Semi Vegetarian?

chocolateandvodka

I discovered yesterday (quite by accident, actually) that apparently all my life i've been basically semi-vegetarian and never even knew? how odd.
The only meat i will eat is poultry or fish except for the occasional ground beef (ok, i do stray a bit with the ground beef) but that is usually replaced by ground turkey.
anyone else like me? what do you eat? trying to find good meal suggestions... my small repertoire is getting pretty old.

LadyLorax

Hello! I'm in the same boat -- we usually eat vegetarian, but the occasional turkey or even steak will creep in now and again.

I love Vegetarian Times dot com for recipes. We eat a lot of black beans - tacos, salad, enchiladas, etc. Also, they have a really good recipe for things like shepards pie using egg plant. I like using egg plant in recipes like spaghetti sauce because it has a "meaty" texture that my son enjoys.

aml0484

I am the same way except The only meat I eat is chicken and it is about once a week. Here are two of my favorite recipes:

Jamie Oliver's classic tomato spaghetti

By Jamie Oliver

Serves 4-6

This pasta sauce takes minutes to cook. What's great about this recipe for beginner cooks is that once you've done it a few times, you can add other simple ingredients to your basic tomato sauce to completely transform it. Check out the end of the recipe, where I've given you some ideas to get you started.


INGREDIENTS

* 2 cloves of garlic
* 1 fresh red chilli
* 1 bunch of fresh basil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound dried spaghetti
* Olive oil
* 1 x 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
* 4 ounces Parmesan cheese


Pasta

METHOD

1. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice your chilli (halve and deseed it first if you don't want the sauce too hot). Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put to one side. Finely chop the stalks.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 good lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, chilli and basil stalks and give them a stir. When the garlic begins to brown slightly, add most of the basil leaves and the tinned tomatoes. Turn the heat up high and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Drain the spaghetti in a colander, then transfer it to the pan of sauce and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you think it needs it.
4. Divide the pasta between your bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves. Roughly tear over the remaining basil leaves and grate over some Parmesan.

These can be added to your tomato sauce when it's finished. Just stir in and warm through:

* Add a handful of baby spinach to the sauce at the same time that you add the pasta - when the leaves have wilted remove from the heat and serve with some crumbled goat's cheese on top
* A few handfuls of cooked prawns and a handful of chopped rocket, with the juice of 1/2 a lemon
* A tin of tuna, drained and flaked into the sauce with 1/2tsp ground cinnamon, some black olives and the juice of 1/2 a lemon
* A handful of fresh or frozen peas and broad beans

PASTA ROLL-UPS WITH TURKEY AND SPINACH
CALORIES: 234
FAT: 3 g
CARB: 27 g
PROTEIN: 28 g
NUTRIENTS PER SERVING:
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
• 1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic
and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until
meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to mediumlow
stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden
spoon.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow
to cool in a colander.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in large bowl. Add
ricotta cheese, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9" x 10" casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle _at
in front of you. Use your _ngers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled
pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce
over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil
for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly.
Serves 8


The roll ups are a little time consuming but the spaghetti is supper quick.

CasperO

I always kind'a thought Veg was like pregnant,,, you are or you ain't. If you eat meat, you're not a veg.

And that's cool,,, you're a person who minimizes their intake of meats, good for you.

VSgirl2010

I'm sorry and please don't be offended because I'm not criticizing you but your not vegetarian at all. A TRUE vegetarian doesn't eat flesh no matter what, of any kind. There are people out there who call themselves lacto veggies (who eat dairy but not flesh) and I think there are other names like that for those who don't eat beef or only eat bird life or only eat fish but when it comes right down to it your only a veggie if you eat plant life. I am in no way religious but my personal reason for going veggie almost 10 yrs ago now is cruelty to animals. The 2nd reason is its the best health you can get when done right which takes time to learn. For reference take a look at the 7 Day Adventist. They live ripe old lives drug free because they eat nothing but a plant based diet. Its truly an amazing story they have.

malmustafa79

bump

edelq

Miko412- I know exactly what you mean, I eat the exact same things as you,, I know no offense is made to vegetarians,.. but, speaking from my own experience, it is often easier to say, esp if out at a restaurant or event, that you are vegetarian,, as the non-vegetarian meals will generally be meat that I won't eat..

There's a gorgeous feta cheese filo pastry thing here: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4540/crispy-greekstyle-pie-
it's very simple and quick, and filling if you put it with a bit of salad or sweet potato. ( I normally use cherry tomatoes or a mix of cherry and sun dried,, think sun dried alone is a bit overpowering).
I recommend that website for some great options,, or jamie oliver, I enjoy a lot of his recipes, I have the food revolution book, and it has a whole section on mince! Lovely, easy recipes for burgers, meatloaf, lasagne, and lots more!

chocolateandvodka

I always kind'a thought Veg was like pregnant,,, you are or you ain't. If you eat meat, you're not a veg.

And that's cool,,, you're a person who minimizes their intake of meats, good for you.

This is true! at least in my opinion it is true but just as edelq says, it is sometimes easier to say "vegetarian" than to just be labeled a "picky eater."
I never meant to claim to be vegan or an actual vegetarian for any reason other than dietary preference. I love animals but i happen to be in no way associated with animal rights activists. I just happened to realize the other day that my diet has always fallen into the same category of a "semi-vegetarian" or a person who just prefers not to eat red meat.

ssmom

Fish tacos with avocado are really good. I prefer the corn tortillas to flour. I also love all kinds of beans. Since watching my weight I have really been experimenting. Last weekend I made a spinach/artichoke dip with lowfat cottage cheese and lowfat shredded cheddar cheese that turned out pretty good--the non-dieting people liked it as well. Used some wheat thin crackers to dip in it. I'm coming up with new stuff all the time. Just gotta' think out of the box!

Allibaba

I am the same way and I think that I am working my way into becoming a vegetarian. I haven't eaten any beef in almost a year and I haven't had pork in a few months. I eat chicken and fish but I am trying to have more vegetarian meals. I had a slow cooker lentil stew on friday and it was super yum!

I am eating more raw nuts for protein, I also take a protein shake that is designed for women, I am over on my proteins most days (even on my non meat days). I would like to eat more cheese but it seems to jack up the sodium so I am not eating too much of it. Oh an hummus, yum!

VSgirl2010

I love animals but i happen to be in no way associated with animal rights activists. I just happened to realize the other day that my diet has always fallen into the same category of a "semi-vegetarian" or a person who just prefers not to eat red meat.

I'm not an animal right activists either but most people think they love animals just because they would never hurt a dog, cat, rabbit, some other family pet. Try witnessing the horror of animal slaughtering and tell me what you think then??

VSgirl2010

MIKO412, again- this is all personal opinion and I realize that you weren't trying to nessasarily go in this direction when you posted semi-vegetarian. I understand what you are saying and/or asking. So I apologize if my posts seem harsh. I just don't think people understand the severity of what happens to all kinds of animals in this world.......