Among the findings: Fully 47% of the country eats at least one vegetarian meal per week. According to the VRG, this has strong implications for food companies and restaurants. There is incentive for producing vegetarian products, as there is demand from almost half the population. Based on VRG’s other research outside this poll, however, businesses also have to cater to various needs that might include price, health, convenience, ingredients’ sources, taste, religious requirements, etc. And since half the country did not say they consume vegetarian meals, marketing is more complex because of such different audiences.

Following is a breakdown of results from the Harris Poll:

• 7% of American adults eat one vegetarian meal per week
• 7% eat vegetarian meals one day per week
• 15% eat vegetarian meals many times, but less than half the time
• 14% eat vegetarian meals more than half the time, but not all the time
• 4% eat vegetarian or vegan meals all the time, and never eat meat, fish or poultry
• 3% eat vegetarian (not vegan) meals all the time
• 1% eat vegan meals all the time, and never ever eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy or eggs

Just like die-hard meat eaters and everyone else, vegans—who consume no animal products or byproducts such as dairy and eggs—seek high flavor in their foods, but are often left wanting. Many food manufacturers, however, thanks to talented R&D chefs, have worked miracles in creating convenience-added products featuring meat analogs that are completely animal free, yet offer flavor similar, or at least close, to their meat-based counterparts. Also, commercial chefs are turning to more nontraditional foods such as beans and legumes, whole grains and bold herbs and seasonings to enhance the flavor and mouthfeel of vegan items. Vegan menu options will only become tastier and more appealing as time goes on.

Are vegetarian options always healthier by mere virtue that they’re meatless?No. Consider fast-food hash browns deep fried in vegetable oil. They’re certainly vegetarian, even vegan in most cases, but no one would make the mistake of calling them healthy.

Yet a dish billed on the menu as “vegetarian” or “meatless,” but not necessarily “healthy,” will be automatically perceived as healthier by many diners who make that assumption solely because the option is vegetarian. The responsibility of operators and manufacturers is to not make health claims they can’t support.

Vegetarian/Vegan Cooking: a Lesson Plan
At Kendall College, we are increasing the available vegetarian options on our cafeteria menus at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our Cafe is a “living classroom”—an actual course that students take in quantity foods. Additionally, components in many non-vegetarian-specific courses ranging from Introduction to Stocks, Sauces, and Soups to Advanced Garde Manger include on-trend vegetarian applications and techniques.

As an elective in our programs for culinary arts, Kendall College offers a popular vegetarian-cuisine class. The two-credit course focuses on the different types of vegetarians, health benefits of vegetarianism and potential health risks. Students apply the principles of vegetarian cuisine to all menu parts. Recipes incorporate culinary techniques and methods and sundry spices, herbs and other ingredients to heighten natural flavor and provide substance to dishes. Additionally, vegetarian cuisine is applied to international flavors of the Mediterranean, Asia and Latin America.

To successfully complete the course, students must execute two projects in addition to the lectures, labs and coursework: (1) write a paper on an example of vegetarian cuisine and (2) prepare a three-course vegetarian meal.

Following is a first-week lesson plan in the 11-week course:

Vegetarian Appetizers
Preparation: agenda on the board and learning objectives on the overhead
Materials: recipe handouts and course syllabus
Learning objectives:

1. Review the syllabus

2. Overview of vegetarian diets

3. Apply cooking skills to appetizers

4. Utilize alternative flavors to increase nutritional content of food

I. INTRO(15 minutes)
Interest: Every restaurant menu has at least one vegetarian entrée. More and more people are interested in eating meatless, whether full time or on occasion. For profitability of your restaurant, you must comply with consumer demands.

Need: As chefs, you need to know how to make great-tasting vegetarian cuisine to satisfy different types of vegetarians.

Time and Range: Following the introduction, the first 30 minutes of class will be spent discussing the types of vegetarian diets; the next four hours will be devoted to preparing vegetarian appetizers.

Objective: Based on today’s lecture, the student will identify the different types of vegetarians.

II. PRESENTATION(30 minutes)

A. Reasons for becoming vegetarian:

1. Health

2. Environment

3. Religious

4. Moral

B. Vegetarian Types:

1.Ovo (eggs)

2. Lacto (dairy)

3. Ovo-Lacto (eggs and dairy)

4. Pesco (fish and seafood)

5. Pollo (chicken, usually in addition to fish and seafood, also known as Pesco-Pollo)

6. Vegan

7. Natural Hygiene (fresh ingredients, minimal to no cooking, using little salt, spices and fat)

8. Raw Food

9. Macrobiotics

C. Mise en place for recipes

D. Serve recipes and review tastes

Recipe handouts:

1. Potato Caramelized Onion and Feta Pizza

2. Silky Mushroom Pâté with Scallion-Walnut Topping

3. Chilebella Mushrooms (portobello caps) with Polenta, Spinach Pecan Pesto and Olive Pesto

4. Horseradish Mustard Dip

5. Sundried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Spread

6. Mini Lentil-Scallion Pancakes with Cumin Cream    

E. Review for next week. Give assignments to students to visit the library or search online to find recipes for the following week. Hand them in the same day, keeping copies for themselves                                                          

Vegetarianism is no longer a trend in America, but a way of life for a growing percentage of the population. As cooks and chefs create tasty dishes that are vegetarian, we will continue to see demand grow for meatless dishes at all dayparts. Today’s vast variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes and nuts tap the creative juices of many a cook, and these foods’ colors and flavors are employed strategically to delight and entice guests.

Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, is dean of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago. For more information, visit www.kendall.edu.

DOWNLOAD:KC Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans