Vegetarian Meal Ideas

melissaepiphany

Hey guys!

 I used to be vegetarian, but slowly went back to eating meat Lately, the thought of eating meat has been making my gag. I would really like to go back to a vegetarian diet. My husband says he would we fine with a vegetarian diet, but that anything like fake meat/tofu etc, he thinks tastes gross.

 Do you guys have any suggestions for veggie meals or tips to make vegetarian meat or tofu taste pretty good? Even when I didn't eat meat, I thought some of the fake stuff tasted a little funky too. Any suggestions would be super great!

Thanks in advance! 

Emanons

Are you on Pinterest, I have found a ton of great ideas on Pinterest:

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html  I find the original recipe mild, so I triple the spices.

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/02/chili-garlic-breakfast-quesadilla-061.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Miso-Glazed-Eggplant-109748  I use this as a main dish with rice and steamed vegetables.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/White-Beans-with-Roasted-Tomatoes-109537

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles-204-recipe-102-serving.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wild-Mushroom-Lasagne-101195

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/minestrone-soup-2908 

 

 

 

ChristyDM82

We're not vegetarian but have recently decided to cut out meat (still will eat poultry, fish, eggs, milk products).  Try incorporating meals with eggs, beans, edamame, and quinoa.  I've never bought tofu so I'm no help there.

Here's some of my pinterest boards for inspiration:

http://pinterest.com/cevanovich/quinoa/

http://pinterest.com/cevanovich/breakfast-brunch/

(Some of these have meat, some don't)

http://pinterest.com/cevanovich/meatless/

 

From my blog:

http://adventuresofmini-martha.blogspot.com/search/label/Eggs

(some have meat, some don't)

http://adventuresofmini-martha.blogspot.com/search/label/Meatless

http://adventuresofmini-martha.blogspot.com/search/label/Quinoa 

 

kipnus

I''m vegetarian. There are lots of meals that you can that don't require "meat" or tofu at all. When I do use vegetarian "meat" it tends to be Yves Ground Round for tacos, chili, and pasta, or veggie pepperoni on pizza. I like to use soft tofu to make a "cheese" sauce (blend with nutritional yeast and some soy sauce).

I've got lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes on my Pinterest boards.

http://pinterest.com/kipnus/recipes-to-try/

http://pinterest.com/kipnus/quinoa-crazy/

http://pinterest.com/kipnus/avocados-amazing/

http://pinterest.com/kipnus/chickpeas-ftw/

http://pinterest.com/kipnus/soups-and-stews/ 

daveandlaura2009

I am not vegetarian, but I am finding that I prefer more meatless meals. I do not care for "meat substitutes." Here's the Meatless Monday tab from my blog. The chickpea tacos on there are one of our absolute favorite simple dinners.

melissaepiphany

Wow, I never even though of pinterest!!! Thank you guys so much, some of these sound so good! Thanks

*Amisha*

My friend and I have a blog that have some great vegetarian recipes. Half of the group of girls are vegetarian, so when we meet up and make different recipes, they are predominately vegetarian.

 Check it out and bookmark it:

http://thectexchange.blogspot.com/

jd_bridetobe

These enchiladas are easy to prepare in advance, freeze well, and make for an awesome meatless meal. I swear, they are delicious and filling, and no one will miss the meat.

 

www.hungryjaney.com/2011/02/vegetable-enchiladas.html 

26summer

I love tofu and have a large amount of tofu recipes on my blog.  it was something i had to get used to but I love it now.  Here is the tag:

 http://www.hezzi-dsbooksandcooks.blogspot.com/search/label/Tofu

jdoornink

My fiance and I have been working at eating less meat and more vegetarian meals, so I made this Pinterest board of good food ideas that don't include meat:

http://pinterest.com/jdoornink/vegetarian-dishes/

Surprisingly, I've found that polenta is a fantastic vegetarian staple. There are so many ways to use it!

As for preparing tofu, I cut it in fairly thin strips, flavor them with whatever way will go well with my dish (usually Asian inspired, since we make stir fry a lot), and then pan fry them until they're brown in some olive oil. Then take them out of the pan, fry your veggies til they're almost done, then add the tofu back in and flavor the whole dish. Tofu is only good with lots of flavor and crisped up on both sides!

One of the easiest thing to make vegetarian is pizza. Make them speedy by putting a tortilla down in a warm cast-iron skillet that's been sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray. Then just layer on your sauce, cheese, and veggies, and let it cook for just a few min til the tortilla is a little crispy. If you put a pan lid over it, that'll help the cheese melt. Or, if you've got more time, seriously make your own pizza dough. It's so amazingly good. This is the recipe I have luck with:

http://www.becomeabetterbaker.com/Recipes.aspx?RecipeId=de5ee816-8528-45c0-aad7-739903543763

Best of luck to you!

- Joli 

Dizzbomb

I too was vegetarian for many years (13+ years) then went full steam meat every day when pregnant and for a year and a half after.  My boyfriend and I returned to mostly vegetarian about six months ago - we eat seafood a couple times a week and chicken a couple times a month, typically at lunch over greens.  Our favorite go-to recipe at this point is as follows:

Red curry "inspired" sauce over veggies and rice

 

Some combination of the following veggies chopped and sauteed for 5-10 minutes or til tender to your taste: cauliflower, diced carrot, saut?ed mushroom, shelled edamame, green peas, snap or snow peas. Veggies are cooked separately from sauce and key is to saut?e whatever veggies in a small amount of low-sodium chicken or veggie broth (just a few millimeters in the pan - I think it creates a steaming effect).

For the sauce, my recommendation is to use full fat coconut milk. We tried many times with the low fat and it always produced a sauce that was thin and gruel-like; really changed the flavor a lot and wasn't very nice.

Sauce recipe is as follows:

1 Tbs red curry paste heated on low in a saucepan to warm, stirring/spreading continuously (1-2 mins). Add 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Continue mixing, stirring with paste until "bubbly" or 2-3 mins. Add  1 can coconut milk, 2 Tbs fish sauce, stir and let simmer gently on low for 10-12 mins, stirring periodically. Add Sriracha sauce to taste about 2-3 mins before taking sauce off heat. 

Sometimes we also add shrimp.

 

We then typically put it all over rice. 

Hope you enjoy!!!