How to Be a Soul Food Vegetarian

Hot water cornbread and meatless collard greens

After 23 years of eating soul food and meat being mandatory in the meals, it was difficult to find vegetarian options to satisfy those cravings. But with the help of a few frozen food brands, cookbooks, and restaurants you can conjure up some soulful veggie-filled cuisine.

Things You'll Need

• Cajun seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Lemon pepper
• Black pepper
• Red pepper
• Grandma Maud's Southern Seasoning
• Imitation bacon bits
• Chun's™ Sweet n' Sour sauce
• Margarine

Instructions

1. Visit som Soul Food Vegetarian restaurants like Soul Vegetarian East at 205 E. 7th Street in Chicago. None of their food is made with animal products. The second way I became convinced about good vegetarian food was going to a vegan restaurant called Alice & Friends at 5812 N. Broadway in Chicago. Noodles & Company gives vegetarians the option of choosing tofu instead of meat, and I particularly like the wheat fettuccini. But going to restaurants gets expensive, so I also bought two great cookbooks called, "The Ethnic Vegetarian" by Angela Shelf Medearis and "The Tofu Cookbook" by Leah Leneman.

2. 

   Find substitutes for flavor. For those who are familiar with soul food, it is filled with meat flavors, seasoning, butter, and lard. Although soul food is prone to clog your digestive system and can lead to heart issues, soul food does not have to be unhealthy nor does it have to have meat in it to taste just as delicious. Because bland and soul food should never be used in the same sentence, the following seasonings will regularly be used to prepare food:

   Cajun seasoning
   Garlic powder
   Greens seasoning
   Black pepper
   Lemon pepper
   Red pepper
   Grandma Maud's Southern Seasoning
   Imitation bacon bits
   Chun's™ Sweet n' Sour sauce
   Margarine (try Shedd's Spread Country Crock Calcium & Vitamins, which has 50% less fat and calories than butter; 10% Vitamin A; 10% Calcium; 15% Vitamin D; and 10% Vitamin E)

3. The best way to keep the flavor in vegetables that are more popular (in soul food) with meat is with margarine and different types of seasoning. You have not had a good boiled egg sandwich until you've had a sliced boiled egg sandwich between two pieces of toast and a light spread of margarine with yellow pepper. Of course vegetarians are likely to eat popular meals like veggie burgers, salad, and tofu, but there are plenty more choices. If you're not the type of person who enjoys cooking, the frozen food aisle and produce aisle in grocery stores can be your best friend. Here are some great snack and main meal brands I strongly recommend.

   Sandwiches:
   Fried bologna sandwich: LightLife Smart Deli® makes great bologna sandwiches without the without the fat, cholesterol, nitrites, MSG

   Other veggie meat that makes great sandwiches: LightLife Smart Deli®'s baked veggie ham and turkey

   Main Dishes:
   For chili, try Amy's Kitchen's Chili & Cornbread Whole Meal
   For Salisbury steak, try Amy's Kitchen's Country Dinner Whole Meal (also includes mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple crisps)
   Amy's Kitchen's Veggie Loaf Whole Meal (also includes mashed potatoes, peas, and corn)
   For greens and beans, try Amy's Kitchen's Southern Meal (also includes cornbread and sweet potatoes)
   For ground beef in spaghetti or tacos, use Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™; Smart Ground Taco & Burrito; or Smart Ground Original

   Breakfast food:
   Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Sausage Style Recipe Crumbles™
   Morningstar Farms® Breakfast Starters Classic Scramble
   LightLife's Smart Bacon™

   Beef:
   Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Steak Strips
   Morningstar Farms® Cheddar Burger
   Morningstar Farms® Grillers® Original
   Morningstar Farms® Philly Cheese Steak Burgers

   Chicken:
   For vegetarian chicken, try Quorn's Naked Chicken Cutlets
   Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Chik'n Strips

   Pork:
   Morningstar Farms® America's Original Veggie Dog® links
   Morningstar Farms® Veggie Corn Dogs

4. Tofu is an acquired taste, but it has its perks. Tofu tends to take on the taste of whatever seasoning you use and soaks it right in. If you are looking for a tougher texture (think chicken), always use firm or extra firm tofu. If you like a softer texture (think eggs), soft tofu may be a better choice. Tofu can be baked, fried, boiled and grilled just like any other meat.

5. If you'd like to start small, safe snack foods are CROWNS Roasted Vegetables and Three Cheese frozen snacks. This way, you get used to eating vegetables with seasoning already in them. Initially, you may feel like vegetables are a side item and not meant to be the full course meal. But over time, vegetables will be filling enough and items like this will stop being snacks and become a main course.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to eat as healthy as possible by trying out the following items as well: Vitamin B12---soy milk (Silk® is the best) and various cereals Vitamin D---margarine Calcium---tofu, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, bok choy, legumes (peas and beans), greens, calcium-enriched grain products, and lime-processed tortillas Iron---legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains, and iron fortified cereals and breads, especially whole wheat (absorption is improved by vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables, and potatoes with skins) Zinc---whole grains (especially the germ and bran), whole-wheat bread, legumes, nuts, and tofu Antioxidants---SunSweet® dried fruit (Chocolate Plum Sweets are a favorite)

• Soul Vegetarian East and Alice & Friends both serve food that has peanuts. If you are allergic to nuts, ask the waitress or cook about how your food is prepared before eating it. Also, some of the foods mentioned contain dairy products, so they are ideal for someone who wants to be a vegetarian, not a vegan. However, there are vegan items included.