Favorite Vegetarian Recipes?

chloeseim
chloeseim Posts: 1 Member
in Recipes
Hello! I've recently transitioned to a vegetarian diet, and haven't gotten too creative with vegetarian meals yet. Anyone have a favorite they want to share? Preferably inexpensive recipes, I'm just out of college and not yet working!

Replies

  • KudosH3
    KudosH3 Posts: 18 Member
    Hey, I tend to eat a lot of roast veg (aubergine, courgette, onion, peppers, butternut squash etc..) and put this in a wholemeal wrap, it is so filling, you can have it for lunch or dinner (depending on how much you make). Or there are many lentil dishes that are healthy and filling, the other day I made an aubergine and puy lentil bake, this is the link for the recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/layered-aubergine-lentil-bake

    I made enough for 2 dinners. Hope this helps!
  • ColeCake292012
    ColeCake292012 Posts: 247 Member
    My family just became vegetarian, too! We sometimes have the processed vegetarian "meat" products, but not too often because they make me hormonal. Once a week or so I'll use them. Soy-rizo is amazing. Just add it to some beans or rice. Another go to is eggs, vegetarian sausage, and whole wheat waffles.

    I made vegetarian lasagna the other day that was amazing. The layers were like this:
    Sauce mixture (sauce and shredded carrot combined)
    3 lasagna noodles (I used oven ready)
    Sauce
    Thinly sliced zuchinni
    Ricotta mixutre (16oz. tub of ricotta, 2 eggs, 16 oz bag of frozen spinach)
    shredded cheese
    3 noodles
    Rest of the sauce
    Rest of the ricotta mixture
    Top with shredded cheese

    Cook in the oven 45 minutes at 375


    Another one is I roast zuchinni in the oven with a bit of olive oil (just halve the zuchinni) until the bottoms are slightly blackened.
    I then just add sauce, cheese, and beans and its kinda like pizza. I also make little pizzas out of portabello mushrooms caps. Stuffed peppers. We live in a tight budget as well, and it can be tough, but its better than buying pricey meats. :)
  • ColeCake292012
    ColeCake292012 Posts: 247 Member
    Of course my recipes assume your lacto and/or ovo.
  • ppatick
    ppatick Posts: 13 Member
    There are quite a few good food blogs online, and some have great recipes. Vegetarian cooking is infinitely cheaper than eating meat and dairy, especially if you are cooking with "in season" fresh produce. The biggest investment up front is all the spices and herbs that make it all taste so good. And maybe some cooking tools. Also, look for a group of like minded eaters and have potluck dinners, everyone contributing. Then you can try lots of dishes. Best of luck!
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
    I know Quinoa can be expensive but it really swells up and a small bag makes a lot of meals.

    Vegetarian nuggets, 6 meals worth and easy to freeze

    The original recipe is from Epicurious under Quinoa sweet potato burgers. I just simplified it because I am way to lazy to baby sit 11 burgers for 8-10 minutes a piece. I would rather let the oven do the work. The recipe serves 5. Each person gets 6 nuggets at 228 calories, 10g of protein, 9g of fiber and 35g of carbs
    INGREDIENTS

    1/3 cup quinoa rinsed, I don't care if it says washed, rinse it again!! Otherwise you might get a bitter flavor. cooked with 1/2 cup water bring to boil then simmer on low until done. Watch it carefully it is done when all the water is mostly gone.

    1 medium orange sweet potato (3/4 pound). Shredded, bring to boil with cup of water, simmer 3 minutes and drain

    1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or one 15-ounce can, rinsed and thoroughly drained

    1 heaping tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

    1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic

    3 scallions (whites plus light greens), cut into 1-inch pieces

    3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste. I used garlic salt

    2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted

    3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

    4 tbsp of flax meal

    1 cup edamame (steamed fresh or defrosted frozen)

    1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts, lightly toasted (optional)

    Crushed red pepper, I used 1/4 tsp of chipotle chili powder and 1/4 tsp of ancho chili powder

    Preheat oven to 375

    Put all ingredients in the food processor except the quinoa. Process til just blended then stir in the quinoa. Use tbsp to scoop the mash. Roll into a ball and place on non stick cookie sheet 1 inch apart. I use a Silpat on a cookie sheet. Lightly mash each ball into a disc- like a chicken nugget. Bake for 25-30 minutes. I served mine with a Greek yogurt artichoke aioli.

