Vegetarian low carb meal ideas needed please

swiftyl

Hi All, I've realised I've got into a bit of a food rut and need some inspiration. I'm mainly vegetarian and try to limit bread, pasta and potatoes - so only eat them when I'm really craving them. However I've been very uninspired just eating quorn products and have a group of about 10 meals I keep repeating and realised this is why I'm not overly enthusiastic about MFP at the moment. Previously when eating meat I'd go out and splurge on something calorific, and whilst the same, rather dull meals mean I'm keeping on track I also feel that I'm missing out on some highly tasty exciting foods.
So if you have really tasty, quick prep recipes and meal ideas that would really help me.
I'm also based in the UK so may not be able to get hold of all your exciting US ingredients (or will need a dictionary to look them up - eggplant, cilantro etc ).

Thanks in advance

LKArgh

I am not vegetarian, but eat a mostly plant based diet. Recent favourites:

Sprinkle a baking dish with olive oil (I expect butter would work too, or any other oil), add a layer of aubergine slices (about as thick as your finger), add a bit of salt and bake until tender. Add some tomato sauce (just a bit, you do not want them floating, only barely covered) and bake a few more minutes. Top with a layer of thin mozzarella slices and any fresh or dried herbs you like, bake a few minutes, just until the cheese starts to melt and enjoy hot or cold. We usually eat it with a plain tomato salad, especially when the weather is hot.

Green beans or peas in tomato sauce: slice an onion and/or some garlic, brown them in a pot with a bit of oil , add
peas or beans (fresh or frozen), cover with tomato sauce, add salt and pepper and cook until tender, adding water if needed. You can also add sliced carrots, sliced courgettes, sliced potatoes or sweet potatoes.
And you can also bake instead of boil, but make sure to stir occasionally and to cover the dish, it is very easy to burn the food and it should not be dry. Not a soup, but not dry.

And for really hot days: slice together cucumber, tomatoes, an avocado, add some boiled corn (I imagine it would also work with canned corn), add any dressing you like (or plain lemon juice, that works for me), and some croutons before serving and you have a filling salad.

zebasschick

sorry to hear you're tired of quorn products. they have some tasty stuff. have you tried using quorn grounds, onions, a little parmesan cheese and the seasoning of your choice to make stuffed bell peppers? you can add a little quinoa or rice to the mixture and still keep it pretty low carb.

how about egg white omelettes? i like mine with spinach, mushrooms and a sprinkling of extra sharp cheddar over the top. cooked on non-stick with a little olive oil - the olive taste makes things even tastier. i suppose this would also work with egg beaters or egg substitute of your choice.

i've also discovered that although i don't like cauliflower, if you rice it and cook it to 180f, a lot of the moisture evaporates and you can simmer it in a wide variety of sauces so you can't taste the cauliflower. sometimes i add extra firm tofu after cooking it in a vinegary sauce. yum!

i actually break down an entire cauliflower, run it through the food processor, cook all of it to 180f in the microwave, cool, cover and put in the fridge. that way, it's ready to eat in seconds any time with favorite dressings or sauces including pasta sauce or mushroom sauce or just pour some light salad dressing on it, add some pieces or red bell pepper and eat.

sonilac

I have a vegan casserole that is low carb too, my kids love it because it's colorful: https://mediterraneanlatinloveaffair.com/vegan-vegetable-medley-a-mediterranean-casserole/.

onekemi

I’ve used variations of this frittata recipe over the years substituting the types of cheeses or vegetables. I also substitute half the eggs with a block of tofu.

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vegetable-frittata

genevieveturner

Zucchini from my garden sliced thin then bake at 400 degrees for 15 mins pat dry. In a pan cook vegan crumbles and vegan chorizo with corn, roll mixture in zucchini slices and top with vegan cheese. Bake another 20 minutes until cheese is melted top with salsa and enjoy and under 400 calories for a huge serving

Gooeypops

I make a fun and easy mexican-style salad for our packed lunch with tinned black beans, corn, chopped salad veg of whatever sort, chilli, lime, salt and coriander. Low carb, high-ish protein and eating the rainbow.

DaddieCat

Speaking as a long time vegan, none of these recipes seem low carb because all plants are mostly carbs.

OP, is there are reason why you are trying to eat low carb on what is traditionally a high carb diet?

bostongeek

if you have a mandolin, make ratatouille! whenever I make it I just google "Disney's ratatouille" lol and that recipe works for me though I find that the number of vegetables they tell you to use fits into a pan that is twice the size of the one they suggest.

also, anything in the veggie curry family--you can control the amount of rice you eat with it so it's really just veggies, coconut milk, and spices. (I call this my "white person Indian food" category because I acknowledge none of what I do is a proper curry--so again just google recipes haha)

pnuuts99

By low carb, do you really just mean trying to eat fewer grains?
If so, then I have ideas.
Any pasta recipe w/ zoodles, or spaghetti squash
Veggie stir fry (w/o rice)
Cottage cheese bake (yum!)
Any indian curry recipes
Red lentil dal
Barley stuffed peppers
Palak Paneer
Pizza with lots of veggies and homemade crust (greek yogurt + flour)

