In need of help for meal prep recipes - Going vegetarian for a month

The main shift you need to make is in terms of thinking of a meal as a whole, rather than in terms of some kind of lump of protein with sides.

(Although if you miss the 'lump of protein with sides' meal model, I rather like Linda McCartney veggie burgers)


My go-to meals tend to be chillis and curries, both of which have big flavours without meat. The beans in chilli will help towards your protein goal, but you'll need to get plenty of protein in other meals as well. For sandwiches and salads, check out the various flavours of tofu; I like to use a sesame roasted one that is far from bland. And of course porridge and the like work fine with non-dairy 'milk'; these days there's oat, almond, hazelnut, coconut, soy and others out there so it's worth experimenting to find what flavours you like.

Not a vegetarian but often eat more plant based stuff

Breakfast:

• Overnight Oats made with Dairy Free Products - I like Alpro cherry yoghurt & oat milk with some dark chocolate chips with some raspberries or blueberries.
• Most cereals are fine with a dairy-free "milk"
• Cashew Cheese (vegan cheese) in soft cheese form or nut butters would be a tasty option for a bagel/toast too.

Lunches:

• Salads with fruit, veg, nuts, seeds.
• Hummus & Med Veg Sandwich
• Olive Tapenade on toast
• Nachos with Avocado & Tomato dip

Dinner:

• Saag Paneer made with Tofu
• Three Bean Chilli
• Veggie Curry
• Jackfruit Tacos
• Marinated Mushroom Burgers
• Aubergine (Eggplant) Burgers
• Falafel

Not a vegetarian, but used to be. My favorite recipes were:

Puerto Rican chickpea salad: can of chickpeas, diced onion, diced bell pepper, chopped head of cilantro, diced heirloom tomatoes, 1 to 2 tbsp of cumin, a couple of garlic cloves minced (or garlic powder). Splash of olive oil, soy sauce, and lime/and or lemon juice. Season little salt and pepper. All mixed well. Can mix cooked couscous in, I leave out the couscous.

Tempeh salad wraps: original tempeh cubed, celery chopped finely(or cucumber), shredded carrots, diced heirloom tomatoes, olive oil mayo, dill weed, diced onion, splash of soy sauce, a little salt and pepper, all mixed together and throw in a wrap.

Best vegetarian snack (but has goat cheese, so not completely dairy free, but goat cheese isn't digested the same as cow cheese).
Roasted red peppers and diced tomatoes in a sauce pan, a drizzle of olive oil, salt pepper and some Italian seasonings heated over low heat.
Bruchetta toasted in oven.
Top bruchetta with a smear of goat cheese, put a little of the warmed pepper tomato mix on top of goat cheese, drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over top.

These were my favs, because the flavor combinations were to die for!! I would have carnivore friends fighting over these dishes.

@shaumom what a fantastic post!