sauce (SF)
Phyllo cookies
Pumpkin pie with pomegranate glaze
Cider, cranberry juice, herbal tea, shade-grown coffee