Ceolna

I've just become vegetarian, but have been making this kinda thing for a while for lunches. The 'recipe' is never the same twice, but depending what spices / herbs you use can make a real difference. For a more tomato/bolognese taste, stick more with oregano, mixed herbs, basil etc. If you want a more Indian feel, some cumin and cinnamon is good ( tiny bit cinnamon) and smoked paprika always! Recipe: fry some onion with chunky peppers. Add some garlic puree and some ginger puree. Add splash of just boiled water and break a veggie stock cube in. Add small tin of kidney beans and some red lentils ( about 2 x table spoons, I dont really measure) add some pasata and then your herbs or spices. I add about the same amount of quinoa as I did of lentils if liquid too runny but you could have with out. Served as is or with some greens on side so tasty!

musicandarts

I used to eat a lot of products based on gluten and other vegetable protein. To reduce eating processed foods, now I just stick with natural options. I add 100 gms of cooked farro or cooked quinoa to all my salads. I can easily make a very filling meal for about 400 calories using these combinations.

karen1anello

I made this in my crock pot. https://www.food.com/recipe/indian-cauliflower-and-kidney-bean-stew-with-coconut-milk-493762. I usually serve with a little bit of brown rice.

swiftyl

BecomingBane wrote: »

Speaking as a long time vegan, none of these recipes seem low carb because all plants are mostly carbs.

OP, is there are reason why you are trying to eat low carb on what is traditionally a high carb diet?

I'm not completely off carbs, i just find pasta, bread, rice and potatoes bloat me and make me feel sluggish. I do have them occasionally but feel better when I don't.

swiftyl

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions, really need to get back to cooking properly.

BuddhaBunnyFTW

My new fav is dry pinto beans (cooked with garlic powder and chili powder), instant brown rice, and mild taco sauce. I also eat instant oatmeal with pepitas, turmeric, flax seed, and hummus. And seasoned tofu and bell pepper sandwiches on Angelic low sodium 7 sprouted grain bread.

georgieamber2

Add me?? I’m a fan of high protein low carb meals (relatively low carb for a veggie - I’m vegan). The first photo is smashed chickpeas with a touch of mayo, salt and pepper, tender stem broccoli, peas and mixed salad. The second is soya mince, black beans and peas with fajita seasoning, nutritional yeast and mixed salad ❤️

Clairin

zebasschick wrote: »

sorry to hear you're tired of quorn products. they have some tasty stuff. have you tried using quorn grounds, onions, a little parmesan cheese and the seasoning of your choice to make stuffed bell peppers? you can add a little quinoa or rice to the mixture and still keep it pretty low carb.

how about egg white omelettes? i like mine with spinach, mushrooms and a sprinkling of extra sharp cheddar over the top. cooked on non-stick with a little olive oil - the olive taste makes things even tastier. i suppose this would also work with egg beaters or egg substitute of your choice.

i've also discovered that although i don't like cauliflower, if you rice it and cook it to 180f, a lot of the moisture evaporates and you can simmer it in a wide variety of sauces so you can't taste the cauliflower. sometimes i add extra firm tofu after cooking it in a vinegary sauce. yum!

i actually break down an entire cauliflower, run it through the food processor, cook all of it to 180f in the microwave, cool, cover and put in the fridge. that way, it's ready to eat in seconds any time with favorite dressings or sauces including pasta sauce or mushroom sauce or just pour some light salad dressing on it, add some pieces or red bell pepper and eat.

Parmesan is always non vegetarian. It always contains animal rennet. Some hard goat cheeses work as an OK substitute.

Clairin

Have you tried dry soy called tvp ( textured vegetable protein) the supermarkets sell it and its easy to use in recipes. Its a dried soy protein and you soak it a bit before using. It is easily used in minced meat type recipes. No need to buy expensive processed pre preparehd but the frozen food aisle will have this. Frozen pre prepared are often called 'crumbles' or something. These typically contain seitan which is wheat protein mixed with soy protein. Seitan you can buy fresh in packets or its in lots of meaty type veggie burgers and called wheat gluten. Tempeh is another soy bean fresh product un processed. Lots of recipes out there to make tempeh bacon. I use beans a fair bit. Ever tried mashing pinto beans and seasoning? Amazing in a wrap. Thanks hope maybe that helps you or someone else get veggie meal ideas.

Clairin

BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »

My new fav is dry pinto beans (cooked with garlic powder and chili powder), instant brown rice, and mild taco sauce. I also eat instant oatmeal with pepitas, turmeric, flax seed, and hummus. And seasoned tofu and bell pepper sandwiches on Angelic low sodium 7 sprouted grain bread.

Love pinto beans!

mrsstoll2016

I make a 3 bean vegan chili
Kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans (1 can each), 28 oz can of crushed red tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 chopped onion and green pepper, chili seasoning

georgieamber2

my lunch today:) half a head of broccoli, chickpeas mashed with vegan mayonnaise (u can use normal mayo, hummus, tahini, avocado), shallots, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and sprouted alfalfa