Hold me. R wants to try a vegetarian diet.

[mrs.jacinthe]

If you've switched, tell me about it.  How did you feel?  Any cookbooks you recommend?  What protein sources do you still eat?

I'm enthused about saving the money we normally spend on meat, but I'm terrified of all the beans and eggs (or at the very least, what all the beans and eggs will do internally).  Help.

[lightbulbsun]

I've been vegetarian for 9 years and I don't think I'll ever go back.

I feel awesome on a vegetarian diet. I'm in the best shape of my life. I run, lift weights, do yoga, etc.

People are always concerned about getting enough protein, but protein deficiency is really rare, even in vegans. Things I substitute for meat are tofu, beans, quinoa, seitan, and tempeh. I sometimes eat eggs, but not very often. Also, yogurt and cheese are good protein sources.

Most of the recipes I use are from pinterest. Here's a link to my board if you're interested:

Some recipes are also easy to convert to vegetarian. For example, I made a chickpea pot pie last night. I just subbed chickpeas for the chicken, and veggie broth for the chicken broth.

olivesfordinner.com has some great tips for making tofu - it took me forever to learn how to make it right. I loooove her carrot ginger tofu. I'm making it tonight.

[sjh722]

I am not a vegetarian, but I like Mollie Katzen's Moosewood cookbooks. I have also liked "From Asparagus to Zucchini" - I got it from our CSA.

[lightbulbsun]

Also, if you really want to do the veggie thing, watch out for foods with animal rennet (enzymes from the stomachs of animals) and gelatin (boiled skin/bones).

[prazenjc]

if I were to go vegetarian, I would "ease" into it. I had seen a show on Oprah about going vegetarian and this is what they recommended. do something like 1 day a week to start, then up it to 2-3 and then you can either do another increment of 4-5 days a week or go all in.

for me, I could never do it. I was raised on a cattle ranch and feel like it would be a betrayal to my deceased father's life. and am a big believer in all things in moderation, so I would probably just do an ease into it and stop part way, if I were to go there at all.

I do have several friends that have gone vegetarian and are huge advocates for it. I love/support them, so I don't discourage it in my friends (although some vegans and vegetarians I know don't extend the same courtesy to me). there are lots of yummy food options in that lifestyle. you won't be lacking at all for flavor, food enjoyment, etc.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Dec 30, 2013 12:35:49 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

Also, if you really want to do the veggie thing, watch out for foods with animal rennet (enzymes from the stomachs of animals) and gelatin (boiled skin/bones).

Yes.  @juno has trained me well.     That said, I think we're not going to be all that strict about it - R wants to continue with dairy products, eggs, fish, etc, and we'll still eat meat when out and about or when served by others.  We're also going to use up the existing stores of chicken and beef stock in the pantry before we start buying veggie broth instead.  We already buy tillamook cheese (non-animal rennet) and we don't really eat anything with gelatin in it these days.

[downtoearth]

I was a vegetarian for about 12 years - it really isn't much harder, and unluckily often not cheaper than meat eating. But I also felt pretty good on it. I didn't really follow any cookbooks or plans, just made things I liked with substitutes like rice or quinoa or soy when needed.

We used a some meat substitutes like these Morningstar Farms meal starters (grillers crumbles) for breakfast burritos and as taco filler. I also made a lot with tofu. But a lot of that was before the push for less soy in people's diets (it can act as an endocrine disruptor).

Really, it just resulted in us buying and eating more veggies and fruits b/c we needed fillers for meals, so we would use those. I also ate cheese and yogurt everyday. So really, my calorie intake was the same with and without meat - just know that it doesn't automatically cut your calories or fat if you're using oils and cheese.

Oh and along with @lightbulbsun - I realized that worcestershire, which is in some great salad dressing reciepes, is not vegetarian since it has some anchovies. I wasn't that strict, but had some friends who were and so I learned some of these items. Oh and if you're vegetarian for animal use reasons, there are gelatin coatings on most advil/Tylenol/OTC pain pills.

[pitterwoo]

I don't think you will have a hard time at all, especially keeping fish ie pescatarian. Getting enough protein for bodily functions isn't hard to do, but I know for me having all vegetarian meals ends up being higher carb and not satisfying to me for a long enough time. I have several family members that are vegan and I swear they eat twice as often as H and I do. They seem to be happy though with how they feel. I don't feel that I do well without more animal products.

[TBM]

Dec 30, 2013 12:42:26 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Dec 30, 2013 12:35:49 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

Also, if you really want to do the veggie thing, watch out for foods with animal rennet (enzymes from the stomachs of animals) and gelatin (boiled skin/bones).

 That said, I think we're not going to be all that strict about it - R wants to continue with dairy products, eggs, fish, etc, and we'll still eat meat when out and about or when served by others. 

That would be a pescatarian....or maybe a lacto-ovo pescatarian.   That is my diet, although the fish/seafood part is pretty minimal (I go in phases).

