Reasons abound for giving the meat in your diet the heave-ho, from concerns about animal cruelty to health measures like avoiding animal fats—and lately, the environmental impacts of meat production. Whatever your motivation, and whether it’s a lifetime commitment to vegetarianism or a one-meal adventure, we’ve got the tastiest dishes to help you forgo the meat without giving an inch on flavor.
Paneer Tikka
Pramod Chopra took over Plymouth’s India Palace at the start of the year, and at the urging of vegetarian customers and his vegetarian daughter, he ramped up the meatless options on the menu to a total of 42 items. The vegetarian front-runner is the paneer tikka, skewered chunks of homemade cheese put into the tandoor oven with spices, onions and cucumbers ($8.95). It goes down really well with an order of onion or garlic naan, the popular flatbreads. The vegan chana masala is another way to pack in the protein, a dish of seasoned chickpeas served with white rice. Editor’s note: At least half of the food served on the daily lunch buffet is vegetarian fare. 4190 Vinewood Ln. N.; 763.383.1880
Vegetable Fajitas
It won’t be a strain for vegetarians to order dinner at El Azteca. From veggie combo platters made with bean burritos, cheese enchiladas and chalupas, to appetizers like the mushroom quesadilla and sides of guacamole and chips, the meals are certainly substantive. When it comes to the most popular meat-free item, the vegetable fajitas rule the day, made with a rainbow of fresh vegetables like potatoes, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions, and served with rice and beans ($9). The restaurant uses locally grown zucchini and squash when in season. 3500 Vicksburg Ln. N.; 763.550.1570
Sesame Kale
Eating your vegetables shouldn’t feel like torment, and at Fresh & Natural Foods, where the deli case is loaded with full-flavored vegetarian mainstays, it’s actually a pleasure. The sesame kale is a vegan staple, made with sesame seeds, sesame oil, tamari and garlic ($7.99/lb.). The yam fries, also vegan, are roasted with a little salt, pepper and cayenne, and the veg-out is a daily mix of seasonal vegetables (usually a combination of cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, onions, cucumber and tomato) tossed in vinaigrette. Editor’s note: All vegetarian dishes are rotated through the prepared-foods case regularly, and if you have a hankering for your favorite, you can usually request it be made for the next day. 4234 Lancaster Ln. N.
Leonardo da Veggie
What more reverence could you show for a vegetarian sandwich than to name it after the world’s most famous painter? The Leonardo da Veggie starts on freshly baked bread, with light herb garlic cream cheese, roasted red peppers, muenster cheese, lettuce tomato and red onion ($5.49). The four cheese and tomato panini is served on freshly made white bread while the roasted veggie melt panini is on wheat, and both are vegetarian. Add to this list the regular selection of vegetarian soups, salads that run $5 or less (request them with no meat or cheese according to your preference) and hummus as a sandwich spread—it and the sesame bagel make a striking pair. Editor’s note: If you’re ovo-vegetarian (you eat eggs), a spate of new fewer-than-500 calorie breakfast items will no doubt appeal to you, like the sundried tomato egg-white bagel sandwich, made with the new “skinny bagel,” just 200 calories (390 calories total). 4000 Annapolis Ln.; 763.553.9893
Pad Ped Puck Curry
The luxury of Thai cuisine for vegetarians is that so many of the dishes can be made without meat while still affording your palate a welcome variety of flavors. The Pad Ped Puck Curry at Bahn Thai is made with tofu and a combination of vegetables that includes broccoli, carrots, red peppers and Napa cabbage in a red curry sauce with coconut milk ($7.95 with tofu or $7.50 for veggies only). The pad Thai with tofu is also a favorite, though it does contain eggs. Editor’s note: Go green(er). The kitchen uses a few local ingredients like green onions and peppers, depending on what’s available. 4108 Lancaster Ln. N; 763.559.9030
Szechuan Vegetables
The Szechuan vegetables in oyster sauce is the most popular vegetarian dish at Ming’s Garden, made with celery, carrots and bamboo shoots and typically prepared to a medium level of spice ($8). The Oriental tofu, also with a medley of mixed vegetables, is the other main vegetarian staple, but owner Jet Deng says that some customers come in simply asking for steamed vegetables, a request which the restaurant is happy to oblige. The buffet is a gold mine for vegetarian diets, with at least 10 meat-free items in the spread offered daily at lunch and on Friday and Saturday evenings. Editor’s note: Beans, tomatoes and potatoes are bought locally when in season. 4190 Vinewood Ln. N; 763.559.3131
Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
Best to order the strawberry poppyseed salad ($8.79) at Panera while you can, because this crave-worthy choice is only available during the summer months. “It’s hard to say no to a customer … but we only offer the salad when its star ingredients—the fresh strawberries and blueberries—are at their peak of ripeness,” says Panera’s head chef Dan Kish, a former associate dean at the Culinary Institute of America. The salad starts with a base of crisp romaine lettuce, tossed with pineapple mandarin oranges and pecans in addition to the strawberries and blueberries, in a fat- and sugar-free poppyseed dressing. Panera also offers soups like black bean and a Mediterranean veggie sandwich as popular options for vegetarians. 16875 County Rd. 24; 763.551.0954
