Vegetarian Recipes/Tips?

[Stackie]

I decided I wanted to try vegetarianism for awhile (just for the heck of it, really..I love a nice steak or cheeseburger..plus my boyfriend bet me I couldn't do it) and was wondering if anyone else had any tips/recipes for me. I've decided to not cut out dairy, so anything with cheese/milk is fine. I made a bowtie alfredo dinner last night with breadsticks and salad and it was quite scrumptious!

 

[mishellyshel]

will you eat seafood? or chicken?
are you just doing no red meat or are you planning on no meat at all. you need to get some source of protein, besides cheese, like beans????

 

[Stackie]

I'll eat seafood..but no red meat & no chicken.

 

[mishellyshel]

i cant remember if you are still in vicennes and how far you are from evansville but there is an ALDI food store there and they have really good seafood/fish items. If you are in a different area you can go to www.aldi.com and search for a location near you.
i usually go there once or twice a month and stock up on seafood & fish since I am the only one who really eats that stuff in my house. they have a good selection for great prices.
I am not a huge red meat person so I buy huge bags of frozen shrimp from my grocery store and pretty much add them to anything, especially the box pasta mixes for a quick meal. i often will either add fresh veggies or make a salad.

 

[Stackie]

Thanks! Planning on going down to Evansville tomorrow actually, so I will check it out!

 

[Kalandra]

Try a spinach lasagna. I don't have a recipe as I just make it "to taste." I use canned spinach and mix it with a jar of spaghetti sauce (extra spices if you like it) in place of the meat sauce layer.

Mix together ricotta, & parmesan. Then layer noodles, ricotta mix, spinach mix & mozzarella, repeat.

OR do a search for a recipe

 

[mishellyshel]

well make sure you bring a quarter (to rent their shopping cart) and your own canvas bags. if not you can buy the plastic ones there for 7 cents, as they do not provide any bagging. its how they keep their cost down.
i also like their hummus (not sure if you like that) and their generic breakfast cereals are pretty good. i keep a small list of the items i like and do not like.

 

[alli713]

My sis is a vegetarian, so we're constantly altering things so she can eat them.

You can make tacos with the fake meat and they taste exactly like meat tacos. I think it's Boca that makes a fake ground beef. Just buy the taco seasoning, make the "meat" the way it says on the package and then make the tacos. They're really good, even though I'm a meat person, and they're better for you than meat ones too.

But you could also use this fake meat in things like pasta sauce, lasagna, enchiladas etc. It's found in the freezer section. I'm sure there's more than one brand, so just find the ground beef looking one.

 

[Silverrose]

I am a vegetarian, well pescetarian as I will eat fish, and have been for almost 10 years now. The best way to start off is probably by making foods that you normally would, but just substituting the meat part with tofu, seitan, or a "fake meat" type product. I have to do most of my shopping at a "nicer" grocery store like Publix or Whole Foods as opposed to a wal-mart. I can never find half the things I want from there. For some really creative cooking, check out http://www.vegetariantimes.com/ . I get their magazines every month and it helps to spark my creative cooking side. Cooking vegetarian doesn't have to be bland or boring! Just make sure you aren't just stocking up on carbs, pasta is always easy to make. Some things that are always in my pantry/refrigerator are lentils, fresh herbs, a variety of beans (cannelinis, garbanzos, black eyed peas etc.), tofu (baked, flavored, different textures), whole wheat pastas, different rice, and of course a slew of different veggies both fresh and frozen. If you are looking to make something more specific, let me know. I probably have a recipe for it!

 

[AZChins]

I have a cookbook that would probably be great for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Low-Fat-Veget...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262721340&sr=8-1

Basically that has almost every vegetarian recipe you could ever hope for. I bought it a few years ago and it's been a really good resource. I could send you a bunch of links and things for soy stuff, but most of it is for vegan things. If you are still consuming dairy, it isn't really all that hard to eat vegetarian - just don't put in the meat chunks or stock. It gets difficult when going completely off animal products. I have severe allergies to dairy, egg yolks, poultry, etc etc...so I have no choice but to make everything non-dairy.

You're lucky, the meat substitutes are so much better than they used to be. Try Tofurky - you will like that. In fact, I have heard that a lot of people like it better than poultry because the consistency is more pleasing.

Whenever you want to make anything, go to google and type in "vegetarian" whatever you are wanting to make. I do that all the time. Have you heard of TVP? Textured vegetable protein can take the place of so much of the meat in a diet because it works in sauces and everything else...and it's cheap and easy to make.

 

[alli713]

Oh, you can also get fake chicken nuggets, and they really do taste like chicken nuggets, as well as the fake bacon really tastes like bacon although the consistency is different.

