Simple Substitutions

One of the hardest parts of going vegetarian is giving up your favorite meats. I know that I miss the steak from Arigato's..It's tough to say no to!

But, thankfully, there are many options to satisfy your cravings. They may actually be healthier for you!

Here are some of my favorites.

Tofu as dessert? WHAT?

So you know how I wrote about tofu when I started this blog? Well..get your tofu hats on again, because we're getting serious about tofu once again.


I was interested in what type of desserts I could create with tofu, so I looked up some recipes. I have to make some of these soon, but I'd figure I'd post what I'm most interested in here.

My partially vegetarian school

I know I said this would be about recipes and foods, but recently I started to think about my home away from home: the University of South Florida. When I get hungry on campus, I try to think of what I'm going to eat. Eat at Sbarro? Eat at Burger King? Eat at a dining hall? Eat at Subway, where I will purchase a footlong with cheese and enough lettuce to feed a fleet of manatees (seriously--lay off of it Subway!)? Where can I find some healthy options around here?

Recently USF has become much more vegetarian friendly, and even offers tofu dishes on campus. My school has also become apart of the Meatless Monday campaign, which asks students to make a healthy, vegetarian food choice on Monday and push to keep up that habit through the week. Heck, even Oprah's doing it. Think of her new car voice: "We're all getting TOFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Obviously you're pumped right now, so let me lay some history down on you.

Not-so-vegetarian treats..or are they?

1. Jell-O
2. Marshmallows
3. Gummy bears
4. Skittles
5. Pop Tarts
6. Some cereals

What do these things have in common? Along with some other sweet foods and candies, all of these foods contain gelatin. Why should this concern you? Nastiness after the jump.

An unlikely dessert..just trust me on this one.

You probably feel conflicted right now.

It's going to take some blind faith, but just trust me with this recipe.

One night I really wanted a s'more, but I had no graham crackers. Of COURSE this craving came after all the stores had closed and it just wasn't right. Just as I was admitting defeat, fiance to the rescue! He made one of these, gave it to me and holy cow..it took me to a different dimension, people. Once again, I've included pictures: the S'MORE SAUCER recipe after the jump!

difficulty: 1/10
time: <2 minutes

A rainy night in---what's there to cook?

Preface: Many people, even vegetarians, dismiss tofu because of its appearance. Meat-eaters don't believe that it has any benefits, and typically assume that tofu's just for vegetarians and vegans. Americans don't have many opportunities to try tofu, which is curdled soybean milk, especially because mainstream restaurants rarely use it.  Truthfully, I didn't think tofu looked good at all when I was a kid, but it's something you have to try. Beyond its squishy exterior, tofu is a great source of iron and vitamin B! With that said, I decided to work with an easy recipe and replace the meat with tofu. Keep reading!

From Baynews9.com

This was the forecast for yesterday evening! Cody, my fiance, wanted me to go grocery shopping before the storm hit land, but it was too late--we were stuck inside and weren't malicious enough to order a pizza.With a tornado warning effective until 9 p.m., it was clear we weren't going anywhere. Although we were prisoners of our apartment, Cody and I decided to make the best with the food we had. We had one goal, one recipe, one box of tofu. Angel hair with tofu, anyone?

difficulty: 3/10
time: <20 minutes