Refusing some or all of a meal prepared by someone who cares about you is hard, and often not understood. When someone cooks for you, they not only give you their financial resources, but their time, effort, and creative energy. Asking for special consideration, a change in the creative thought, or extra effort, goes against not only being a good guest, but also against how I would like to receive such a gift.

As I have transitioned to a vegetarian diet, I’ve tried to navigate how to graciously dine with my omnivorous friends in their homes. The importance of communication became clear immediately. At first, I was hesitant to label myself a vegetarian. The word seemed so daunting, and I wasn’t sure I was going to last. Pridefully, I didn’t want to broadcast my new diet fad and then retract it. So, I showed up at barbecues, rudely refused chicken breasts, and stammered about thinking about going vegetarian. My hosts were left confused, frustrated about not feeding me, and annoyed at my wishy-washy information. Once I took the plunge and went public, the expectation for me to eat meat disappeared. The officialness of the vegetarian label reassured my hosts I wasn’t judging their cooking skills and finding them wanting.

While it’s the vegetarians’ responsibility to come up with a menu friendly to veggies and meat eaters alike when we are hosting, it is also our responsibility to make it easy on anyone who hosts us for a meal. A few tips: Always let your host know you’re a vegetarian if they don’t already know — no one likes surprises. Always offer to bring a dish to share so the host knows you aren’t expecting accommodation. Always follow through on bringing the dish or something nice for the host if they do accommodate you (wine, chocolates, etc.). Never expect anyone to cater to your specific needs; be prepared to fend for yourself.

However, mostly I’ve realized I have talented, creative, and accommodating friends. I keep finding myself surprised and impressed at the vegetarian delights my non-vegetarian friends serve. Here’s a sampling of recipes, or at least similar recipes, for what my friends have cooked up. If you’re looking for new ideas for your own meat-free kitchen or worried about what to serve your meat-free friends, here’s a few to consider. And to all my foodie friends: thank you for the amazing meals!

• Texas Taco Soup – Leave out the beef for a pot of veggie-friendly soup! Hominy, limas optional.
• Risotto Cakes
• Omelets or Quiche
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Arancinci
• Veggie/Bean Burgers – Homemade or Store-bought
• Pumpkin Soup
• Sauteed Pepper and Onion Sandwich - Easily add the sausage for some and not for the veggies!
• Homemade Pizza
• Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower – Leave out the proscuitto and flavor w/ lemon and capers

Boston Local Food Festival

The Boston Local Food Festival takes over Fort Point Channel on October 2nd. Local farmers, local businesses, and local restaurants will set up shop along the waterfront to celebrate all that New England has to offer. Festival goers will find plenty of food to sample (both vegetarian and not) as well as demonstrations by local celebrity chefs, musicians, and even a beer garden featuring local breweries. Everyone is encouraged to help make the event a zero-waste festival: bring your own utensils and water bottles, compost any food you don’t eat, and recycle anything that can be recycled. If you have your own garden, bring your extra produce and donate it to The Food Project.

Several of my personal favorite Boston food companies will be in attendance: Boston Organics, Nella Pasta, and the Haley House Bakery and Cafe, just to name a few. The festival is one day only, so check it out this Saturday, October 2nd. You’ll eat some great food and discover some local companies passionate about creating and selling quality, healthy, locally-sourced products.

Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

Now in its fifteenth year, the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival has expanded to a two-day event at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center (Orange Line to Roxbury Crossing, free parking available). I attended for the first time last year, and left with a full belly and lots of ideas for my kitchen. Many of the festival vendors bring free samples and others sell fantastic vegetarian meals. Don’t eat before you go. Last year I discovered vegan coconut milk ice cream, which is better than diary milk ice cream if you ask me, dessert hummus from Crazy Camel, and Herbivore Clothing, from which I procured my “Eat Like You Give a Damn” tshirt. The full exhibitors’ list and speaker schedule is yet to come, but it’s sure to be packed full of all things vegetarians love.

With summer behind me, I’m ready to get back into my kitchen. I hope you are, too and these two festivals just might be the inspiration we need. See you there!

