How to Cook for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat Eaters

Is your family composed of vegetarians and meat-eaters? Do you have family members who yearn for Meatless Monday meals while other members of your family crave meat at every meal? That describes my family and out of a desire to not always be a short-order cook, I began to make hybrid recipes. My family of five is what I call a Hybrid family, composed of vegetarians and meat-eaters. We are a split table with regards to our diets. In this post, I’m giving tips on How to Cook for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters based on years of experience cooking this way for my own family.

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My tips will help you reduce time in the kitchen making two separate meals which will lead to more enjoyable family meals. My tips will also help you when you are having a vegetarian over for dinner when other guests like meat. Try one of my recipes to make the meal work for both diets from one recipe:)

Note: my recipes are usually lacto-ovo vegetarian in nature so they often contain dairy products.

 

How to Cook for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat by Making Hybrid Recipes

What is a Hybrid recipe? It’s a recipe that works for a split table. It’s a recipe made for a family composed of vegetarians and meat-eaters, just like mine.

I made up the term Hybrid Recipes so you may not see it anywhere else, but it’s my way of referring to recipes that contain a meatless and meat-containing portion.

It’s really not that hard to cook in this manner, it’s just about being mindful when cooking. Keep reading for my easy tips.

Split the Recipe in Half Before the Meat is Added

Making a recipe work for both vegetarians and meat-eaters is very easy to do when the recipe is split in half before the meat is added to one of the halves. By being mindful during preparation, you can easily cook this way yourself for your own family or dinner guests. In this method, you simply start the recipe and split it in half into two portions before the meat is added, and then continue on with the recipe.

The following chili recipe is a good example of this method. Two portions of chili are created, one with meat and one meatless with minimal effort. The recipe is made as one batch initially, and then it is split into two crockpots right before the ground beef is added to the meat portion.

To read the recipe instructions and ingredients, click the following link: Two Crockpot Hybrid Chili Recipe to Feed Vegetarians and Meat Eaters

 

 

Another example of this method is the recipe I created for Hybrid Recipe Rutabaga Vegetarian Plus Ham Lasagna Rolls

 

 

Keep the Meat Pieces Big

Keeping the meat pieces big works great for keeping the meat-free section separated from the meat-containing portion. For instance, if you are making a chicken and rice dish and you want a meatless portion to the dish, add full skinless chicken breasts to one side of the pan on the rice, and marinated tofu or marinated balsamic portabella mushroom caps on the other side. Since the meat pieces are large, they won’t drift to the non-meat side of the dish and you will have an easily made hybrid dish. Also, since the meat pieces are large, it will be obvious which portions contain meat and which are vegetarian.

Add the Meat in Last For Casseroles and Quiches

This is a simple way to make a hybrid dish by simply adding the meat in last rather than mixing it into the whole during the meal prep. Mix up all the ingredients for the dish, except the meat. When you add the mixture to the cooking dish, simply add the meat in last where desired. An example of this type of hybrid cooking can be seen in my Tomato Basil Hybrid Vegetarian & Ham Croissant Crust Quiche where the ham chunks are added in last.

This is an easy concept, think half and half pizza where the meat is added to the top of the dish on one half only.

 

 

And also in the recipe for Hybrid English Muffin Bread Tofu and Ham Quiche

 

The Hybrid Recipes are Easy for Busy Families

My recipes are not gourmet or complex. I’m not classically trained as a chef, but I’ve been trained through my own experiences. I’m trained by life through many years of cooking in this hybrid way for my own family. I started cooking as a teenager and my methods evolved through the years. My cooking ideas have been shaped by my momlife while raising three boys.

Since I’m a busy mom, I create easy realistic recipes other busy moms can also make:) As a food blogger who also focuses on family topics, I want to share recipes that are easy for families to make with common easy to find ingredients (in the US at least, I hope you can easily find these ingredients in your own country).

I want hybrid recipes to be practical and realistic recipes that work for everyday meals. I want them to be doable and in more of a mainstream vegetarian style than one where ingredients are only found in certain specialty stores. These ideas are what I strive for in recipe creation.

My recipes are meant for people who follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet because many include dairy products, though I occasionally create a vegan recipe.

My Story

I’ve been a full vegetarian since I was in the eighth grade (beginnings of started around fifth grade). The rest of my family eats meat. Since I believe in free choice for all, I don’t force my ways on my family. They choose to eat meat, I don’t. This post is about how I make it work for our family with our differing diets.

I try to buy free range from humane farmers whenever I can because I believe for those who do eat meat, it should be natural, and most importantly humane. Our world needs more farmers who do these types of practices. The meats and eggs do cost more, but it’s worth it to me for the humane factor and to support these important farmers. I believe it is healthier for the consumer too.

I am so lucky that we have a farm near us that sells free-range eggs from a humane-certified farmer. Look for a local farm near you who follows humane practices or look in your grocery store for these types of food products, some stores do carry them. If we all buy more of them, the price may go down and more farmers may adapt to more humane ways.

Even if you are unable to commit to this humane practice financially, I hope this post helps your family.

One Dish Two Diets: Recipes for Hybrid Families Composed of Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters Cookbook

Whether members of your family are vegetarians for ethical reasons (like me), dietary preference, or for health reasons, making meals that work for both vegetarians and meat-eaters within a family can be a challenge. However, I find it very doable. If you are looking for more hybrid cooking tips and some hybrid recipes, check out my cookbook:) If you enter your information by filling out the box below, I can send you more recipes:)

Please note the cookbook also contains mostly lacto-ovo vegetarian recipes.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Enjoy life and eat well:)

 

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