General Info

Taco Bell is one of the most vegetarian and vegan fast food restaurants I have found.  That said, it is still fast food.  Even if the corporate headquarters is telling us one thing about the ingredients, it still gets made at your local store and there is no telling for sure what goes into the food.  My point is that your mileage may vary on this, and if you are a super-strict vegan then this probably isn’t the place for you.  According to Taco Bell headquarters, they don’t use lard in things like beans and the basics like corn and flour taco shells are vegan.

One thing to watch out for is the sauces and dressings.  Most have egg and/or milk so they aren’t vegan.  The 3 basic border sauces (mild, medium, & fire) are vegan.

They have a great resources on their website.  They have a table of food allergens and sensitivities which lists egg, dairy, wheat, plus other things like shellfish.  They also have a complete ingredient list of basic components on their website.

On The Menu

First off, there are several items on the menu which are vegetarian and can easily be made vegan.  Parenthesis indicate steps to make it vegan.

• Guacamole
• Cinnamon Twists
• Mexican Rice
• Tostada (no cheese)
• Seven Layer Burrito (no cheese, no sour cream)
• Bean Burrito (no cheese)
• Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes (no cheese)
• Pintos ‘N Cheese (no cheese)
• Cheese Quesadilla (not vegan)
• Cheesy Nachos (not vegan)

Off The Menu – Sub Beans

You can also order almost anything on the menu and have them substitute beans instead of beef.  I usually am redundant in ordering things this way.  Say “no meat, with beans instead of beef” for example on a regular crunchy taco.  The hard and soft tacos can be ordered this way, plus anything else that strikes you on the menu.  This should be a standard substitution that any Taco Bell can handle.  I believe they have a button on the cash register for substituting the beef with beans.  I have never had a problem at the different Taco Bells I have tried and most cashiers don’t seem to have any difficulty with it and take it right in stride.

Fresco Is Your Friend

They have a term called “fresco” which is used on their healthy and lowfat menu line which they also refer to as the “drive-thru diet”.  It basically means no cheese and add “fiesta salsa” which is simply diced tomato and a tiny bit of diced onion.  This is the easiest way to order things vegan – by substituting beans for beef where necessary, and then saying fresco style.

Putting It All Together

I like to start out setting the expectation with “there should be no meat in anything we order” and then proceed from there.  A few of my favorites are “crunchy tacos, no meat, substitute beans for the beef, fresco style” and the very simple “fresco bean burrito”.  I usually add a side or two of guacamole for dipping the tacos too.  Yumm, I’m getting hungry now!  Any thoughts or experience on eating vegan or vegetarian at Taco Bell?

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The Differences

One of the biggest things I have noticed is that it is harder to eat out strictly vegan than it is just vegetarian.  Many of the vegetarian staples – like nachos, grilled cheese, quesadillas, and cheese subs – are not options anymore.  It definitely takes more effort to find vegan options.  While most restaurants have at least something to offer for vegetarians, I am finding more places just don’t have anything at all for vegan options.  Eating vegan has been eye-opening and I have figured out what I can and can’t eat, and places that are more friendly or have regular options or ways to order dishes to make them vegan.  I’ll do some future posts on how to order at typical places.

Best Effort

I coined the term “approximate vegan” to describe how I have been eating.  It is, simply put, making a best effort to eat vegan without sweating the small stuff.  When I can, I avoid dairy and eggs.  I no longer order dishes that are mostly cheese or have obvious eggs in them.  On the other hand, I will still take my kids out for sandwiches and for myself I get just veggies or hummus on bread or sub rolls that probably have dairy and eggs in them.  I do try to find places with vegan bread – Thundercloud Subs in my part of the world is a good one – but I don’t stress if it is a small amount.  Another example is we went to Disney World in August.  I ate mostly vegan, but some of the dishes and desserts sounded and looked too good to pass up.  Again, I didn’t eat anything majorly made out of cheese, but I did eat some dairy and probably some eggs in things.  One restaurant had a fabulous buffet with a dessert spread with tiny little individual desserts so I tried a tiny caramel cheese cake and a chocolate mousse with chocolate ears shaped like Mickey Mouse.  It enhanced my experience without diminishing my veganism by much.

Good Enough?

