Are vegetarians smarter than grass?

Made you look! :-D

And since you have, please post to say whether you're a vegetarian or an omnivore. Just interested to find out whether the title is provocative enough to get a response from people in both groups.

Thanks!

(And bonus points if you have some good ideas for vegetarian sandwich fillings; I think my son is getting tired of peanut butter, hummus, and cheese! That's three different ones, BTW, not one sandwich with all three...)

vegan.

Sandwiches are awesome with homemade black bean/ cilantro/ tomato patties. It's a bit messy if you don't really mash it up and skillet it before you eat it. Also, I like to just smash up avocado, brocco sprouts, tomato, and mustard. I usually have a bean salad on the side for protein. And wraps are awesome cause you can put anything in there!

vegetarian :P

 and i think i'm going to take some of these sandwich ideas! i myself am sick of pb&j and cheese.... sometimes i do hummus and tomatoes. 

 have you tried the soy lunch meats??  i think it's YVES that makes "fake" turkey, ham, bologna.... i can't say it's the best replication, but it definately improves a cheese sandwich!

 

EDIT: I almost forgot to say I'm transitioning ot vegetarianism

jmc: I won't go near Yves mock meat slices. I really don't like them. Their hot-dog type products and their burgers are much more successful, I think, and I have them all the time. My favourite Yves product is their Breakfast Links: just as yummy as meat sausages but low-fat. Perfect for a morning fry-up.

Yves is the main mock-meat maker around here. You can't even find Boca or Morningstar in my part of Canada, and I'm very curious about them.

sequoia:

 

Thanks,

 I actually have to admit you are right.

I'd rather challenge my views too, and I support (and do) talking about the concerns and moral issues. 

I didn't mean to sound so shutting off it's just that half of my extended family (including parents etc) are vegetarians, and I guess I ve spent some time talking about the topic and it always ends like someone tries to convince someone else about the point he is making (it's not always me).

 But then again, that hasn't anything to do with our discussion in the forum. 

 

So I guess I owe you appology.

Sorry.

I dont feel offended,  neither I consider that too aggressive for me to read.

 - Thanks, 

Ilia 

No no!!  You don't owe me an apology at all (if that was even intended for me!)!  I was just trying to explain that movement the way I see it.

I, too, agree that sometimes the PETA type people turn people off from their side more than helping people understand, even if they disagree.  I know more peta-haters than people who are ambivalent about it, which, I think, speaks a lot about their tactics. 

I have a mostly omniverous family, with a couple of carnivores thrown in for good measure (dad and brother, figuratively carnivores lol) and I walk the fine line between feeling morally obligated to say something and not wanting to annoy people.  When I became a veg when I was 13, I laid my case out to my family pretty clearly.  Since then, whenever I find a new tidbit of information, I'll throw it at them.  But since I've already talked about it with them I won't start any debate-type conversations about this, although I'll definitely be willing to talk to them about it if they take the initiative.  This is my best attempt, however flawed, at appeasing my conscience and my family at the same time.  Because being overly-agressive and holier-than-thou and preachy about it a) isn't going to help your cause at all, and b) turn a lot of people off...

I'm a veg for environmental and animal welfare reasons, btw, not animal rights.

Anyway, I would have to say my favorite veg sandwich is home baked whole wheat bread with hummus, sprouts, green peppers, olives, cucumbers, and I forget what else is in it.  Awesome!

Happy almost Friday everyone!

Omnivore with a few set veggie days a week.

I have a soft spot for cucumber/cream cheese sandwiches.  Yum.  Or tomato and cheddar.  I also find there are a number of interesting things you can do with a can of beans and a stack of pitas.  I like to stuff the pitas with assorted veggies, and pack lents, chickpeas, or black beans marinading in salsa or a twist of dressing.  One time, I cooked couscous with a bit of honey and some raisins, and packed that with some lentils in raspberry vinagrette to assemble at school.  Fantastic.  I also like to toss random beans into wraps, or pack veggie burgers on toasted bread.

Something that is fun for me is taking a hotdog bun, spreading almond butter on it, then taking a whole peeled banana and placing it like a hot dog. Then I put a little slightly warm orange marmalade on top.  Mmmm.

Omnivore

My wife is allergic to many different fruits, nuts and vegetables, as well as the protein (to varying degrees) in meat, most shellfish, and some fish.

Since I cook (she can burn water) I end up cooking to what she can eat and sometimes add a meat to the dinner for the rest of us.

Sadly for her she gets lustful eyes when I prepare a nice steak, but she'd go into anaphylaxic shock if she took a bite. The doctor's told her she needs to take allergy shots for the better part of a few years first.

Omnivore, but I spent a couple years researching and cooking vegetarian, and later vegan, meals for my younger sister and it grew on me. I probably eat meat once a week and the rest of the time I cook vegetarian meals.