In fact, pondering frozen meals may have led to the first time I ever thought, “I wonder what Martha Stewart has to say about this.” The minute that thought entered my head, I felt my life enter a new era, one where my Slate.com bookmark gets replaced by GoodHousekeeping.com. Nevertheless, she’s the queen of domesticity for a reason, and Martha’s got a few tips. And of course, so does Real Simple. Truth: I once subscribed to Real Simple, and had to cancel it because it just stressed me out. I knew I should be organizing my laundry room and cataloging my extra buttons, but I just couldn’t get it together.

Anyways, there seems to be a dearth of advice on freezing vegetarian food. Perhaps because no one expects you to do it. Perhaps the good vegetarians only eat farm fresh produce and grains they grew in their own backyard. Well, I’ll get to that after I buy an old library card catalog and use it to store my buttons by shape and size. Having a freezer full of homemade food sounds like heaven to me.

And I love the idea of epic cooking days where you end up with multiple dishes to freeze and a lot of quality time with your friends. You might even convince your meat-eating friends to join you for a vegetarian cooking day, where you can spread the good word about quinoa, lentils, and the like.

Here are a few recipes I’ve had good luck freezing. If you have any, send them my way!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Spinach Lasagna

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans

Wine-Braised Lentils
*I leave out the pearl onions entirely and the bread until ready to serve

Espresso Black Bean Chili

Inspired by a recipe for a Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry from 101 Cookbooks, I purchased some locally made tofu and hoped for success. I pressed some of the liquid out of the tofu block, cut it, drizzled some olive oil over it, and baked the hell out of it. It baked for almost an hour. However, I may have taken the extreme part too far. The tofu turned out very dry, even crunchy around the edges on a few pieces. Perhaps too much olive oil? Nevertheless, this was by far the best tofu to come out of my kitchen. Next time, I’ll stick with baking the tofu first, but with less olive oil.

As for the lemony chickpeas with tofu and kale, I did really like the dish. The lemon zest and texture of the kale with the chickpeas made for a great combination. Mostly, I loved knowing that every ingredient in the dish served up some serious nutrition. The tofu sort of blended in with all the tastes and textures, which is a good thing when you’re learning to love something. The leftovers even made it into my lunch the next day.

Bistro Du Midi

I enjoyed my first Restaurant Week dinner at Bistro du Midi. This new French bistro took the place of Excelsior next to the Four Seasons in Back Bay. They added a lovely patio overlooking the Public Garden. When I stopped in for a glass of wine a few months ago, the staff seemed pleasant and the atmosphere relaxed, unexpected for any restaurant in this location.

After discovering gnocchi with goat cheese on their restaurant week menu, I immediately recruited friends and made a reservation. Some of the tables in the upstairs dining room have fantastic views of the Public Garden. It’s cozy and refined at the same time.

The bread, which I had read about on Yelp, was fantastic. Our charming waiter made sure to tell us it was baked fresh with herbs, like they do in Provence. With his Russian accent and enthusiasm for basil, we were enchanted for the rest of the evening. My simple salad — mixed greens, apples, balsamic vinaigrette — tasted fresh and perfectly flavored. The gnocchi was delicious with the mild goat cheese a perfect complement to the pistou (pesto without the pine nuts or cheese). Topped with french green beans and those missing pine nuts, this dish made for a very happy girl. The dessert looked so amazing, I forgot to take a picture and dug right in. I had the palette of gianduja (chocolate with hazelnut paste) with hazelnut ice cream. The chocolate was rich and good, and the ice cream actually had hazelnuts in it.

For wine, I had something white the waiter recommended. It was a blend of several French wines, and as enchanted as we were, we ordered whatever he suggested. Several of my friends also ordered cocktails and they looked phenomenal. The waiter even gave me a tour of the full menu, pointing out  all the dishes that were vegetarian and which sides pair well with them.

Overall, Bistro du Midi delivered a wonderful Restaurant Week experience. It felt like a fantastic deal on really great food at a really great restaurant, which is how it should be. I’ll be returning soon, perhaps for one last drink on the patio before the Boston winter settles in.

