Pescatarians are those among us who eat fish, but not other meat. It’s a practice Devan Torrence of Starkville has followed for almost a decade now, due in large part to a beef and pork allergy. So when her church, Shaeffer’s Chapel United Methodist Church west of Columbus, held its annual soup supper this past Friday, Torrence mulled over options from her repertoire of recipes for what to make — something meatless, but big on crowd-pleasing flavor.
“I don’t like boring soups,” she says. “I like to find ways to make something really interesting.”
Torrence, 25, decided on a taco soup that’s been a favorite since her graduate school days earning a master’s degree in English linguistics at Mississippi State University. The native of Lena in Leake County earned two undergrad degrees at Mississippi University for Women, in English and social studies. She is currently a lecturer of English at MSU, with plans to go on to law school.
Her schedule is a busy one, which is why she keeps about eight different soup recipes in rotation, making up a large pot of one of them on her weekly meal-prep day, usually Sundays. Leftovers go to the freezer once she’s ready to move on to a new recipe.
“As a pescaterian foodie, it can be challenging to find good meals that are healthy, quick and taste good multiple days in a row,” she says. “A bowl of soup makes a great midday meal at work, a quick supper when I’m busy grading, and a healthy midnight snack.”
The taco soup is a protein-packed vegetarian dish, but one that can easily be “beefed up” with taco meat, if desired.
Torrence’s grandfather is a cattle farmer. She appreciate the irony, even as she affirms that she avoids meat herself. In addition to the allergy, a diagnosis a few years ago of hypoglycemia raised her awareness of diet.
“I became really health conscious and about being more accountable about what I put in my body,” says Torrence, who loves to cook. She only eats out about once every two weeks.
“I got it from my family. We’re all creative. We play music, we paint … and I think cooking is just part of that creativity,” she says.
One of the benefits of a love of cooking is sharing what you make with others. Shaeffer’s soup supper was an ideal opportunity, as members signed up to bring stock pots full of steaming comfort — ham and bean soup, crawfish chowder, fresh vegetable soup, creamy corn and potato and more.
“It was great,” says Torrence. “Shaeffer’s Chapel is so loving and very diverse; it’s one of the reasons I was drawn there.”
For someone else who may be trying to reduce the amount of meat in their own diet, Torrence recommends starting by eliminating red meat. And think substitution; look at recipes with fresh eyes.
“Always know that you can replace it … (for example) if you’re doing Alfredo, do it with shrimp instead of chicken, especially Gulf-raised shrimp,” she says.
Stores, such as Kroger in Starkville, offer meat replacers like vegetarian chicken cutlets, nuggets, burgers, hot dogs and pizzas.
“There are a lot of products on the market aimed at vegetarians,” she says.
DEVAN’S TACO SOUP
4 cans of beans (I use red kidney, black, pinto, and chickpeas)
1 can sweet corn
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 chopped medium onion
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
1 package of dry ranch seasoning
1 package of taco seasoning
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
1 box vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick butter or extra olive oil (optional)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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