Looking for some vegetarian lunch ideas

Greek salad

My daughter (7) her favourite snack at the moment is courgette/zucchini slices (1cm deep) topped with Garlic Philadelphia (ETA it's a soft cheese), golden sultanas/currants and pine nuts...they are really moreish!

I'm not a full vegetarian, but I don't eat meat too much nowadays and I started trying different veggie dishes for lunch since the sodium for my normal lunches was through the roof. My favorite is a tofu wrap. I cut up extra firm tofu into strips and marinade them in:
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock (made from Better Than Bullion Vegetarian Chicken Base)
1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 chopped Garlic Cloves
Salt and Pepper
I let it sit over night (and sometimes just keep it in the marinade and take it out when I need it), and then fry it up in a cast iron skillet until it's nice and golden on all sides. Then I put it in a spinach tortilla wrap with some swiss or mozz cheese, warm it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds, add some mayo or avocado, wrap it up and eat it. It's DELICIOUS. Tastes like a garlic chicken wrap and the hint of dijon really gives it depth. The cooked tofu keeps in the fridge for a week too. It's cheap easy and yummy.

Here's what I eat (I used to be vegetarian but I'm anaemic but I still eat vegetarian/vegan most of the day)

-Broccoli Baked Potatoes (so yummy) http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12689/broccoli-baked-potatoes

-Greek Lentil soup (amazingly nutritious)

-Veggie wrap with cheese / hummus

-Falafel wrap with hummus or tzatziki

-Lentil Chilli [url] http://blog.naturebox.com/post/44544908858/sweet-potato-lentil-chili [/url]

-Jacket Potato & Beans / Jacket sweet potato

-sweet potato

-Greek Bean Soup

-Gigantes plaki http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12229/gigantes-plaki

-Caprese Salad

-Peanut Butter/Nut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (or fruit instead of jelly)

-Oat cakes & nut butters + fruit

-Steamed Veg Salad

-Tofu Stir Fries

- Tofu Don

-Glamorgan sausages (vegetarian) with salad/steamed veg

-MIni Veg. Pizzas [url] http://doughnutsnomore.tumblr.com/post/41020294079/healthy-mini-vegetarian-pizzas[/url]

-Fruit/veg + Milk/Nut Milk/Soy + Nut Butter Smoothies

-Asparagus bake with tomato sauce and cheddar

-Pasta Salad

-Feta Cheese and vegetable medley bake


I'm half greek, in case you didn't know by now. hehe We have loads of vegetarian dishes!

Here's my blog for ideas and some of the recipes
http://doughnutsnomore.tumblr.com/

Here are some other blogs with vegan/vegetarian recipes

http://www.veganexplosion.com/
http://theveganstoner.com/
http://veganchicksrock.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/lentil-chili.html
http://veganmenu.blogspot.co.uk/

(they might be vegan but you can always add dairy)

I like making cold shredded carrot salad. Basically you shred about a cup of carrot, 1/4 cup of rasins, 1teaspoon of cinnamon, and about a teaspoon of the oil you prefer such as avacado oil or olive oil. Its low calorie and tasty! Another vegetarian fave for me is an open face grilled red pepper and zucchini sandwich. You grill one slice of your favourite whole grain bread, add 1 tbs of taziki, 1/4 grilled red pepper, half of a sliced grilled zucchini cut lenthwise, and one tbs of goats cheese to top it off. Salt and pepper to taste.

I blog my vegetarian bento lunches: http:veggiebentolove.wordpress.com. The blog isn't monetized, so I don't make a cent from your click. Most of my bentos come in at 350-400ish calories, and I often feature snacks, too. I hope it gives you some ideas

i can think of a good side beet chips. good for you and easy. grab a beet or two, wash em, slice them thin. 350 degree oven for about 20 to 30 min. add seasoning before baking. soooooo much better than kale chips. oh and you will want to flip them half way through. they will be golden brown and of course purple.

I am making this dish right now and it is yummy for breakfast or lunch.
Leek quiche
3 lg eggs
1 cup low fat milk
low fat sharp cheddar cheese 7 ounces
1 stalk leeks cleaned and chopped sauteed in 1 tbs butter

layer 5 ounces of cheese in pie dish
layer softened leeks over cheese
add eggs and milk mixed
add rest of cheese and bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes 194 calories per 1/4 pie

I have been a vegetarian for 9 years and here are some things that are on my shopping list every week:
- Tofu
- Beans (all different kinds, kidney and black are my favorite)
- Eggs
- Whatever veggies look good (I typically get at least cucumber, spinach, tomato, broccoli, and cauliflower every week)
- Whatever fruit looks good (I typically get at least some kind of berries and grapes every week)
- Hummus
- Whey protein
- Greek yogurt
- Quinoa

Some of my favorite meals are:
- Eggplant parmesean (Light on the breadcrumbs and cheese, baked and not fried.)
- Vegetarian Stir Fry (I always use tofu and broccoli and whatever other veegies I have and serve it over quinoa)
- Tacos / taco salad (Use black beans as a substitute for meat. I LOVE my taco salads to also have quinoa, homemade salsa, and avocado, yumm)
- Sandwiches (Endless possibilities! For hot sandwhiches I love cooked portabello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, eggplant, pesto, mozzerella, tofu, etc... For cold sanwhiches I love hummus, provolone, feta, cucumbers, tomato, spinach, sprouts, olives, etc.)
- Omlettes (Stuff with anything you like, I like spinach, mushrooms, tomato, and feta. Also, srambling eggs and tofu together makes very fluffy omlettes)
- Soup (my favorite is Minestrone)
- Stuffed peppers/ tomatoes

You can find vegetarian recipies for just about anything on Google or Pinterest. Also, since you're just starting out eating meals that mimick meat may be helpful with the transition. There are some great recipies for buffalo wings (made from cauliflower), a variety of bean/veggie/soy/quinoa burgers (or just grill up a portabello), and tons of fake meat products.

There are tons of options out there, so don't be afraid to get creative and try something new!

I like this:

-FIrm Tofu
-veggies (spinach, kale, cucumbers, grated carrots, red bell pepper - what ever you want or have in fridge)
-lightly cook tofu and kale, combine all ingredients

sauce:

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Mix in blender, add to salad (mixture should last 3 days or so, could even use chickpeas & quinoa instead of tofu). You could add a bit of olive oil if you want.

Better than a BLT- Toasted whole grain bread, a little vegan mayonnaise, 1/2 an avocado, some tomato slices, and some fresh arugula! With Ezekiel bread it tops out at 296 calories. Super tasty and super filling!

Mushrooms on toast: Heat a little oil in a pan crushed garlic and fry for 30 seconds before adding the sliced mushrooms. When cooked add a touch of lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Chickpea, spinach and tomato curry: In a wok fry a sliced onion, a thumb sized piece of ginger (grated), 2-3 garlic crushed cloves and a chopped chilli until onions are soft. Add 1 tsp Ground Cumin, 3/4 tsp Garam Masala, 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric stir then add a tin of chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp of tomato paste and a tin of chickpeas. Simmer for 10 min then add 200g spinach at the end to wilt. Makes 4 portions, serve with rice or indian bread

Bump.