Ideas on Eating Clean As a Vegetarian

I want to come back for ideas too. I'm a vegetarian but a terrible cook. Now that it's spring coming up summer I look forward to eating lots more fresh local fruits and making green drinks.

I know one response you are going to get is 1200 cals is to low.

Add me as a friend if you want to share recipes.

A great resource for healthy vegetarian/vegan quick recipes is Dr. McDougall - he has a lot of information but my favorite is his Quick & Easy book. He shares a lot of great recipes online at www.drmcdougall.com

I'm vegan, so keep in mind that if you want, you can add cheese or milk.

My staples are really easy, usually- I'm in nursing school and I really don't have a lot of time to cook, so I tend to make big batches of things that I can grab later. Some of my favorites are variations on beans and rice, all kinds of stirfry, roasted veggies and veggies with quinoa.

Beans and rice: Try different styles- spicy mexican style with pinto beans, black beans or a mix- you can season with taco seasoning or do your own! Also good with lots of different veggies piled in as well.

Stir fry: My favorite is onions, zucchini, mushrooms and red peppers. Try adding some different ingredients for fun though- I tend to add pineapple and do a teriyaki sauce which is SUPER good. Any veggies are great!

Roasted veggies: I tend to keep it simple here, but I love roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes, so there's usually one of those in there alone with big chunks of onions, peppers and mushrooms. You can also grill veggies in kebabs for dinner.

TOFU: A lot of people are scared to use tofu. The best way I have found of cooking it is to press the water out (stick it between plates, wrapped up in towels and weight the top plate down with a can of something- leave for 20 mins or so), slice it thinly (1/4 in or so) and fry it dry in a nonstick pan over a medium heat about 5min a side or until golden. After that, you can stick it in whatever marinade you wish (there are TONS of recipes for these online!) for 30 min at least, although I prefer overnight. Then cook it up again in a pan if you like it a little crispier or just add it right into whatever you're cooking!

Salad: I know, I know... boring. But it doesn't have to be!! Experiment with different kinds of vinegars or flavored olive oils to make your own salad dressings, add dried fruit (or regular fruit!) and nuts to your salad for a different flavor or crunch, add beans for some protein, use fake meat if that's your thing- salads can be boring, but they also rock. One of my favorite nights of the week is "big salad night" where the roomie and I just grab a big old bowl and do our own thing!

Finally- good luck! The biggest help for me has been to start thinking of my veggies as the main dish. If you cook with the intent to eat mostly veggies, you'll find that you're not so worried about what sorts of sides to have. A big bowl of roasted veggies and a side of a little bit of rice or a slice of toast and an apple goes SUCH a long way

I love to make soups, they are easy to make, fill you up and you can make a big batch for leftovers to keep in the fridge or freeze, a great website is vegweb.com. A lot of recipes there! And I do roast and grill a lot of veggies as well. Feel free to add me!

I have a few recipes on my blog as well including my fav Tabouleh Girlwholovestheworld.blogspot.com

Red Lentil Soup

1 c red lentils
1 t salt*
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 T minced fresh ginger
1 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can light, unsweetened coconut milk
1 T tamarind concentrate or paste
1 T coriander
1 t cumin
1 t turmeric
1 small jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/4 c chopped cilantro

Combine lentils, salt and 5 c of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Blend lentils with whisk for rustic texture, or puree in blender for a creamier feel.

Puree tomatoes and ginger in blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until just golden, stirring often. Add tomato mixture, coconut milk, tamarind, coriander, cumin, turmeric and jalapeno. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in lentils and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cilantro.

It sounds as though you are getting into some great habits, well done.
Another suggestion is to have a look for crockpot recipes (easy to put it on in the morning and it will be cooked when you get home).
And check out indian, middle eastern and asian dishes - you'll find a lot of stuff that is vegetarian and doesn't just tell you to use a processed meat alternative. You can make a big batch of dahl (lentils), chilli (with beans and veggies), stir fry veggies with tofu and/or nuts, soup, salads (pasta salad, coleslaw etc), sandwiches (use grainy bread or wraps, eggs, veggies, peanut butter) ahead of time and they will last for days in the fridge.

I seriously feel inspired to actually cook something after all these great posts in this thread. So many great ideas here! Thanks to you all. I am a lacto ovo veggie who lives alone and really can't cook. But some of the ideas here make me think I might be able to manage them somehow in spite of myself. Thank you all!