I was a vegetarian for 6 years until about a year ago. I began eating seafood again...then I ate some chicken... and then beef... and it all spiraled out of control. I just recently made the transition back to vegetarianism. I had to... my digestive system cannot handle meat at all. It's odd. If I eat meat, I get terrible heartburn... but if I skip the meat, I'm fine.
I tend to like raw veggies better than cooked veggies, so many of the things I make at home are raw dishes.
One of my favorite snakes is to take some pita, spread humus on it, cover the humus in fresh baby spinach leaves, sprinkle with feta, throw a couple black olives on, and roll up the pita. MMMMmmmmm.
The real key for me in being a vegetarian is finding interesting flavor combinations, just to keep things from getting boring. A friend of mine from Laos always used to offer me sour green apples, dipped in crushed hot dried peppers (try habeneros or serranos) which have been mixed into grapeseed or peanut oil. Sounds crazy, right? The combination of sour and spicy hot has become one of my favorites.
I'm a huge fan of tofu, but I try to limit my tofu intake, as it can be harmful to you if it becomes the staple in your diet. I prefer tempeh in place of tofu.
I also love couscous mixed with a little tiny bit of harisa. Here's a recipe for harisa...If you're into North African cuisine, harisa is a must have :
2 ounces dried Guajillo chiles
2 ounces dried de arbol chiles or any dried finger-type chile
5 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and more for topping off
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1. Soak the peppers in tepid water to cover until softened, about 45 minutes to 1 hour . Drain and remove the stems and seeds. Place in a blender or food processor with the garlic, water, and olive oil and process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
2. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the caraway, coriander, and salt. Store in a jar and top off, covering the surface of the paste with a layer of olive oil. Whenever the paste is used you must always top off with olive oil making sure no paste is exposed to air otherwise it will spoil.