Protein Reccomendations for New Vegetarian

I use quorn, eggs and cottage cheese (low fat) a lot to boost mine. Have also ordered some soya protein to try but not sure about that yet as never had it before.
I'm quite picking so my diet probably isn't the most varied out there!

It's made from fungus, high in protein low in fat. Obviously not as high in protein as meat but enough to take my protein up.
Just thought, where are you from? It may just be a thing!

They have Quorn in the states, it's usually in the freezer section of the natural food aisles. You can also get it at Whole Foods. Although, since moving to Belgium, I've realized it's a larger thing here in Europe and is more readily available.

Soy isn't bad for you. It's been demonized a lot because of the whole estrogen thing, but research has shown it's not exactly the same estrogen which your body produces. People have been eating soy for thousands of years without "scary side effects" like "man boobs." Tofu is amazing marinated and roasted.

You could also try tempeh and seitan. Those are very high in protein and make a good meat substitue (high protein) as well. The best seitan recipe I've found is for the Greek Seitan Log O' Greatness (used gyro style):

3/4 cups VWG (vital wheat gluten)
18 cup notch (nutritional yeast)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mint
1 heaping Tbsp tahini

Preheat oven to 325°.

In a large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix the rest of the ingredients (liquid ingredients) in a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk well until mixed.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, then knead for a minute or two.. it doesn't need long.

Form into a log (6-8" long), wrap tightly in foil, twisting ends. Bake for 90 minutes. When done baking, unwrap and leave out to cool all the way. Then wrap it foil or plastic and refrigerate. Slice to use as desired.

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Another good high protein snack I've found are roasted salt and vinegar chickpeas.

Some google searches will help you in your quest to find higher protein vegetarian recipes. Also, check out Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbooks. She's amazing.

I have been vegan for quite some time and I easily get over 50g of protein on 1200-1500 cal/day without eating "meat replacements" or tofu. Fake meats and tofu are totally yummy (try Field Roast and Tofurkey products), but if you are looking to eat less processed stuff, spend less money and expand your pallet to boot, try sticking to whole foods more of the time.

Protein can be found in most plant foods. The key is to make sure you pack some punch and don't live on light salads for your entire life (boring anyway). Not that salads are bad - even many leafy greans have 4+g protein, not to mention berries, avocado, brussels sprouts, etc have protein. Add some sesame and flax seeds (toast em as a topper) for extra protein when you want just a salad.

Here's some of my favorite higher protein foods that i eat weekly: Chick peas, almonds, Sesame Seeds, lentils, cashews, portobello mushrooms, walnuts, Wild and brown rice, artichokes. I also use Nutiva Hemp seed protein powder (it's really inexpensive and just contains the hemp seed) when I am strength training but don't feel like eating more.

Here's a link to a printable chart of plant foods and their proteins:
http://yumuniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/YumUniverse_Plant_Protein_Chart.pdf

Here's a link to a podcast about misconceptions about vegetarians & protein (HIGHLY recommend this podcast/author in general): http://www.compassionatecook.com/writings/podcast-media/the-protein-myth-and-vegetarianism-2

Here's a bunch of ways to use tofu: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/tp/Tofu-Recipes.htm

And here's me getting back to the paper I'm supposed to be writing. ;-) I hope this is helpful to you!

Vegan here!

