Vegetarian / vegan meals

ShanniceB

Hello I'm transitioning from eating meat to vegetarism and then on being a vegan.
I would love to see (pictures) and have recipes of any vegetarian or vegan meals.
Also what is good for snacks etc?
Thanks for sharing! Xo

charzimmer63

lots of fruits & vegetables, raw instant oatmeal, brown rice, beans, Luna bars, sweet potatoes and unsalted/raw nuts!

lizzerh

I just made a simple pasta salad bowl, wholewheat pasta, tomatos, cucumber, pepper and avocado with a bit of balsamic vinegar ✌

ashley_144000

I love oats, fruit, nuts/seeds & cinnamon for breakfast, it's delicious! For lunch I like a tex mex salad: black beans, corn, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers & avocados. Yum!

ShanniceB

Loving all the ideas (making me hungry!) ️thanks everyone

(When it comes to making meals my mind always goes blank

janiep81

I'm not vegan but I intentionally include vegan meals and vegan days in my diet. Today I had a delicious farro salad:

1 c farro (cooked)
1/2 small yellow onion
1/2 green pepper (I used two small mini peppers)
1/2 c raw pumpkin seed
1/2 c dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 c (or one ear) grilled corn on the cob (boiled would be fine, too)
1 t dried Italian seasoning
1 T red palm oil (any healthy oil is fine)
1 T agave nectar (I used honey but that's not vegan)
2T nutritional yeast
2T chia seeds

Cook the farro according to package directions. Chop onions and peppers and combine with pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and corn. Then mix this with the farro. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and add seasoning, yeast, and chia seeds. Combine this mixture with farro mixture and you're ready to go. It should serve about 12 1/2 cup servings at about 105 cals per serving. I think its really yummy and filling.

Mizz_Mo

If you can look past the heavy amount of cussing check out WWW.THUGKITCHEN.COM - yummy and filling recipes!
For great Indian food check out WWW.VEGANRICHA.COM - lovely woman with killer recipes!
For great meals and desserts check out Post Punk Kitchen at WWW.THEPPK.COM - her muffin recipes are soooo good!

rosebarnalice

If you're stumped when it comes to decision-making time, how about stocking the fridge or freezer with a couple of veggie-friendly casseroles that are ready to go with no decisions? Two of my favorites:

VEGGIE ENCHILADA CASSEROLE:
In a round 9-inch casserole dish or pie pan layer the following from bottom up:
Spritz of Pam or olive oil cooking spray
1 corn tortilla
2 or 3 tbsp refried beans
layer of raw spinach (or thinly sliced zucchini or eggplant
2nd corn tortilla
another swath of beans
another layer of green veg
3rd corn tortilla
Pour 12 - 16 oz of your favorite salsa or canned enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle on some shredded cheese (or veggie shreds if you're going vegan) on the top. Bake at 350 for about an hour covered in foil, then take the foil off for 15 - 20 minutes--or until it looks like the sauce is thickened and not too soupy. Last batch I made yielded 6 servings that were 211 calories each, and it reheats GREAT!

BACKWARDS EGGPLANT (or ZUCCHINI) LASAGNA
It's called "backwards" because the veggies are reversed with the pasta: thin slices of either eggplant or zucchini take the place of the pasta noodles; and then a couple of thin layers of either whole-grain couscous, quinoa, millet or brown rice are included in the filling.

First, slice a whole medium eggplant or two medium zucchinis longways in thin planks and set aside. (I've seen some recipes where people peel the veggies first, but I don't).

Then make the cheese filling by mixing together well the following:
1/2 pkg (7 oz) low-fat ricotta [or vegan substitute]
1/2 pkg (7 oz) firm tofu--crumbled (the tofu lightens up the ricotta, and also adds protein!)
1 - 3 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)--chopped fine
basil, and other herbs can be added as well

In a 9 x 12 baking dish, layer from the bottom up:
Spritz of Pam or olive oil cooking spray
* 1 layer of thinly sliced zucchini or eggplant planks
* 2 - 3 tbsp of your favorite pasta sauce spread over the planks
* half of the cheese mixture evenly distributed
* ~ 1/4 cup of COOKED brown rice, or UNCOOKED couscous, quinoa, or millet (these will rehydrate and cook during the baking process, but the rice won't so it needs to be precooked)
* thin layer of fresh spinach, then press down lightly to spread out the cheese & grain layers below
* 2nd layer of zucchini or eggplant planks
* 2-3 tbsp pasta sauce
* the remaining cheese mixture
* another layer of grain
* another layer of spinach-- and then press down the cheese and grain layer
* 3rd layer of zucchini or eggplant planks.

