Fast Veggie Fare -- It's Easier Than Ever To Find Quick Meals Without Meat

Fast food. Junk food. They're one and the same, critics complain.

But if you're a vegetarian or, like many people, are simply eating less meat these days, you have growing cause to disagree.

Vegetarian choices, some of them many tasty bites removed from junk food, are on the upswing at fast-food joints.

This could ease your life a little even if you go meatless only occasionally or if your chief concern is feeding a visiting teen who spurns any sort of flesh food.

Vegetarian fast-food options are still limited, but they're getting easier to find.

Meat-free burritos; a goat-cheese, portobello mushroom and polenta concoction; veggie burgers; teriyaki tofu and mushrooms; meatless taco salad; baked potatoes topped with broccoli and cheese; and, of course, the ever-present vegetarian pizza are some of the offerings available locally.

Whether they're what you want depends partly on the kind of vegetarian you are. If you avoid meat, poultry and fish but do eat cheese, milk and eggs, you have more choices, such as vegetarian pizza made with cheese and veggies but no sausage or pepperoni.

If you're a vegan, someone who shuns all foods that come from animals, your fast-food options drop pretty fast, yet some do exist.

If you venture into vegetarian fare for health reasons - thinking to reduce your fat intake, for example - it pays to tread carefully. Cheese - a meat alternative doled out copiously at fast-food eateries - often is loaded with fat. Frying adds fat, too (watch those French fries!), as do many sauces and dressings.

On the plus side: The vegetables, fruits, beans, rice, whole grains and tofu common to vegetarian eating are mostly low-fat and rich in nutrients and fiber.

One fast-food emporium that both vegans and other vegetarians are discovering is Seattle-based Taco Del Mar, with 50 outlets, most in the Northwest. Though the eateries serve beef, pork, fish and poultry, mostly in burritos, they also have vegetarian, including vegan, choices.

The growing popularity of vegetarian eating, full-time or part-time, makes such places increasingly attractive to diners in Seattle, which has a reputation as a vegetarian haven.

"We're seeing more and more vegetarian requests, and we're seeing our customer base grow as a result," says Taco Del Mar official Kevin Hansen.

"The veggie burrito is one of our more popular items," he said. "The vegan (version) has a loyal following as well. We've had these from the start and they've grown in popularity."

The burrito is easy to convert from regular vegetarian to vegan, upon request. The main vegetarian version is a hefty, satisfying meal - in fact, more than a meal for many - made with rice, lard-free beans, fresh tomato salsa, lettuce and hot sauce, all wrapped in a tortilla. It can be bumped up to "super" status with the addition of guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese, though these also bump up the fat quotient.

The vegan version contains rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and hot sauce. You can also order a meat-free taco salad.

World Wrapps, with 10 Seattle-area outlets, is another source of vegetarian fast food. Like Taco Del Mar, the stores also serve meat, chicken and seafood.

You can take the fast-food high road at World Wrapps with a Portobello Mushroom and Goat Cheese wrap (also available in a bowl), made flavorful with fresh basil, marinara sauce and baby spinach, all served over polenta. Or go vegan by holding the goat cheese.

Tofu teriyaki and moo shu chicken, minus the chicken but with such things as bamboo shoots, cabbage, carrots, rice and hoisin sauce, are other options. The stores encourage customizing with such taste tinglers as serrano chilies, fresh herbs, lemon-dill sauce, nori (seaweed) and more.

A vegetarian soup is always on the menu - currently it's porcini mushroom bisque - and the stores offer a variety of fruit smoothies, some made with frozen yogurt, others with sherbet or juice.

Here's a sampling of other places to look for vegetarian fare on the fast-food front. We're talking here about entrees, not side dishes, though side salads, juice and other items can round out a meal.

Teriyaki turf

Teriyaki outlets abound in the area and most offer meat-free stir-fried vegetables and rice. At Manna's Teriyaki, 14308 124th Ave. N.E., Kirkland (425-814-8323), you'll find a couple of additional vegetarian choices: meatless fried rice, including vegetables; and a tofu-vegetables-noodles dish.

Since teriyaki spots exist in nearly every neighborhood, your nearest one is worth checking out for vegetarian fare if you like the taste of teriyaki.

Mexican meals

Besides those burritos at Taco Del Mar, you can find vegetarian options at other Mexican fast-food spots. Locally based Taco Time, with many outlets, offers a veggie soft taco with fat-free beans, cheddar, lettuce, sour cream and a "veggie mix" (chopped celery bean sprouts, olive and sunflower seeds), all on a whole-wheat tortilla. There's also a veggie wrap (weighing more than pound), and the taco salad and certain other items can be ordered meat-free.

Taco Bell offers its Seven Layer Burrito, with rice, beans, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes. There's also a bean burrito and meat-free tostada, and the taco salad can be ordered without meat. However, the beans used in these items are cooked with lard.

Burger bars

In general, we found fewer vegetarian offerings at burger outlets, especially the big chains, than at other fast-food places. We found none at McDonald's (except for a fairly substantial salad), Burger King or Jack in the Box.

At Wendy's numerous Seattle-area locations, you can have a baked potato topped with broccoli and cheese (or leave off the cheese). You can also build your own substantial salad using assorted fruits and vegetables, cheese, cottage cheese, hard-cooked eggs, sunflower seeds and raisins.

The local Kidd Valley chain offers a meat-free Garden Burger, though it won't satisfy vegans because the patty contains milk products.

Sandwich shops

The chief fast-food sandwich shop is the ubiquitous Subway. Subway's hot Veggie Max includes a meatless patty, plus such toppings as lettuce, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, pickle, olives, mildly hot peppers, cheese, mustard and mayo. There's also a cold Veggie Delite sandwich.

Pizza parlors

Many pizza places offer a vegetarian pizza, usually made with cheese, tomato sauce and various vegetable toppings, such as green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and olives.

A Pizza Hut spokesman said that chain doesn't market any of its products as purely vegetarian because some of the sauces contain beef byproducts and flavorings. However, its thin-crust pizza with vegetable toppings boasts an attractive statistic: only 6 grams of fat in a slice.