Vegetarian Help?

[Devon]

I'm a vegetarian and get pretty bored with the same old same old. I was just wondering if anyone had recipes to switch things up for me! 

[April]

Hi Devon. There are a couple of soup recipes that got posted on the forum - they're either vegetarian or could be made so quite easily: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/What-s-Cooking/It-s-Time-for-Soup/m-p/1363#U1363. I make up a big batch of soup and then freeze it in pint jars - I just grab a jar on my way out the door in the morning and I'm set for lunch.

Do you eat dairy or eggs? I make a lot of omelets (mostly egg whites) filled with various veggies and cheese. And I eat a lot of yogurt with frozen berries and 1/4 cup multi-grain "oatmeal" mixed in. I also eat a lot of stir-fries.

[scoobie57]

Quinoa with just about everything you can think of--- sweet potatoes, beans (esp chickpeas), spinach (either raw or wilted). 

[sneakyburrito]

I've been a vegetarian for 20 years.  Here are some resources that should help:

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman is my favorite cookbook for non-dessert items.  It has recipes for things I'd actually like to eat.  It's a bit heavy on the cheese, which is not necessarily something that should be consumed EVERY day, but there are plenty of filling bean and grain dishes in there.

Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman (hope I spelled that right, she's the same lady who writes "Recipes for Health" in the New York Times) is more of a Mediteranean vegetarian cookbook (there may be chicken stock in one or two recipes but of course vegetable broth is an easy substitution there).

I have not experimented much with Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson but the 2-3 recipes I've tried are quite good.  I intend to use this one more because it's so convenient to do slow cooking since I also work full time.  I will note that some of these recipes have A LOT of ingredients, so be prepared for that.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison is a little "snooty" for lack of a better term, but it has really given me some new ways to cook greens (something I need to eat more of) and whole grains.  I think this one is kind of pricey, but I got it from a book club at reduced cost.  (A used copy might also be an option.)

The Vegetarian Times website seems to have freely-searchable recipes.  While I am a subscriber, I never actually log in there.  As far as I know, these are recipes that were published in the magazine.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

Anyway, those resources should cater to a variety of tastes.  Good luck!

[trainer]

Vegenomicon is also a good cookbook. One way I stay away from the same old rut is to make relatively small changes all the time. For example, I really like salads and get one from a local health food store salad bar many days of the week. BUT, my rule is that I have to put three things on the salad I didn't have yet this week. So, Monday might be beets, chickpeas, mushrooms. Tues can be peas, onions, kidney beans. Etc. By Thurs it is getting amusing as I stand there trying to remember what I have used this week and what I still need to have 🙂

[ThePinkCoyote]

Great ideas! Thanks everyone for sharing!

[sparker]

A great smootie and meal - 1 Boil Beet (Peel Skin), Cup Spinach, 4Oz Fresh Organe Juice put in Blend and you have a delious meal with all the nutrians.

Vegg Spinanch Lasaga - Spinach, Almond Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, Garlic, Chopped Grilled Tofu Stips and your Favotie Tomatoe sauce. Delious.

Hope this helps

[DC98]

I changed my diet to a whole food plant based about 2 years ago. I like happy herbivore. The recipes are delicious and very easy to make. She has a website with recipes to try without buying her books first. Also forealslife has some great recipes too.

[Jae]

When I need a new recipe, I get on Pinterest and look for new things. I always end up pinning several new things to try and most of the ones I've tried have been very good.

[Jolisouci]

Check out all of the Happy Herbivore books. Great vegetarian recipes, all low calorie and very low in fat!

[heatherjones]

I highly recommend Mediterranean food. The region is vast, full of delicious ingredients with varying flavors. In May I took a cruise and fell in love with the food. I am now stocked in cookbooks and constantly asking questions and the Mediterranean restaurants. My favorite is coastal italian, greek and lebanese/turkish. Amazon has some wonderful used cookbooks that are light on the wallet.

[tkillion]

I love to read blogs written by vegans/vegetarians.  Some of my favorites are FatFree Vegan Kitchen, Happy Herbivore, Post Punk Kitcen, and the Thug Kitchen.  Thug Kitchen is pretty vulgar, but has some great recipes.  You may, or may not enjoy his humor.  I also have several cook books to keep switching things up.  There are many many foods you can still eat that aren't loaded with fat, cheese, or pasta.  I love making wraps, salads, and soups.  Breakfasts are usually a combo meal of steel cut oats and quinoa (a 2:1 ratio), topped with some fresh fruit.  Hope this helps.

[Unguja]

Try Indian food. There are many types of Lentils you can find them inan Indian grocery shop. One can make different types of soups with various lentils. Also spicy food (provided you like them) like samosas, Naan instead of normal bread, will give you the variety you are looking for. There are lot of recipes on the web under Indian food.

[dp9]

Hi Devon,

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years.  My favorite dish is also easy to make.  I stir fry tofu and veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, carrots, mung beans...) in a wok. First, I throw in some grated garlic and stir fry with a drop of olive oil and then add the tofu, then the veggies. For seasoning I add some low sodium tamari to taste and a few heaping Tbsp of nutritional yeast (you might want to use less - I'm a big yeast lover).  When done cooking, I add in 1 to 2 tsp of toasted sesame oil.  Hope this was helpful.

[mhenkel]

My favorite veg blog is Ohsheglows.com. She is a genius with vegan food! I make many things from here for my carnivorous family and they dont even know it's vegan 🙂

[SpiceChicken]

LOVE Mark Bittman. He is my imaginary food boyfriend!

[Muscade]

I love, love, love Pinterest!  Such interesting ideas!!!!!  You can fin a LOT of idea!  Good luck!

[JulieInMadison]

I'm a vegetarian leaning toward vegan and I started a website a while ago that has some of my favorite ideas for improving diet broken down into easy steps. If you have some ideas to improve the site, please comment in the blog section and I will upgrade the site with your awesome input! Thanks! Go to www.teamvegan.weebly.com

[Keila]

Hey Devon, what did you eat for dinner tonight? It's easier to talk about shaking it up if I know what I'm shaking 🙂

We are ovo-lacto vegetarians and do quite a bit of eating here 🙂 

[JoanneinCA]

"One Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson" has lots of good recipes for lunch and dinner. And she divides them by salads, soups, pasta dishes, entrees, etc. I have the Kindle version and love it. http://www.amazon.com/One-Dish-Vegan-Soul-Satisfying-Delicious-One-Plate-ebook/dp/B00E78IGRK/ref=sr_...

There is also a paperback edition.