Vegetarian

[sam98]

I've recently gone vegetarian (about 1 week) and don't know that many recipes. I've mostly been having quorn and Linda McCartney substitutes with veg or salad.

Could really do with some suggestions of different recipes and ideas for meat replacements as well as possible snacks. I'm also open to vegan recipes as well.

 

[Inka]

Hi @sam98 🙂

There are lots of great veggie recipes. I like:

vegetarian lasagne - either with a lentil sauce or a veg sauce
Lentil/bean moussake
Cashew nut roast
Cheese and lentil loaf
Bean chilli
Vegetarian quiches
Veggie pizzas
Spanish omelette
Tacos with refried beans plus the usual accompaniments
Pasta with veg and tomato sauce
Loads of other pasta recipes
Veggie curries - with just veg or with chickpeas or lentils
Lentil and nut croquettes
Etc etc

Anything there appeal? The good thing about some of the above meals is that you can portion them and freeze them.

 

[sam98]

Hi @sam98 🙂

There are lots of great veggie recipes. I like:

vegetarian lasagne - either with a lentil sauce or a veg sauce
Lentil/bean moussake
Cashew nut roast
Cheese and lentil loaf
Bean chilli
Vegetarian quiches
Veggie pizzas
Spanish omelette
Tacos with refried beans plus the usual accompaniments
Pasta with veg and tomato sauce
Loads of other pasta recipes
Veggie curries - with just veg or with chickpeas or lentils
Lentil and nut croquettes
Etc etc

Anything there appeal? The good thing about some of the above meals is that you can portion them and freeze them.

Thank you

 

[Inka]

No problem 🙂

For meat replacement/protein, I eat lentils and pulses, cheese (just check they’re actually veggie), eggs, tofu and nuts.

You can use tofu in stir fries, for example, to replace the meat. Nuts are good for that too, and even beans eg you can just throw in a small tin of chickpeas or butter beans, etc.

Snacks are usually pretty easy as lots of biscuits and crackers are vegetarian. You can find suitable ones quite quickly. Then you can add cheese, peanut butter (another good source of protein) or a boiled egg. Fruit is fine obviously. Most cereal bars are veggie too. Crisps are generally veggie but do check. There are also posher snacks like seasoned nuts and dried seasoned chickpeas.

Places where non-veggie ingredients like to hide are cheap biscuits, low fat yoghurts and fromage frais (sometimes have gelatine in to thicken them), some soups that look veggie but have a meat stock base, sweets (gelatine again), some cheeses, etc. So initially you’ll have to check the labels but you’ll soon find a whole lot of things you can eat.

 

[sam98]

No problem 🙂

For meat replacement/protein, I eat lentils and pulses, cheese (just check they’re actually veggie), eggs, tofu and nuts.

You can use tofu in stir fries, for example, to replace the meat. Nuts are good for that too, and even beans eg you can just throw in a small tin of chickpeas or butter beans, etc.

Snacks are usually pretty easy as lots of biscuits and crackers are vegetarian. You can find suitable ones quite quickly. Then you can add cheese, peanut butter (another good source of protein) or a boiled egg. Fruit is fine obviously. Most cereal bars are veggie too. Crisps are generally veggie but do check. There are also posher snacks like seasoned nuts and dried seasoned chickpeas.

Places where non-veggie ingredients like to hide are cheap biscuits, low fat yoghurts and fromage frais (sometimes have gelatine in to thicken them), some soups that look veggie but have a meat stock base, sweets (gelatine again), some cheeses, etc. So initially you’ll have to check the labels but you’ll soon find a whole lot of things you can eat.

Thank you. Never realised that some cheeses weren't veggie.

 

[Inka]

Cheese is traditionally made with rennet, which comes from calves’ stomachs. But more and more cheeses are now made with ‘vegetarian rennet’ so are fine for vegetarians.

Parmesan is one that is not vegetarian, but you can find similar hard cheeses that are. That’s an obvious one to watch out for.