My daughter and I recently converted to vegetarianism. Does anyone have any good, easy main dish recipes?
DeeDee from Mo
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I have a Vegetarian Group where you can find lots of Vegetarian Recipes, Tips and ideas. Hope you come and check us out.
Veggie Tables Google Group ~ groups.google.com/
We also have a blog with some recipes and such.
veggietables.blogspot.com/
I found a recipe for tofu stir fry. Its delicious, no matter what veggies you want to use
1/2 cup broth (any kind, I use fat free)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
10 1/2 oz tofu
2 1/2 oz cashews (or different kinds, or not at all)
5 green onions, green parts and whit parts separated)
any veggies, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes
Stir fry veggies in oil, with the white parts of green onion for one minute.
Add all but 1 tbsp of of broth. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.
Mix remaining broth, red pepper, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Pour mixture over veggies and simmer until sauce thickens.
add tofu, green part of onions, and nuts (optional).
Simmer for about 2 minutes or until tofu darkens from the sauce.
Serve with rice, brown rice, or thai noodles.
Hubby's a carnivore and he won't eat anything veggie unless it's a filling meal! Here's what we've found to suit:
Eggplant Parmesan
Stuffed Peppers (we use red, yellow, and orange and in addition to what the recipe asks for we put in diced mushrooms, carrots, celery, leftover veggies, and top with hot sauce)
Zucchini Alfredo - Essentially, take a peeler and slice long thin strips of zucchini and carrots, cook up lightly (boil, fry, etc), and top with Alfredo sauce. The zucchini acts like pasta, and it's a great way to get rid of garden surplus!
Veggie chili - we have a great recipe with little beans and a lot of veggies like eggplant and summer squash
Nectarine relish - also works well with peaches.
I didn't list the recipes as it takes up a lot of space (and everyone's taste is different!). I'd recommend finding these recipes at cooks.com
I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to fix meatless meals sometimes. I tried this one last night and it was wonderful. Good luck!
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 diced zucchini
1 can whole-kernel corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Enchilada Sauce, divided
Cooking spray
4-6 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and corn; sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
Spread half of Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and cheese. Spread remaining sauce evenly over enchiladas. Cover with foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
I have found this to be a wonderful website to go to for specific wants such as yours. www.recipegoldmine.com/
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My grand daughter has decided she is now a vegetarian and seems to be pretty committed to it. Does anyone have any quick, easy recipes I can make for her?
Hello! I have several friends who are vegetarian and I have a couple dishes I like to make: Stuffed Shells, burritos (with refried beans only, no meat), or cheese pizza.
Here is the recipe for pizza:
Now you have pizza dough in 10 minutes! Just spread it out on a greased baking sheet and top with a little spaghetti sauce and cheese! Then bake the pizza for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. (07/12/2007)
By Greta
Also here is a good website for recipes, tofu and otherwise: http://allrecipes.com/ (07/12/2007)
By Greta
I have cooked (and eaten) vegetarian meals and I prefer tempeh -- hopefully, it's available in your area. It has more texture than tofu and it crumbles better.
You can slice up a package of tempeh, marinate it in your favorite dressings and then grill, fry or bake it. You can also steam cook it too.
I made up a recipe for tempeh salad sandwiches:
Steam a package of tempeh until it gets soft and easily crumble; let cool.
Mince some vegetables -- whatever you put in your favorite tuna or chicken salad sandwiches. I used vidalia onions, celery, red & yellow peppers and grated carrots. To make things more interesting, I added raspberry vinaigrette dressing, instead of mayonnaise, and a variety of herbs & spices (rosemary, sage, marjoram, turmeric & dill).
By Gypsy Artist
OOh go to www.vegweb.com and www.fatfree.com and www.recipezaar.com They will be your best resources I promise! (07/12/2007)
By Corrie Rowe
Here are some more resources:
For the tofu, it depends on the type you purchased. For unseasoned firm tofu, wrap in paper towels and press it between two cutting boards with something heavy on top to get out as much water as possible. Then you can slice and marinate it in your favorite marinade, as long as it is vegetarian (I like bbq sauce) then bake it in the oven. This is good with seamed veggies & rice or on a sandwich. If it is silken tofu, you can use it in smoothies or pies.
I really like the Lightlife Smart Dogs, just don't over cook them. I like to cook them in sauerkraut. And the Lightlife Smart BBQ is very good for sandwiches. There are lots of other meat substitutes in the freezer section of your grocery store.
The most important thing is to make sure she is eating a well balanced diet. Most things you already eat can be made vegetarian - pasta, lasagna, pizza, stir-fry, soup, beans, etc. - with some substitutions for the meat ingredients. We use vegetable broth instead of meat sauce and veggie crumbles instead of ground beef, etc.
Have some fun experimenting!
(07/13/2007)
By Marta
Hello, you can always get some morning star or boca veggie burgers. The best way to make these is to put a little butter in the pan, season both sides with some lawry's seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper. Fry the burgers in the butter. It will be good. You will need to learn about spices now that you are making vegetarian food. Most of the food is bland due to a lack of seasoning.
