Vegetarian ideas? I'm getting bored.

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RobinES10
RobinES10 Posts: 4
in Recipes
I became a vegetarian in October '09 and have recently gotten bored of tofu and meatless Bocaburgers (and the like)... I love dairy, and am a carb-aholic... and am not noticing much weight loss (I think it's probably because of my poor food choices). I feel that if I had some exciting veggie recipes I could up the weight loss while still sticking to my vegetarian diet.

Also, I'm a very busy girl (finishing my college degree plus working two jobs) so I don't have the time to make time-consuming meals every day.

Any quick-to-prepare, yummy, low-calorie vegetarian ideas out there?

Replies

  • Kblack2882
    Kblack2882 Posts: 20
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    I've done veg and raw food, but I can't stick to it, however there was one recipe I loved!

    Merry Monkey Smoothie

    1 peeled banana
    2 Tbsp. Almond Butter or 17 Raw Almonds
    1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
    1 Tsp. Cinnamon
    1 Cup Ice
    1/4 Cup Almond Milk

    Blend into a smoothie
    This tastes soo god it is ridiculous, I honestly can't explain it. There are variations, like a choco monkey where you add caocao, green monkey, you add kale leaves and berry monkey, they are great too. Hope this helps!
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
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    Quinoa is a great grain to use in alot of dishes or even eat plain. It takes like 20 minutes to make but you don't have to be there constantly watching it. You could always make a bigger batch so you have enough leftover for the week. You can season it with anything or add anything to it to change up the flavor and textures. It's a great base for dishes.
  • galoot
    galoot Posts: 17
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    How about Hearty Pasta Soup from one of my BBC Goodfood Healthy Eats cook books.. serves 4. You could swap the filled pasta for standard whole meal pasta for lower total fat.

    1tbsp olive oil
    2 carrots, chopped
    1 large onion,finely chopped
    1 litre/1 3/4 pints vege stock
    400g can chopped tomatoes with garlic
    200g frozen mixed peas and beans
    250g pack fresh filled pasta (such as tortelline with ricotta & spinich?)
    handful of basil leaves
    optional parmesaon cheese and bread to serve

    1. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the carrots and onion for 5 mins until softening slightly. Add stock & tomatoes, then simmer for 10 minutes, adding the peas and beans after 5 mins.
    2. Once the vegeatables are tender stir in the pasta. Return to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes until the pasta is just cooked. Stir in the basil, season then serve in bowls topped with parmesan and slice of bread if using.

    Per serving: 28 Kcalories, protein 11g, carbs, 44g, fat 9g, sat fat 3g, fibre 6g, sugar 11g, salt 0.88g.
  • galoot
    galoot Posts: 17
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    Edit: Not sure why but this posted twice,, wierd. Ignore this nothing to see here.. move along :)
  • kbarr23
    kbarr23 Posts: 5 Member
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    I love the Weight Watchers cookbook, Take Out Tonight. It's not specifically vegetarian, but a lot of the recipes either are or are easily modifiable. It was low fat, low calorie recipes from different cuisines - chinese, greek, italian, thai, indian... and believe it or not I haven't made anything bad out of if - it's really good. And I'm kind of a foodie vegetarian, so that's saying a lot. Have fun!

    http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-Take-Out-Tonight-Restaurant/dp/0743245946
  • Sillybunni
    Sillybunni Posts: 61 Member
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    I love veggie wraps. I made a spinach hummus for the spread (or you can buy hummus) and add sliced, raw zucchini, cucumber, tomato, carrot, whatever you like on a whole wheat tortilla.

    I love many of Rachel Ray's recipes too. I think this one would still be good without the tuna (maybe you could add tofu or another type of bean) and it's easy to make: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/dollar-stretcher-dinnertuna-tomato-and-white-bean-bow-ties/
  • kristinelw
    kristinelw Posts: 29
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    Vegetarian currys can be very yummy. One chickpea curry recipe that I love is here: http://norwayveggie.blogspot.com/2008/11/chickpea-curry.html Don't worry, it's in English as well as Norwegian.

