What can a veggie eat?: Taco Bell

***11/6/2013 Edited to add the following: ***
Ever since I went GMO-free and organic in January 2013, I have been debating with myself about whether or not to delete this post and the others regarding fast food restaurants. My dilemma is that this post brings in more readers than all my other posts combined, and I don't want to lose that if even just a few of you stay around to read more than this post -- yet I also don't want it to seem as if I am promoting or condoning eating at these restaurants. Even the menu items which appear to be free of animal ingredients or which are marketed as "healthy" options are still crammed full of unnecessary filler ingredients, chemicals, and preservatives. Yes, even the fruit.

If this post brought you to my blog, I strongly encourage you to read my more recent posts starting with this one. 

Surprisingly (to me, anyway), even though Taco Bell is probably best known for their meaty dishes, they actually have quite a few meatless options, thanks to good ol' beans.

These menu items appear to be ok for ovo-lacto-vegetarians:

Cinnamon twists
Bean burrito
7-layer burrito
Pintos 'n cheese
Mexican rice
Cheese quesadilla
Cheese roll-up

These items are iffy because of their mysterious "natural flavors" in the nacho cheese sauce and the empanada:

Caramel apple empanada
1/2 Pound cheesy bean & rice burrito
Nachos
Cheesy fiesta potatoes
Triple layer nachos

I'd also call the Fiesta Potatoes iffy for now, just because I don't know if they're fried with any meat items. Maybe someone else knows?

Disclaimer: This list is a guide, but isn't absolute. This list only pertains to what does or does not contain animal ingredients, but items on it may contain other ingredients you might find unsuitable (soy, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc). Or, you may find items on this list or at this restaurant unsuitable for other reasons not listed here. So: Don't just take my word for it. Do your own research. Ask questions. Make sure they don't cook your food in animal fat. Etc, etc. If you see any errors in my list or if you have additional information, please notify me kindly, but no flames please. :)

What can a veggie eat?: Burger King

***11/6/2013 Edited to add the following: ***
Ever since I went GMO-free and organic in January 2013, I have been debating with myself about whether or not to delete this post and the others regarding fast food restaurants. My dilemma is that these posts bring in more readers than all my other posts combined, and I don't want to lose that if even just a few of you stay around to read more than this post -- yet I also don't want it to seem as if I am promoting or condoning eating at these restaurants. Even the menu items which appear to be free of animal ingredients or which are marketed as "healthy" options are still crammed full of unnecessary filler ingredients, chemicals, and preservatives. Yes, even the fruit.

If this post brought you to my blog, I strongly encourage you to read my more recent posts starting with this one. 

Here is my latest installment of trying-to-be-helpful tips for vegetarians caught in a fast food restaurant. I sincerely hope I am being helpful with this information and not insulting or offensive to other vegetarians! For more on that, please read my disclaimer at the bottom.

Burger King: not a lot of options here. But! At least they have a veggie burger! A yummy Morningstar Farms one, even. Just make sure they microwave it, not cook it on the grill with the meat!

These items appear to be okay for ovo-lacto-vegetarians (again, items marked with a "V" appear to be vegan):

BK veggie burger
French fries - V (website claims that these are always cooked in a separate, dedicated fryer)
Dutch apple pie - V
Apple fries - V
Kraft mac & cheese (kids' meal)
Cini-minis
Shakes
Hershey's sundae pie
Side garden salad - V
Tendercrisp/Tendergrill garden salad w/o chicken
Ketchup
Mustard

I've classified these items as "iffy", because the website warns that they may be cooked in the same fryer as meat products:

Onion rings
Cheesy tots
French toast sticks
Hash browns

I could not find any info on their website for ingredients in their salad dressings, so be careful. Read the packet first.

