You could try replacing meat in your old recipes with seitan, tofu or tempeh. If you freeze the tofu ahead of time, it has a chewier texture that may be more 'meaty" for you.

I'd start there. There's another veg group here called happy herbivores. Also the ppl in the vegan groups are very nice, too.

my fav atm is chili con carne with quorn mince over a baked sweet potato !! YUM!! I love the spice with the sweet.
I just get a jar of chili sauce (you can make it yourself im lazy lol) and add extras, yellow n red peppers, sweetcorn, red chili, tomato.... I like the extra veggies it really fills it out without going cal mad

My go-to easy dinner is a naked spinach and black bean "burrito" with couscous or quinoa. Cook couscous, black beans, and spinach. Layer them in a bowl. Put a little sharp cheddar cheese on top and microwave it until it melts. Put some salsa and onion on the top...YUM.

I love a good salad, not a wimpy lettuce and nothing else salad but some with beans, avocado, pasta, mozzarella, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.

I'm like you, I stopped eating meat not for diet reasons but because I didn't want to eat animals so I do eat fake meats (Quorn, Fry's, Tivall, Redwood) - I've been veggie for over a decade and they have certainly improved. Anyway, here are some photos of my meals! Some look huge but they are all around 600 calories or less.









My tastes and cooking skills have certainly improved over the years.

On Sat's I use my crockpot.

Black Beans and Rice
1 can rinsed black beans, 1 cup brown rice, 2 cups water, 1 can hatch chopped green chilis, mexican seasoning of choice and 2 cups chopped tomato's (you can use that canned ones.) Mix it all together and cook on low about 3 hours depending on your crock pot.

Mock Chicken Curry
1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 2 cups frozen peas/carrot blend, 2 gardein brand chic filets, curry seasoning to taste (I use the Pampered Chef). Cook on low 3 hours depending on your crockpot.

Italian Quinoa
1 cup quionoa, 2 cups water, 2 cups chopped tomato, half small onion minced, 2 zuch chopped, 1 green pepper chopped, italian season to taste. Mix it all together and cook on low about 3 hours depending on your crockpot.

That is all I've come up with so far, but it is easy and delish! My next step is to buy a timer and have the crockpot turn-on around 1:00 pm so that dinner will be done when I get home from work. Since there isn't anything that will really spoil in the mix, it should be fine.

oh. and don't do nothing because you can't do everything. just do something...

Yesterday I made Pasta Primavera with Broccoli Cashew Cream sauce to last the work week. The recipe has 10 servings, as my husband and I each have a serving Monday-Friday. A serving is 1.5 cups of the final mixture with the sauce mixed in.

Delallo - 100% Organic Whole Wheat Pasta Shells No. 91, 1 container (16 oz ea.)

Bell Peppers - Raw Chopped, All Colors, 2 cups

Celery, Raw, Chopped (Correct), 1 cup (10grams)

Raw - Green Beans - 1 Pound, 1 pound (about 2.25 cups)

Onions - Spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw, 2 cups, chopped

Carrots - Raw, 2 cup, chopped

Filippo Berio - Olive Oil for Sauteing & Grilling (Not E.V.O.O.), 2 Tblspn (for sauteeing vegetables in batches - 1 tbsp per batch)

Wegman's - Don't Be Chicken Meatless Chicken Style Strips, 1 container (36 strips ea.)

Wegman's - Don't Have A Cow: Meatless Beef Style Strips, 1 container (21 strips ea.)

Parsley, Chopped, 1/2 cup raw



_Broccoli Cashew Cream Sauce_

Broccoli - Raw, 6 cups, chopped

Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, 3 cups

Raw Cashews - Raw Cashews, 1/2 cup

Old Fashioned Barrel Sauerkraut, 16 Tbsp. (30g)

Red Star - Nutritional Yeast Flakes (1.5tbsp:16g), 16 g

Trader Joe's - Sea Salt Fine Crystals, 1 tsp

Parsley, Chopped, 1/2 cup raw

Garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper (to taste - about 1/2-1 tsp each)

Boil the pasta and steam the broccoli. Set the broccoli aside for the sauce. Sauteed the vegetables in 2 batches, using 1 tbsp oil for each batch. Thaw the chikn and not beef strips and chop them up and add them to the vegetables. For the sauce, using your best blender: pour in the coconut milk. Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, and spices and about half the broccoli. Blend until you have room to add the rest of the broccoli and the parsley. Combine the pasta, vegetables, and sauce and mix until evenly distributed. and then... YUM!

