Vegetarians/Pescatarians

[amberlyrose]

H and I are giving up meat and alcohol for the month of February. I'd like to not rely on pasta dishes alone, so can you recommend some of your recipes and favorite snack ideas?

[Vally]

I used to love black beans & rice w/sausage so now I sub tofurky for the sausage. top with raw onions if you like them.

I'm having a 15 bean soup for dinner tonight.

I have salmon or mahi salad at least once a week.

shrimp tacos.

veggie burgers.

for snacks- lots of shakes, melba toast and cheese, beer

[VillainV]

Jan 29, 2013 14:45:42 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Nuts and seeds are my fave snacks

Brown rice and Cous-Cous are my favorite grains outside pasta ( I don't care for quinoa)

Try the Quorn brand faux meats too, their " chicken" is the best tasting

And beans! Beans are a great substitute for meat

ETA: the Quorn website has great recipes using their products

PSA:  Cous-cous isn't a grain, it's a type of pasta.   But it's SO SO SO YUMMY.   

[Deleted]

i don't snack on nuts and seeds. i mean, i do enjoy almonds and peanut butter and stuff. but don't be frightened by the notion of 40 days eating like a squirrel or something. and no one will kick your ass out of the temporary vegetarian club if you don't know the proper classification for quinoa. also, some people really frown upon use of meat substitutes, but they're easy to cook, easy to season, and don't require too much expertise not to screw up.

i don't do the cooking, but here's what we had for dinner over the past couple weeks that i can remember (the mains, for sides we have green salad, corn, squash, broccoli, etc. standard fare.):

-pizza. yum.
-bean tacos.
-veggie pot pie.
-giant pot of minestrone soup with garlic bread.
-"chicken" enchiladas made with quorn or morningstar farms faux chicken strips.
-black bean burgers.
-cheese tortellini (think broadly about pasta, not just noodles + sauce).
-butternut squash ravioli (i ate these alone since my husband is foolish and rejects squash ravioli).

[candreco]

I feel like Mexican food is always easy to do vegetarian- just sub beans (refried, black, whatever) for the meat. I particularly like bean and cheese enchiladas and these black bean patties.

ETA: And Indian food- chickpea biryani and naan, or soups- Italian-y white bean and kale, mediterranean eggplant with a little feta, etc.

[leeann]

Hummus
Sushi
Veggie Burgers
Spaghetti Squash with sauce

[magpie]

Lots of curries (Thai and Indian) with rice out quinoa.

Beans salads with quinoa and veggies (goes nice with a piece of grilled fish, if you do fish).

Veggie tacos and enchiladas with lots of veggies and beans.

Falafel with cucumber/tomato and pita bread.

Veggie burgers with roasted vegetables (potatoes, Brussels sprouts, squash)

[shostakovich]

This time of year, we make a lot of soups. Just made a kabocha squash with udon soup last night that was super yummy (recipe here). It's a staple in our house during the winter.

We made fresh tostadas the night before, which area cinch to pull together - layer tortillas with rice, refried beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo or salsa, guacamole, black olives, done.

I also do meat substitutes in a lot of recipes that call for meat - like this one . I just use veggie chicken cutlets. H isn't a big fan of fake meats, so I usually reserve these recipes for when he's OOT. I think it's a texture thing for a lot of people, so you'll have to experiment and see how you feel.

[papie]

I am not a vegetarian, but we only eat meat 2-3 times a week. Other than a million different pasta recipes, we love:

- frittata
- quiche
- eggs broken and cooked on a bed of sauteed vegetables covered with cheese
- pizza
- enchiladas (stuffing is a mixture of corn, black beans, spinach and cheese)
- black beans and rice
- lentil salad served with grilled haloumi cheese (you can just heat it in the pan too)
- fish tacos
- shrimp salads
- tilapia baked in the oven served with a spicy fruit salsa
- tortillas with scrambled eggs/beans/salsa/corn/avocado/cheese/sour cream

[nicanmatt]

I really like these stuffed peppers, I'll even bake them "unstuffed" with the peppers sliced on bottom and then turn them into fajitas. www.preventionrd.com/2012/03/meatless-monday-money-matters-black-bean-and-rice-stuffed-peppers/

This salmon is so fast to cook and delicious! www.preventionrd.com/2012/03/foil-baked-basil-pesto-salmon/

I'm also a big fan of breakfast for dinner. French Toast, pancakes, fried egg sandwiches. YUM!

[lightbulbsun]

Here is my pinterest board. pinterest.com/annieu/yummy-mains/

Enjoy and good luck!

[lightbulbsun]

Oh, and I actually do like almonds as a snack. I also like dried fruit, veggies & hummus and yogurt.

[underwaterrhymes]

This is my favorite veggie burger recipe of all time.

It is time consuming, but so delicious.

www.food.com/recipe/houstons-restaurant-copycat-veggie-burgers-120426

We also love this tempeh sloppy joe recipe (we add green pepper):

www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=67651

And this chili recipe:

www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeId=173891

This is a DELICIOUS tilapia recipe:

www.blogher.com/panko-crusted-tilapia-lemon-caper-sauce

And if you cook the tofu correctly (press it first for a half hour under plates. Then marinate it and bake it on each side for about 5 - 10 minutes. THEN follow the recipe), this recipe is awesome:

www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pineapple_tofu_stir_fry.html

If you want to talk fake meats, I'm also a big fan of Field Roast apple sage "sausage" and Quorn products. (Their fake meat crumbles are great in tomato sauce for spaghetti). My favorite fake chicken nuggets are Gardein. Yum.

[amberlyrose]

Everything sounds so gooooood!

