While this is not a vegetarian blog, you will see that it’s a recurring theme, so I thought it’s best to talk about it right up front. I, along with my 19 year old daughter Hannah, have been a lacto-ovo pescatarian for the past 3 1/2 years. Some of you might be wondering what exactly a lacto-ovo pescatarian is. Well, we eat eggs, dairy, some fish (most of which we catch at the Jersey shore); we don’t eat chicken, beef, poutry, veal or lamb. I am still trying to decide where frog legs fit in…
I didn’t intend to become a lacto-ovo pescatarian (for simplicity sake, I will refer to us as vegetarians from now on!). I never thought I could live without meat…in truth, I love meat! But when Lent of 2008 approached, Hannah decided she would give up meat. One of Hannah’s best friends became vegan at a fairly young age, which prompted Hannah to want to give it a try; I had just finished reading Skinny Bitch and Fast Food Nation which really got me thinking. I decided to join Hannah for several reasons, but mostly because if I was going to cook for one non-meat eater, I may as well cook for 2. By they way, that left the 3 male carnivores, my husband, Michael and 2 sons, Alex and Ben. (oh and Julie-dog, but she will pretty much go either way.)
So I embarked upon a new culinary adventure. I found that cooking vegetarian was a little more work, but it really opened my eyes. The focus shifted to the sides rather than what I always considered the main event — the animal protein.
Well, Easter came and went and Hannah and I found, we didn’t miss meat nearly as much as we thought we would, so here we are, nearly 4 years later and still meat-free. For me, as a food professional, it has truly opened my eyes and given me a new perspective. I am exploring a whole world of food that I previously, well ignored. And, living as a vegetarian is truly different than thinking you know what a vegetarian wants to eat.
I have tried to do a few things with my meals over the years. One is find an easy and uncomplicated way to satisfy everyone who comes to the table. Two is to find vegetarian alternatives to some of our favorite meaty meals.
With my family of 5, 2 vegetarians and 3 meat eaters, I needed to find a way to make everyone happy. I have done a lot of experimenting over the past years and over time those recipes and meals will ultimately appear here.