    I make it super-spicy so that it helps me drink more water :) One serving is about 250 calories, I think. It'll be more if you eat it with rice or bread, as suggested, but I think it is good on its own as well.
  • evanbeek
    evanbeek Posts: 42 Member
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    Epicurious. The iPhone or iPad apps are amazing.

    Here's a web link tonquick and easy vegetarian.

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/quickeasy/recipes?browseByAtt=161
  • antiadipose
    antiadipose Posts: 447
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    i usually make bulgur wheat or quinoa with veggies.
    i fell in LOVE with lentil soup and perfected it.... loads of recipes online.
    i made this spinach stew 2 nights ago and added meatless ground meat .. OMG! i had some with my brown rice and then served myself another bowl and just ate it straight with a spoon.

    dont get bored! and make sure most of ur food is veg based.. and the grain is the side (thats what i try to do)

    im not sure if u eat fish but if u do.... holy wowzers ull neverrrr get bored lol

    good luck to ya!
  • koreansponge
    koreansponge Posts: 8
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    I have the exact same problem. I became a vegetarian at about the same time and Im pretty picky so I eat way too many carbs. I found a good traditional Chinese rice dish that's easy to make and modify to your liking. Its a great way to get some healthy veggies into your day.

    You need:

    About 2 cups of rice, cooked (preferably leftover, or cooked sometime earlier, freshly made wont work)
    2 eggs
    1 onion (or 4 green onion stalks - I like green onions better)
    Lots of soy sauce
    Butter
    Oil
    Your favorite vegetables (peppers are good)
    Your favorite spices (I use curry and red pepper because I like spicy food)

    Grease a skillet with a little butter and scramble the eggs. When they're done, take them out and set them aside. Cut up the onions and sautee them in a little oil in the same pan. Throw in your favorite veggies and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add the rice and mix in some soy sauce. Cook for about 4 minutes, adding spices and soy sauce to your taste. Toss the eggs back in and cook for another minute. Mix well the whole time. It's not an exact science, it's a very personal recipe, kind of a guess-and-check thing. This makes about two and a half to three bowls. I usually make it and have some for lunch the next day or have a friend for dinner. I had to make it a few times to get the recipe exactly to my liking, so mix it up so that it works for you. Hope you like it!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I tend to eat a lot of beans and chickpeas but lentils are good too.

    I go to vegweb and they have thousands of recipies.
  • shannie_lou
    shannie_lou Posts: 32 Member
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    Amy's make some absolutely YUMMY vegetarian Indian frozen entrees! Made with all natural ingredients-no preservatives.
  • cina409
    cina409 Posts: 23
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    I made a yummy veggie dip with greek yogurt.

    Greek Yogurt
    Pressed garlic
    sea salt to taste
    cayenne pepper ( I like it hot only put as much as you want)
    1/4 of a lemon juice

    Mix and dip veggies!
  • loserchick
    loserchick Posts: 283 Member
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    I make a Vegetarian Tex Mex Lasagna that I love...

    1 big can of refried beans
    1 16oz jar salsa
    1 can corn

    1 tub ricotta
    4 cups tex mex cheese

    7 lasagna noodles

    The first 3 items make your faux meat layer, then a layer of noodles and then mix the cheeses together and top the lasagna. Bake in a 350 oven until hot and the cheese is melted (about 15 minutes). I made this in 3 pans (8x8), so it's not very thick but it gives the appearance of a big slice visually on the plate and for 1/12th of the recipe its around 314 calories. I usually top mine with sour cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes (like a taco). It's super yummy, in fact I am having it for lunch today. Ps. 2 of the 3 pans get put in the freezer before cooking and saved for another day as it freezes quite well.
  • hannah_lin
    hannah_lin Posts: 54
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    This is really yummy and vegan-- it's for a lower cal, healthy pesto pasta.
    Usually if you looks at pesto it has an insame amount of cals... so does pasta. I think that this is a good subsitute.
    Take 1/2 an avocado and chop it up really small. Also chop up a bunch of fresh basil leaves. Next saute (in as little olive oil as possible) some mushrooms with garlic. Mix all of the above together with some chopped garlic ( I use the stuff out of a jar), a squirt of lemon and some salt and you have your very own healthier pesto. I like to mix this up with some quinoa or whole wheat pasta for a filling, high fiber meal that makes me feel like I'm really indulging.
    Best of luck! :)
  • Vallandingham
    Vallandingham Posts: 2,177
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    The other day I was prepping some veggies to roast. I threw some Chpped Broccoli, Cauliflower and bab Carrots into a big bowl, drizzled some Olive oil on it, sprinkled some steak seasoning and tossed it.

