New to vegetarian - need ideas and resources please!

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laineyanne
laineyanne Posts: 2
in Recipes
I am trying vegetarian - lately I just can't bring myself to eat meat! However, I have special dietary needs for high protein. Does anyone have any recipes for vegetarian meals or websites they can suggest? I have been living on Ezekiel Bread, cheese, low fat peanut butter, greek yogurt, oatmeal, and cottage cheese. (as well as veges) Desperate for a change! Thanks! :flowerforyou:

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  • khskr1
    khskr1 Posts: 392
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    Try beans. You could do black bean tacos, veg chili (now that fall is here). There is a product called Quorn that we use too. It's a chicken substitute. I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now, my husband still eats some meat. But we will use the Quorn for chicken stirfry, fajitas, etc. Also try a grain called Quinoa. It has a high protein content.

    Try Vegetarian Times. You can browse their site for recipes! Good luck!
  • HidyleDidyle
    HidyleDidyle Posts: 147
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    The cookbook "Crazy Plates" by Greta and Janet Podleski has a good section on meatless dishes that are low fat and yummy. I just made their lentil chili yesterday, and should be burning off the calories in more ways than one (since it seems pretty tangy and zippy flavoured). I've made quite a few of their recipes from all of their books, and its pretty easy to substitute different foods and change quantities of ingredients without changing the great taste.
  • IAmDanMarshall
    IAmDanMarshall Posts: 44 Member
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    Howdy... I became a vegetarian in August, and a vegan about a month ago... I was also a vegetarian for several years in my early 20s. If you feel like it, you can check out my food diary for meal ideas, it's public so you should be able to see it.

    For protein I would suggest spirulina. It has the highest concentration of protein per pound of any food on the planet. You can get it as a pill or as a powder. I'd imagine you can get it at GNC, but I've seen it online (try Amazon). Other good sources are green leafy veggies, and quinoa. Here's a pretty neat link that gives you some good ideas for sources of various nutrients: http://www.veganstreet.com/veganliving/wheredoyouget.html

    As far as recipes, check out vegweb.com, rawon10.blogspot.com, and veganon10.blogspot.com. PETA has some pretty good recipes on their site (even though I find their methods to be slightly obnoxious, they do have good resources on their website). I've also had pretty good luck for searching on google for "vegan [whatever food I'm craving] recipe."

    Congrats on making a healthy lifestyle change!
  • KZOsMommy
    KZOsMommy Posts: 854 Member
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    bump this is great information! My husband and I are working on becoming vegetarian along with our children. I was looking for some ideas and these are great!!!
  • IAmDanMarshall
    IAmDanMarshall Posts: 44 Member
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    That's awesome, Amanda. I guarantee that if you make that change, you and your family will benefit :)
  • mizfit
    mizfit Posts: 118
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    Thanks for the information Pzero. I will definately be checking out some of the sites you mentioned. Another great site for recipes is fatfreevegan.com. There is a blog with the site and there are great pictures of each dish to go along with the recipes. Nutrition information is also included for most if not all of the recipes.
  • IAmDanMarshall
    IAmDanMarshall Posts: 44 Member
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    Thanks for the information Pzero. I will definately be checking out some of the sites you mentioned. Another great site for recipes is fatfreevegan.com. There is a blog with the site and there are great pictures of each dish to go along with the recipes. Nutrition information is also included for most if not all of the recipes.

    Haha I both love AND hate the sites with pictures. The veganon10 and rawon10 blogs both have pictures, and my stomach was growling within minutes of finding those sites-- and I had JUST eaten breakfast. Totally not fair :-P
  • kjsdad
    kjsdad Posts: 1 Member
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    I love fresh or frozen green beans. Make sure they are the whole beans not cut up or french ones. Take a large deep fry pan and place your green beans in there with 1 cup of water. Steam them on hi until they are cooked stirring them 4 or 5 times. If you open the lid too much it will burn off the water and you might need to add more. I like my beans a little crisp definitely don't cook them into mush. When they are done to your liking turn off the heat and take the lid off. Get some butter cooking spray. Spray the beans very lightly. Then season to taste. The spray will make the spices stick. I spice and serve the top layer and then spray and spice again the second layer of beans. The spices I like to use are pepper, garlic, and sea salt. I have a garlic and salt grinder from McCormick. I also add a non salt spice as well. These are wonderful and low fat and good for you. Enjoy! Please share any other spice combinations you enjoy.
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    Try eatingwell.com - I get so many awesome ideas from there! Lots of vegetarian stuff too. Granted, I usually have to add in way more vegetables and typically alter the recipe to my own tastes, but the ideas are wonderful and provide a great basis for a delicious meal. Also, read the comments and see what people suggest. Tons of helpful tips there.

    I made a Szechuan Tofu + Veg stirfry yesterday for dinner based on a recipe I found on eatingwell.com - Check the recipe board and you'll see my post. It turned out great! So tasty and really quite easy.

    Good luck :)
  • emma1488
    emma1488 Posts: 175
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    Have you tried tofu or tempeh? I loooove tempeh and mushrooms on toast for brekky!
    I've bren vego a month now and have enjoyed it. Found tht its sometimes a little more effort but def worth it.
    For protein, I eat eggs, nuts, tempeh, mushrooms, whey powder, soy beans, lentils etc.

    I'm in Australia and sanitarium make a whole bunch of meat like substitutes, like burgers, snitzels, sausages and luncheon rolls. They're handy for a quick meal.

    Enjoy, I'm glad to be a part of a community of like minded people who care about where there food comes from:)

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