Making Better Meals

Tips For Eating Vegetarian At A Mexican Restaurant

Being a vegetarian is a great way to reduce suffering in the world and to improve your health. However, being vegetarian does not mean that you have to give up on your favorite foods. This is especially true if you enjoy ethnic foods, which tend to provide a great array of vegetarian options.

In fact, if Mexican food is your thing, you're in luck. There are lots of amazing things to order and ways to stay vegetarian when you dine at a Mexican restaurant.

Feast on Beans

One of the great things about Mexican cuisine is that it features a lot of beans, which are, of course, vegetarian. They also happen to be a great source of protein.

Whether you go for a bean burrito, a side of refried beans, or even both, pintos are your friend at the Mexican restaurant.

Just double check to ensure that the beans are not made with lard or other animal products. If you're really worried about this possibility, opt for black beans instead. They are just as good and are very rarely made with any kind of animal fat or animal products.

Subtract or Substitute

Most Mexican restaurants will have a special vegetarian menu. Sometimes, they may even have a special symbol or mark to denote vegetarian dishes.

However, don't think that you can't order something off the main menu if it sounds delicious to you.

Many times, you can order a dish you want and ask for the meat to be taken out. Or, in some cases, you  may even be able to add in a substitute, like beans, cheese, or veggies.

Sure, ordering off of the non-vegetarian menu may take a little more work and a few more questions, but ultimately, you can get what you want if you ask the right questions and aren't afraid to speak up.

Fill Up on Guacamole and Salsa

If you do ever find yourself in a Mexican restaurant without a lot of vegetarian options, don't panic. While this scenario isn't likely, you can always just make do with dips and chips, providing the chips are cooked in vegetable oil instead of animal fat.

Guacamole, salsa, queso dip, and other dips and sauces are generally fair game for vegetarians. So, in a pinch, they are always a good choice.

Mexican cuisine will usually provide many wonderful vegetarian dishes. So, the next time your non-vegetarian friends ask you to a Mexican restaurant, feel confident in saying yes. Contact a restaurant, like El Molinito Restaurant & Catering, to review the menu.