    Kale chips. Use 2 bunches of kale. $1.48 each at my Kroger store.
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Parmesan-Pepper-Curly-Kale-Chips-51142280

    Also kidney beans are super high in protein and they are great in soups, salad, wraps, tacos, casseroles. Far more nutrient dense than pasta. Edamame comes shelled and frozen, also good in just about anything.
  • Glowiie1
    Glowiie1 Posts: 85 Member
    I have 2 recipes:

    "CHICKEN" SALAD (uses chickpeas!)

    In general, make this however you like chicken salad, but switch out the chicken for chickpeas. I like to add a bunch of fruits and nuts, but if you want to go on the cheap, you can make this with just the chickpeas and mayo/mustard. Here's my favorite way to do it:

    1 can chickpeas, drain all but the last 1/4 of the water
    1/4 cup red grapes sliced in half (this is mostly so they stay put in my sandwich :))
    1/4 bell pepper (any color) diced
    1/4 onion diced (less, or omit if you want)
    1/4 cup craisins
    1/4 cup crushed walnuts
    Mayo and mustard to taste. I use honey mustard, personally because the sweetness goes better with the grapes and craisins.

    Directions: put the chickpeas and little bit of undrained water in a food processor. Pulse the chickpeas about 3-5 times - this is the most important step because it dictates the texture. If you over do it, then you just get a nasty mushy consistency. Start with 3 pulses, and stop when the chickpeas are just broken up chunks.
    Put the chickpeas and other ingredients in a bowl with a lid, and shake furiously. When everything is well mixed, put it on a sandwich and eat!
    Note: You may want to eyeball the proportions of everything. Using 1/4 cup of everything might overwhelm the chickpeas - I'm ok with it, but keep an eye on it while you're making it.

    QUINOA SALAD
    This uses some of the same ingredients as the above recipe, so you can save some money there by buying in bulk. Also, this is what I like to call a "garbage recipe." Just put whatever you want in it, and I'm sure it will taste great!

    Minimum Ingredients:
    2 cups cooked quinoa (I'm sure any rice or grain would do, but I use quinoa)
    1/2 cup grapes sliced in half
    1/2 cup frozen/canned/fresh corn
    1/2 cup frozen/canned/fresh peas
    Balsamic vinegar

    My favorite additional ingredients:
    chickpeas/black beans/kidney beans
    feta cheese
    kalamata olives - or your favorite olives
    green onions
    walnuts
    asparagus (cooked)
    avocado
    spinach
    any other veggies still sitting in my fridge that need to be used

    Directions: Cook quinoa (or other grain) per the directions on the box and place in the refridgerator until chilled. Add remaining ingredients in a bowl with a lid and shake until well mixed. You can store it like this or eat immediately, but I recommend adding the balsamic right before eating. I noticed that the vinegar started breaking everything down and it got mushy when I left the vinegar in overnight.
    Note: if you put avocado in there, I recommend adding some lemon or lime juice to the mixture. It prevents the avocado from turning brown. The lemon/lime also adds a nice flavor. You seriously can't screw up this recipe. :)

    Good luck!
  • tkillion810
    tkillion810 Posts: 591 Member
    I have too many favs to list them, and I don't know your food preferences, so I'll give you some websites you might like to check out.
    Happy Herbivore
    Skinny Taste - not all vegetarian but several are, and tasty!
    Thug Kitchen
    Oh She Glows
  • byahbee
    byahbee Posts: 19
    quorn lasagne, to me it's no different to the meat version, yet it tastes amazing and much lower in fat :)

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