Faux Meat 102 - Where to Dine

So now you're a fan of these meatless meats, but when you want to go out to dinner with some friends, you don't know where you can find any soy options?

Carrying soy foods has yet to become the norm for restaurants. The best soy-catering restaurant I have ever experienced was Cafe Bamboo while I was on vacation in New Orleans; unfortunately, my veggie paradise has now closed. They carried amazing Creole-seasoned soy food, such as the BBQ Chik'n Po' Boy Wrap--made with organic meatless chicken. There are probably local restaurants in your own area that carry a veggie burger; here, in Richmond, Ky., a locally owned restaurant where I used to bartend, Madison Garden, has a very popular, and massive, veggie burger.

Chain restaurants, which will connect to blog readers nationwide, are not as easy to pinpoint. I have scrambled together a list of those popular restaurants I know serve soy foods, and any additions to this list are certainly welcomed, so please write me!

1.) The BK Veggie Burger, at Burger King

It's actually quite yummy, and their website allows you to customize the burger how you would actually want it prepared (add mayo, hold the tomatoes, etc.) to find out the exact amount of calories, carbs, and grams of fat it would have.

2.) The Black Bean Burger, at Chili's

I couldn't find this on their website. I've had it before, and I thought it was decent. It's a huge burger, so at least it's filling.

3.) The Veggie Burger, at Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday's veggie burger is at least better than just munching on a salad and fries, and we certainly appreciate the effort of recognizing herbivores on the menu.

4.) The Boca Burger, at Denny's

Well, if you go to eat at Denny's in the middle of the day, this veggie patty may seem bland. But at least in my age group, Denny's is a late-night haunt after the bars are closed, and I suppose this ordinary dish is fine cuisine that early in the morning!

5.) The Substituted Veggie Burger, at Ted's Montana Grill

Five well-deserved stars. Ted's will substitute any of its interesting burger combos with a veggie patty; I often get mine with sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese on a heated wheat bun, but there's a limitless variety of options. The best part about this burger is that they treat it like they would meat--they grill it to perfection instead of just popping it in the microwave, which is clearly what Denny's, Ruby Tuesday, and Chili's do. My boyfriend loves to tell the story of the first time he took me to Ted's; I was so impressed that I wrote a note to the manager complimenting how well the kitchen had prepared my burger. Seriously, it's very, very rare that soy burgers are given such careful treatment, and the results are delicious. We go to Ted's quite frequently, and I always make my meat-eating friends try the burger. A couple of weeks after trying a bite of my veggie burger there, a meat-eating girlfriend of mine went back with her husband and ordered the soy burger for herself!

6.) The Gardenburger, at T.G.I. Friday's

I've eaten their Gardenburger before, and a quick Internet search confirmed that many other people have as well, but when I went to Friday's in Lexington, Ky., during an afternoon of Christmas shopping last month, I was told it was no longer served. I don't know if they meant just at lunch hour, or just that location, or what exactly was meant. I remember Friday's burger being rather good, similar to Chili's.

7.) The Veggie Burger, at The Hard Rock Cafe

Any time I visit a Hard Rock, no matter what city I'm in, I know I'm going to get the veggie burger. While it's not the incredible perfection of Ted's Montana Grill's soy options, Hard Rock does an awesome job at cooking and preparing their veggie patties.

I've also read that Red Robin has a veggie burger, which I have yet to try, and apparently some Subways in the United States have soy patties for their sandwiches. Doesn't it seem strange, too, that McDonald's locations in Germany, India, and other countries serve veggie burgers--but none do in the United States?

Have you noticed something about this list? It's all veggie burgers. And, if you remember from the "Faux Meat 101" entry, soy burgers are hardly the best-tasting or most useful of soy food options! Alfafa in Lexington, Ky., is likely to be the most vegetarian-friendly restaurant near me, but even they only have the soy burger as a faux meat option. Restaurants like the Soy Cafe in New York City also offer soy ham; apparently there is also a Soy Cafe in Philadelphia that has a soy steak wrap. Do you know any restaurants that serve faux meat dishes? If so, please write on this blog! I--and, surely, many other vegetarians and vegans--would love to try these places out, even if we have to wait until our next vacation!

Unique Veggie Casserole

It was a mistake. Well, lots of mistakes. But all good ones.

I had about an hour of free time this morning--only an hour. This week has been consistently tiring and fast-paced, and my cooking time has suffered because of my busy holiday schedule. So after I had to throw away a whole package of neglected baby bella mushrooms, I looked at the amount of produce in the refrigerator and said, "Sunday morning, I have to wake up early and use some of this, before it's all wasted."

