JournalNow.com: Veggin' Out

Contrary to a popular stereotype, vegetarians are not all champions of self-denial, pathetically munching a sprout on the sidelines while watching the omnivores have all the culinary fun. Instead, the vegetarians we know love good food and know where to get it. They aren't about to settle for a bland meal, either at home or at a restaurant.

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A quick step back to the veggie eating road trip experience: We just got back from a road trip to Colorado to visit family and, veggie-wise, it was a tad difficult. There was the Subway standby and cheese-less pizzas. Cracker Barrel’s menu now warns that veggie sides can have meat seasonings, but I sure didn’t expect the bacon bits in the garden salad! The biggest problem is being tired and having to think too much about what to eat.

Now current: I’ve been vegetarian for about 35 years and “in the beginning” was very happy to have meat substitutes. Loma Linda made Big Franks and Tender Bits (faux chicken bits). My favorite back then was Wham (you can guess which faux it was). As the years progressed, I became less and less enchanted with meat substitutes because of the texture and possible association of taste to the critter the substitute is supposed to be mimicking.

Having said that, Smart Dogs are my favorite and here’s a recipe I love:

(Remember I’m not a kitchen gal, so the measurements are flexible)

Preheat oven to 350. Boil 4 Smart Dogs and chop into bite-size pieces. Empty one large can Bush’s (I hate that name) veggie beans (or two smaller cans of other brands)into a margarine smeared medium size casserole. Add the Smart Dog pieces. Saute one small chopped up red onion and one small diced green pepper until slightly tender and dump into casserole. Add a very small drained can of diced pineapple chunks (keep the juice), a “dollop” of brown sugar, barbecue sauce to your taste, some of the pineapple juice and a tablespoon of vinegar. Bake for 25 minutes.

12/19/2006 5:57 PM

Countess