I've Made Beans & Greens & can no longer do Soy crumbles to Flavor it. .I've [quoteused chorizo... now Ive found Chipotle in Adobo works. I LIKE YOUR idea of Ckard. ..Kale has worked as well as ITS coooked reallly well if you have a thyroid problem.I'm in the prosesss to learn how to Smoke my own Vegs & freeeze for Winter.
I made this today and loved it!

Tomato Swiss Chard Cannellini Bean Soup (vegan homemade):

Sautee 1 medium yellow onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
Add 1 large can (32 oz) of crushed tomatoes with basil.
Add 2- 15oz cans of cannellini beans.
Add 1 container or 3.5 cups sausage style crumbles (I used Wegmans – Don’t Be Piggy).
Add ½ vegetable bullion cube to 1 cup warm water and try to break up/dissolve the cube.
Add the following spices to the water: ½ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 Tbsp dried parsley.
Add the water-spice mixture to the pot and also add 2 additional cups of water.
Add 1 bunch Red Swiss Chard or 3 cups chopped (stems trimmed off) and simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes.

Mine came out to be 12 cups, so I made it 8 servings at 1.5 cups each.
Per serving: 220 calories, 28g carbs, 5g fat, 16g protein
[/quote]

my advice is to try new veggies. There are so many fruits, veggies and herbs, experiment to find what you really love. I will make a baked potato with steamed asparagus (I salt and pepper everything) also a tostada salad with vegetarian re-fried beans (minus the tostada), lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, green onions, cilantro. I replace avocado for the meat/cheese in sandwiches. Vegetarian chili is always a winner. I personally try to avoid simple sugars, dairy and processed foods ( I do fail from time to time) and I recommend the same for anyone looking to increase health. Good luck!

These are three of my favorite vegetarian recipes:

First up, an easy classic: EGGPLANT PARMESAN:
I use this recipe located here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Breaded-Eggplant-Slices
What I do differently is I peel off the eggplant skin. I also use 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs to make the breading a little crunchier. 5 minutes before the eggplant is fully cooked in the oven, I top the slices with tomato sauce and a fresh slice of mozzarella. I put the baking sheet back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is hot and melted.

Second, if you like Indian food, try this JAPANESE CURRY:
I'm not sure why it's considered Japanese...it's simply a curry stew. Serve with some naan bread - yum!
The recipe is located here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/japanese-curry-with-edamame/

Finally, if you enjoy cooking and want a real vegetarian treat, try your hand at making SEITAN WELLINGTONS:
The recipe is here: http://lavendeer.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/vegan-beef-wellington-recipe/
Make it extra luxurious by making this gravy to go over it: http://allrecipes.com/video/117/vegetarian-gravy/detail.aspx?prop24=RR_RelatedVideo
Gordon Ramsay would be proud of how good these wellingtons are :-) I make this recipe at lease once per month and it's one of my favorites for being delicious, easy to make, though a little time consuming (but well worth it!). Enjoy!

I like to grill/roast a bunch of vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, peppers, fennel, carrots, potatoes - whatever I have on hand) over the weekend & use them for all sorts of stuff during the week - omelets, wraps, salads, baked potato toppings, etc.
Last night I made pizzas with flat breads, spread with pesto, topped with sliced fresh tomatoes, roasted veggies and sprinkled with provolone/mozzarella & parmesan/romano, topped with fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, oregano. Delicious!!

Japanese Curry with Edamame picture (see my post above for recipe link):



Other favorite dinners include:

Zucchini, Goat Cheese, and Red Pepper Pizza (made with homemade pizza dough):


Seitan Wellington (with a nice side of garlic string beans):


Vegetable Baked Ziti:

I have a few good website recommendations for inspiration.

Firstly, http://www.skinnytaste.com/ which has a lot of veggie recipes included, they're all fuss free, quick to make, healthy and tasty

And for when you're feeling a bit more adventurous:
http://www.veggienumnum.com/
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/ (I particularly recommend the salads from this site)
http://www.twobluelemons.com/

Good Luck!

I love the first link! Thanks for sharing!

Some great ideas in here - thanks - BUMP!