Vegetarian Take-away: Don’t discount a French restaurant because you don’t eat beef bourguignon. With an emphasis on high-quality, fresh ingredients, the French may surprise you with something spectacular and vegetarian. And don’t forget to tell your waiter you’re vegetarian. They know the menu better than anyone, and charming or not, they may have some great suggestions.

29 Newbury

Second on my tour of Restaurant Week: 29 Newbury — an easy-to-miss spot on Newbury Street between Arlington and Berkeley . You may have noticed the nice outdoor patio when window shopping nearby at Cartier. Despite its low rating on Yelp, I decided to give it a try out of curiosity and the need to make a reservation for eight people on a Saturday night during Restaurant Week. No easy task. While thankful 29 Newbury could seat our large party at a reasonable time, the situation did seem a little suspect.

One of my dining companions wrote a review of our experience at 29 Newbury, so I won’t rehash it all, but let’s suffice it to say I won’t be hurrying back. The company was indeed wonderful, and we had great post-dinner drinks at MiniBar. Howerver, the food, the service, and the atmosphere left something to be desired.

Vegetarian Take-away: Be suspicious of overly ambitious menus and restaurants empty on a Saturday night.

Henrietta’s Table

Round Three for Restaurant Week took me to Cambridge. A friend who moved away from Boston a few years ago was visiting, and it seemed like the perfect reason to cross the river for some good food. Rave reviews abound for this restaurant tucked away in the Charles Hotel, especially for the brunch buffet. Henrietta’s Table always cooks up fresh, organic, local food and even lists the farms they support on their website. Lovely.

The atmosphere befits the name: cozy, casual, and lively. The sturdy wood furniture and bread baskets foreshadow the fresh-from-the-farm food on its way to your plate. When surveying Restaurant Week menus, Henrietta’s stood out for one reason: polenta. I love polenta. It seems there is a grits-loving Southern girl hiding somewhere inside me, because I could eat polenta (grits first cousin) every day. In the summer it’s too hot to make polenta in my tiny kitchen, so I make a point to order it as often as possible.  Henrietta’s online menu for Restaurant Week featured stone-ground polenta with sauteed summer vegetables, heirloom dried beans, farro, and wilted greens in white wine. Heaven.

When I got the menu at Henrietta’s, the polenta was no where to be found. I enquired. They took it off the menu a few weeks ago. Horror. This shouldn’t be surprising since this restaurant serves food that is in season: menus change frequently. The current menu featured only one vegetarian entree: stuffed tomato with tabouleh-style quinoa. I love quinoa, but I don’t like tabouleh. I ordered it, hoping the tabouleh-style meant how it was mixed together, not the flavor.

The table bread was very good – three different kinds of wheat bread. One seemed to be a sourdough and the other had nuts and cranberries in it. My salad — spinach salad with blackberries, chevre, and spicy maple-pecan vinaigrette — was delightful. The berries and the cheese were perfect against the spicy dressing. I wondered if the salad was actually made with chard, but forgot to ask. When the tomato arrived, the presentation looked great, but the stuffing tasted like tabouleh (surprise). The flavors–lemon and parsley–were fresh and not overpowering, but just not my favorite. The accompanying roasted vegetables tasted good, as did my side of roasted beets.

The waiter recommended the peach cobbler and the chocolate mud pie for dessert, and who can resist either of those? The chocolate is from Taza, a local Boston chocolatier. The peaches were fantastic, which is rare in New England. Dessert may have been my favorite course. Or maybe the salad…

But Henrietta’s didn’t stop there. We both ordered local wine from Rhode Island, which pleasantly surprised us. At the end of our meal, the waiter brought over some ginger molasses cookies in the shape of Henrietta’s signature pig. Despite the disappointment of the polenta, I’ll be back to Henrietta’s soon.

Vegetarian Take-away: Make a point to patronize restaurants that serve organic, local food. But remember to call ahead to check on the menu for that day. You might be limited to one or two dishes, so make sure you like them!

