Vegetarians and Pescatarians ect..... HELP!!!!

Celliott411

Hi! If you're going to cut down on meat, I would definitely recommend trying to cut out as much red meat as possible and maybe do some replacements with seitan. If you cook it up in a bit of olive oil, it is delicious! I make philly cheese "steaks" with it and add it to soups and stir fries. As for recipes, you can make just about anything you normally would with meat, just...without it. Here are a few of my favorites:

-Vegetable coconut curry
-Lentil and roasted red pepper soup over quinoa
(Really any sort of vegetable soup over brown rice or quinoa. Try pacific brand organic soups. SO good)
-Vegetarian stir fried rice with seitan (there are healthy recipes out there)
-Fettuccine alfredo made with rice or tofu noodles. For meat, I usually add a Quorn "chicken" patty
-Breakfast tacos with goat cheese, eggs, and pinto beans. Sometimes I add tofu or seitan to this too
-Broccoli cheese casserole (got this from a "So Now You're a Vegetarian" cookbook which is made for college vegetarians who don't have a lot of time or money and don't know too much about cooking with "weird" vegetarian ingredients)
-Grilled seitan, onions and peppers, with a bit of worcestershire sauce, on a piece of bread. Melted provolone on top. MMM
-Tofurkey melts. I like tofurkey. The smoked flavor is good. Maybe I just don't know what meat tastes like anymore, but it tastes like meat to me. Same with Yves tofu hot dogs.
-Vegetable lasagna
-Homemade pizza! I make mine with vegan cheese.

There are so many good and easy cookbooks out there! Vegetarianism is awesome! Good luck

BSBgirl337

I have been a vegetarian since I was 11, and wouldn't go any other way. Morningstar Farms chicken products are great. My husband will eat them, too, and they taste similar to real chicken. There is also bagged ones you can buy to add to meals rather than a patty, etc.

Quorn makes the absolute best chicken! It is a little pricey, but sooooo good!

And Boca Burgers vegan burgers are my favorite veggie burger, but no one in the world will tell you they taste like a real burger Only 70 calories though!

CupcakeHarpy

I try to not eat meat either, but I definitely eat it occasionally. Check out recipes online for these things. Some things I like to cook are:

japanese
miso soup
avocado and cucumber sushi
ramen soup with veggies

chinese
congee with sweet potato, silken tofu, and soy sauce for sprinkling (and sometimes a scrambled or hard boiled egg)
rice and stir fried veggies
home made veg fried rice
fried tofu dipped in spicy soy sauce (slice silken or soft tofu, coat in cornstarch, fry til crispy... dipping sauce - slice jalepeno pepper into a bowl, cover in soy sauce)

indian
vegetable curry (so easy to make) with naan bread (not so easy just buy some)

american
someone mentioned morningstar chicken products.. the chicken patties are good. I can hardly tell they aren't meat. I put them in a kaiser roll with veganaise and spinach leaves. nom nom.
homemade pizza and french fries

other
quesodillas made with cheese, roasted vegetables (i like potatoes, broccoli, onions, etc.) top with salsa and guacamole

for breakfasts, i like:

whole grain toast with pb and honey and bananas
a waffle with strawberries and blueberries with maple syrup
whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon

I hope at least one of those was helpful. Message me if you would like details on how I make any of these.

EDIT:
I didn't realize that you said low fat... most of these are low fat. and the fat that are in them are decent fats. I like to get fats from dairy, olive oil, and coconut oil (and nuts).

CupcakeHarpy

I have been a vegetarian since I was 11, and wouldn't go any other way. Morningstar Farms chicken products are great. My husband will eat them, too, and they taste similar to real chicken. There is also bagged ones you can buy to add to meals rather than a patty, etc.

Quorn makes the absolute best chicken! It is a little pricey, but sooooo good!

And Boca Burgers vegan burgers are my favorite veggie burger, but no one in the world will tell you they taste like a real burger Only 70 calories though!

I've been a meat eater all my life and tried a bunch of veggie burgers to test them out. Boca was pretty good. I just needed to put on a lot of toppings to fool my taste buds a bit But I would definitely eat them again. Also, a lot of people marinate portobella mushrooms and grill them just like a burger. Then just put toppings on like usual. Never tried it, but it's on my to-do list.

Leanz

So many good links - saving for later

cheshirequeen

vegan for almost 8 years. feel free to look at my diary for any suggestions.

KahuNZ

Been a vege since my early 20's (51yrs now) - never worried about protein etc - just eat some fruit and vege, beans along the way.
PS started eating some fish when I was about 35ys but its only when I go out and its cooked for me. I do have dairy - cheese, eggs and milk.
My partner is happy to get his meals cooked! He doesn't worry about the meat.
Good luck to you - I love veges and all the variation of spices in cooking.

HiKaren

The Eat Clean Vegetarian cookbook is awesome. I've been a vegetarian for almost a year and I am so happy. I feel "cleaner," I don't get sluggish in the afternoons anymore and sleep like a baby at night. Quinoa, lentils, beans, eggs, and tofu are staples in our house. If you feel like you're needing something to act as a meat replacement, Quorn and Gardein make great products. I'll put links here for a few of my favorite recipes that I've blogged about. I don't have much time to blog, but make time for my favorite staple vegetarian dishes. Best of luck to you! You won't regret it.

http://marloskitchen.com/2012/08/12/quinoa-zucchini-lasagna/

http://marloskitchen.com/2012/07/29/tofu-gyros-with-tzatziki/

http://marloskitchen.com/2012/07/16/quinoa-cakes-with-fontina-and-scallions/

http://marloskitchen.com/2012/05/21/breakfast-tacos/

http://marloskitchen.com/2012/02/23/quinoa-and-corn-salad/

http://marloskitchen.com/2011/11/18/penne-with-mushrooms-tomatoes-and-spinach/

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Thank you.... Looking for more meat free options myself.. I had tilapia and my protein drink today... : ) I want to save a few cows.. And even if I can't go completely everyday animal meat free, maybe I could just eat meat once a week. Ive been pescatarian in the past. I do like eggs. Milk, cheese... Fish.. Beans... Tofu... Stuff like that. I have yet to make a decent quinoa.. It turned out horrible.. Thanks for the ideas.

Moiirah

Have you tried Quorn? It's based in Great Britain, but they sell it at Smiths and the Sunflower Market (much cheaper there). My husband is a carnivore, but he LOVES it when we eat something from Quorn. He'll choose that over meat.