Non-Meat Eater....Ideas Anyone?

I just made the most fabulous Black Bean Burgers ever the other day!

1 16oz can of black beans
1/2c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 Large egg
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced green pepper
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder

Mash the black beans and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Form into 6 patties and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes on each side (I like my crispy) at 350 degrees.

They are about 130 calories a piece, I topped mine with salsa, guacamole and sour cream....soooo yummy!!

I see you're vegetarian. I'm a former vegan, then vegetarian (meats are very $ on a student's budget), and currently a carnivore--in moderation. There's a lot you can do as a vegetarian...

If you have a juicer then juice!
If you have a blender then blend! (more fiber than juicing)
^ one of my favorite blends is 3 bananas + 1 c. milk + 1 tsp cinnamon (that's a lot btw) + 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder
Veg dishes...
* Ragu alla marinara + whole wheat pasta. Make a simple ragu: whole tomatoes + fresh basil + fresh garlic + olive oil + salt.
* Veggie stir fry (use your imagination...I use what I have laying around, e.g., mushroom+garlic+green bean fried in a tsp or so of peanut oil + soy sauce + sambal oelek.
* DIY fried rice ... you can add eggs too if that's your thing!
* make your own salsas to chow down w/ homemade tortilla chips -- salsa source: YouTube user previribon, start w/ salsa verde con chili arbol and go from there (it's in Spanish--do NOT trust a salsa recipe from an English speaker, yikes!... but I don't speak Spanish and I can still get the gist).
* find a good recipe for casamiento, a Salvadorean black bean+garlic+rice dish served at breakfast, but I eat it any time of the day
* fried potato in a small amount of your fresh salsa verde (or roja) + cilantro, then eat as a taco!
* pretty much any Indian food recipe is vegetarian (and many are vegan). Try making Aloo Gobi (aloo=potato, gobi=cauliflower) or punjab choley.
* boil or steam up some edemame
* look up a good recipe for honey corn bread
* veggie omelets (most ppl suck at omelets bc they don't BEAT the ever-living *kitten* out of the eggs before adding to pan)
^ you could add spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, avocado and if you eat cheese then gruyere and feta
* veggie breakfast burrito (again, BEAT those eggs!)

Once you realize that dozens of cultures around the world are/have been vegetarian/vegan for hundreds/thousands of years, it becomes easy to cook amazing while avoiding horrible, no-flavor, bland, uninspired American style veg recipes. Google is your friend. Good luck!

hey there,

I am also a vegetarian, but i find myself eating a lot of:

avocado: turned into guacamole, on toast, in salad
beans: bean salad (just take a can of mixed beans, or any beans, mix with chopped up tomato, onion, and any veggie really, top with your favorite salad dressing and refrigerate), veggie burgers, falafal, put into spaghetti sauce
salads: i have a really hard time being creative with salads but i find a spring mix using random ingredients i love will work, such as: beans, olives, roasted red peppers, hot peppers, avocado, mango.

you can still eat a lot of yogurt, apple sauce, fruits as snacks.

i have a hard time, just keep it creative. and when you are craving greasy foods i would really look into some soy products, i know you said no tofu, but there are some amazing mock chicken wings out there!!! just put a lot of hot sauce and they do the trick.