It’s no secret that many meat eaters have a negative view of vegetarian food—and don’t get them started on vegan food! But what if they tried it out for a day? Would they be converted? A bunch of foodie vegetarians seem to think so! In this collection, we're highlighting 12 vegetarian foods that even meat eaters won’t be able to resist, according to a recent internet forum discussion.
Falafel
One veggie suggested that falafel would be the perfect dish to convert meat eaters. For the unacquainted, falafel is a deep-fried ball that originates from the Middle East and is made from broad beans, ground garbanzo beans, or both. But as one commenter on the thread points out, falafel is best served by “a hairy guy in a tank top who says in the scruffiest voice possible ‘tahini for you please.’” This may not sound appealing, but trust me, this meat lover is also a falafel lover!
Roasted Vegetables
This foodie makes the point that “Pretty much all vegetables are delicious when roasted and sprinkled with cheese and/or fresh parsley.” It’s the veggie equivalent of barbeque meat, and it's one of the few ways I'll be happy to eat my veggies!
Indian Food
One food lover highlighted an entire cuisine: “Lentil soup is awesome, as is nearly any Indian vegetarian dish.” And they have a point. Think saag aloo, chickpea curry, palak paneer, masala dosa, mutter paneer, and more. When a considerable proportion of your population is vegetarian, it’s no surprise that you’d come up with some pretty awesome vegetarian dishes.
Gnocchi with Pesto
This Italian food enthusiast shared the combination of “homemade gnocchi and homemade pesto.” Another person backed this up by explaining, As someone with blood sugar problems, giving up gnocchi is so much harder than giving up cake. If only potatoes didn't want to kill me.” If basically "better than cake" doesn’t convince you, we don’t know what will!
Ethiopian Food
Another person showed appreciation for an entire country’s cuisine by claiming that Ethiopian food is the bomb. They said, “Vegetarian platter, so many tasty choices with sponge bread.... Mmmmmmm.” For those who are curious, the platter consists of pumpkin stew, beets with potatoes, a special type of salad, split pea stew, okra, carrots with potatoes, and spiced red lentils. The sponge bread is called injera and is made from teff flour. Yum.
Hummus
This forum user expressed appreciation for Middle Eastern cuisine, saying, “Hummus is truly the food of God. It is best with a little bit too much garlic, a little bit too much tahini, a little bit olive oil, and a little bit lemon.” [sic] Now, all you need is pita bread, and you’re good to go!
Tofu
One meat eater shared, “I love meat but I worked at a Thai restaurant for seven years and some dishes are just better with tofu.” Tofu has had a bad rep for being flavorless, but the key is to marinate overnight or fry it until super crispy. Some awesome dishes to start with are Thai dishes in general, Chinese dishes like Mapu Dofu, and anything along the lines of "sticky tofu" or "crispy tofu". That's what converted me from a tofu hater!
Black Bean Burgers
This food lover shared their beef substitute in burgers, “Morningstar Farms makes a chipotle black bean burger. Sooooo good, with a little feta cheese on top. I'm hungry now.” Yep, so am I!
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a bit divisive but hear this veggie out, “They can be very versatile making rich stocks when rehydrating dry ones, turning nutty and savoury when dry grilled, meaty and umami laced when cooked in butter. They also make great burgers.” [sic] The possibilities are endless, since there are also so many different types of mushrooms to choose from, and many people who don't like them prepared one way will happily devour them prepared another way.
Refried Beans
One person enthusiastically gave a shout-out to refried beans. They go well in burritos, tacos and other Mexican dishes. But be careful to check the ingredients as some aren’t vegetarian and contain lard, or even bacon grease!
Nutritional Yeast
This person commented, “Say it with me ... NUTRITIONAL YEAST!” For those who aren’t familiar, this makes a great substitute for cheese, and I most often use it sprinkled on popcorn. Just make sure not to get it confused with regular yeast!
Cauliflower
Cauliflower can be made in many different, delicious, ways according to the foodies on this forum. The two most popular variations were the “Mashed cauliflower with cheese on top” and “Breaded cauliflower buffalo ‘wings’.” I sure love a good buffalo cauliflower wing, but mashed with cheese is one I need to try ASAP!
Source: Reddit
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