Vegetarian Meals Part 2 (Photo Heavy)

pocketmole

So back when I first joined MFP I made a forum post sharing a lot of photos of my vegetarian cooking. You can check it out here if you like: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/722193-vegetarian-meals-lots-of-photos?hl=pocketmole At the time I had lost around 45lbs. I have since lost another 20lbs and figured I would make a second thread showing some of the things I have prepared since then. I know there are quite a few people that may be curious about what a vegetarian diet looks like, and some of the vegetarians may wonder what kind of foods they can eat and still lose weight. (The answer is pretty much whatever you want, in moderation.)

A little bit about me and the guidelines I've set for myself as far as my weight loss in concerned:


• I made it a point to stop basing all of my meals around pasta and rice - which wasn't so straightforward as a vegetarian. I still eat them, but far less than I used to. I opt for whole grains when I can.
• I work out 3-5 days a week. M-W-F I go to boot camp to get my *kitten* kicked. I've since started doing some lifting on at least one of my non boot camp days. I occasionally go running as well. Hoping to finish my first 5k in November.
• I'm not a fan of "skinny" shortcuts with my cooking. I don't do splenda, diet sodas, or fat free cheeses. Popular recipes like the banana "pancake" (you all know the one) don't appeal to me at all. I make my pancakes with flour and sugar, then I top them with butter. And rum infused caramel if I feel like it
• When cooking I try to compromise rather than eliminate. If I make muffins I may sub in whole wheat flour for part of the white flour. I may sub out some of the oil for apple sauce. I may cut back on the sugar. If I can reduce the calories of a dish by 20% without sacrificing flavor in any way, that's a success to me. I want my food to taste legit, yo.
• Portion control, which is made possible by logging everything I eat. Occasionally I want something rich so I will balance it out by having less of it and eating a salad or some roasted veggies on the side.
• If I have a day of pure calorie overload I just let it go and eat well the next day. That was a hard habit to break as I used to be one of those people that would say, "Oh I f***ed up. I guess I'll start fresh on Monday." Even though it's only Tuesday.
• I'm pretty lax on the weekends, but not out of control. Usually.
• Most days I eat between 1300-1500 calories. On weekends I will sometimes have 1800-1900. I generally eat back about half of my exercise calories but I'm not all scientific about it or anything.

TL;DR: No summary, just pics for you.

jalapeno cheddar polenta with black beans and fresh pico


truffled mac and cheese with roasted cauliflower


vegan "beef" stew made with stout


hummingbread bread with neufchatel glaze and toasted coconut


savory oatmeal with smoked gouda


tim tam crumble bars


green lasanga


7 layer dip lasanga


butternut squash and smoked gouda macaroni


spinach artichoke dip pasta


white wine roasted shiitakes over whole wheat fettucine


egg-free potato and onion frittata


jalapeno cornbread muffins


southwestern vegetarian chili


pears baked in cream, butter, and rum - topped with crumbled gingersnap cookies


hard cider banana bread


individual eggplant parmesans


baked lentil stew with polenta


seville orange whiskey sour with homemade drunken cherries


spinach tamales with chili sauce and 3 bean avocado salad


stone fruit cobbler muffins


vegetarian meatballs with fettucine and marinara


enchilada inspired stuffed zucchini boats


chocolate tofu pudding


taco salad, minus the usual taco shell bowl


seared quorn and roasted root veggies with thyme


drunken mushrooms over parmesan polenta with roasted aparagus


tom kha gai with tofu


roasted ratatouille with veggie italian sausage


tofu "egg" salad with avocado


baked hummus seitan with salad


quorn roast with cheesy baked spaghetti squash


chili lime veggie for soft tacos (and roasted corn for my boyfriend)


chocolate chip with walnut on the right, chocolate chip with toffee and sea salt on the left


banana rum pancakes


hummus


kale avocado salad with chili tofu


lemon poppyseed zucchini bread


stuffed baked tomato with farro


open faced chickpea burger with basil pesto, feta, and olives


yummy lunchtime sammich with cherries


chili dog on a pretzel roll


deconstructed lettuce wrap salad with spicy peanut sauce


squash blossom quesadillas with refried beans and homemade pico


cherry tomato soup with cream and pan seared haloumi cubes


roasted poblano and potato soup


apple brie crostini with cinnamon honey walnuts


pizza: fontina, italian sausage, squash, and purple basil


homemade butter with garlic and herbs


mixed tomato salad with basil, fresh mozzarella, and homemade garlic croutons

keem88

omg i love you. these all look so good, especially the baked spaghetti squash. i've done that before with some roasted red pepper sauce ricotta and mozzarella baked with the spaghetti squash so good! do you have a link or blog with recipes? thanks so much these all look great, you're an awesome chef!

akasullengal

As a vegetarian of many many years, I'm always excited to see new foods to try out, especially when one is trying to eat healthy and not overload on pasta. A lot of these meals look fantastic. Can you share recipes? Otherwise, I can only drool and be jealous.

pocketmole

I don't mind sharing recipes, but to share for all of them is a bit much, haha. Are there any in particular that stand out? :]

I have all of these things (pretty much all of them) entered into MFP's recipe builder so I can just take a screenshot of the page. Although in many of those circumstances I don't include the salt, pepper, and spices that I used since it doesn't apply much to the calorie count.

Jeeto115

All those look amazing!!!

I would eat healthy ALL the time if someone cooked me meals like in the pix. Looks delicious!!

meepberry

WOW. These pictures...if I wasn't hungry before I sure am now! Can I get that beef stew recipe? It looks so delicious.


Edit: She has a food blog! And it is delicious looking and amazing. The link is on her profile.

jennagoogles13

Umm can you just like move in with me? I mean seriously, every single thing there looks TO DIE FOR!

desertcrafty

Those all look so delicious...Great photography!

I wouldn't mind knowing how to make the kale avocado salad and chili tofu!

PepePants

Incredible! Some really great food photography, too! I just had one of my faves: roasted root vegetable salad with quinoa and I still found myself salivating at those shots. Very talented.

bellesouth18

Those look delicious! I'm not a vegetarian, but I love veggies and would eat these creations in a heartbeat! You're a terrific photographer/food stylist, too.

x311Tifa

GREEN LASANGA!!! Omg, I haven't had that in years! I need to make it now!!!

station_agent

OMG...some of the most delicious dishes i have ever seen...inspiring!

julesw734

These look delicious.. I am sure that I would use several if not all of them... Thank you.

Hearts_2015

waiting for your recipe book to come out... lol I remember all the great recipes you've shared in the past and the photos of your meals on the food porn thread. Bring on the vegetarian meals!

Your photo skills/camera take some seriously awesome pics:happy:

tbresina

seriously bumped!

EHisCDN

I want to eat all of this! I'm always looking to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my repertoire.

coco3382458

OMG I feel like I want ALL of these recipes!! Do you have a blog or site or something going on pintrest. Do you think you could post a couple every week? Also what kind of camera do you have? I can not believe how beautiful the photography is. Sending a friend request now

milaxx

Awesome! I get tired of telling people I get variety in my diet and I get plenty of protein. I also don't do diet food. If it's a gym day, I will indeed treat myself to pancakes.

littlebudgie

Oh my goodness, I'm salivating. Could you share the recipe for that savoury oatmeal with gouda?

FrankieTrailBlazer

Looking great!!

Laurenmp16

You are very talented! Food sounds AND looks great! Thanks for sharing.