So is an approximate vegan a true vegan and is it good enough?  I’m not really concerned with being able to properly label myself, I am more concerned about trying my best to be healthy without adding a huge amount of stress to my life.  Eating with the kids is a bonding experience, and it already is restrictive being vegetarian.  I don’t want to expose them to a huge production of talking to the chef every time we go out and making a big deal out of getting a pure vegan meal.  So what is your opinion on this best effort vegan eating?

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Make Up Your Mind

The first thing you need to do is get your mind set.  Why do you want to be a vegetarian?  If you don’t have a reason behind it, you are already set up for failure.  Do you want to be healthier?  Do you want to lose weight?  Do you have ethical concerns about the treatment of animals?  Figure out why you want this and write down a personal “mission statement” on why you are going vegetarian.  This will help you if you are having a hard time so you have something to refer back to.  It can also help if you get resistance from friends or family around you.  If you can clearly explain why you are doing this, then they may be more understanding or at least less resistant.

Use Available Resources

There are plenty of resources out there especially on the web.  Follow these steps as just a beginning and you will get tons of help and reference material out of it.  Here is a very quick list of some places to start:

• The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG)
• GoVeg.org (they have a great “vegetarian 101″ section)
• VegWeb.com – recipes and cooking tips
• Vegetarian recipes on Allrecipes.com
• PETA’s website – for animal cruelty information (watch a few of their videos!)

Create A Plan

Once you have done some research, come up with a plan on when you want to start and what your expectations are.  Will you switch cold turkey (pun intended) or will you start by having meat-free days and gradually increase those days?  The main goal here is to do what you feel comfortable with and let it be good enough.  During your planning you should come up with some simple meal recipes that you can create so you always have available food.  It also helps to scope out your town to find vegetarian restaurants or vegetarian dishes at your local food places.

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Keep It Simple

I researched for a long time and there is a huge range of rice cookers available.  My first stop was to our local large Asian supermarket.  I was totally surprised to find way too many choices and most of them very expensive.  Most of the models were over $100 and I really didn’t know what the difference was.

I finally decided to keep it simple and purchased this Aroma 4-cup Rice Cooker for under $30.  It couldn’t be easier as it has a single button that works like a toaster – push it down and the unit automatically pops the button up when it is done cooking the rice.  I wanted to get something so I could get started cooking more rice and get into the habit of feeding my family more rice in general.  If I find that this isn’t full-featured enough, then I will upgrade to a more advanced model.

Use It

What ever you end up selecting, make sure you use it.  I stocked up on rice trying to keep a few different varieties on hand.  With the simplicity and speed of a dedicated rice cooker, there is no excuse for not using it often.  Even with the bare-bones unit I selected, there still is some trial and error and it takes time to figure it out.  My first few batches were dry and a little on the hard side.  I figured out that if I add a little more water and/or let the rice stand in the water first it turns out better.  Also, rinsing the rice first really helps get rid of the excess starchiness of the finished rice.

Then Get Fancy

After using my rice cooker for a few months, I have now started to experiment more with it.  Tonight I used vegetable broth instead of water and I added zucchini and tofu right into the pot when it cooked.  It turned out great and my wife even went back for seconds (which doesn’t usually happen with my rice experiments)!

I am happy that I purchased something and this unit has already exceeded my expectations.  What ever rice cooker you decide to purchase, I urge you to pick something and start cooking.  Eating more rice is a great way to improve your vegetarian diet and it is naturally gluten-free too.

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Gluten Free Pasta Types

The main two types we found are rice based and corn based.  While it does depend on the brand, we found the rice pasta held up better to cooking and tasted better.  The rice pasta also tastes more like typical flour based pasta.  Corn pasta has very different strong corn flavor.  This can be a nice change, but is less like a pasta substitute.

Rice based gluten free pasta

Corn based gluten free pasta

3 Cooking Tips

1. Don’t over cook.  We found that gluten free pastas do not hold up well to boiling and can easily get overcooked and turn mushy.  Follow the directions on the package and err on the early side – check the pasta early and often and make sure not to overcook it.
2. Use lower heat.  Usually I cook regular pasta on a full rolling boil.  For gluten free pasta, I use medium-high to medium heat and a slower boil.  This helps to keep the pasta intact.
3. Rinse with cold water.  Most gluten free pastas will have a starchy residue on them.  A good rinse with cold water removes this and improves the taste and texture.  I throw the rinsed pasta back in the pot to heat it up again.  Then you can serve it from there, or if you are serving the pasta with sauce you can add the sauce and heat it all up together.

