Cheesecake Factory vegetarian help

Redheadedsunshine

I'm going to Hungry Girl's book signing tomorrow (in Howell, NJ. PM if anyone wants more details) and then going out to eat with a friend afterwards. I'm pretty sure she is going to want to go to Cheesecake Factory. And while I lovvvvvvvve Cheesecake Factory, it is not the friendliest to those dieting.

So, I ask... does anyone have any dieting ideas for the vegetarian? I don't eat any type of meat (and to clarify, that means no red meat, poultry, pork, seafood, etc) I do dairy and eggs. I eat salad most nights so I'd rather not order a salad but I'm not sure what else I can do. Last time, I ordered the Pasta Marinara (w/ veggies) and took half home. But, it was so-so. If anyone else has any ideas, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Syreeta6

Bump - my husband and I are going there for our anniversary next month and he's a veggie. Suggestions please!!

hollyk57

Hmmm I'd have to look at their menu again. I LOVE their sister company, Grand Lux Cafe - SOOoooo delicious, and I'm a vegetarian. I love their Sesame Tofu - it's AMAZING. I'm not sure if Cheesecake has it too - I noticed quite a few of their options are the same so they might. Grand luxe also has a mushroom burger that's totally made out of mushrooms...so good. You could also do the 'veggies as a meal' (even if it's not listed) and choose a bunch of their veggies and potato sides...or order pasta without the chicken...just check it doesn't have any chicken or beef stock in the sauce.

JanerZzz

Yea their menu is not exactly diet friednly or vegetarian friendly for that matter...

what about Evelyn's favorite pasta???

CF menu -
Evelyn's Favorite PastaPenne Tossed with Broccoli, Oven-Dried Tomato, Roasted Eggplant, Peppers, Artichoke, Kalamata Olives, Garlic and Pine Nuts.

Eat 1/2 and you should be a-ok.

cokpara

I'm also a vegetarian and I LOVE the cheesecake factory... so many options and even for those of us who don't do meat. Like you, I do dairy and eggs so keeping that in mind... Don't forget that no matter what's on the menu, you can just ask them to take off the meat. Sounds funny, but I once asked for chicken gorgonzola salad without the chicken lol and they added more tomatoes. In terms of the cheesecake factory and dieting...

They have a section for low calorie foods I believe somewhere in that thick pamphlet they call a menu. I'm not sure if you do protein burgers (soy-based boca/ morningstar type burgers) and instead of having the fries, you could get steamed veggies on the side OR sweet potato fries which are night and day better than fried potatoes. Hmmm I'm drawing a blank, you can try the cajun jambalaya pasta but you have to remind them to take out the shrimp AND chicken and figure out what you would like to replace it with... Just depends on what you feel like and there's tons of meat on that menu so even if you like something that comes with meat, just ask them to take it off and you still get to enjoy it! Hope that helped a little bit. Oh P.S. you can always pull up the menu online just to get an idea of what you might want.

LaSirena29

While it doesn't seem to be listed on their site, you can find nutrituonal information here:
http://www.cheesecakefactorynutrition.com/restaurant-nutrition-chart.php?

The Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich seems to be a lower calorie option than any of the pastas, especially if you order it without the cheese or the aioli.

cupcakecarnivore

Last time I went I had the grilled eggplant sandwhich and it was delicious! I usually end up getting the grilled portabello burger though:)

jgover

I just went there this past weekend. I noticed many vegetarian option that looked good but possible still high in calories. Such as the corn tamales and avocado egg rolls. There is also garlic noodles but those would be really bad, I guess. I got the hummus which was made with white beans instead of chick peas and it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!! It was a really huge portion so I brought the rest home. I also got a greek salad (appetizer size), which was still big and very good. Not boring at all. I don't usually eat eggs or dairy but I did eat a few of the feta cheese pieces on my salad. I wish I had the menu here to help more.

catniss

someone else mentioned the avacado egg rolls and the corn tamales (although I think they call them corn cakes or something like that!) and they are both FANTASTIC!! Although, personally, I like the avacado egg rolls the best because they are very different from anything I make at home or is offered anywhere else. They're not low fat, but 1 serving is enough to fill me up and if you workout and watch what you eat for the rest of the day, you probably won't even go over your cals.
Have fun and no matter what you order, enjoy it!!