Cover with remaining pasta sauce, and bake in at 350 degrees for about an hour covered in foil, then take the foil off, sprinkle on parmesan cheese if desired, and continue baking for another 15 - 20 minutes --or until it looks like the sauce is thickened and not too soupy. My last batch (made with millet and eggplant) yielded 6 servings of only 194 calories each. Again, reheats FABULOUSLY-- also great to divide and freeze in individual portions for lunch on the go.

Patttience

Shannice, if you can find my blog called Almost Vegan, it might help you a lot since its a food diary. I have only recently gone vegan.

You might also get hold of some vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. The key thing that vegans and vegies need ot learn how to use in their cooking if you don't want to gain weight is all the legumes.

As a vegan i've read that i need to eat 3 serves a day. Being vegan is actually quite an adjustment from a nutrition point of you so if and when you go there, do be sure to thoroughly look into the nutritional aspects. There seem to be quite a few good vegan websites which go into this. I myself don't want to eat all the processed vegan foods because in my mind they are no better than any other sort of processed food. And i'm just starting to come around to the idea that i will have to use the vegan milks as the bests and easiest way for me to get my calcium and avoid calcium supplementation which seems to have some health questionmarks over it.

There many many recipes from around the world for legumes. You don't have to make them up. But you do need to cook them with herbs and spices. India, mediterranean countries, middle east, north africa are excellent sources of bean, lentils and chickpea recipes.

They are also good with all vegetable recipes.

To avoid putting on weight, it is a good idea to get yourself organised in the kitchen adn shopping departments. I always try to keep my fridge full of fruit and vegies all the time so that its easy to come up with something any time.

On my blog is a really yummy beetroot and lentil recipe. I think i may have a good recipe for lentil patties too but i can't remember.

One salad i've been relying a lot on lately becuase its easy and tasty is coleslaw. Use a good quality mayonnaise though. Potato salad is also delicious. Even canned beans are delicious with mayonnaise. Add a sprinkle of seeds in your salads or walnuts to give them extra punch. Having a good supply of seeds and some nuts is helpful but don't get into the habit of snacking on them because this will make you gain weight.

Also use cheese sparingly. Hard cheeses go well in salad as does fetta cheese. In fact fetta cheese is one of the most useful cheeses in vegetarian cooking.

Vegetables bakes are good: vegies, white or cheese sauce, and pasta = very yummy.
Ratatouille is a good vegetable stew - french, though many recipes, look for most traditional.
I recently made a yummy vegan lasagne with tofu slices on top instead of white sauce but it was a time consuming dish to make but of course i was able to eat it for days. But so good. Maybe my recipe is on my blog too.

Be sure to eat 2.5-3 cups of vegetables a day. And 2 pieces of fruit.
India and pakistan and sri lanka has some delicious spiced rice dishes.

Look for cookbooks of traditional home cooking. Look for authentic. These will teach you how to cook the veg and vegan way.

Serena795

Try The Minimalist Baker website--they have lots of yummy vegetarian and vegan recipes, such as burgers, falafels, pizza, stir-fries, and baked goods. I can guarantee you that they will taste awesome; I've tried a lot myself.

Vegetarian chilis, frittatas, ratatouille, and veggie burgers are my go-tos for the weekdays. I just make a big batch on the weekend and throw things into Tupperware.

As for the person above who said not to get into a habit of snacking on seeds and nuts--I disagree! You will NOT gain weight snacking on them as long as you keep portion sizes reasonable and they fit into your daily caloric needs.

ShanniceB

All this information!
I will look at all those links.
I see I need to concentrate on organising my meals better and the nutritional content!
Thanks to everyone posting!

cwolfman13

you can make all kinds of awesome stuff with lentils. I'm an omnivore, but I still like making "meat balls" and "sausage patties" and stuff like that with lentils. i'm very fond of lentils in general and they're a big part of my diet.

mwynn210

Hummus & celery is one of my fave snacks, and I just discovered making hummus without oil, which makes it so much better/lower calorie!

And I always have beans, rice & tortillas in the fridge for a quick meal - pop 'em together with a bunch of leafy greens and some avocado and Tabasco, and you have a high fiber, good protein, healthy & quick lunch or dinner. Cooking batches of food and freeing it also really helps. Check out the Forks Over Knives website for some great vegan recipes.

I just switched to vegan last month after to being mostly vegetarian for years, and I have to say I love it, and my energy levels have gone way up. Good luck!

sistrsprkl

I eat pretty simply (boring) but feel free to add me to see my diary. Lots of salads, sandwiches, protein shakes, soups in the winter, eggs (I'm lacto-ovo, not vegan), nuts, beans, etc...