The United Nation’s 2006 report on the livestock industry says, “Globally, [the livestock industry] is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases and one of the leading causal factors in the loss of biodiversity, while in developed and emerging countries it is perhaps the leading source of water pollution.” That said, I know there are a lot of people who love Mother Earth and still eat meat. In fact, I discovered at last year’s Boston Vegetarian Food Festival that the vegetarians are supposed to mad at Al Gore because he eats meat yet claims to be passionate about ending climate change. Al points out he has cut back his meat intake, which I think is great. The more plants, the better for the earth and the better for you.

If you’re already reducing your meat intake or perhaps not eating meat at all, you’re already being green. However, if anyone takes these drastic steps toward change in something as complicated as their diet, I doubt they are content to rest on their green laurels. And if you’re not ready to reduce your meat consumption, there are many other ways to get started on greening your lifestyle. Here are few really easy ideas:

• Buy a reusable water bottle and use it. Every day. Maybe it’s BPA-free plastic, aluminum, stainless steel, whatever. I finally bought a fancy water bottle small enough to fit into most of my bags, and I make myself take it everywhere. Several months later, I can’t even count how many disposable plastic bottles it prevented me from purchasing. Further, tap water is often cleaner than bottled water. Tap water is free. Tap water is available almost everywhere. And you can rest easy knowing your plastic water bottles are not floating around in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a floating island of plastic the size of Texas.
• While you’re at it, buy a travel coffee mug and use it. Every day. If you don’t buy coffee or always drink your coffee out of a mug at home, this might not be that revolutionary for you. But if get your Dunkin’ Donuts in a styrofoam cup every morning or your Starbucks in a paper cup, think about how much trash that creates. There is a Facebook group petitioning for Dunkin’ Donuts to stop using styrofoam. It would be great if they did, but in the meantime, don’t participate. As an added bonus, when I ask the barista to put the coffee in my travel mug, they almost always wash it for me, too.
• Find out where your recycling goes. If you live in a city with recycling services, the city probably provides recycling boxes that allow you to separate your trash from the recycling. In Boston, we have blue bins for recycling. If you live in a condo or apartment building, your management company probably hires someone to take out the trash and recycling on trash day. Watch them do it once. Does the recycling stay in the blue bin all the way to the curb? I always took for granted that it did, but in two out of the three Boston apartments I’ve lived in, the recycling was thrown away. Maybe the management companies think it is easier and more efficient to just throw it out, but in some cities it’s illegal in addition to being horrifying. If you can’t watch the management take the recycling to the curb, try to notice if your neighbors have recycling bins out when your building does not. That tipped me off both times.

There are many, many other ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle, so if you’ve already conquered all of these, let me know what you’re doing. And if you’re in Boston, come check out the Boston Local Food Festival on October 2nd. Eating food produced locally is another great way to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet, and this festival is about celebrating all things local. The conference organizers are striving for the event to be a Zero Waste Festival, so be prepared to sort your trash, recycling, and compost.

For the uninitiated, Restaurant Week typically entails fancy restaurants offering prix fixe menus for a discounted price. I  took part in Restaurant Week in New York several weeks ago. Look for Restaurant Week in your city if you’re not in Boston or New York. It seems to be catching on nationwide: Indianapolis and Nashville each have their own.

Boston’s two-week culinary celebration started on August 15 and runs through August 27. Some restaurants extend their menus, so you may even find prix fixe menus going into September. This year, a two-course lunch will run $15.10 and a three-course lunch $20.10. For dinner, you’ll find three courses for $33.10. Don’t forget to tip your server on what the food normally costs. Nobody likes a Scrooge.

New for this year’s Restaurant Week is a partnership between the Greater Boston Convention and Vistors Bureau and the Sustainable Business Network of Boston (SBN). The SBN, which is also sponsoring the first Boston Local Food Festival later this year, worked with the organizers to highlight restaurants serving local food. Restaurants with Massachusetts-grown food on their Restaurant Week menus have a MassGrown logo next to the information. For those interested in finding local-food options, the search function at www.bostonusa.com/visit/restaurantweek offers a filter for these restaurants.

