Veggyhead

Archie Bunker on Vegetarianism

2010-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Not how Veggyhead feels about the subject, but funny nonetheless.

Hooray for Bollywood

2010-08-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Veggyhead was away for the month of July, so I hadn't seen her for over a month. She's become quite the independent young lady and she appreciates a good meal, even if it's with he carnivore dad. The other day we went down to the Bollywood Grill in Framingham, Massachusetts for lunch. It's an Indian restaurant located on Route 9 in Framingham, across from Shopper's World and behind Legal Seafoods.

Veggyhead loves Indian food since there are a lot of Vegetarian and Vegan dishes on the menu. Daddy, the carnivore, likes the fact that there is goat on the menu! Lunch at the Bollywood Grill offers the option of a buffet. We went with that option; daddy-o has laid waste to many a buffet in his time and today was no exception.

When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by an aromatic potpourri of spices and kitchen scents. Our tummies were a rumblin'.

The standard salad bar was offered, but we opted for more adventurous dishes.

Veggyhead's lunch consisted of (going clockwise starting with the white puff pastry): Vegetarian Samosa (Homemade turnovers stuffed with lightly tempered and seasoned diced potatoes and peas), Vegetarian Biryani (Aromtic Indian Basmati rice cooked with fruit, nuts and vegetables), Alu Tikki (Mashed potatoes and pea patties deep fried in chickpea batter), Broccoli Pakoras (broccoli deep fried in chickpea batter), Dal Amrit Sari (A lentil delicacy made famous by a dhabha-roadside eatery, outside the Golden Temple in the holy city of the Sikhs), Palak Paneer (Chopped spinach, homemade cheese, tomatoes and onions cooked with cream, garlic and fresh ginger), and Novratana Korma (Assorted garden fresh vegetables cooked in a rich gravy with yogurt and mild spices). That's a mouthful in itself!

Daddy had goat curry, everything that Veggyhead had and a variety of skewered meats.

A nice basket of Pishawari Nan came with the meal.

There have been a lot of Indian restaurants popping up in the Metrowest Boston area lately. Judging from how good this lunch was, I can see why.

The best thing about the Bollywood Grill is that Veggyhead and carnivore alike can eat together with both leaving full and happy.

Improvising Veggies and Pasta

2010-08-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

So Veggyhead was coming to the beach with a friend and I knew burgers and dogs wouldn't be popular dinner fare.

I looked in the fridge and there was one head of broccoli. Not enough for a hungry Veggyhead. Off to the garden I went and found a zucchini, a summer squash, a tomato, a pepper and some beans. There were onions and mushrooms in the fridge too, so I collected the ingredients....

After chopping everything up, I was ready to cook.

Don't forget the broccoli...

or the tomato!

Add a little fresh basil....

Next I put the onions, pepper and two cloves of minced garlic in the pan with a little olive oil....

I stir fried this until the onions got nearly translucent and added the broccoli.

I sauteed some chicken in a separate pan for us carnivores (including Veggyhead's friend).

And in yet another pan I melted some butter...

added some half and half (heavy cream is better but a trip to the store was out of the question and all we had was half and half)...

then in went the grated parmesian chez.

In the mean time, while the sauce was cooking, in went the rest of the veggies and mushrooms (with a little ground pepper).

I stir fried that until everything looked done....

while tending to my cream sauce. When it bubbled up....

Everything got dumped onto the drained pasta....

Don't forget the chopped tomato and basil!

I tossed it all together and....

VOILA!

Not as visually stunning as I'd hoped, but DELICIOUS nonetheless. Veggyhead gave this TWO THUMBS UP!

No recipe, just good cooking.

Boloco's

2010-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Any time my family goes out for a quick meal, we skip the fast food joints and head to our local Boloco's. Boloco's is a line of burrito joints, located in the North East. The reason why we love it is because all of their foods start out meat free! I can get my veggie wrap with tofu while my meat loving family can load theirs with steak and pork and whatnot (I don't know the actual meat types- i don't really concern myself with finding meat alternatives). This is definitely a great place for a quick bite to eat or a sit down meal.

And for all you technologically gifted out there, they have Wi-fi Internet access. yay.

So what exactly is this?

2010-07-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am frequently asked what I actually eat as a vegetarian, so for all you non-vegetarians, here's the different diets:

Vegetarian: we eat fruits & veggies, tofu & beans, wheat & other grains, and eggs & dairy products

Pescetarian: we eat fruits & veggies, tofu & beans, wheat & other grains, eggs & dairy, and fish (the only thing not eaten is meat)

Vegan: we do not eat ANY animal products, this means no dairy, eggs, fish, and of course, no meat.

