Have you tried all-vegetarian dishes for your picnic food ideas? Contrary to most beliefs, vegetarian recipes are not just all about ‘greens’ or the so-called ‘rabbit foods’. Vegetarian cooking is not limited to salads and vegetables. It can also be as varied and as imaginative as any other types of cooking.

There are three kinds of vegetarian diets: lacto-ovo (includes dairy and eggs), lacto (includes only eggs), and vegan (all vegetables). Even if you go all the way of non-meat diet, you will not miss on anything ‘meaty’. There are substitutions that cleverly imitate the taste and the texture of meats such as tempeh (cultured soybeans), tofu (freeze-and-thaw to give meaty texture), and gluten (made from wheat). Milk, margarine, yogurts, and other dairy products can be made from soy.

Becoming a vegetarian does not mean you have to live on beans, nuts, and leafy veggies alone. Visit a nearby health food or Oriental stores to find a wide variety of ingredients for your vegetarian dishes.

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