Here are a few top picks for vegetarian meals at restaurants with MassGrown food:

• Via Matta: Bruschetta of roasted local vegetables / Potato Gnocchi with sweet corn, basil, roasted mushrooms and parmigiano / Fresh Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with local berries
• Henrietta’s Table: Native Field Greens with Maine Tasty Tomatoes / Anson Mills Stone Ground Polenta with Sautéed Summer Vegetables, Heirloom Dried Beans, Farro, Wilted Greens in White Wine / Taza Chocolate Pecan Mud Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Aquitaine Boston: Arugula Salad / Summer Quinoa / Peach Tarte Tartin
• Bistro du Midi: Mixed Green Salad / Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Haricots Verts and Pistou / Peach Clafoutis with Verbena Cream

We’ve got an entire fortnight to eat as much as we can. Let me know what’s good. And make sure to ask about local ingredients and confirm the dishes are definitely vegetarian. Send the demand signal. Let them know we care! Bon Appetit!

After visiting, I am wondering how I have survived without darkening its door. Beyond the  delicious food, the restaurants morphs into a music venue, Club Passim, at night. It’s mostly folk music–and a lot of bluegrass. That’s right. There’s a vegetarian restaurant in Boston with live bluegrass music: two of my favorite things under one roof. You can even order food during the shows. Heaven.

But wait, there’s more. Veggie Planet also supports an awesome non-profit in Boston called the Haley House. Based in the South End, the Haley House is an eclectic organization serving the underemployed and homeless community in and around the city. My first interaction with the Haley House came in 2006 when I first volunteered there with a group from my church. We have been serving meals in their soup kitchen on a quarterly basis for several years.

My list of things to love about the Haley House is long, perhaps I’ll list them all in another post. In a nutshell, this organization is committed to serving people in need and building a vibrant community. A lot of their work centers on food – training bakers, sourcing local and organic ingredients, and providing healthy meals to their community. Learn more about the Haley House and become a part of their vision by visiting their walk-in bakery on Dartmouth Street in the South End or their cafe in Dudley Square. Didi Emmons herself runs the cafe in Dudley Square.

If you can’t make it to the Haley House, not to worry. Everytime you have a pizza at Veggie Planet, you are chowing down on organic pizza dough crafted by the bakers at Haley House. This brings me back to the tofu. Confronted with Veggie Planet’s vast menu, I couldn’t pick just one pizza. Remember, of course, that I typically go to regular restaurants with one or two options for a vegetarian. An entire menu of meat-free options was overwhelming. Thankfully, they anticipate this dilemna and let you pick two kinds of pizza for a half-and-half deal.

My custom pizza featured half Mexican Bean and half Peanut Curry–an odd combination, but how do you pick just one? Both were delicious! The Mexican Bean had a tasty black bean puree, cheese, and really good salsa. The Peanut Curry was my favorite of the two. On top of the pizza dough sat coconut rice, broccoli, peanut sauce, and…tofu croutons.

The crouton is now my favorite way to eat tofu (not that there were many contenders). It wasn’t chewy, had a consistent texture, and, of course, great thai seasoning. Oh, and they were fried. My approval is not surprising. I have to start somewhere!

My friend Rachel gets credit for dragging me across the river and suggesting Veggie Planet. She ordered the Roasted Vegetables and Rice entree (not served on pizza dough). It looked so delicious, I snapped a picture of her meal, too. Head over to Veggie Planet ASAP. Not only are you being good to yourself by eating good food, but you’re also supporting good work in the community.

I recently had to get back on the food log wagon after several weeks of total nutrition failure. First, my refrigerator broke. Kaput. Done. Of course, I realized the problem at 6:30 on a Friday night. My landlord responded reasonably quickly, but I didn’t get a new refrigerator until Monday. That means ALL my food spoiled. Well, almost. A sweet friend and neighbor loaned me some room in her refrigerator, so the fresh eggs I had just bought at the Farmer’s Market and my soy milk were safe.