[mrs.jacinthe]

Dec 30, 2013 12:56:53 GMT -5 TBM said:

Dec 30, 2013 12:42:26 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

 That said, I think we're not going to be all that strict about it - R wants to continue with dairy products, eggs, fish, etc, and we'll still eat meat when out and about or when served by others. 

That would be a pescatarian....or maybe a lacto-ovo pescatarian.   That is my diet, although the fish/seafood part is pretty minimal (I go in phases).

The fish thing would, in fact, be very minimal.  I don't particularly like fish, so as it is, we eat fish maybe 1x per month (when R gets around to grilling it - no fish gets cooked inside my house).  I don't forsee that changing much, if at all.

ETA: But yes, I suppose that we'd have to call ourselves pescatarian for honesty's sake.

[msmerymac]

When I first started, 9 years ago, I definitely needed to substitute something for the meat. Some fake meat products aren't bad, especially if you're craving something like a turkey sandwich, but you don't need to go in that direction. Mostly, I just needed to use things like chickpeas, nuts and tons of veggies in salad, cheese and veggies on sandwiches, etc, to make myself feel satisfied by not having the meat.

I think vegetarian meals can really go out of the box and not be as traditional as the meat and 2 sides style of cooking a lot of people are used to. If you like any kind of ethnic food - Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, etc - a lot are really easy to make without meat, and since meat doesn't usually focus heavily in those cuisines, you don't miss it.

This week we're doing some fancy meals, but they include a squash, mushroom and arugula pizza; a no-tuna nicoise salad; a lemon and white wine pasta dish; a cheese plate/appetizer night; and a new year's day holiday dinner with a vegan "roast" (field roast hazelnut roast en croute), roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. The last one is definitely one of the more traditional type of meals!

I also recently started using the Fresh 20 for meal planning, which has a vegetarian version (I took the week off this week, though, to do some holiday stuff).

[munkii]

I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 16 years and have never found it particularly hard. lightbulbsun listed a lot of good protein options. When I want a meat substitute, I usually use Quorn (soy-free but has MSG) and Field Roast (seitan, has MSG). I throw the MSG info out there because a lot of tvp/tsp/meat substitutes do contain it, which isn't ideal for some people. 

For recipes, I turn to the internet a lot. I did receive this book as a gift recently and look very much forward to using it soon: www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Recipes-Londons-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388427727&sr=1-3&keywords=ottolenghi.

ETA: Since I didn't offer much in way of recipes, I'll throw out a few links to some of my favorites.

Red Beans and Rice: www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-red-beans-rice-10000000443497/

Butternut Squash Frittata: www.carascravings.com/2009/07/butternut-squash-quinoa-frittata.html

Beet and Goat Cheese Frittata: www.carascravings.com/2010/03/roasted-beet-frittata-with-beet-greens-shallots-and-goat-cheese.html

Shakshouka: www.carascravings.com/2010/03/pps-shakshouka.html

Butternut Squash Risotto: www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/butternut-squash-risotto.html

Non-recipes: We saute veggies (whatever we have) with Soyaki all the time and have it with rice or quinoa. We also saute veggies and season them up for tacos a lot.

My main pinterest food page: 

[lightbulbsun]

Dec 30, 2013 12:45:07 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Oh and along with @lightbulbsun - I realized that worcestershire, which is in some great salad dressing reciepes, is not vegetarian since it has some anchovies. I wasn't that strict, but had some friends who were and so I learned some of these items. Oh and if you're vegetarian for animal use reasons, there are gelatin coatings on most advil/Tylenol/OTC pain pills.

Oh yea, and no ceasar dressing for the anchovies either! A lot of random stuff has gelatin in it, altoids, pills (the capsules), marshmallows, gummy worms, some wine, etc. 

But it sounds like you're not really going to be vegetarian, if you'll still be eating meat and fish, so it's probably moot.

[downtoearth]

Dec 30, 2013 13:25:02 GMT -5 munkii said:

I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 16 years and have never found it particularly hard. lightbulbsun listed a lot of good protein options. When I want a meat substitute, I usually use Quorn (soy-free but has MSG) and Field Roast (seitan, has MSG). I throw the MSG info out there because a lot of tvp/tsp/meat substitutes do contain it, which isn't ideal for some people. 

For recipes, I turn to the internet a lot. I did receive this book as a gift recently and look very much forward to using it soon: www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Recipes-Londons-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388427727&sr=1-3&keywords=ottolenghi.

Oh yeah, try out a bunch of the fake meats...I love the taste of Quorn, but am one of those few that get sick to my stomach the next day no matter what when I eat it.  Plus, the different gound-meat substitutes and fake meat patties all taste different and so you should find the one(s) you like and stick to them.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Dec 30, 2013 13:28:17 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

Oh yea, and no ceasar dressing for the anchovies either! A lot of random stuff has gelatin in it, altoids, pills (the capsules), marshmallows, gummy worms, some wine, etc. 