I want to become a vegetarian to lose weight...

2010-07-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

One of the many reasons for becoming a vegetarian is to lose weight and have a healthier diet. But by cutting meat out of your diet isn't a guarantee that you'll just drop the pounds. Sure, if you go from Big Macs to tofu, you're bound to see results, but i know people who've stopped eating meat and gained weight because all they've eaten are carbohydrates. Before you become a vegetarian be sure that you're prepared to eat food besides pasta, you know, like vegetables (it isn't called being a vegetarian for nothing).

I have to eat what?!?!?

2010-07-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've been a vegetarian since i was in 6th grade, and I've tried just about every meat replacement that money can buy, and let me tell you i wasn't able to stomach most of it. From past camping experiences, I've learned that anything will taste good if you're hungry, but for an everyday affair, who wants to eat disgusting tofu dogs? here's some of the meat substitutes that I've enjoyed:

-Black Bean Burgers

-Meatless Chicken Nuggets

-Tofu in stir fry (i prefer the Thai Kitchen Original Pad Thai stir fry)

-Grilled tofu in a mixed green salad

check in your organic/vegetarian section, their selections are usually the best. And if your first experience with meat substitutes was in your school's cafeteria, don't worry, the real stuff doesn't taste that bad. =D

Iron

2010-07-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Your supply of iron mainly comes in a form of meat, but there is also a lot of iron in spinach and beans. So eat up! if you don't get enough iron you could become anemic which causes an irregular heart beat and can make you tired. Personally, i have enough trouble getting up in the morning.

Popeye needs spinach for strength... and so do you!

French Onion Soup

2010-07-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

I've always loved French Onion Soup, but I can never find a canned vegetarian version! Hope you enjoy!

Time needed: about an hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

6 large Bermuda onions, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons of flour

14.5 ounce can of vegetable broth

2 cups of dry red wine

0.5 teaspoon of salt

0.5 teaspoon pepper

1: In a large flameproof casserole, heat oil over a medium heat. Add onions and cook, while stirring until soft (5-7 minutes). Add the garlic and sugar. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions turn an amber color (20-25 minutes). Stir in flour to coat onions and cook, stirring (2-3 minutes).

2: Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens (5-7 minutes). Add the wine, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Big Vegetable Panini

2010-07-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

I love paninis, so I exulted when i found this recipe.

Time needed: about 25 minutes

Ingredients:

0.5 pounds of green beans, cut into small pieces

4 ounces of unsalted butter (one stick)

6 garlic cloves, crushed with a press

0.25 cup finely chopped parsley

6 freshly baked paninis (check with your local bakery or supermarket)

0.25 cup oil-cured black olives

2 ounce jar of diced and drained pimientos

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

4 ounces of crumbled feta cheese

.33 cup of bottled vinaigrette dressing

2 medium tomatoes thinly sliced

1 medium sweet onion, very thinly sliced

1: Preheat oven to 300 (F). In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook beans until tender (4-6 minutes). Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. In a small bowl mix the butter, garlic, and parsley. Set this aside.

2: Cup open panini and remove most of the soft dough inside. Butter the inside of each roll generously with the garlic butter. Place on a baking sheet. Heat in oven for 5 minutes.

3: In a medium bowl, mix the cooked green beans with olives, diced pimientos, hard-boiled eggs, feta cheese, and vinaigrette dressing. Toss to mix.

4: Remove rolls from oven. Fill bottom halves with equal amounts of the green bean mixture. Top each sandwich with sliced tomato and sliced onion. Cover with the other half.

Enjoy!

Viva la salsa!

2010-07-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

This salsa is perfect for a party or just hanging out.
Time needed: about 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of grated onion
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
0.5 teaspoons of marjoram
0.25 teaspoons of salt
1/8 teaspoon of sugar
1-2 drops of Tabasco
For a spicier salsa add in some finely diced jalapeno peppers

1) Peel tomatoes ( soften before hand in a large pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds to make it easier). Cut out their stems and cut them in half. Squeeze gently to remove seeds. Chop tomato and drain for about 10 minutes.

2) In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes with cilantro, onion, lemon juice, marjoram, salt, sugar, and Tabasco.

Enjoy!