I had two large eggplants and four squash begging to be cooked, so I used AllRecipes's ingredient search and found Easy Eggplant Dish, which could definitely be prepared and cooked in an hour. Glancing over it, I thought I had all the ingredients and set about dicing the eggplants and squash. To my fellow vegan cooks, a piece of advice about dicing and cubing vegetables. There are some, such as zucchini and leek, that need to be diced into bigger portions to maintain the taste; others, like eggplant squash, can be chopped into miniscule bits and still suffice for a recipe.

To clear out my refrigerator, I had decided to double the ingredients, and, to my dismay, I realized I had only half a cup of sliced mozzarella cheese, which is what the recipe initially called for, but I thought that since I was doubling the ingredients, I ought to double the cheesy topping, too. We had four other kinds of cheese--American slices, shredded Swiss, grated Parmesan, and blocks of cream cheese--so I crumbled two slices of American cheese and filled the rest of the desired one cup portion with Swiss and Parmesan. My bartending personality came out a bit--I shook the different cheeses in a cup to mix them well, the same as one would do with a cocktail shaker. The result was very pleasing! I had worried the Swiss might overwhelm the recipe, but the four-cheese mix just tasted excellent, with no particular flavor distinguishing itself from the other cheeses. I do think mozzarella alone would have been satisfying, and I would recommend using more cheese than the recipe calls for. After all, who ever heard of having too much cheese?

I also discovered that I only had one onion in the pantry, where I needed at least two in order to double the ingredients. However, I had a lone red bell pepper in the refrigerator, waiting to be used, and decided, "Why not compensate for the lack of onion by adding another uniquely tasting ingredient?" I actually think a yellow bell pepper would have complemented the recipe better, but as it was, the red made it just pop deliciously. (A side note...why is it that those pesky, meat-eating, live-in boyfriends can't ever use groceries you don't use in 99% of your recipes, i.e., onions and mozzarella cheese?! Why don't they take some of the damned crookneck squash off your hands ever?!) Another side note: I made few other adjustments to the recipe--I used bread crumbs with Italian seasoning, added in oregano and salt, and instead of buttery crackers, I crumbled up Toppers Garlic & Herb crackers.

So, how did this messy recreation of "Easy Eggplant Dish" turn out? Very un-eggplanty, which might make it more appetizing for omnivore company, who for some reason often seem to think eating eggplant is the same as swallowing rat poison. With the green chiles, the recipe was certainly spicy and did not need any pepper added. I would describe it as seasoned, spicy, and filling, and, thanks to the crumbs, textured. However, I felt that the presence of the bread crumbs and the crackers was almost overwhelming--the next time I make this dish, and I can see myself making it again, I will use smaller portions. I feel like this could easily be turned into a nice casserole, maybe by using cream of mushroom soup. The bell pepper was an excellent addition, and I actually think that adding a chopped leek and a chopped carrot would also be enjoyable. My biggest regret about the recipe is not cooking it with minced garlic; although the recipe didn't make the suggestion, I believe that's the ingredient this dish is really missing.

A suggestion: make this dish as a side for dinner some night. Soup, green beans, and carrots would all accompany this well and make for a very filling and interesting meal--with a casserole-like dish that's very, yes, unique.

Beginners' Fondue

Tonight, Ty and I did something we rarely do: dine out.

Cooking for myself has improved my palette to the point where most restaurant food tastes bland and flavorless, but we wanted to check out a brand-new restaurant in Richmond, Hangers. We'd heard it was upscale and delicious, comparable to one of our favorite spots, Malone's in Lexington. We were definitely not disappointed; I had a savory Mediterranean pasta, which was very well-seasoned and contained a variety of veggies, even artichokes, a personal favorite. And, Richmond-area vegetarians, the tomato bisque is very tasty!

What most excited me about the menu, though, were the fondue options! We love fondue and have an awesome Trudeau fondue set at home, as well as a tiny candle-burning chocolate fondue set for smaller, more casual snacks. Fondue parties are extremely fun and entertaining, and, as far as cooking for a group of guests goes, it's one of the quickest meals to prepare. However, when just two people are dining, fondue cheese can be a little time-consuming to perfect and to upkeep so it doesn't burn. We love The Melting Pot, but the closest one is about a forty-minute drive. So tonight at Hangers, as an appetizer, we were thrilled to have cheese fondue with veggies and bread, and for dessert, an absolutely amazing chocolate fondue with fruits and Rice Krispies slices. So delicious, and we didn't have to put any effort in for just the two of us to enjoy it!

