18 days ago, my best friend called me and said five words I never thought she'd say:
"I want to go Vegetarian."
I never thought she'd say those words to me because she hates most vegetables and we both love bad food in a big way. Her downfall is sweets, mine is everything else.
What ensued for me was a much unexpected emotional response: I wigged out. Suddenly, I felt like my whole world was being turned upside down, and for what? It's not like she asked me to stop eating meat, too. But, we live together and pool our finances, so my anxiety wasn't totally unfounded. I worried about how much it was going to cost to be veggie-munchers (not as much as it does to eat grass-fed, organic meat). I worried that my nutrients would suffer (um, what?); and I worried I wouldn't lose weight (BTW, there's more to Vegetarianism than bread, pasta & rice).
I also finally accepted that what all this ruckus was really about for me was the fear of losing my security blanket. For years, food has been my Fisher Price Security Bunny. See, I had one of these fuzzy little love puppets as a toddler and it went everywhere I did. It was my everything for a lot longer than it should've been, and it made my parents so crazy when I accidentally dropped it or left it somewhere so much that they kept a stockpile on hand.
Food became my crutch and the idea of modifying my favorite recipes, especially those recipes that were handed down from my mother before she passed, was like someone stealing my fuzzy puppet bunny. Meltdown mode was initiated and I literally was a two year old tantrum thrower all over again.
Then, a great friend of mine reminded me that modifying recipes is part of growing up and learning to cook, not the sacrilegious act I was making it out to be. She also pointed out that food is just food, nothing more (thank you, Renee).
So, I decided to give this whole Vegetarian thing a try. It's not like I was losing an appendage or giving my friend a kidney. I just had to not eat meat. Plus, I wanted to support my friend in her journey and I love vegetables, so why not? I started off easy - I made Vegetarian spaghetti. Spaghetti has always been one of my favorite foods and I loved the idea of throwing a bunch of vegetables in with whole wheat pasta. So I did. And you know what? It was freaking fabulous.
I've since experimented with my mother's Beef Vegetable Soup recipe and a few of her bean recipes, and they have turned out fantastic. And the weird thing (or at least weird to me) is that I don't miss meat at all.
Here's the recipe for my Vegetarian Spaghetti, which has become a staple in my cooking regimen:
VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI
Ingredients:
1. 1 bunch of fresh spinach
2. 1 lb. of sliced mushrooms
3. 3 bell peppers, diced (I like red, orange & yellow)
4. 2 onions, diced
5. 1 lb. of whole wheat pasta
6. 1/4 cup Olive Oil
7. Oregano
8. Fresh Garlic diced
9. Basil
Instructions:
1. Dice all of the veggies.
2. Heat olive oil in pot.
3. Once hot, add bell peppers and onions. Cook on medium-high for 8 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms. Cook for 8 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and then spinach. Mix together with spices & cook for 14 min.
6. Cook whole wheat pasta to your liking and then combine.
Voila! You have veggie spaghetti that hits the spot! What are some vegetarian recipes you love to enjoy?