It’s interesting. There’s perplexity surrounding being a vegetarian–usually not the vegetarian’s, but those around the vegetarian; a sort of “so what exactly do you eat?” kind of trepidation. I noticed this in myself when Mister became one (“Oh God, what do I cook now?”) and I continue to notice it in others. It’s funny–people tend to forget how many foods they eat that are already vegetarian: eggplant parmesan, bean burritos, potato salad, ramen (okay, if you use veggie broth), grilled cheese sandwiches…Instead, the tendency is to automatically assume a diet overhaul that involves a lot of tofu and alfalfa sprouts. And a lot of vegetarian specialty products: veggie burgers, fake chicken, soy sausage.
This is all sort of half-true. When mister became a vegetarian we ate more tofu than we did, but that was going from 0 to maybe 1-2 times per week (if that). We also have a stash of vegetarian McNuggets in the freezer. But on the whole, we–an omni and a vegetarian–coexist and cook peacefully because it’s not hard to cook as normal and omit the meat, then add it back in if I want it. The best thing about this arrangement is that we’re both uncompromising–he in his vegetarianism, mine in my demand for “no wannabes,” or vegetarian/vegan foods that try too hard to be their carnivore counterpoints and end up being a sorry version of the real thing, rather than a spectacularly distinct alternative.
Which brings me to the veggie burger. Summer’s coming and everytime we go to a barbecue it seems that the veggie burger is the accommodation du jour for vegetarians. Now, most veggie burgers are just fine and Mister is quite a grateful when people think of him and honor his diet in such a way; however, veggie burgers do get a bit old cookout after cookout, plus they’re not very big, plus they sort of lack the big-flavor-meatiness that we so love in real burgers (although of course, there are some fabulously thick veggie burgers out there, but usually more specialty than run-of-the-mill freezer section). A really marvelous breath of fresh air from veggie-burger-stupor is the portobello/a mushroom burger/sandwich–again, something everyone has probably had at one time or another and forgets about when it comes to “quick! think of a vegetarian dish!”. Marinated with dijon vinaigrette and thrown on the grill, portobellos have the right juiciness, the right meatiness, and the right mesquite flavor that we’re all looking for from a barbecue. Companies have done extensive testing and have managed to make soy and veggie burgers that mimic the taste of ground beef pretty accurately, but there is a fine distinction between achieving taste and achieving substance. And it’s the portobello that satisfies like a burger does. So the next time you have some vegetarians over, or the next time you want something a little different, try a portobello.
Filed under: Clean Food Daily, barbecue, bbq, mushrooms, portobella, portobello, vegetables, vegetarianism, veggie burger