Looking at my refrigerator and freezer and knowing it was all going to spoil, I realized how attached I am to my food. I immediately cooked up some frozen ravioli from Nella Pasta that was awaiting a special occasion. It would be so wrong to let it go to waste. As I surveyed the looming damage, I saw how much of my time and effort has gone into my food lately: The bag full of frozen basil leaves I grew myself, the pesto ground in my own food processor, the black beans cooked for hours in my own kitchen, and the bean broth carefully saved after the beans cooked. These things can’t be replaced at Whole Foods.

While I was without a refrigerator, I ate some food out of my cabinets, but mostly picked up random food on the go. My new fridge was delivered on Monday morning, and I left town for Chicago on Tuesday for a work conference. The meetings all took place at the Sheraton in downtown Chicago. Before I went, I did fleetingly wonder about vegetarian options, but naively thought a big conference hotel would automatically provide meat-free alternatives. The first lunch of the conference consisted of various deli-meat sandwiches. I couldn’t find a vegetarian sandwich, so I flagged down the catering manager and asked for one. She said she had ordered some wheat bread that should be arriving soon. Wheat bread? As a MEAL? Thanks, Sheraton! The rest of the week was filled to the brim with pasta salad, potato salad, dinner rolls, and side salads.

I flew back to Boston to an empty kitchen and a lot of work to do. So it was another week of grabbing whatever food I could find quickly. By the end of the week, I felt awful. Realizing my protein and iron intake were both very low for weeks, it was time to get serious about eating good food. I cooked up some kale, which I’m convinced can cure just about anything, lentils, quinoa, spinach, chickpeas, and eggs. Not all together.

Vegetarians getting enough protein usually gets all the attention, but equally important is iron. Here’s a list of iron-rich foods for vegetarians:

• Eggs
• Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
• Beans
• Peas
• Dark green leafy vegetables, (especially spinach and chard)
• Nuts and seeds
• Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots

Some other tips for upping your iron intake are combining Vitamin-C-rich foods with iron-rich foods and avoiding consuming dairy at the same time.

Tonight I cooked up some zucchini and chard with a white-bean-pesto puree. It wasn’t the same with store-bought pesto, but I’m storing up my basil leaves and plotting for some quality time in my tiny kitchen.

First Red Flag: The proposed restaurant? The Fatty Crab. My friends called ahead to find out about vegetarian options since two out of five people in our party were vegetarians. Second red flag: They confirmed they did, if we ordered the salad dressing on the side. Third red flag: When we told the waiter we were vegetarian, he recommended the restaurant down the street. Final nail in the coffin: My asparagus tasted odd, which I attributed to the mystery white chunks. I asked the waiter what they were; he gasped and said not to eat it. Lard. It was lard. On my asparagus.

However, I take full responsibility. After red flag number one, two, or three, I should have grabbed a snack and sat with my friends as THEY ate at the Fatty Crab.

Thus, my New York dining spirits were low. Last week, I returned and found myself looking for a restaurant in Midtown to accommodate everyone’s schedules and locations. I called my friend Kristen, a former New Yorker who always knows the best restaurants, shops, markets, and life choices. She was skeptical about finding a good spot in Midtown, but she delivered with a recommendation for Fig & Olive. After three delicious courses, New York dining was redeemed for this vegetarian!

We had a delightful meal, though the wait was reallllly long since it also happened to be NYC’s Restaurant Week. I ordered off the prix-fixe Restaurant Week menu – three courses for $35:

Zucchini Carpaccio: Zucchini thinly sliced, finished with lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan- Picholine Olive Oil	Penne Funghi Tartufo: Cremini mushrooms, black truffle paste, scallion, parmesan cheese – White Truffle Oil	Dessert Crostini: Local-Farmed Strawberries, Mascarpone, 18 Year Aged Balsamic On Shortbread with Micro-Basil

I would return to Fig & Olive, but with a whole city of potentially great dining options, I think I’ll brave the potential Fatty Crabs and hope for something spectacular.

I also spent a few hours waiting out a rainstorm with a latte and the New Yorker. Another success.