Vegetarian protein sources -

High Protein Vegetables and Beans

Description Weight (grams) Measure Protein Content per Measure (grams)
Alfalfa seeds, sprouted, raw 33 1 cup 1.32
Artichokes, (globe or French), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 120 1 medium 4.18
Asparagus, canned, drained solids 72 4 spears 1.54
Asparagus, cooked, boiled, drained 60 4 spears 1.55
Asparagus, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 180 1 cup 5.31
Avocados, raw, California 28.35 1 oz 0.60
Avocados, raw, Florida 28.35 1 oz 0.45
Beans, baked, canned, plain or vegetarian 254 1 cup 12.17
Beans, baked, canned, with franks 259 1 cup 17.48
Beans, baked, canned, with pork and sweet sauce 253 1 cup 13.43
Beans, baked, canned, with pork and tomato sauce 253 1 cup 13.05
Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 172 1 cup 15.24
Beans, Cowpeas (Blackeyes), immature seeds, boiled, without salt 165 1 cup 5.23
Beans, Cowpeas (blackeyes), immature seeds, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 170 1 cup 14.43
Beans, Cowpeas, common (blackeyes, crowder, southern), mature seeds, 172 1 cup 13.30
Beans, great northern, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 177 1 cup 14.74
Beans, Kidney beans, red, mature seeds, canned 256 1 cup 13.44
Beans, Kidney beans, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 177 1 cup 15.35
Beans, Lima beans, large, mature seeds, canned 241 1 cup 11.88
Beans, Lima beans, large, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 188 1 cup 14.66
Beans, Mung beans, mature seeds, sprouted, cooked, boiled, without salt 124 1 cup 2.52
Beans, Mung beans, mature seeds, sprouted, raw 104 1 cup 3.16
Beans, Navy beans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 182 1 cup 15.83
Beans, Pinto beans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 171 1 cup 14.04
Soybeans, mature cooked, boiled, without salt 180 1 cup 22.23
Soybeans, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 172 1 cup 28.62
Beans, Snap beans, green, canned, regular pack, drained solids 135 1 cup 1.55
Beans, Snap beans, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 125 1 cup 2.36
Beans, White beans, mature seeds, canned 262 1 cup 19.02
Beet greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 144 1 cup 3.70
Beets, canned, drained solids 170 1 cup 1.55
Broccoli, raw 88 1 cup 2.62
Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 156 1 cup 4.65
Beets, cooked, boiled, drained 170 1 cup 2.86
Beets, cooked, boiled, drained 50 1 beet 0.84
Cabbage, Chinese (pak-choi), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 170 1 cup 2.65
Cabbage, Chinese (pe-tsai), cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 119 1 cup 1.79
Cabbage, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 150 1 cup 1.53
Cabbage, raw 70 1 cup 1.01
Cabbage, red, raw 70 1 cup 0.97
Cabbage, Savoy, raw 70 1 cup 1.40
Carrots, baby, raw 10 1 medium 0.08
Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 156 1 cup 1.70
Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 146 1 cup 1.74
Carrots, raw 110 1 cup 1.13
Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 124 1 cup 2.28
Cauliflower, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 180 1 cup 2.90
Cauliflower, raw 100 1 cup 1.98
Celery, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 150 1 cup 1.25
Celery, raw 120 1 cup 0.90
Corn, sweet, white, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 77 1 ear 2.56
Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, cream style, regular pack 256 1 cup 4.45
Corn, sweet, yellow, canned, vacuum pack, regular pack 210 1 cup 5.06
Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 77 1 ear 2.56
Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off cob, boiled, drained, without salt 164 1 cup 4.51
Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels on cob, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 63 1 ear 1.96
Cucumber, peeled, raw 119 1 cup 0.68
Cucumber, with peel, raw 104 1 cup 0.72
Dandelion greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 105 1 cup 2.10
Endive, raw 50 1 cup 0.63
Garlic, raw 3 1 clove 0.19
Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 198 1 cup 17.86
Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw 56 1 cup 0.91
Lettuce, iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw 55 1 cup 0.56
Lettuce, looseleaf, raw 56 1 cup 0.73
Mushrooms, canned, drained solids 156 1 cup 2.92
Mushrooms, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 156 1 cup 3.39
Mushrooms, raw 70 1 cup 2.03
Mushrooms, shiitake, cooked, without salt 145 1 cup 2.26
Mushrooms, shiitake, dried 3.6 1 mushroom 0.34
Mustard greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 140 1 cup 3.16
Okra, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 160 1 cup 2.99
Okra, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 184 1 cup 3.83
Olives, ripe, canned (small-extra large) 22 5 large 0.18
Onions, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 210 1 cup 2.86
Onions, dehydrated flakes 5 1 tbsp 0.45
Onions, raw 110 1 whole 1.28
Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw 100 1 cup 1.83
Parsley, raw 10 10 sprigs 0.30
Parsnips, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 156 1 cup 2.06
Peas, edible-podded, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 160 1 cup 5.23
Peas, edible-podded, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 160 1 cup 5.60
Peas, green, canned, regular pack, drained solids 170 1 cup 7.51
Peas, green, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 160 1 cup 8.24
Peas, split, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt 196 1 cup 16.35
Peppers, hot chili, green, raw 45 1 pepper 0.90
Peppers, hot chili, red, raw 45 1 pepper 0.90
Peppers, sweet, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 136 1 cup 1.25
Peppers, sweet, green, raw 149 1 cup 1.33
Peppers, sweet, green, raw 119 1 pepper 1.06
Peppers, sweet, red, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 136 1 cup 1.25
Peppers, sweet, red, raw 119 1 pepper 1.06
Potato pancakes, home-prepared 76 1 pancake 4.68
Potato, baked, flesh and skin, without salt 202 1 potato 5.05
Potatoes, baked, flesh, without salt 156 1 potato 3.06
Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, flesh, without salt 136 1 potato 2.54
Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt 135 1 potato 2.31
Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt 156 1 cup 2.67
Potatoes, hashed brown, home-prepared 156 1 cup 3.78
Pumpkin, canned, without salt 245 1 cup 2.70
Pumpkin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 245 1 cup 1.76
Radishes, raw 4.5 1 radish 0.03
Spinach, canned, drained solids 214 1 cup 6.01
Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 180 1 cup 5.35
Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 190 1 cup 5.97
Spinach, raw 30 1 cup 0.86
Squash, summer, all varieties, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 180 1 cup 1.64
Squash, summer, all varieties, raw 113 1 cup 1.33
Squash, winter, all varieties, cooked, baked, without salt 205 1 cup 1.82
Squash, winter, butternut, frozen, cooked, boiled, without salt 240 1 cup 2.95
Sweet potato, canned, syrup pack, drained solids 196 1 cup 2.51
Sweet potato, canned, vacuum pack 255 1 cup 4.21
Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt 146 1 potato 2.51
Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin, without salt 156 1 potato 2.57
Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, stewed 255 1 cup 2.42
Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, whole, regular pack 240 1 cup 2.21
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average 180 1 cup 1.53
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average 17 1 cherry tomato 0.14
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average 123 1 tomato 1.05
Tomatoes, sun-dried 2 1 piece 0.28
Tomatoes, sun-dried, packed in oil, drained 3 1 piece 0.15
Watermelon, raw 286 1 wedge 1.77