Famous Vegetarians

2010-07-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Some of the world's best and brightest were/are vegetarians! I think we know what that means... =P

-Charlotte Bronte -Brad Pitt
-Henry David Thoreau -Pamela Anderson
-Sir Isaac Newton -Steve Martin
-Mahatma Gandhi -Liv Tyler
-Mark Twain -Michael J. Fox
-George Bernard Shaw -Jerry Seinfeld
-Leonardo Da Vinci -Richard Gere
-Vincent Van Gogh -Natalie Portman
-Susan B. Anthony -Yoko Ono & John Lennon
-Bob Dylan -Paul & Linda McCartney
-Elvis Costello -Ringo Star & Barbara Bach
-Billy Idol -Princess Diana

Veggyhead Orange Stir Fry Sauce

2010-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

You like the sauce? Veggyhead does, cuz it's YUMMY!

This Orange sauce can be used with stir fried veggies & tofu. When cooking for Veggyhead and the troops, I cook the meat in a little soy sauce and garlic in a separate pan so the carnivores can be satiated. They can just pour the completed stir fry over their meat of choice and everybody's happy.

This is a favorite with vegetarian and carnivore alike!

For the stir fry:

One Table spoon Sesame Oil
One Onion, chopped
Five Large Carrots, Juliened
Three Large Parsnips, Juliened
Half a bunch of celery or bok choy, chopped
Cup of Pea Pods
Clove or two of Garlic (to taste), minced
Cup of Bean Sprouts
Package of firm tofu, cubed

For the Sauce:

½ cup OJ
2 TBLSP Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Corn syrup
½ Tsp ground ginger
1 TBLSP corn starch
1 Tblsp grated orange rind

Whisk the sauce mixture until smooth and set aside (you will probably need to re-whisk before you add it to the stir fry)

Add sesame oil to a wok or large saute pan over medium high to high heat. Stir fry all the ingredients EXCEPT the tofu, pea pods and bean sprouts.

When the onions begin to look translucent, add the sauce mixture (remember to re-whisk). Heat until bubbling then add the pea pods and stir for one minute. Add the tofu and bean sprouts, stir them in and reduce heat to medium low while stirring occasionally for three to five minutes.

Spoon over rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

What's Up with Veggyhead?

2010-07-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

I gave this URL and designed this little blog for my Daughter's 15th birthday. She liked the idea of having a website of her own to share vegetarian recipes and the angst of being a teenage vegetarian in a red meat family. At the time, she had ambitions of crafting a vibrant blog. Her description of the blog follows:

Everyone has their own story on why they became a vegetarian (or some other meat lacking diet) but I became one simply because I was sick of meat. After 11 years of feasting on Whoppers, McNuggets, and fillet Mignon, I put down the steak knife and became a veggy head, as my friends like to call it.

Now this wasn't easy news to break to my very Italian family. Oh, and my dad owns a hot dog truck. Doesn't sound like the greatest support system, eh? After a year or so of arguments and threats of starvation, my family finally came to accept my choice of diet. Now and then we even have a completely vegetarian meal, or get pizza without the pepperoni . If my family can accept my choice of diet, I'm sure yours can too.

It was an ambitious undertaking, but like many teens, her enthusiasm waned as the pressures of being an honor student and drama queen, and working at a supermarket took over the time she could spend on what she considered an "optional" activity.

So the site just sort of languished here for a couple of years-she doesn't have the blogging bug like dad, so I- the Hotdogman- have decided to resurrect the site. You may find it ironic that the Hotdogman would author a vegetarian site, but I do all the cooking in our family-vegetarian or otherwise! I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes and funny stories about having a teenage vegetarian in the house. Ms. Veggyhead will undoubtedly make a few appearances here and there as well. She left 9 or 10 short posts in the "drafts" folder which I've activated and I'll be adding some of my goodies too!

As a new feature for the site, I am putting a different streaming Grateful Dead Show every few weeks at the top of the page for your listening pleasure (I like to listen to the Dead when I am cooking).

Enjoy!

Playlist for Veggyhead Cookin' with the Dead Live at Gaelic Park on 1971-08-26

2010-07-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Veggyhead Cookin' with the Dead: Grateful Dead Live at Gaelic Park on 1971-08-26 (August 26, 1971) My favorite Uncle John's Band EVER! Run time: 177 minutes.

