Suggestions and help
Posted by indigoj9 on Apr 08, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 1 posts
My boyfriend is not a vegetarian but not a big meat eater either. He is really kinda picky, and thinks the meat replacement stuff is weird and while I might talk him into it I want to maybe make some vegan dinners with "normal" kind of ingredients. I have looked through the recipes and have found some, but would love to hear of other "mixed" couples and what you do for a shared meal.
Thanks so much
Indigo
If he likes mushrooms, you can't go wrong with pasta! Add lots of mushrooms instead of the meat, and if he likes things like red and green bell peppers, well hey, there you go! Ditto for pizza toppings. And soup and casseroles that are hearty and full of good stuff. I HIGHLY recommend Ungreen's Ennui Chili on this site http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14729.0, and if you can't get hominy you can leave it out and it's still good. Green beans in chilli sounds odd but it tastes SO good!
The veggie lasagna with spinach and tofu instead of ricotta cheese is great too. I don't know if you are ovolacto or not but if so, a little parmesan on top goes a long way to making the tofu acceptable (if indeed you tell him it's in there! I am not above subterfuge, though I will respond honestly to a direct question.) ;)
I second baypuppy - familiar is the way to go.
My husband's an omni and it can be a bit difficult sometimes. I get frustrated with him because he eats junk (fast food, tv dinners, etc.) during the day and then complains that he used to eat so healthy and now doesn't. And he won't listen to me regarding nutrition. Man, when our insurance kicks in I am sooo sending his ass to a dietitian (and yes it's actually covered! woo hoo!).
Anyway, sorry to vent. He does actually like 98% of the things that I cook (which makes me scratch my head at times). He's not a fan of tofu or meat analogues, I do not cook him meat, and he rarely cooks himself meat. When I'm not making something familiar (read ethnic), I'll make a casserole or soup with beans, vegetables, and whole grains.
If I use an "odd" ingredient like, say, miso, I'll call it something different. Miso is bean paste, tempeh is bean crumbles, Ener-G egg replacer is flour and water, you get the idea. I liken feeding a male omni to feeding a five year old.
Man, when our insurance kicks in I am sooo sending his ass to a dietitian (and yes it's actually covered! woo hoo!). I liken feeding a male omni to feeding a five year old.
Oh Issa you made me laugh! I was so amazed when DH had bloodwork etc. done before his cataract surgery, I knew he didn't have hypertension or anything but I thought, aha, now they're gonna tell him to eat right--amazingly they say he's very healthy and fit for a man of 62. But considering the way a lot of men treat their bodies here--at least he doesn't smoke or drink etc.
My bf adores vegan food. He has no problem with analogs and even told me that if I could learn to cook the good ones (like at our local vegan restaurants) he'd go vegan! I generally just veganize a bunch of my favorite side dishes for dinners, or make pasta dinners. It sounds average and nothing special - but he was raised in a traditional chinese household and never touched a bowl of linguine in his life. Just find a few ingredients he enjoys (on this side we both looove mushrooms) and textures (he doesn't like "mushy" except for say, mashed potatoes or something).. Dont think of it in terms of replacing the meat he usually eats.
My younger bro as a kid would beat off veggies with a stick, but when my mom found out he liked carrots (only raw) she'd be sticking them in everything before he could blink.
My DH is so cool. 8) He eats everything I make and actually likes about 99% of it. About 0.5% of that 1% is stuff I didn't like either. The other 0.5% is a dish with quinoa. I like it, he doesn't. He's omni but only cooks sausage and eggs for breakfast once or twice a week. He's actually told me that he's eaten bean and egg burritos instead of hamburgers for lunch several times. He sometimes tells me he's craving beef but it usually passes. We don't eat out when we're in town only on out of town trips and then he'll have meat if it's available. But one of the three restaurants we've eaten at in the past month was totally vegetarian! He even cooks vegan for me if I pick recipes that aren't tofu or tempeh based. (We alternate cooking dinners.) He's learned to rehydrate tvp in some unbeef bouillon and likes it in tacos, burritos and spaghetti sauce. He tried cooking with tofu but cut the slices too thin and burned them and hasn't been brave enough to try it again. I tell him "Don't fear the tofu." But since I can find lots and lots of things he can cook, it's not a problem.