Recipes for a mostly vegetarian?

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leahfit77
leahfit77 Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys! Anyone have exciting and easy recipes that are healthy and yummy? I eat absolutely no red meat and up until recently was eating no chicken...I have been eating chicken on occasion recently to see if it helped any with weight loss (which it hasn't seemed to make any difference). I do eat seafood still! I get sick of things really fast and I need some fun recipes to turn to when a dominos pizza starts calling my name! Any suggestions? Thanks!

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  • nikkkicp
    nikkkicp Posts: 9 Member
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    Hey! I dont have an exact recipe but I've been making shrimp with whole grain pasta. First, I chop up garlic and sauté it with olive oil in a pan while the pasta is boiling in another pan. Then, I use frozen mixed vegetables (I normally like the pepper mixture or a veggie succotash of corn,peas, and carrots). I add that to the pan with the garlic. Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, and any other spices you like to add flavor without extra calories! Then sauté the shrimp. Once complete, add the pasta and mix it up. Super easy to make and healthy. I'm a vegetarian too and find this is very satisfying. You can also sub the shrimp for meatless chicken which I normally do for a protein as well.
  • leahfit77
    leahfit77 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks that sounds great!! I'll try it :) what brand of meatless chicken do you use?
  • YeaYeaPueblo
    YeaYeaPueblo Posts: 68 Member
    edited December 2015
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    Check out food blogs! I love minimalistbaker.com (awesome vegan and vegetarian foods) and cookieandkate.com. There's also an awesome cookbook called cook without a book, meatless meals by Pamela Anderson (different Pamela). It teaches you cooking techniques to slap together vegetarian meals with what you have on hand.
  • CS_Baltimore
    CS_Baltimore Posts: 9 Member
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    Evening -

    My partner is pregnant and has become really picky about what she eats, so I've been scrambling for recipes that keep me satiated and her happy. I found this one and tweaked it to be a little lower on the net carbs and fat. It's super easy and takes about 30 minutes total with prep.

    Pasta with Asparagus, Peas, and a Lemon Cream Sauce (359 Calories)

    3/4 Box Dreamfield's Brand Rotini
    1 and 1/2 Cups Asparagus
    1 Cup Frozen Peas
    1 Clove of Garlic
    1 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
    1/3 Cup Half and Half
    1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
    1 Tablespoon Wondra or Fast Dissolving Flour (Optional)
    3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
    Olive Oil Spray
    Salt
    Pepper

    Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus during last minute of cooking time. Place peas in a colander. Drain pasta mixture over peas; set aside.

    Spray the olive oil spray in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. If mixture is still too thin, slowly whisk in Wondra. Once thickened, remove from heat. Stir in half and half, juice, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add pasta mixture to broth mixture; toss gently to coat.

    (Recipe adapted from Myrecipies.com)

    I use the Dreamfield's brand pasta because it has lower net-carbs than regular pasta and I'm Italian so I need my fix, but I'm sure whole wheat or even spaghetti squash ribbons would work great as well.


    Add me if you want - I cook 95% of my meals and am always looking for recipes!

    Good Luck!

    Chris
  • CS_Baltimore
    CS_Baltimore Posts: 9 Member
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    Oh, serves 4 by the way!
  • nikkkicp
    nikkkicp Posts: 9 Member
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    leahrivard7 wrote: »
    Thanks that sounds great!! I'll try it :) what brand of meatless chicken do you use?

    The best brands that I have tried are Quorn and Gardein!

    The plain meatless chicken strips by Gardein also come with a teriyaki sauce which is really good for a change in flavor. :)
  • ekruska802
    ekruska802 Posts: 79 Member
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    Check out Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty More. It's a ton of gorgeous things to do with fruits and vegetables in interesting combinations. It requires being a little adventurous, so it's worth it to check it out of the library first to see if you like it.
  • leahfit77
    leahfit77 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone :smile:
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
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    ekruska802 wrote: »
    Check out Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty More. It's a ton of gorgeous things to do with fruits and vegetables in interesting combinations. It requires being a little adventurous, so it's worth it to check it out of the library first to see if you like it.

    Ottolenghi is a genius.

    In addition to his books "Plenty" and "Plenty More", a few other standards that should be on the bookshelf:

    Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"
    America Test Kitchen's "The Complete Vegetarian"
    Deborah Madison's "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"
    Moosewood Restaurant's "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home"

    Try out some Indian and Mediterranean restaurants and see if you want to try your hand at making some of them at home. Indian food is an especially good source for flavorful plant based dishes.
  • Semperlaetus88
    Semperlaetus88 Posts: 3 Member
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    Tempeh , sundried tomato and crimini mushrooms sautéed and then tossed w balsamic vinegar and coconut oil and thyme, basil , oregano is nom for a vegan" countryItalian "inspired dish . Also good over spaghetti squash :-)

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