Since calories aren't a consideration for your son - sundried tomatoes (the kind stored in olive oil, yum), good pesto (homemade or TJs) and fresh mozzarella on a baguette. Similar to the caprese sandwich mentioned earlier.

And since Thanksgiving is coming up...mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce on a really good roll. Add the stuffing too, if you make it vegetarian friendly like we do. 

Hahah...vegetarians are smarter, but I don't know about those "animal-crazy" type of vegans. ^-^

Omnivore - eating lean turkey breast, chicken, egg whites, and yogurt nearly everyday, bison on occasion, and fish when I can get it fresh.

Try a egg-white(if you eat them) and veggie sandwich by taking scrambled egg-whites and bell peppers, mushrooms, or your vegetables of your choosing, and putting them on either some good, thick Ezekiel organic bread, or rye.

I wish my son liked sun-dried tomatoes, but alas, he does not.

Scratch that .... his not liking them means more of them for me!!!! :-D

His wrap yesterday was mozzarella, tomato, cucumbers, and a little parmesan with a sprinkling of basil. I'd have made one for myself to take for lunch, but I snagged the rest of the leftover mac and cheese for me instead! (And then ate it the moment I got to work...... I couldn't wait!)

ignayshus : that's so interesting, i've never heard of an allergy to meat! what kinds of veggies and fruits cant she eat?

Alton Brown has a good veggie spread that actually almost looks appealing to a carnivore like myself. :)

omni. I like to eat cheese and pickle sandwiches, egg salad, tomato and cukes with mayo on toasted bread, veggie ground round sloppy joes, bean burrito (not a sandwich but same idea), Cottage cheese and jam on toast (breakfast, gets soggy for lunch)

I got some great ideas from this thread, thanks!

My favorite is ALT (Avocado, Lettuce & Tomato)!  Toast some whole wheat bread, spread on some egg-free mayo (I LOVE Follow Your Heart Veganaise) then add sliced avocado, tomatoes and lettuce.  YUM!!!  If you want you can also add some Baco's which are vegan and give the sandwich a little crunch. 

I just tried avocado and tomato and it's so good! I wouldn't have thought it was be such a great combo. I rarely put lettuce in sandwiches but I can see that the crunch would add something, GLF.  I got thinking that a little grated cheddar would be the ultimate decadence for the non-vegan.

sequoia,

That's for sure! The middle path is better, safer and not to mention much more effective if you are trying to make a point rather than to just count more followers :-) and it keeps you sane, minimizing the chance people telling you the cliche "Get a life" and making a valid point with that.

On the vegetarian (or not) orientation it is also very important to be modest, being either vegetarian or omnivore - it applies to both.

I am omni, but I didn't event find necessary to mention that I have some pure vegetarian days, because it is so natural to do so. Furthermore, I have pure vegan days. And I still consider myself a distinct omnivore, since to be an omnivore means to have foods from different types.

I certainly agree that it is a very good practice to fast like a couple of times per year (like I tend to do).

It also would also apply to so many other things you swallow, that the stronger and the more concetrated is a food or a drink is, the most you should abstain from it. That is why I eat less meet than dairy products, less dairy than grain stuff, less grain than fruits, less fruits than vegetables and it seems natural to do so.

I am not sure I could adequately comment the moral issues you mentioned. Since have moral issues with so many stuff, I somehow don't seem to have the one with the meet. It is probably so because I have spent many time in countryside, but still there are people how also did so and still have the moral concern with the meet.

I have also been slauthering animals in my life (as it sounds perfectly obnoxious to me even to mention that) but it hasn't been that bad, my grandfather taught me doing so, and again as crazy it may sound here, with some great concern about what the animal feels (or rather the opposite was the point). So I don't have the moral concern, since I tend to eat meat as I need (according to my beliefs), if I was stacking my mouth with the stuff on every serving, I guess I would been having lots of those concerns myself.

So - it is to be modest.

Thanks for the reply,

- Ilia

 

A really yummy sandwich I like to make is tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and vegannaise on a toasted whole wheat pita. It's freakin delicious. It'd probably be good with a slice of avocado or red onion but I haven't tried it.

amberrr, I love cheese and sweet pickles together! Yum.

For those of you who use chickpeas in various ways, what are the various ways? I have some -- canned -- and would like to experiment with them for his lunches and need ideas!

vegan.

my favorite sandwich fillings:

1. PB & maple syrup/nectar + sliced banana.

2. PB + cranberries + alfalfa sprouts

3. TJ's soy cheese + Tofurky deli slices + alfalfa sprouts + PB

4. sliced apple + PB...

5. fresh toast + soy yogurt.

6. PB + pickle slices (sounds gross but give it a try! it's pretty good) 

most of mine are Peanut Butter-based because it's cheap and doesn't make the bread soggy :P