Disclaimer: This list is a guide, but isn't absolute. This list only pertains to what does or does not contain animal ingredients, but items on it may contain other ingredients you might find unsuitable (soy, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc). Or, you may find items on this list or at this restaurant unsuitable for other reasons not listed here. So: Don't just take my word for it. Do your own research. Ask questions. Make sure they don't cook your food in animal fat. Etc, etc. If you see any errors in my list or if you have additional information, please notify me kindly, but no flames please. :)

What can a veggie eat?: McDonald's

***11/6/2013 Edited to add: ***
Ever since I went GMO-free and organic in January 2013, I have been debating with myself about whether or not to delete this post and the others regarding fast food restaurants. My dilemma is that this post brings in more readers than all my other posts combined, and I don't want to lose that if even just a few of you stay around to read more than this post -- yet I also don't want it to seem as if I am promoting or condoning eating at these restaurants. Even the menu items which appear to be free of animal ingredients or which are marketed as "healthy" options are still crammed full of unnecessary filler ingredients, chemicals, GMOs, and preservatives. Yes, even the fruit.

If this post brought you to my blog, I strongly encourage you to read my more recent posts starting with this one. Thank you.

Fast food restaurants aren't generally known for being very veggie-friendly (or health-friendly, or animal-friendly, or earth-friendly, or ...), though some are better than others. But sometimes circumstances beyond our control place us in a fast food restaurant reeking of beef, with a growling stomach and few options. What can you do? Well, you can give them the finger and go hungry, or you can try to make the best of it. And if you should choose the latter, your friend Jazzhands is here to help.

Today I'm here to help you find something you can eat at McDonald's. Yes, I know you're groaning right now, possibly gagging, maybe even cursing my name -- but hear me out. We veggies may not choose to ever eat there, but you do have to give them a little credit: at least their website gives pretty thorough ingredient lists for all of their menu items (even demystifying those sketchy "natural flavors" by specifying whether they come from vegetable, dairy, or animal sources). And I have gone through the trouble of combing through the ingredient lists for you to find things you might not have known you could eat -- and some things you might have thought were safe, but aren't. There are even a few items that appear to be vegan -- nothing very substantial, but food nonetheless!

These appear OK for veg*ns (items marked with a "V" appear to be vegan):

southwest salad w/o chicken (has cheese; dressing is on the side)
caesar salad w/o chicken (has cheese; dressing is on the side)
side salad - V
vinaigrette dressing - V
english muffin - V
biscuit
hot cakes
apple dippers (but they have the flavor and peel removed -- bleh) - V
ice cream sundae
shakes
apple pie - V
cinnamon melts
mcdonaldland cookies
chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar cookies
ice cream cone

These are definitely not OK:

caesar dressing (contains anchovy)
italian dressing (contains anchovy)
ranch dressing (natural flavors from animal source)
southwest dressing (natural flavors from animal source)
french fries (natural beef flavor)
hashbrowns (natural beef flavor)

These items are iffy:

fruit and walnut salad/fruit and yogurt parfait (contains gelatin)
mcgriddles, mcmuffin (these have meat by default, but you might be able to order them w/o. The griddle cakes and biscuits themselves are ok)
bacon ranch salad w/o chicken (you could possibly order this w/o the bacon, unless they are pre-made)

Disclaimer: This list is a guide, but isn't absolute. This list only pertains to what does or does not contain animal ingredients, but items on it may contain other ingredients you might find unsuitable (soy, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc). Or, you may find items on this list or at this restaurant unsuitable for other reasons not listed here. So: Don't just take my word for it. Do your own research. Ask questions. Make sure they don't cook your food in animal fat. Etc, etc. If you see any errors in my list or if you have additional information, please notify me kindly, but no flames please. :)

More restaurants to come!

Recipe: Spinach Enchiladas

This is my version of Enchiladas Espinacas, inspired by a vegetarian dish of the same name from a local Mexican restaurant called El Gitano. When I eat it there, I always mix the beans in with the enchiladas, so for my own version I decided to just put the beans inside to begin with. ;) The bottled salsa verde I have used with this recipe isn't nearly as good as the green veggie sauce they use at the restaurant, but if I ever find a good recipe for that, I'll share it here too.


