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Veggie Alternatives to Meaty Meals

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

Being vegetarian has so many perks, but unfortunately, it can often leave you hungry in comparison to the meat-eaters around you filling up on heavy, meaty meals. Finding vegetarian alternatives to these meaty meals is always super clutch. So, we’ve compiled a list of veggie go-tos (and some vegan meals!), including our favorites in Isla Vista/UCSB.

 

Isla Vista & UCSB:

 

Hana Kitchen’s Vegan Bowl

The very popular Hana Kitchen’s provides a vegan bowl in which the “meat” is made out of tempei, which is a fermented soybean. This is defintely one of our favorites because the tempei taste exactly (to a vegetarian at least…) like meat!!!

 

UCSB Dining Services’ Sweet & Sour Tofu Wrap

At the Arbor, a variety of sandwiches can be found – vegetarian, vegan and non-vegetarian. Our pesonal favorite is their Sweet & Sour Tofu Wrap, which mainly consists of grated carrot, tofu, sweet & sour sauce, and is wrapped in a spinach tortilla. 

 

Isla Vista Food Co-op Sandwiches

It’s an understatement to say that the Isla Vista Food Co-op only provides vegan and vegetarian sandwiches – their supply of vegan/vegetarian products is overwhelming! However, a couple memorable sandwiches are their Hummus, Pesto & Veggie (in the picture above), and their Vegan BLT wrap which replaces meat with a soy “meat”.

 

 

General:

Veggie Lasagna

Lasagna is definitely just as delicious and filling without meat. Here’s the recipe that matches this photo: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/11786/hearty-vegetable-lasagna/

 

The Counter’s Veggie Burger 

One of the best veggie burgers we’ve had! The Counter dedicates just as much preparation to the veggie burger as it does to the meat burgers. A very special find.

 

Veggie Chilli

Vegetarian or vegan chilli have plenty of fiber and protein due to their bean base, and therefore are very filling and nutritious! Check out a recipe.

 

Bon Appétit!

Cheyenne is a first-year UCSB student currently studying Communication and Environmental Studies. She is a third-culture kid who grew up in Dubai, UAE and therefore loves to travel and challenge the different social constructs that exist within our world. She enjoys writing, exercising, fashion, film, and is a total foodie. You can find her on Instagram @cheyennekab.
Kirby is a recent graduate from UCSB currently living in Los Angeles. As a proud Her Campus UCSB alum, she's happy to be back on the HC team covering one of her fave shows: "The Mindy Project." On any given day you can find her with her nose in a book (let's be real - it's a Kindle). In her free time, she likes petting dogs, binge-watching TV, and eating a lot of food. Find her on Instagram: @kirbynicoleb or @GirlBossEats.