Eating rabbit food

When I turned vegetarian a decade ago, my parents chided my decision, saying that all I could eat was salad.

The only salads I’ve ever seen either of my parents eat was iceberg lettuce, a wedge or two of tomato, and some carrot shreds.

Other foods that were part of their diet that are vegetarian include grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pizza, spaghetti (with marinara, no meat sauce), cold cereal, waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, omelets. Not a great selection to live on, but more than just salad. (Some vegetarians don’t eat eggs; others avoid dairy; a few avoid both.)

A lot of restaurants have the same mindset.

After inquiring about the contents of a veggie wrap at a new lunch place: “Green olives, lettuce, American cheese, black olives, bell peppers, pickles. You know, pretty much everything.”

That is one nasty sandwich.

So what DO I eat?

Today, I had avocado egg salad, an amazing recipe that uses avocado, a little bit of yogurt, and a little bit of red wine vinegar instead of mayo. The Climbing Daddy and I go through it pretty quickly—I always double the recipe.

We have salad at dinner most nights, and the salads are pretty simple: some sort of green (usually Romaine), carrots, tomatoes, sometimes cucumbers, some salad topper that I impulse bought at Costco (craisins and a few kinds of seeds). At a salad bar (or if I’m especially energetic with food prep), there’s much more stuff on my salad.

We eat stir fry and tacos. Lots of Indian foods. And just … recipes that don’t use meat. Beans, rice, veggies. Good seasoning and/or sauces.

If you’re a Facebook user, I just revived a recipe share group, and many (but not all) recipes there are vegetarian, if you’re looking for something new to try.

It’s good stuff! Except when it’s not. Just like every other kind of food…