Meat Free Everyday - Food for Thought

The unexpected vegetarian guest

What to do when an vegetarian arrives for a meal unexpectedly? You've made your meal. The guests arrive on time. It's getting off to a great start, when suddenly one of them announces they don't eat meat. A bit late now. What do you do? I will give you some quick fixes but first, how does this happen?

Since I have been vegetarian for 30 years now, my friends all know I don't eat meat. The gourmands amongst my friends relish a chance to test their culinary skills. But every now and again it happens to me. I am that person that pitches up and doesn't eat meat. It's an awful feeling and I can see the hostess or caterers break out in a total panic. Or leave me to eat the side dishes and deserts. It happens like this:

I could be a guest of a guest and unsure if a meal is part of a visit. Perhaps I have not been in a position to inform the cook. Like at a friend's wedding recently. It was a morning occasion and I wasn't sure if it included morning tea or a slap up meal. It would have been a bit forward of me to RSVP requesting a vegetarian meal, don't you think? I've been to cocktail parties where all I could eat was the garnish. Work functions present the sort of sitution where you don't want to appear "picky". And yes, vegetarians are sometimes viewed as difficult eaters. Heard of Orthorexia? That's what people who try to eat healthily are called these days. Which amazes me, given the plethora of data that contiually comes out linking the three main modern diseases namely; cardio arterial disease, cancers and diabetes directly to a poor diet. But let's not go there right now.

Smile sweetly at your vegetarian guest and tell them it's not a problem. Using basic freezer or store cupboard staples, you should be able to knock up one of the following in minutes.

Gourmet omelette:
- Defrost some frozen veggies in the microwave and allow to cool.
- Beat 2 - 3 eggs and season with whatever you have at hand; salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs.
- Pour into a non-stick pan, add the veggies and grate some cheese on top.
- Allow to cook, then fold in half and serve.
Stuffed vegetables:
- Take anything that can be stuffed; tomatoes, green peppers or even a butternut.
- Hollow out the vegetable, removing seeds. I leave butternut with the skin intact.
- Cook till almost tender in the microwave.
- Crumble some bread or cracker biscuits and mix into a thick tomato paste.
- Season with whatever you happen to have at hand, and if your guest eats cheese, add grated cheese.
- Stuff the vegetables and cook till completely tender in the microwave. Voila!
Baked potato, sweet potato or yam:
- Wash and pierce a potato.
- Bake in the microwave.
- Split and top with cream cheese, cheddar cheese or a quick bean salsa. Or all of them.
Bean salsa:
- Drain and rinse a tin of beans, any kind of beans, even lentils will do.
- Finely dice an onion and a tomato. I like to add a fruit such as peach or pear for sweetness, but that's a personal preference.
- Prepare a quick dressing - Add vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs and a bit of sugar or sweetener to a screw top jar and shake.
- Toss the beans, onion and tomato in the dressing. You're good to go.
Tossed vegetables in garlicky olive oil:
- Defrost some frozen veggies in the microwave and allow to cool.
- Chop some fresh garlic and add together with some olive oil to a non-stick pan.
- Toss the veggies until they are browned and serve with grated cheese, cream cheese or the bean salsa.

These fast recipes should get you out of a corner. And don't be surprised if the meat eaters complain they wish they were getting the vegetarian meal. I always get meat eaters eyeing up my plate.

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