Set 1:
Bertha
Playing In The Band
Mr. Charlie
Sugaree
El Paso
Big Boss Man
Big Railroad Blues
Hard To Handle
Beat It On Down The Line
Loser
Sugar Magnolia
Empty Pages
Good Lovin'
Casey Jones

Set 2:
Me And My Uncle
China Cat Sunflower ->
I Know You Rider
Deal
Cumberland Blues
Truckin' ->
Drums ->
The Other One
Next Time You See Me
Me And Bobby McGee
Uncle John's Band
Saint Stephen ->
Not Fade Away ->
Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad ->
Not Fade Away

Encore:
Johnny B. Goode

Vegetables in a Bag

2008-04-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through the frozen food section and found these:

(for those with poor eyesight, it's Birds Eye Steamfresh frozen vegetables)

Frozen foods in general are not known for their good quality, but this is the best I've found so far. So if you're in a rush, or have a sudden craving for peas or carrots, this is the product for you!

Veggyhead Limerick

2008-03-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

I think this is pretty amusing... enjoy =D

A preoccupied vegan named Sue
picked up the wrong sandwich to chew.
She took a big bite
before spitting, in fright,
"OMG, WTF, BBQ!"

Funny Vegetarian Quotes

2008-03-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was browsing you tube when I found this, enjoy!

Grilled Tofu Salad.

2008-03-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

This is a dish that my grandmother made for me recently, it has tofu, but it actually tastes good!

Grilled Tofu Salad
-desired portion of salad greens (i prefer to use spinach leaves, you get a serving of iron!)
-feta cheese
-sliced cucumbers
-olive oil and vinegar for dressing
-a little salt and pepper
-grilled tofu

Grill the tofu like you would any other meat or veggie, and mix into the salad

enjoy!

YouTube Tuesday!

2008-03-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

I'm hopefully going to Colombia this summer, but my mom was worried about me going alone. So in honor of flying fears and sucky Tuesdays here's Russell Peters!

Easy Stir Fry

2008-03-13T15:38:00.001-07:00

When I have to cook for Veggyhead, it can pose a challenge. I don't like preparing more than one meal, so I need to be flexible.

Here's an easy way to please your vegetarian and the meat lovers too.

Steam up a pot of rice. Then get some veggies and chop them up. When I stir fry, I use:

Bok Choy
Celery
Pea Pods
Onions
Hot Peppers (just a little)
Bean Sprouts (don't chop these)

Stir Fry the veggies in a little sesame oil and add some ginger and teryaki sauce when they're just about done. Dump in the bean sprouts at the end-they only need about a minute to heat up-and stir everything together. Pour over rice and VOILA-a delicacy!

I usually cook up some pork chicken or beef in a separate pan for the meat eating crew.

This is one of Veggyhead's favorites!

Easy Veggy Rice Pilaf

2008-03-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is an easy meal that my whole meat eating family enjoyed:

Time needed: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Box of Near East rice pilaf (garlic & herb mix)
sun dried tomatoes
feta cheese
fresh basil

What to do:

Follow instructions on Near east box to cook rice pilaf

chop up the sun dried tomatoes and the fresh basil

Mix sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and the basil with the rice pilaf

ENJOY!

Vegetarian Chili

2008-03-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

I've always loved chili, but have never been able to find a vegetarian version of it. Here's a recipe that I've had and enjoyed.

Time needed for whole ordeal: about one hour
Serves: around 6-8 people

ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green/red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery ribs, diced
14.5 ounce can of Italian style stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
0.5 teaspoon dried basil
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
16 ounce can of red kidney beans
1.5 teaspoons of salt
.25 teaspoons of cayenne
.25 cup chopped parsley
16 ounce container of sour cream

1: In a large soup pot, heat oil and cook onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (2-3 minutes) Add bell pepper, garlic and celery. Cook and stir until soft (another 3-5 minutes)

2: Add tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, basil, mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots. Cover, and reduce the heat to a medium-low, and cook for 25 minutes.

3: Add corn, kidney beans with their liquid, salt, and cayenne. Simmer while covered for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot with sour cream.

Enjoy!

You Tube Tuesday I

2008-02-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays get you down? here's something to brighten your day (or make you chuckle for a moment or two, whichever you prefer)

this is one of my favorite comedians, Maria Bamford- she has some more stuff, so expect to see some more!

Hello Cyberspace

2008-02-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Greetings viewers!
This being my first post ever, I figured that I'll tell you why I actually put time and effort into this. Of course, I'd love to help vegetarians (and others with special diets) in a meat eating world, but it's also a great way to make money! I'm saving up to go to England with a friend to go study theater for a month, but it costs over $8000 dollars! Wish me luck!
stay tuned for vegetarian recipes, information on healthy diets and more!
-VeggyHead