    Before I turned on the oven I grabbed a piece and ate it. I never roasted it. It was delicious raw.
  • nikkieliivey
    nikkieliivey Posts: 76 Member
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    Hi!

    I have some great recipes I could give you, but it would be easier for me to send them to you in a message, so if it is okay, I will friend request you?

    I was a vegetarian for over a decade. I was also severely overweight for over a decade. Though I am still working to lose these last 30 pounds, I have learned a couple of things.

    It is hard being a busy vegetarian, b/c it is soooo easy to fill up on carbs, which really does limit you weight loss. I certainly don't advocate the no carbs philosophy (trust me I love carbs, and am trying to become a reformed carbaholic), but I know from personal experience that if you cut carbs, you lose pounds. Even though I only ate whole grain breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and the like, I was still retaining weight...maybe losing a pound here or there but never anything really substantial. When I limit myself to any amount of carbs from non-starchy veggies and 1 serving of a typical good-complex carb every two to three days, I really do drop pounds. I follow a south beach diet regimen now, so I start with a 2-3 week period that doesn't allow any thing but dairy,lean meats, and veggies..but once that is over I add back in my favorite carbs slowly. Even though I will always love bread and pasta, once you have done South Beach you realize that you don;t really have to have them like you once thought you did. But you, definetely can;t do south beach as a vegetarian. You might want to consider becoming a pescatarian, I did, and I lost at least 10 pounds without dieting just because I replaced many of my carbs with meat (limited to turkey,chicken, and fish naturally)..I am now doing south beach to kick start my weight loss even more. Meats make you fuller for longer and contain almost no carbs. They are so low on the glycemic index that they just compel your body to just lose weight naturally. I don't know how seriously you are about being a vegetarian. I know that no one could convince me to eat meat, until I was tired of trying everything and losing no weight, or sticking to a diet and starving half the day. It is totally a personal decision, and I soooo respect that. I just thought I would share my thought as a former vegetarian who now has added lean meats back into her diet!
  • kpaulsen
    kpaulsen Posts: 25
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    I'm also a proponent of veggie wraps. My junior/senior years of college, I was equally busy running in 8 different directions at once. You can make a veggie wrap, wrap it in foil and throw it in your bag for lunch on the go later. Also pack one of those pump-spray salad dressings to spray on before you eat for some added flavor (or keep one in the fridge at work, if possible). It's really easy to use up leftovers or to try new combinations.

    It is also good to make 4 wraps at once in a little assembly line and then have quick lunches or dinners throughout the week.
  • RacheBell
    RacheBell Posts: 111
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    Try roasting your veggies in the oven with olive oil and garlic (get a mini grater, and grate the garlic over the veggies)

    Also, if you have patience/time roast a whole garlic head, skins removed, with the top cut off slightly, drizzle olive oil on top of it, salt and pepper, and bake for 40-50 minutes. Smash the cloves, or put them in the food processor/blender with parm cheese, olive oil, basil or parlsey, and add random veggies to it that are already cooked. Put all that over pasta! (whole wheat of course)

    I also like to make a spaghetti sauce out of cooked carrots, just put them in boiling water until soft, salt, pepper, garlic and blend together. Put over noodles.
  • lilay
    lilay Posts: 122
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    This site is a great place to get ideas http://vegweb.com/

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