[mamasaurus]

I always recommend the Vegan Dad blog. The blog retired this year, but the archives are full of excellent stuff, including things to which you can add cheese or egg to unveganize them.

vegandad.blogspot.com/

[mamasaurus]

Jan 29, 2013 14:53:02 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Jan 29, 2013 14:45:42 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Nuts and seeds are my fave snacks

Brown rice and Cous-Cous are my favorite grains outside pasta ( I don't care for quinoa)

Try the Quorn brand faux meats too, their " chicken" is the best tasting

And beans! Beans are a great substitute for meat

ETA: the Quorn website has great recipes using their products

PSA:  Cous-cous isn't a grain, it's a type of pasta.   But it's SO SO SO YUMMY.   

I thought it was a grain, too! I thought also that it was bulgur (basically oat groats, but from wheat), but wikipedia says that isn't true, either! I guess this explains the two sizes.

[chalupabatman]

I'm pescetarian and gluten free.

I make chili a lot. You can put it over grits, a baked potato, serve with tortilla chips.
I also make lentil soup, chickpea curry, and will add poached eggs on top of things like rice and beans with veggies and salsa. Veggie tacos are also really easy and veggie enchiladas.

some of my favorite vegetarian friendly blogs:
pickyeaterblog.com/
www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/
naturallyella.com/

Good luck! It isn't hard once you get into the habit

For snacks I eat veggies and hummus, hard boiled eggs, dried fruit, trail mix, almonds (I love almonds), potato chips.

[speckledfrog]

We make these and really like them (I don't boil the peppers for as long, I like a stuffed pepper with a little bit of crunch) www.ourbestbites.com/2011/01/southwest-stuffed-bell-peppers/

[wrathofkuus]

Indian food! Get an Indian cookbook; they have such varied and delicious vegetarian dishes, you won't even miss the meat.

[underwaterrhymes]

Oh She Glows also has some really good vegan recipes.

[snorky]

I love risotto- you can throw pretty much anything in there and call it a complete meal. My favourite is butternut squash, sage leaves, and topped with chèvre with a side of sautéed spinach. I also love "jambalaya" with the fake sausage stuff (there's a chorizo variety), but I tend to stay away from the "fake meats" because of their sodium content- I will swell up like a PP's sig pic if I have too much sodium. That being said, one of my favourite snacks is extra form tofu that has been soaked in soy sauce and baked for an hour at 400*F.

Post punk kitchen, while a vegan blog, has really good recipes if you're looking for more inspiration. PETA also has a meal plan that I've used loosely before, but I kind of remember it being heavy on the fake meats (maybe because they're sponsors or something?).

May I be so bold as to ask why you are going veggie for February?

Edit:  lol, it's actually your sig pic....

[amberlyrose]

Jan 29, 2013 15:40:49 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

Here is my pinterest board. pinterest.com/annieu/yummy-mains/

Enjoy and good luck!

 Following!

I eat almonds like crazy for snacks.

All of my meals during the day are vegetarian but our dinners usually aren't. We're trying to get to a mostly pescatarian lifestyle because I hate the idea of eating meat but I love the taste and H just wants to eat better.

[amberlyrose]

Jan 29, 2013 16:24:28 GMT -5 snorky said:

I love risotto- you can throw pretty much anything in there and call it a complete meal. My favourite is butternut squash, sage leaves, and topped with chèvre with a side of sautéed spinach. I also love "jambalaya" with the fake sausage stuff (there's a chorizo variety), but I tend to stay away from the "fake meats" because of their sodium content- I will swell up like a PP's sig pic if I have too much sodium. That being said, one of my favourite snacks is extra form tofu that has been soaked in soy sauce and baked for an hour at 400*F.

Post punk kitchen, while a vegan blog, has really good recipes if you're looking for more inspiration. PETA also has a meal plan that I've used loosely before, but I kind of remember it being heavy on the fake meats (maybe because they're sponsors or something?).

May I be so bold as to ask why you are going veggie for February? 

We usually give up meat or alcohol for lent but we'll be going to Scotland, H is running a marathon and doesn't want to start a new diet right before, and we have a few events with during March with food. So we decided to give up both for the month of February to kick start some healthier eating and to feel better after the holidays. I would like to eventually go to 100% pescatarian but I doubt H would.

[shostakovich]

This is also a good blog: Oh My Veggies

[snorky]

Even if he doesn't give up most meats, if you want to, go for it! My husband still eats meat, albeit mostly at restaurants and not at home, and he says that he definitely feels heavy and sluggish if he eats it more than one day in a row. It is fairly easy to adapt meals to be both veggie and carnivore if you need to do.

[underwaterrhymes]

amberlyrose - After February, could you compromise? I am pescetarian. H is not. I cook only pescetarian (mostly vegetarian) at the house. He will occasionally make something like fried chicken for him and fried tempeh for me, and he keeps lunch-type stuff (chicken enchiladas, turkey sandwiches, chicken strips for salads) for him and eats whatever he wants when we go out. Sometimes it's veg-friendly. Other times it's a steak.

He was initially reluctant when I told him I wanted to eat this way, but it's worked out so well for us. We've eaten this way for three and a half years and haven't looked back.

[amberlyrose]

Jan 29, 2013 16:41:07 GMT -5 snorky said:

Even if he doesn't give up most meats, if you want to, go for it! My husband still eats meat, albeit mostly at restaurants and not at home, and he says that he definitely feels heavy and sluggish if he eats it more than one day in a row. It is fairly easy to adapt meals to be both veggie and carnivore if you need to do.

 He usually just eats what I cook so it works out pretty well. He eats most of his meat meals at lunch, anyway