Other Vegetarian Foods High in Protein

Description Weight (grams) Measure Content per Measure (grams)
Buckwheat flour, whole-groat 120 1 cup 15.14
Buckwheat groats, roasted, cooked 168 1 cup 5.68
Bulgur, cooked 182 1 cup 5.61
Bulgur, dry 138 1 cup 11.70
Cornmeal, degermed, enriched, yellow 140 1 cup 17.21
Cornmeal, whole-grain, yellow 122 1 cup 9.91
Noodles, chinese, chow mein 45 1 cup 3.77
Oat bran, cooked 219 1 cup 7.03
Oat bran, raw 94 1 cup 16.26
Peanut butter, smooth style, with salt 16 1 tbsp 4.03
Quinoa, cooked - 1 cup 11
Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked 125 195 5.03
Rice, white, long-grain, regular, cooked 158 195 4.25
Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched 158 185 13.19
Spaghetti, cooked, enriched, without added salt 140 1 cup 6.68
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 140 1 cup 7.46
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 140 1 cup 7.46
Tempeh 225 1 cup 31
Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride 81 1/4 block 6.51
Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride 120 1 piece 7.86
Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached 125 1 cup 12.91
Veggie burger 1 patty 1 patty 5-24
Wheat flour, whole-grain 125 1 cup 16.44
Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched 125 137 16.41
Whole wheat bread 2 slices 2 slices 5

For lunch today I had 125g pinto beans (11g protein), 50g cottage cheese (6.5g protein), and a serving of a variation of this homemade vegetarian sausage: http://www.theppk.com/2011/05/smoky-maple-sausages/ (17g protein).

I heated the beans and homemade sausage, sliced the sausage, and mixed it all together with a couple of dates, sliced small, and sliced tomatoes. 34.5g protein, under 400 calories and really very delicious.
I normally have 40g baby spinach too but it was lashing rain so didn't get to the supermarket!

Cheese has quite a decent amount of protein if you're getting harder types (ex: 2 oz gor. I also love a good lentil soup- high in protein and very filling. Why no soy? Veggie burgers (specifically the fake chicken kind) are my life. I also love Quorn, tempeh (any brand but the maple stuff is the best), and Morningstar black bean burgers. Black bean everything is amazing. I tend to buy black bean burgers in bulk and then crumble them into everything.

I second Field Roast and would add tempeh, Morningstar Farms black bean burger, and Greek yogurt

Boca vegan burger is high in protein and low in calories, as are the tofurky brats. The Quorn turkey roast is tasty and very high in protein. Consider looking into the Happy Herbivores group. Lots of good info there. As to your concern about soy, the issues identified with soy are minimal and really only have an impact if you are a pubescent girl. Since you're here, I presume you are not. As long as you aren't eating lab rat levels (which would be impossible if you are maintaining anything like a healthy calorie level), you'll be fine.

I'm sensitive to soy (it gives me headaches if I eat a lot), so I don't rely on tofu or fake meats. I eat lots of cottage cheese, greek yogurt, kefir and eggs, along with whey protein. I'm averaging 130g of veg protein per day. Feel free to look through my diary for ideas if you'd like.