Vegetarians

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tinanicole
tinanicole Posts: 31
in Recipes
Sorry I didn't mean to post this on the "food and nutrition" part too.

I recently became a vegetarian a week ago and am very committed to it. The only problem I am having is finding simple recipes I can make at my college apartment; I don't have too many spices and cooking materials besides the basics. I went grocery shopping the other day and bought lentils, brown rice, three different kind of beans, hummus and pita bread, vegetable broth, tofu and a bunch of veggies. However, I do not know what to do with all the different ingredients. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks a bunch,
Kristina

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  • cmurphy04722
    cmurphy04722 Posts: 254
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    Hey, it's just after midnight for me but I have info for you!

    Message me tomorrow or whenever you get this to remind me, and I'll email some veg tips for college life. I graduated in May and have been veg for 3 1/2 years (vegan for 3 months before that). I have a few cookbooks for under 5 ingredient recipes and such. Maybe I'll even send one of them your way :-)

    So yeah, message me so I remember tomorrow when I get home from work!

    Good luck!

    Christina
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Beans, canned tomatos and chili powder with a touch of brown sugar makes a great inexpensive chili.
  • CinthyNair
    CinthyNair Posts: 261
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    Hi there,
    You can google up for simple vege recipes. One of my fav site is www.rawreform.com. I picked up a couple of recipes and a wonderful raw vegan insights which I do incorporate into my daily diet, such as the green juice.

    Cinthy
  • renee22
    renee22 Posts: 33
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    hummus + veggies + pita = perfect meal (w/o the pitas, its super low cal & will fill you up)

    i also cut my pitas into smaller triangles, add some spices (i use mrs. dash table blend or southwest blend), bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 until start to brown around edges - this way i can eat something crunchy when i eat salads or for a snack

    pita bread pizzas - top a pita with spoonful of sauce, add veggies & cheese...bake 15-20 min @ 375 (i usually use my toaster oven so i don't have to turn on my full oven all the time)

    cook up beans & rice, top with veggies & salsa - also high in protein & fiber (you can use black, pinto or red beans)

    cube the tofu into bite size pieces, marinade with lots of spices (for the day) & saute until golden brown on all sides, toss in some veggies & serve with brown rice for a complete meal!

    i've mixed lentils & leeks for to make a filling for some low cal tortillas, add veggies & salsa...or you can add taco seasoning & water to the lentils & let them cook - gives a more authentic taco taste.

    you can do everything vegetarian that you would normally do with meat just substitute beans or tofu in place of the meat....
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    Invest in the following:
    1) a good blender (awesome for making hummus, baba ganouj, tomato puree... and I'm sure college students can think of other things :wink: )
    2) Dried beans
    3) Some bowls (either buy them or swipe them from the dining hall, not that I endorse stealing.. just remember to return them by the end of the year!)
    4) Tahini (sesame seed paste, need it to make a lot of veggie burger recipes, hummus, baba ganouj - about 5$ for a tub that'll last you months)
    5) spices - these can be purchased surprisingly cheap, especially at ethnic markets. Buy them once and use them for months/years.

    Hummus at the store is INCREDIBLY expensive. They'll charge you 7-8$ at an olive bar, a little less if you get it packaged. It costs a fraction of the price to make it yourself. Same with baba ganouj but you'll need somewhere to roast eggplant.

    Rice and beans is your friend.

    Always buy dried beans instead of canned. There's less sodium, plus it comes out cheaper (a can of beans is usually the same price as a bag of dried beans, but the dried beans when reconstituted come out to about 2-3 cans worth). The downside is you need to soak them overnight (sometimes longer) to reconstitute them.

    Also, look into Indian cooking if you enjoy it. Its delicious, and there's MASSIVE amounts of vegetarian recipes out there. Good sites to look into:
    manjulaskitchen.com (all vegetarian)
    daawat.com

    Fresh fruits and veggies are super cheap, especially if you can find local "ethnic" stores. I buy all of my produce at a Lebanese place, and all of my tofu at a Chinese market. Each charges about 20% of what the normal grocery store charges.

    Two easy meat substitutes to look into besides tofu are a) seitan (easy to make), and b) TVP. Seitan can be made by adding seasonings and water/broth to a box of Vital Wheat Gluten (~2$) which you can buy in the baking section of your store and kneading. Once it stops absorbing liquid (you'll know, its a pain to knead and turns into a rubbery mass) form it into a log and boil it for about an hour in broth/water/seasonings. Its kind of freeform, so you can flavor it however you want.

    TVP (textured vegetable protein), about 2$ a pouch - is basically little flakes of soy that you soak in water/broth and spices and then use in place of ground meat. Its cheaper than buying meat-free crumbles. You'll probably be able to find it in the organics section.

    Just some tips :) Good luck!
  • Cheysmommy823
    Cheysmommy823 Posts: 5
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    I've been one for about 11-12 yrs now and I've hummus and pita to be easy and quick to make. But definitely google the topic there's plenty of things. I'm also a fan of Boca and Moringstar Farms products when I just want something simple to make and don't want to cook cook. Good luck. Vegetarians RULE!!!!

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