But it sounds like you're not really going to be vegetarian, if you'll still be eating meat and fish, so it's probably moot.

LOL.  No, I suppose not.  I'm calling it a 'casual vegetarian diet' because of how we're treating it.  

FTR - we seriously don't eat anything with gelatin (except maybe wine) ... it's a texture thing for me.  I have marshmallows on hand in our pantry for hot chocolate and I swear they're like ... 4 years old.   I'm fairly confident that the bag moved here with us from Ohio.  

[munkii]

Dec 30, 2013 13:28:17 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

Dec 30, 2013 12:45:07 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Oh and along with @lightbulbsun - I realized that worcestershire, which is in some great salad dressing reciepes, is not vegetarian since it has some anchovies. I wasn't that strict, but had some friends who were and so I learned some of these items. Oh and if you're vegetarian for animal use reasons, there are gelatin coatings on most advil/Tylenol/OTC pain pills.

Oh yea, and no ceasar dressing for the anchovies either! A lot of random stuff has gelatin in it, altoids, pills (the capsules), marshmallows, gummy worms, some wine, etc. 

But it sounds like you're not really going to be vegetarian, if you'll still be eating meat and fish, so it's probably moot.

I became a changed woman this summer when I came across vegan marshmallows. I forgot how delicious they are! I guess it's hard to mess up sugar, sugar, and more sugar.

[magdala]

DH is vegetarian so most of the meals that I cook are vegetarian. Mark Bittman's Vegetarian cookbook and the Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfield are two go-to cookbooks. If you press tofu, it can be used in any chicken breast recipe. We use extra firm tofu, silken tofu, edamame, beans, quinoa, nuts, eggs, milk, and cheese for protein sources. I have not had many digestive issues...other than chili but DH makes a fantastic chili. We also supplement with fish. I find that I make a lot of international dishes - Mexican, Indian, Chinese, and Italian all have fantastic vegetarian meals.

Some dinners I like:

www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/04/the_dinner_im_a.html
www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/israeli-couscous-salad-with-smoked-paprika-recipe/index.html
www.poorgirleatswell.com/2012/03/recipe-crispy-baked-tofu-fries-with-sriracha-ketchup.html usually with www.acouplecooks.com/2012/09/apple-and-gouda-quesadillas/

[msmerymac]

Oh, and I forgot - I agree with magdala that Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian is awesome. You will never run out of food ideas with that!

[ktzmoh]

Do it!

You will not have a hard time eating out in ca. It's great. I find that it forces me to constantly diversify my duet and try new things. I can't just default to roast chicken for dinner, so it forces me to explore and try things and be conscientious about what we are eating.

It's been >20 years for me and I never look back.

[Deleted]

My sister #1 switched to very little meat and likes it. Sister #2 is strictly pescatarian. She won't necessarily ask to see an ingredient list at a friend's house (eg chicken stock, etc) but definitely doesn't use those things in her house. She likes that too.

I think the main concern is getting enough iron. Everyone should get a physical annually with blood work anyway, so just make sure you schedule that a few months out from any big changes so your doctor can keep an eye on it.

[Deleted]

I'm pescetarian but don't get too crazy with it, like refusing to eat anything made with chicken broth, etc. I cook with vegetable broth and don't buy meat to cook at home but I have eaten chicken out in a pinch. I only quit meat just six months ago so I'm still learning, but there are many options these days. My DH did pescetarian for a while but now eats chicken. It's really not that hard - try it for just a month!

[kaylie]

I did it for a year in college. For the first three days I felt like shit, but after that I felt fine. My little sister is a vegetarian now and I end up cooking a lot of meals for her. lightbulbsun is a phenomenal vegetarian chef (if you know her irl, you get to go to her dinner parties ) and I've gotten some good recipes off of her Pinterest board. Just make sure if you try tempeh to use the right one. I think it's the 7-grain variety that doesn't suck.

[heliocentric]

We are not vegetarians, but we don't eat "factory meat" or fish (unless we know the origins) so we tend to eat vegetarian the majority of the time.

What kind of meals do you make now? If you are used to a meat + starch + veg on most days going veg will take more planning. Just removing or swapping out the meat in that case tends to result in unsatisfying meals. However, if you plan meals where meat isn't the star of the show (curries, pastas, stir fries, stews & soups, for example) it makes it much easier. Those meals are easy to make very flavorful and you'll hardly miss the meat. Other than a very occasional use of tofu or tempeh, we don't use any substitutes at all.

If you don't want to invest in a bunch of cookbooks right away, I've found epicurious and eatingwell both a decent selection of veggie dishes that are tasty.

[auntie]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I have a mostly vegetarian living with me.

I probably eat meatless about half the time. I love this book-

www.amazon.com/Vedge-Plates-Redefine-Vegetable-Cooking/dp/1615190856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388617054&sr=8-1&keywords=vedge