Best Bet

Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta - Best Bet!

These bags of brown rice pasta from a company called Tinkyada are the best bet that we found.  They are available in a bunch of styles and taste great.  They have spirals, elbows, shells, spaghetti, and more.  Many of them are available in organic varieties as well.  This pasta holds up great to cooking and can even handle a little over-cooking.  It passes for regular wheat based pasta and can fool people and they most likely won’t realize it isn’t regular pasta.

I have found this brand in several stores around us like HEB, Central Market, and Whole Foods.  They shouldn’t be too hard to find.  Look in the pasta section and the specialty gluten free section of your stores.  I hope you find these tips and recommendations useful.  Be sure to comment and let me know.

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I’m writing this post using the iPhone WordPress app which seems pretty good at first glance. I may do a future post about it once I’ve had some tome using it.

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Thanksgiving Meal

I find it unfortunate that there is so much focus on turkey for Thanksgiving.  With all the other traditional side dishes we never miss the turkey and always feel full.  We have made an effort to create our own family traditions around the meal without the turkey.  We have the typical fare of cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing (if using store-bought, check the ingredients – not all are vegetarian), and green beans.  One year we tried to cook a tofurkey and it was a unanimous failure – we all hated it.  Our vegan friend swore that tofurkey really was great and that we needed the tofurkey gravy, but I don’t think any of us are willing to try it again.  I have also heard of other families that make a tradition out of trying new recipes for main dish turkey-replacers.  What ever you choose to do, it is a good opportunity to build family traditions.

Holiday Hype

I also find it unfortunate that Thanksgiving now gets overshadowed by the beginning of the Christmas holiday season and the hype of the black Friday shopping.  As a non-Christian it seems like we are overwhelmed by people who think that everyone celebrates Christmas.  I’m not looking forward to another month of cashiers wishing me a merry Christmas and having to decide to either tell them I don’t celebrate or just grit my teeth and respond with a yielding nod.

Staying Positive

Anyway, the real think to focus on for Thanksgiving is exactly what the holiday is named for – giving thanks.  It is a wonderful time to stop and think about what we are really thankful for.  I suggest you take this time to think about what you are thankful for, what you want from life, and how you can get there.  Stay positive, and be thankful.

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Finished Dish - Rice and Tofu

This was a really simple dish which I was surprised that I got the kids to eat and enjoy pretty easily.  There is a little cooking involved if you count the rice, but hopefully that is easy enough.

I have also tried to get a little fancy with the sauce which I cook in a small pot on the stove.  Even with these two things though, this is still a very simple dish.

I have gotten in the habit lately of making rice once or twice a week and have it figured out pretty good.  I use two cups of dry rice so I get enough for leftovers for use the next few days.

First start a pot or rice-maker of rice going.  This is the longest part of the dish.

Then start the tofu by pressing the water out of a block of extra-firm tofu.  I have found several organic brands at different stores here, but find that extra-firm is the easiest to work with for dishes like this.  I wrap it in a few layers of paper towel and then place a bowl on top with a can or two from your pantry in the bowl to add weight.  If you do this about the time you start the rice, then the timing works out pretty good.

For sauce you can use just plain soy sauce or something similar.  Lately I have tried experimenting with cooking a sauce on the stove.  I start with a few cups of vegetable broth and add whatever I have on hand – soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, etc.  The kids have liked the sauces, but my wife hated them and suggested I take a sauce-making class before continuing to experiment!

Tofu and Rice being assembled

When the tofu is sufficiently pressed, cut it into cubes.  Then take a big microwave-safe bowl and put the tofu in.  I also happened to have a zucchini so I sliced that and added it as well.  Pour the sauce over the tofu.  Then heat it in the microwave for several minutes until it is nice and hot.  Stirring in between will help to get the tofu thoroughly coated and soaked with the sauce.  Then simply plate some tofu and sauce over a bed of rice.


Even though this one involves a little more cooking than some of my other meals, I have found myself making this fairly often lately because it really is simple once you get a system down.  I also feel good serving my kids rice and a simple tofu dish like this instead of another Morningstar Farms chik patty or something overly processed like that.  It is a simple, healthy dish and then I end up with leftover rice which I can use for the next mealtime.