My version of ENCHILADAS ESPINACAS
(spinach enchiladas)
Serves 2-3

Amounts of filler ingredients are guesstimates. Adjust amounts to suit your own taste.

- 6 Corn tortillas (larger size)
- About 4 Baby Bella mushrooms (or equivalent), diced
- About 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
- About 1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
- About 1/3 of a large bell pepper (or equivalent of other pepper), diced
- About 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1/2 tomato, diced, seeds removed
- 1/2 can of red beans, rinsed and drained
- 16 fl oz of salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
- About 1/2 to 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (or as desired)
- Salt, pepper, and Mexican spices to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.
Saute mushrooms, pepper, onion, corn, and spices until onion starts to look translucent. Add spinach and cook for another minute or two. Move cooked veggies to a bowl and mix together with tomato and beans. Heat tortillas in microwave according to directions on package to soften them. Place a tortilla in baking pan, fill with veggie mixture, and roll up. Repeat with other tortillas, laying them close to each other in pan. Top liberally with sauce and grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until hot inside.

Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Burgers

My first thought when trying this new veggie burger was, "Mmm, this would be really good in a taco!" The tasty chipotle peppers and spices give it a Mexican sort of flavor. I immediately wished I had bought some lettuce along with these burgers so I could try out a Black Bean Chipotle taco!

I was worried that it would be too spicy, but it's really pretty mild. The texture is similar to other vegetable-y veggie burgers, like Gardenburger's Veggie Medley patties (another one of my favorites). Color-wise, it doesn't look much like the burger on the package -- it's a lighter, more orangey brown. Cooking it on the stove (or a grill, I assume) darkens it a bit, but not as much as on the package. It's not that the color bothers me, just that the photo is sort of misleading...

Another funny thought I had while trying this product: As I was enjoying the aromas filling the kitchen as the burger cooked on the stove, I started thinking about all the yummy nutritious things so many meat-eaters are missing out on! There are really only so many things you can do with a ground beef burger. I mean, look at the menu at a fast food restaurant. For the most part, all their "different" hamburgers aren't -- they're just different combinations of the same old meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, ketchup/mayo/mustard/sauce. But think of how much more variety you can get when you throw in a completely different kind of protein! And sadly, most meat-eaters will never give meat alternatives a chance, and will never know what they are missing. And restaurants won't, either. But that's another rant for another day.

So... overall, I really enjoyed this product and would recommend it if you like Mexican-type flavors. I can see it being another type of versatile veggie burger/meat replacement.

Protein source: Soy
Allergens: Soy, wheat
Vegan

Why the fake dairy?

If you've been keeping up with my blog up to this point, you may find yourself wondering, "If Jazzhands is an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, why does she bother trying fake dairy products?"

That's a very good question! It certainly seems easier (and cheaper) to just stick to moo juice and cheese. But something happened during my years-long conversion to vegetarianism -- my tastebuds woke up, and I discovered that I like trying new foods!

Plus, subconsciously I guess I'm sticking out my feelers toward veganism. I don't know if I could ever give up cheese or honey, but I'd never know if I didn't try some alternatives.

Also, it's good to know about alternative foods if the situation should arise that I would have to cook for vegans or people with other dietary restrictions.

The final reason is that I've often heard about cow milk containing undesirable stuff like antibiotics and hormones, which can mess with your body and your skin. If I could manage to switch off of cow milk for a while and feel better...

-jazzhands

Personalizing my blog... a work in progress

Hi, everyone. I've been lazy about updating lately, but I wanted to do something for my blog, so I designed the new picture for the banner at the top. Hope you like it! But if not, too bad! I plan to keep it for a while. However, I may decide to mess around with some other layout stuff, so don't freak out if it all looks completely different next time. :)

-jazzhands