 

[AZChins]

My husband loves the fake bacon. He says it's better than the regular stuff...not nearly as disgusting or something. I don't know, I can't remember what real bacon was like. The fake chicken nuggets are good. Honestly, I don't usually need the fake meat stuff to make a meal good. The best thing about being a vegetarian is that vegetables are so much lower in calories so I get to eat a lot.

 

[alli713]

Yeah, I understand that you can make good meals without the need for fake meat products. I was just suggesting them so that even if she or anyone wanted to eat healthier, even after the week, they could eat these things since they're better for you fat and calorie wise compared to the real thing.

 

[AZChins]

That's very true! They are much healthier. I haven't eaten meat in such a long time that I am always forgetting about what people have gotten used to eating.

The little breakfast sausages are awesome. Although, you can make those on your own without too much of a problem...well, it takes some effort and it's easier just to buy them premade. You can do a lot with TVP and vital wheat gluten.

 

[Brittney]

I have been Veggie since I was around 10 I believe (or whenever my grandpa made me gut a cow. Bleh!) It hasn't been overly difficult, but there are some things I miss. I pretty much live off of vegetables and the frozen fake meats. It gets boring, but since I don't live close to a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's at all, I'm kinda SOL on the fresh stuff.

I absolutely LOVE Portobello burgers though. Just buy a large Portobello mushroom, rinse them off and remove the stems. Rub some olive oil on them and salt and pepper them then either throw them in the oven for a bit (gill side down) or grill them. Then you can put them on a bun. They taste very good.

I also love Tofurkey. So yummy. Even my highly carnivorous stepfather finds it tasty.

And yes, I miss those sausage biscuits, too. But, I buy them anyways. Crack open the package and since everything is frozen, I just remove the sausage patty and throw it out, and then take a Morning Star sausage patty and put it in its place and cook as it says on the biscuit package. Tastes wonderful.

 

[AZChins]

I should make you some of my homemade sausage patties someday! They are really good, or at least I think they are. I prefer to make my own biscuits for sausage sandwiches, but then again I am a total snob when it comes to food...anything that I make from scratch is better than whatever comes frozen.

I make Tofurkey roasts that are just awesome. Those end up making a really nice meal and people, who still eat meat, seem to love them like your stepfather.

 

[alli713]

And yes, I miss those sausage biscuits, too. But, I buy them anyways. Crack open the package and since everything is frozen, I just remove the sausage patty and throw it out, and then take a Morning Star sausage patty and put it in its place and cook as it says on the biscuit package. Tastes wonderful.

Not to be nitpicky or anything, but this got me curious. Why would you bother buying a meat product if you are against eating animals? If you're buying the meat product, then the animal already died. And then, by throwing away the meat part, you just wasted it. So it's kind of like that animal died for nothing.

Just curious..

 

[TheNobleFight]

Not to be nitpicky or anything, but this got me curious. Why would you bother buying a meat product if you are against eating animals? If you're buying the meat product, then the animal already died. And then, by throwing away the meat part, you just wasted it. So it's kind of like that animal died for nothing.

Just curious..

There is a very logical answer for this... In the necessity of convenience, it is the lesser of 2 evils, and therefore makes sense in her head. Our brains spend all day prioritizing the better of outcomes based on our created and learned basis of experience. The key difference between people is our moral basis or "the way in which we prioritize our wants and needs".

There is a very quiet study being conducted on prisoners at GITMO. Those who experienced long periods of solitary confinement, and whether or not it increases there risk to become more extremist in thought. The purpose is to prove that the human mind without outside influence, can permanently alter it's priority's to become self destructive.
It could change the entire way we look at trying to "Rehabilitate" people.:hmm:

If you are still reading this, I thank you for letting me get my 2 minutes of intellect time in. LOL I will now go back to my cattle pen. :crazy:

 

[alli713]

Well, I mean technically you could make them without the meat yourself. Sure, it'd be more work but no animals would be harmed in the process. You could learn to make the biscuit, and I'm not sure what else is on them, egg perhaps?

But not that I care either way, I love my meat.

 

[AZChins]

She probably hands the sausage patty over to one of her meat eating family members! It's all good. Although, it could get some meat drippings onto the biscuit...and that could be a little gross. Once you haven't eaten meat for an extended period of time the taste of meat can be a bit disgusting. The smell makes me wince....I won't tell you want it smells like to me. (I'm so awesome for sparing everyone that!)

Oh...and if I am left alone, my crazy brain comes up with all sorts of things. I make sure that I don't spend too much time thinking about anything in particular. Obsessing about things is bad and having time to focus primarily on obsessing is worse. That's why people in prison really ought to be working on something all the time. Not in a cruel way where you force them to do backbreaking labor, but little tasks are good.

I was thinking of what it would be like to be locked up...someone else would feed me, I wouldn't have to do anything really, just would have to take care of my primary needs. I'd sit there and plot revenge all day...and I'd probably feel like being on vacation the first few weeks since I wouldn't have to do much of anything.