When I actually figure out some sauces that work I’ll try to write up that as well.  Until then, you’ll have to experiment yourself.

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Build your own taco bar

Build Your Own Tacos

This is a very simple idea and was a really big hit with the kids.  I called it a “build your own taco bar” and they were sold instantly.

I think the idea that they got to choose and assemble the tacos themselves really worked.  After a particularly hard period of at least one child complaining about something I tried to serve, I decided to put the choice into their hands and it worked well.

I found hard taco shells that are flat on the bottom so they stood on the plate while we filled them up.  This would also work with tortilla shells as well.

Taco Filling

Taco shells, rice and beans, black olives

Find something good for the main filling.  I had some leftover rice so I mixed in part of a can of black beans.  My kids really don’t like black beans so this was barely passable, but the rice made it ok.  If yours like beans, then cooked black beans or other beans would make a good base filling.

Also pictured here are black olives.  These would make an acceptable main taco base in a pinch.

You could get fancy and cook up some meatless ground beef or something like crumbled tofu or seitan as well.  I was going for speed and using what I had on hand.

Taco Toppings

Then I put out bowls of taco toppings for them to choose from.  Here are guacamole and lettuce.  I made a rule that they needed to pick at least one green item for their tacos.  One of my sons loves guacamole, but the other two kids hate it.

Finally, some cheese (or cheese substitute if doing vegan) and some salsa.  Here I’ve got some Pace organic which is really good and has been popular with the kids.  They aren’t big on spice, so this is the mild, but after they rejected several other salsas, I was happy to find one they liked.

Thoughts

This was simple and involved no cooking at all.  I mixed beans in with the leftover rice and heated it in the microwave.  The rest was just assembling the different ingredients.  It wasn’t all that different than burritos that I serve fairly often, but the kids really liked the do-it-yourself aspect.  From that point of view it seemed like a completely new idea to them.  I plan on using this one again, and also using the “assemble yourself” idea for other meals as well.

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Junk Food Vegetarian

Relying on junk food instead of real meals and healthy food because it is too hard to eat vegetarian.

Overcoming this problem is a two part solution.  First you need the willpower to not eat so much junk food.  You need to learn to say no and slow down your eating.  Yes it is hard at first, but it becomes easier as you eat less and less.  Second, it helps to have better alternatives.  The best way to accomplish this is to learn to cook more and keep healthy foods on hand.  Another backup is to find healthy restaurant options and eat out or get take-out more often.

Frozen Foods

Relying too much on frozen foods like meatless offerings from Morningstar Farms and Boca Burger.

This solution falls into a similar category with junk food regarding having better options.  I still keep Morningstar Farms foods in my freezer and they certainly have a place in our meals when we are just too busy and exhausted, but they play a smaller role.  I have made a big effort to use them sparingly instead of relying on them.  I’m actively trying to cook more and also just seeking out healthier options both fresh and frozen in the grocery store.  I have found really good tasting veggie burgers that don’t have wheat, dairy, or eggs in them.  I’m planning on including them in my veggie burger roundup coming up.  While not as bad as pure junk food, the key here is moderation and not relying on frozen food with huge ingredient lists for every meal of every day.

Child Care

Having children in child care accidentally being served meat.

The solution to this one comes down to being very vocal about what your kids can and can’t eat and making sure you talk to everyone involved in your child’s care.  For us, this was a matter of going into the kitchen and talking to the chef to make sure he/she knew our kids and their restrictions.  We also made a point to go in at different times so we talked personally to all the staff on both morning and afternoon shifts.  One school had nameplates on the tables that indicated the vegetarian restriction and even this wasn’t enough.  Talking to everyone and stressing the importance was our solution.  Another way to solve this is to bring your own food for your child.  Some child care places don’t provide meals or don’t provide vegetarian meals, so this may be your only option.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, mistakes happen and that is part of life.  Our lives are always too busy, but we need to make eating healthy and eating vegetarian a priority and make sure that we do for our selves and our children.  When everything else is stripped away, is anything more important than health?  Does anything really matter if we are sick and unhealthy?  Ask yourself that and make the time to avoid these vegetarian mistakes.

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