Vegetarian Ideas?

Azzne1

I'm trying to get my weight back under control and also having problems getting my food stamps. So at this point vegetarian sources of protein are far cheaper and go much further than the animal based ones. My job at a green house/ produce market gives us reduced prices on veggies and access to unsellable produce for free. I am trying to convert myself and three young daughters over to a primarily vegetarian diet while encouraging weight loss in myself and has a taste that is still palatable for the young ones. I also have to work within a local, in season produce framework. (Right now I have oodles of tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, corn, cabbage, zucchini, squash, and an eclectic mixture of fruit) I am also lucky enough to have many staples stored in bulk. Any ideas?

1QtwithaQ

Enjoy!!

2 or 3 brunches curly kale, washed and chopped or torn into small pieces
3 or 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Medium red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
Place in the refrigerator and server cold.

1QtwithaQ

nlclampet you can also make a veggie soup! It's easy and last long!!!

auntiecorri

Some ideas for your veggies- I generally don't use recipes, but I'm sure you can find some similar recipes online if you need them.

Zucchini pancakes with tomato-corn relish on top (make like potato pancakes, only sub shredded zucchini for the potato)

Stuffed bell peppers- use assorted veggies mixed with an egg and rice, pasta, quinoa, or bread crumbs- whatever you have on hand to bind the mix together, and maybe some cheese if you have it- top with tomato sauce, bake. Can also stuff an over sized zucchini like this.

Corn and black bean salad with bell peppers, onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno- eat as a room temp. salad or add chopped zucchini and a little cheese and use it as a filling for enchiladas or an enchilada layered casserole.

My current favorite: Boil some pasta- whatever shape you have, and keep al dente. Save 1 cup pasta water. Saute one red onion with mushrooms, green and yellow zucchini, until almost done- add 1-2 cans of chopped tomatoes with juices (or chop fresh tomatoes and juice one or two more) and add to the veggies along with the reserved pasta water. Season with Italian seasonings, let simmer a few minutes and then add the pasta and let it cook a couple more minutes until the pasta soaks up some of the juices.

Where ever you can try to add in some beans for protein.

mmjensen2010

How about stuffing tomatoes with ricotta, zucchini, and corn. Or adding cottage cheese to some of the veggies (I do a cottage cheese stuffed mushroom frequently) Cottage cheese is a wonderful source of protein. What about adding while beans with any veggies. Maybe a Tuscan white bean meal profile (basil, onion, garlic). Beans are another great source of protein and a can of beans is around 70 cents at Wal-Mart.

Go to Eatingwell.com, they have a lot of vegetable and vegetarian recipes!

sparky00721

My current favorite: Boil some pasta- whatever shape you have, and keep al dente. Save 1 cup pasta water. Saute one red onion with mushrooms, green and yellow zucchini, until almost done- add 1-2 cans of chopped tomatoes with juices (or chop fresh tomatoes and juice one or two more) and add to the veggies along with the reserved pasta water. Season with Italian seasonings, let simmer a few minutes and then add the pasta and let it cook a couple more minutes until the pasta soaks up some of the juices.

Where ever you can try to add in some beans for protein.

This is similar to what I do: cooked whole wheat pasta, canned beans or legumes (usually chick peas), spaghetti sauce or General Tao sauce or something similar, and then throw in as many vegetables as you have/can, season to taste if necessary. I call it Goop and my daughter loves it. The pasta/tomato sauce provides good camouflage for the veggies if your kids are still getting introduced to some new veggies, and this meal should be a complete vegetarian-based source of protein. I highly recommend throwing in as much corn nibblets or kernels as you can - provides a nice sweetness and a balance to some of the earthier tasting vegetables you might throw in.

WrittenWhisper

There are some pretty good resources out there for people who are trying to incorporate more veggie foods in to their diet; I know firsthand because I'm trying to lower the meat content of my diet, too!

Check out these websites I've found:
www.vegetariantimes.com
http://some-like-it-raw.com/ (go to the "in the kitchen" tab, and then choose "all recipes")
http://www.vibrantvegan.com/vegan-recipes.html
http://www.delicious-vegetarian-recipes.com/

something that I've found really works is to do homemade sauerkraut. If you have a little bit of something pickled and vinegarry, it helps to make you feel fuller quicker. There's guidance on how to make it on the second website, Some Like It Raw. It'll be especially good seeing as you mentioned having a plentiful supply of cabbage right now!

Tomatoes are always good for making some sort of sauce or bolognese, which you can freeze in portions and keep back for another time. I like to do mushrooms stuffed with sweetcorn and grated courgette, and when I bake it I like to put the tomato sauce all around it in the baking dish to keep the mushroom moist and give everything that sweet, hearty, "cooked tomato" flavour.

Something else I discovered the other day was that if you grate mushrooms quite finely in a food processor, once you cook it in something like chili con carne, it has a really similar texture to meat, and it's a lot cheaper and lower-fat: I made a vegan moussaka like that and everyone loved it, even my boyfriend who HATES mushrooms, so you could try that too.

I hope this helps, and I'll post again if I come across any really nice recipes that I think you'll be able to convince your kiddies to eat (I'll test them on my two little nieces first!!) Good luck and bon appetite!

Azzne1

Than k ya'll so much! These ideas seem fantastic and I can't wait to try them!