Although we had a romantic, candelit dinner (see top picture) and a very pleasant night out, you don't have to travel to an expensive restaurant to enjoy great fondue--in fact, as we discussed over dinner tonight, we actually like my home-made cheese fondue better than any we've had at a restaurant before. My first cheese fondue was made with this scrumptious plan from Simply Recipes, and it's an excellent starting point. This is definitely an omnivore-friendly dish; I've made it for several meat-eaters and they were all huge fans. This recipe is not as bland as restaurant fondue cheese--it's extremely flavorful. From there you will be able to alter the recipe to your liking; we actually like to add much more than a "pinch" of nutmeg as the recipe calls for. If you're just starting out in the kitchen, making well-seasoned and guest-pleasing fondue cheese is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the spice rack.

At home chocolate fondue is an extremely simple dish to make and such a tasty treat, especially with a good blush wine! Use either a block of baking chocolate or a bag of chocolate chips, and, depending on how you desire it to taste, add a dash of vanilla, a tablespoon of white sugar, and, if you like, amaretto or a fruit-flavored liqueur like Razzmatazz. One night, Ty and I decided to have an "art date" at home in the living room--we each had an easel and worked beside each other with a steaming pot of fondue chocolate in the middle, along with cool banana slices and strawberries. The clash of hot fondue chocolate and chilled fruit makes it taste even better.

Is it the sharing of a dish or the accidental bump of the dipping forks that makes fondue such a romantic course? If ever there was a perfect date food, I guarantee you it was made in a fondue pot!

Stuffed Squash

So small, and yet so filling, and so delicious. Stuffed squash is another recipe I found from AllRecipes. About a month ago, I found this recipe and thought to myself, "Do I even like squash?" Although growing up with nightly homemade meals straight from my parents' vegetable gardens, I couldn't remember ever eating squash. I'm sure that, like asparagus, it was one other food item I turned down, having never tried, only to discover in adulthood how delicious it really is.

When first trying the recipe out, I bought two typical yellow crooked neck summer squash, although if you do an Internet search for stuffed squash recipes, you'll find that acorn, pattypan, and spaghetti squash are all commonly substituted. And instead of ricotta cheese, I used mozzarella. On neither occasion have I used the "optional" jar of spaghetti sauce the recipe recommends, but I have to say, it would complement this dish awesomely, as it is a very pasta-tasting meal.

The recipe is extremely easy to make; neither time preparing it have I had any issues except I do up the seasoning quite a bit. Even after it's been cooked, I sprinkle more ground pepper on for flavor. After all, you're eating squash and spinach, here, folks...hell, give it a little spice! I'll never forget my first time trying this. I was sitting in the kitchen alone, cautiously raising the fork to my knife, afraid to offer my boyfriend a piece of this dish because I didn't know what squash tasted like and was afraid he'd hate it. And then...mmmmmmmmmmm! I couldn't believe how delicious it was--and how guilty I felt when I realized I was going to devour all of the squash before I could offer him some. So, last night was his first sampling of the stuffed squash, and he, too, became a fan. We finished off the rest of it today. A word of wisdom for anyone cooking this--play around with AllRecipes serving adjuster. It says it makes eight servings (really more like 16), so if you're just making it for two people, cut that way down. This dish is extremely hearty and filling, and believe it or not, you won't need any appetizers or sides.

Having mentioned my boyfriend, with whom I not only live, but often share my tribulations in vegetarian cooking, I'd like to introduce him formally to this blog. His name is Ty, and unlike me, Ty eats meat. Like many meat-eaters, he sees vegetarian cuisine as bland, flavorless, and unfilling--or just plain nasty. He has grown to love some of my recipes--a veggie medley on garlic bread, a New Orleans style rice dish, a cauliflower bake, and my cheesecake. But like most meat-eaters, it's hard to get him to try something that has soy products (imitation meat) or tofu in it. And sometimes I just offer him the wrong damn recipes; for example, one of my earliest feats was a baked eggplant dish. Ty tasted it and immediately crinkled his face. Apparently, he's not the biggest fan of eggplant.

So in writing "Herbivores Anonymous," I promise you, I will occasionally mention some recipes that are OMNIVORE-FRIENDLY. Stuffed squash may not satisfy the taste buds of someone who likes, say, sloppy Joes and Big Macs. But for anyone health-conscious, this is will be a delight. Also, any meat-eaters who have a refined palette or enjoy some good hearty vegetables will enjoy this, though they may want to cut their serving in half and put it next to a meat dish.

Which reminds me, when are they going to make a good meatless country ham? I've tried the sliced soy ham you can find next to the tofu in the produce section, and I'm unsatisfied...