Lastly, Chili's has a great bean burger! You can still go to restaurants. At Chili's you want them to make the bean burger like the old timer. You hardly know the difference. I hope this helps. (07/13/2007)
By Trudy from she created light
Hello!
My daughter has been a vegetarian for the last 9 years (started about age 12). The BEST recommendation I can give you, is to make gradual changes and find recipes that EVERYONE will pretty much eat so that you aren't having to make two meals each time you cook and not having to buy more expensive, pre-made foods.
If she isn't living with you, then it may be a little easier as a lot of things can be "vegetarian" that you eat everyday. Macaroni and cheese, bean burritos, peanut-butter, deviled eggs, bean salads, hummus on crackers, baked beans (without bacon) all have great protein without "meat".
You might take your grand-daughter to the library and pick out a few vegetarian cookbooks that you can look through. You will be giving her respect as a vegetarian AND finding something you can do together. It will also make her address the fact that she is choosing a different lifestyle than a lot of other people. I always emphasized to my daughter that she made the choice, and she can not expect others to kowtow to her eating preferences. There are times she carries a sandwich or salad when she is going into an "unknown" foodie situation.
Also, in order to meet her protein needs consider that any two of the following make a good quality protein: dairy, legumes, nuts & seeds, grains.
Other veggie protein sources include tofu, tempeh, and seitan. My favorites are tempeh and seitan as they are more "toothy" and chewy like meat vs. tofu which is softer. You should be able to find recipes that you like using any of them.
www.vegweb.com is a good source for vegetarian and vegan recipes and I have found a lot of good ones over the years that we all like. (07/13/2007)
By Karla
Wow! You folks really came through. I am going to try all the suggestions. Some of it, like tempeh, I have never heard of!
I am raising my grand daughter, so this will be a change of diet for both of us, I guess.
Thank you so much!! Sue
(07/13/2007)
By Susan Tanous
Also try Amy's organic/vegan enchiladas. Those are incredible and I am not a vegan just thought
they looked good and it is a good brand everything I tried was good.
(07/14/2007)
Marinade tofu, chopped in blocks in soy sauce, crushed garlic,ginger, herbs, wine (anything tasty)for 24 hrs. Coat in cornmeal or sesame seeds and fry, till golden.Drain, then serve with tomato salsa and veg or salad.Vegetable soups are quick and easy, (with cheese on, or served with garlic bread they make a wholesome dish).Noodles are quick.n Fry up chopped veg,meanwhile boil,some noodles for a minute and drain.Add noodles to veg mix, and add spices , soy sauce ,garlic, abit of grated ginger, and serve. Dhal made with red lentils is quick and tasty. This recipe can be found in any Indian cookery book.Pasta can be made in lots of vegetarian ways. Sauces include Pesto, tomato,mushroom and spinach, cheese etc (07/14/2007)
By jo.
Hello,
My favorite vegetarian sandwich is made like this:
A slice of bread, spread thinly with peanut butter. Then a layer of mashed avocado, top with coriander leaves, raw onion and cucumber, then the other slice of peanut butter spread bread. This is delicious! (07/17/2007)
By
How old is this granddaughter? is she old enough to check out the many sites on the web? She could do some of the cooking and be learning alongside you how to take care of herself. I second the post above saying the use of spices and seasoning becomes a whole new science when you're working with beans and grains and eggs and veggies and yogurt. Best of luck to you both! And there will be times that the family wants a meat item while she has the meatless version, like the Bocaburgers for example. (07/17/2007)
Here are a few recipes to use:
Fettuccine Alfredo: melt 1/2 c. butter over medium low heat : add 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese. mix well; stire in 1pt. whipping cream until thick. sprinkle with parsley or garlic salt to taste. pour over cooked 16 oz. pkg. fettuccine. serves 4-6 BLACK BEAN AND PEPPER ENCHILADAS:add 1Toil to skillet and saute 1 T minced garlic, 2 peppers sliced, and 1 onion sliced, cook until tender.remove from heat and add 1 can black bean. pour half of 1-16oz. can enchilada sauce in a 13x9 pan. fill tortillas (use 10 6in flour or corn tortillas) with 2-3 T of the bean and veg.mixture sprinkle with cheddar cheese (will need 4c. cheese). roll tortillas and place seam side down into baking dish. top with remaining enchilada sauce and any other cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. serves 4-6. (07/18/2007)
By connie turner
My daughter became a vegetarian last year and this is one of her favorites.
Broccoli Divan
*Sometimes I buy cheddar cheese soup instead of broccoli and just use 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
This recipe I found on the back of the broccoli soup can and the original recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked cubed chicken to be placed in the casserole first then topped with the broccoli mixture and cheese and topping.
I usually split it in two and make one without chicken for her and add the chicken to the other one for me and my hubby. (07/23/2007)
By LEONA LABINE
