Vegetarian Best Bets For Meat Eaters

Serving a vegetarian meal at home can be very rewarding. For many cooks, vegetarian meals are a new and exciting experience. The boundaries get pushed a little bit and the learning that happens is a lot of fun. Vegetarian cooks will be able to take pride in their eating style when they invite non vegetarian friends over for a meal. The potential problem here is that those who do not typically eat vegetarian cooking may be a little bit intimidated by a meal that does not contain meat. It is not unusual for people to be a little bit afraid of change. That fear may surface as disinterest or even hostility. In order to get the best results in introducing vegetarian cooking to meat eaters, try the following ideas.

Start with the Familiar
Meatless main dishes do not have to contain tofu. Many non vegetarians have strong feelings against the slightly rubbery, initially tasteless food. Ease them into the idea of a meal without meat by starting with foods they already eat and enjoy. A dinner salad with walnuts, olives, feta, red peppers, broccoli and red onions is a very tasty light lunch that anyone could enjoy. Pasta is another very familiar territory to explore with a non vegetarian. Macaroni and cheese is an old standby. Dress it up with some roasted vegetables and some toasted bread crumbs on top. Ravioli stuffed with spinach, mushrooms or cheese (or all three) and then drenched in a marinara are delicious. Sprinkle them with toasted almonds. The next step is to venture into a little bit of the unknown with your non vegetarian dinner guests.

That’s not Meat?
A little subversion may be the easiest way to introduce meat replacement options to non vegetarians. If the people you know are uncomfortable with vegetarian eating, it may be best not to tell them what they are eating at first. There are several vegetarian dishes that lend themselves to this little deception. Ground beef can be imitated easily by soy products. While a veggie burger may not pass for meat, dishes normally containing crumbled meats will be much more readily accepted. Meatless chili is a great place to start. The dish looks exactly like chili with ground beef but is much more nutritious and much lower in fat. Add a little shredded cheese as a garnish and your meat eating friends and family will readily eat your vegetarian chili.

When you get to the point that your non vegetarian friends and family are willing to accept the possibility that dinner does not have to contain meat you have succeeded. At that time you can much more freely offer other vegetarian options. Lentil loaf is somewhat comparable to the old familiar meatloaf. You may want to start moving away from the familiar though. Show off your vegetarian cooking and eating style by introducing foods that are nothing like meat dishes. Very soon, all of your dinner guests will enjoy the variety and fun of vegetarian eating.