Alright, I’m hoping to pull some insight from my widely varied readership.
As the seasons change, so do the meals we eat. I generally purchase things that are in-season and plan our meals that way. Here we are at a season change and I’m ready to change up my usual winter meals. I’d like to begin incorporating some vegetarian meals into my meal plans. I’m not looking to become vegetarian. I just want to add another element to our diet. Meat can be expensive and I know there are other ways to incorporate protein into our diet – I’m just not familiar with them.
Pretty much every meal I make is centered around some sort of meat. There’s good reason for that – we like it. One thing I’ve begun to do is slightly lessen the amount of meat I use in casseroles and one-dish meals. I find that it really doesn’t make a big difference if I use one pound of meat or 3/4 lb. and when buying in bulk, it stretches the meat I buy one meal farther.
I really want to branch out though. Here’s where I’m hoping you’ll chime in. Do you know of a great vegetarian recipe or a good vegetarian blog that you would reccommend? I’m looking for meatless dishes with an alternative protein, so spaghetti with marinara doesn’t count. Post your links in the comments. I’m hoping to get some great ideas to try and then report back to let you know how it goes.
Why I do what I do ~ Chloe and I at the fair this past weekend …
bean photo credit: Ivan WalshHave you liked Domestic Cents on Facebook yet?
If you enjoyed this post you may want to subscribe to free updates by RSS feed or Email.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I am looking forward to the comments on this one. Given that there is such an incredible brain trust out there, I hope to gain some sites and/or recipes. Thanks for the post.
Hi, I regularly read 101 Cookbooks (http://www.101cookbooks.com/). Her focus is on vegetarian meals that are made from whole ingredients.
-M
Marie´s last blog ..Happy Labor Day!
I don’t know of any blogs, but I do eat a lot of vegetarian meals. The three items that primarily replace meat for me are eggs, beans and (to a lesser extent) dairy. I rarely use tofu or other soy products because I’m not too keen on their taste.
That said, here are a few simple vegetarian meals that I often make. These aren’t really recipes, but rather guidelines for creating your own meatless meals.
* Bean burritos/tacos/quesadillas (I like black beans for these)
* Any type of bean soup (like a vegetarian Italian Peasant soup, a lentil soup, a veggie chili or a split pea soup)… delicious with a side of fresh biscuits
* Pasta tossed with white beans, fresh tomatoes, spinach and garlic (yum!)
* Any type of cheese-stuffed pasta, like ravioli or tortellini. I like to do a baked cheese ravioli (layer frozen/fresh raviolis, thawed & drained chopped spinach, spaghetti sauce and shredded cheese like a mock lasagna) because it’s easy
* Quiche or frittata made with tons of veggies
* Couscous salad made with black beans (a favorite of mine)
* Hummus or other bean spread on whole wheat pitas
* Egg salad (a favorite lunch dish for me)
* Vegetarian chef salads (hard boiled eggs & cheeses, plus chickpeas)
* Rice & Beans (I modify the Zatarain’s Rice & Beans packages by adding additional brown rice and some extra beans)
Bitsy Pieces´s last blog ..The Wager
Love the photo!
You guys look great! And aren’t little girl sunglasses the best?
Of the different meatless dishes we have as a family, we love black bean quesadillas best. And we often have my old college standby: (microwaved) baked potatoes topped with butter, cheese, green onion, and sour cream. English people top their baked potatoes with baked beans, but I haven’t gone there myself yet…
Omelettes are also popular here, with lots of fresh veggies.
My kids have rice cereal (ground up brown rice + lentils boiled into a porridge) for breakfast – it’s a complete protein. We mix in hard-boiled egg yolks sometimes, too, which they love. And for lunch, their meal is based on whole milk yogurt, which I need to learn to make myself, with ground flax seed, honey, and tahineh mixed in. (The flax seeds and tahineh have protein.)
Elisa @ blissfulE´s last blog ..the joy of sliding
My hubby is from Texas and Wyoming…he’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy. However, since I was diagnosed with Lupus, I’ve been trying to go more green…. I came across Dr. Furhman & bought his book “Eat For Health.” Here are some of his recipes:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/recipes.aspx
Enjoy!!!
Britt´s last blog ..$5.00 Off Coupon and a Free Month of Hosting!
I regularly read 101 cookbooks as well…I love her recipes and she has a pretty good archive. She has a category called “High protein recipes” that could help you, as well as recipes listed by ingredient. I also visit the Nourishing Gourmet (www.thenourishinggourmet.com/). Though she doesn’t do all vegetarian dishes, some are and those look really good! You might also try http://blog.vegcooking.com/ I haven’t spent much time there, but it looks good too.
Kate´s last blog ..Wedding!
I have a couple of websites you can peruse:
Vegetariantimes.com – lots of great recipes and you can search by ingredient
Vegweb.com – vegetarian and vegan recipes by users from around the world. (I make the Vegan Banana Bread often…and I’m not vegan)
I’ll try and think of a few more I frequent and send another comment later.
My fav vegetarian meal is butternut squash tacos with black beans. I simplified the original recipe. Dice 1 butternut squash into 1/4″ cubes. Saute in olive oil till soft, season with taco seasoning. Heat up black beans or refried. stuff squash and beans into your preferred taco shell and top with your fav toppings. Sometimes I also add onion & garlic to the squash. The sweetness of the squash and the spice of the taco seasoning are a perfect combo!
I’m trying very hard to look at meat as a side item for health and budgetary reasons. I have found some good recipes at 5dollardinners.com. My kids really like her recipe for Lentil Burritos: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/04/lentil-burritos-2.html
Country-Fried Mama´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday
We started using less meat & more beans this year, too, and use them in pretty much all my Mexican dishes.
Chili is another fav that everyone eats & never notices that it’s missing the meat!
Hiding veggies in dishes also adds protein (and tons of other good stuff, too).
netta´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday, Sept. 7, 2009
Also try books from Nava Atlas. She has quite a few cookbooks out there with loads of easy vegetarian recipes. The Vegetarian Family Cookbook is one of them. I also have the “New Vegetarian Cuisine” cookbook that is pretty good. Robin Robertson has quite a few good recipes, but some of them are ingredient heavy. Most libraries have the books I’ve listed.
As for blogs I read, here are a few:
groovyvegetarian.com
veganplanet.com
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/ – she was vegetarian, now lives on a ranch with her cowboy husband! loads of good recipes (with pics) there.
We, too, have changed our diet to a much more vegetable-based one. Between reading Barbara Kinsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”, and watching the movie “Food, Inc.”, I have found many reasons to become a bit pickier about what my family and I eat. Joining a local CSA (community supported agriculture) and planting a larger garden for myself this summer have made planning vegetable-based meals a real pleasure. We have so much beautiful produce to use up, the meat is hardly missed! I have incorporated many more nuts, beans, legumes and grains into our meals, and my favorite discovery has been quinoa. It’s very affordable (a little bit goes a long way) and high in protein. I have enjoyed using the cookbook “Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone” by Deborah Madison, and the new book “Clean Food” is definitely worth taking a look at. Yay for veggies!
I just discovered an absolutely awesome bean dish! It’s really “meaty.” I printed out the recipe a few weeks ago but only made it just this week. I love it! It’s called Melungeon Stew and it’s here:
http://veganrecipeguy.com/
(No, I’m not related/affiliated or anything.)
@Karen – Thanks! I’ll look it up!