“If you don’t eat meat, what DO you eat?“

For the last 18 years of being a vegetarian, people have asked me, “If you don’t eat meat, what DO you eat?” My answer has been “I eat everything else.” This is a sneak peek into the life of one vegetarian. Starting today, I’ll be sharing everything I eat for the next year. The real deal, from junk food snacks to home cooked farmer’s market meals. Nothing’s off the table, you’ll see it all. Follow daily from Photo Kitchen’s Instagram (or follow the hashtag #whatavegetarianeats365) and come back here for recipes and such.

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Find more information about underlined items (such as recipes) at the bottom of the page. 

1. Chana Masala: An Indian dish with chickpeas in a rich tomato sauce over rice.

2. Cherry Pop-Tarts

3. Fried Eggs and Morningstar Farms Original Sausage Patties (vegetarian breakfast sausage.)

4. Tabouli Salad: A Greek dish with parsley, chickpeas, feta and lemon.

5. Provolone Grilled Cheese

6. Popcorn

7. Creamy Purple Kale Pasta with Lemon

8. Avocado and clementines

9. Cheerios and Hartzler Farms milk

10. Vegetarian Philly Cheesesteak

11. Sushi with avocado, carrot and cucumber

12. Taco Bowl with quinoa, Quorn Meatfree Grounds, salsa, and taco style cheese

13. Gold Rush apple with homemade “trail mix” butter

14. Creamy Purple Kale Pasta with Lemon and Shaved Parmesan

15. Provolone Grilled Cheese and a bowl of black olives

16. Bourbon-soaked cherries

17. Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps

18. Clementines and Dove dark chocolate

19. Vegetarian Philly Cheesesteak

20. Tabouli Salad: A Greek dish with parsley, chickpeas, avocado, feta and lemon.

21. Canned cranberry sauce

Chana Masala Recipe

(adapted from Vegetarian Times Magazine)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups crushed canned tomatoes
• 2 cans chickpeas
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. add cumin seeds, and cook until they begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add onions, and cook until they begin to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, jalapeno, garam masala, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Tabbouli Salad Ingredients

Curly parsley, chickpeas, quinoa, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil

Creamy Purple Kale Pasta with Lemon Ingredients

Spaghetti, chickpeas, purple kale, shallots, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, heavy whipping cream, and fresh rosemary

Vegetarian Philly Cheesesteak Ingredients

Red pepper, onion, mushroom, provolone cheese, banana peppers, pickles, mustard, Vegannaise, oregano, on a sub bun

Trail Mix Butter

Peanuts, cashews, dried cherries, raisins, sunflower seeds ground up in a food processor.