Vegetarian goodness...

When I was  a small child, my dad took me fishing.  We caught a few lake trout and had a very good time!  That evening, my mom prepared the fish for me to eat for dinner and I was reintroduced to my fish... on my plate (she had cut it up into pieces for me!).  As I looked at my meal, it dawned on me what had happened.  I began to sob and begged my mom to "Put it back together!" I cried and cried... and felt horrible that I had killed that little fish.  I refused to eat it.  And I don't think I ever ate fish or seafood after that point.  I did not, however, give up eating meat altogether for many years.  I didn't actually become a vegetarian until I was 19.  I was living in Quito, Ecuador and I learned that if I claimed to be a vegetarian, they would take the chicken feet out of my soup.  I could also get out of eating the fried beef my host mother liked to serve.  And my bus stop was a butcher shop.  It was one of the first times in my life (other than that early experience with my fish) that I had really been made to see/realize the fact that when I was eating meat, I was actually eating animals.  In Ecuador, my meat didn't come neatly packaged at a supermarket.  It was right there before my eyes. 

For awhile it seemed that almost everyone I knew was also a vegetarian.  These days, however, I find that I am, once again, in the minority.  Many former vegetarian friends are enthusiastically eating bacon and venison and all sorts of other meat related delicacies!  I find that most of these friends are very conscious of the source of their meat, but it can sometimes be hard to find a vegetarian option at a potluck gathering!  I'll admit that when I first became a vegetarian, I did not have a very healthy diet.  I lived on pasta with few sources of protein, and not nearly enough vegetables.  It wasn't until I met the Tofu King (my husband) that I began to expand my diet.  I know eating a vegetarian diet doesn't work for some people, but I have always felt very healthy as a vegetarian (I do eat eggs and dairy).  Even when I was pregnant and nursing (or both at the same time!), I never craved meat.  Both of our kids are vegetarians and thriving (knock on wood!).  Almost all of their friends eat meat and many of the families we know hunt even.  We talk about it a lot and always leave the option open for them to make their own decisions as they grow, but for now, we don't eat meat in our family.  It is just what we do. We are very lucky to have a Papa who cooks up a storm of healthy, nourishing, vegetarian goodness!  I thought I might share some of our most favorite meals. 

Black beans and rice is always in heavy rotation around here.  This particular version was topped off with orange and green peppers, broccoli, cilantro, and avocado... yum!  Both kids devour this meal and the leftovers make amazing burritos!