Vegging Out
Written By Ann Hodgman
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I was happy to encourage my kids in their new philosophy, because I've felt guilty about eating meat since I was 12 years old. I love animals as much as any child does, and I've never heard a convincing argument (besides "they taste good") in favor of eating them. But I'm sorry to say that even with my children's example in front of me, I kept right on eating meat from time to time. It's what my generation is used to, and, unlike our preschoolers, we recognize that there are moral complexities in most issues.
I can remember plenty of "just this once" nights when I gave the kids a frozen cheese pizza so that they could uphold their principles while my husband and I tucked into our porterhouse or shrimp risotto or whatever. But I tried not to let that kind of thing become a regular occurrence. Once in a while it's all right to feed a vegetarian preschooler a Tofu Pup while the rest of the family enjoys a more sophisticated entrée; generally, though, dinner and family dynamics flow more smoothly when everyone is eating the same main course. Naturally my kids made this a serious challenge, because they turned their little heads away from many of the healthiest alternatives to meat: tofu, legumes, and — in most cases — even vegetables. They'd have been perfectly happy to eat some form of cheese night after night. Or French toast, or cereal, or canned vegetable soup made in the horrible way they preferred it — with all the broth drained away in a sieve. In fact, they wanted pretty much the same things they'd wanted for supper before becoming vegetarians.
Fortunately there are plenty of choices out there besides mozzarella sticks and pancakes. The three main-dish recipes that follow are interesting without being too interesting, and each offers a different perspective on vegetarian cooking. While the tofu-based patties could never pass as burgers, they're tasty enough on their own that even the carnivores in your family should like them. Lazy Mom's (or Dad's) Lasagna tastes traditional but takes way less time than the regular version. And although Broccokopita uses an actual! green! vegetable! as the main ingredient, it's a fun finger food, and your kids can help you roll the phyllo dough. A few more meals like these, and none of you may need to go back to meat again.
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