[nelie]

LisaMarie - How about hummus? Have you tried a chickpea faux tuna salad? How about soup with pureed white beans as a thickener?

Roasted chickpeas are good, here is an awesome recipe! The taste isn't beany so it may be a good start:
http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.c...chickpeas.html

[meandmyself]

Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers Rock! I had these tonight for dinner and will again tomorrow on my salad. They have so much flavor for the 120 calories.

[VeeDeValentine]

Hiya!
I've been a vegetarian since I was thirteen ~ so four and a half years now!~
and at first i was totally lost for good food ideas too; so here are my healthy suggestions~
The Linda Mcartney range do alot of burgers, saussages, etc~ Not so healthy, but they taste nice enough~
Aunt Bessie range make a realistic tasting toad in the hole ^^
You get ALOT of quorn products: mince for a spag bol, spehards pie. Pieces of "chicken" for a stir fry, hotdogs, burgers, cumberland saussages.
And I've seen alot of individual brands make very nice southern fried chicken, chicken popcorn, chicken nuggets etc etc.

Now for more healthy things:
Mushrooms are a lifesaver! In ommlettes, on their own as a side dish, in soup. They're versatile and delicious.
Veggies (bit of an obvious one here) Babycorn, courgettes, cabbage, spinach, brussel sprouts, carrots, runner beans, broccolli, all delisiouc fried or boiled.
My personal fave dish is a goog veggie stirfry, very low on cals and delicious:
~Cut up babycorn
~Brocolli
~Snapper beans
~Carrots
~Courgette
and add a little soy sauce, it's super yummy and comes to about 200calories IF that. Plus it's hot and filling

[westtexaschick]

I am 41 years old. I have been a vegetarian nearly 22 years. No meat of any sort including seafood. I was vegan for about 17 years.

I am from Texas and I STILL get weird looks when I try to order something and tell them to take the meat out. These people and their meat. I have been married 15 years to a country boy who has to have meat and potatoes at every meal. No, I am not kidding. It's good that he likes to cook, though. My kids are not vegetarians either. My daughter eats a lot of what I do (she's 8) but she likes her chicken.

There are a ton of vegetarian cookbooks out there and I own many of them, but don't ever even look at them. Really, I think the recipes are weird and way too many products I never buy or don't want to go to the store and find. I just make or buy things that I like WITHOUT meat. Seriously, just make what you want and don't put meat in it!

Word of warning: If you are going veggie thinking that you will automatically lose weight, be careful. Cheese enchiladas and nachos don't have any meat in them, either! You can substitute the meat in recipes with soy-type "meats," but it might make your stomach a bit crazy. Gas-producing!

I love bean burgers. I love beans, salads, raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts, making my own pizzas, frito pie (with vegetarian ranch beans, no meat). Lots of stuff out there.

If you think it's cruel, then stop eating meat. But as my mom said over 20 years ago: "If you're going to stop eating meat because you think it's wrong, then you can't wear your leather boots!" I know she said that to dissaude
me from going vegetarian, but it backfired. I then stopped wearing leather, silk, wool...
At what point is it not cruel?

GOOD LUCK!

[mygritsconfessions]

I have slowly converted, and only eat even fish on a rare occasion. If I am in a hurry, I grab a Amy's dinner, which for frozen are a delicous organic alternative. Moosewood has some great vegetarian recipes too, if you have time for that. My life is very, very busy, so quick meals or Amy's is all I can do for now.

[LisaMarie71]

I'm still meatless after about a week and a half. I haven't had a chance to really try any new recipes (I have a 17-month-old, so it's a bit tough to cook anything complicated at this point because I have no extra time). I'm living on peanut butter, vegetable soup, cheese and crackers, salads, and a lot of pasta at this point. I want to make my own hummus but I bought some roasted red pepper hummus that's very yummy so I'm eating that with pita chips or veggies. I really really wish I liked beans more -- I'm going to have to try to find easy recipes that make them taste good. I definitely need to get some more protein in, because I've been quite hungry all the time, but part of that is because I'm still nursing and nursing makes me VERY hungry!

[nelie]

LisaMarie - hummus is beans so that is a start if you like hummus!

This casserole is one of my all time favorites:
http://www.hsus.org/farm/humaneeatin...casserole.html

Here is another good one:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Creamy-Chi...asserole-56818

[LisaMarie71]

Yep, Nelie, I can trick myself into thinking hummus isn't actually beans so that's always a good choice for me!! Thank you for the recipes!

[BabyBee]

Hello!

I distinctly remember making the transition to vegetarianism. I was in my early teens, and in culinary class. We had to watch videos of animals being slaughtered (it was very important to my teacher that we know where ALL of our food comes from, even if it's messy.)

I came home, and made the announcement that I would not be eating ANY more meat. Honestly, the transition was only difficult for the first week, at the most. There are SO many wonderful, flavorful foods! After eating things like raw foods, fruits, hummus.. Meat just seemed bland and boring. I never had another bite, for years. Believe me--it is NOT as hard as everyone thinks it is!

I'm with you--I HATE Tofu! I've never liked it. I find nice replacements to be an assortment of beans, nuts, and 'fake' meats (fake chicken is the best!) During the summer months, I would grill red bell pepper and portabella mushrooms instead of meat--YUMMY!

Currently, due to some health issues, my doctor and I decided to try having me eat meats again.. And it has been a MUCH harder process. I can't stand the smell, the texture.. It's horrible. I get violently ill with red meats. Chicken is about all I can stomach, and even that is pushing it! Hopefully soon, I will be able to revert back to Vegetarianism.. I miss the foods!

[Mariella]

I also hate tofu and you do not at all have to eat any tofu in order to get your protein in.

Beans, lentils and other legumes and nuts are fine protein sources as well as some of the cheeses if you're ovo-lacto.

Yes, the Morningstar Black Bean burgers are great! And I've had some that were made with portobello mushroom, I'm sorry I don't remember the brand name but they were very good!

There's a book called Becoming Vegetarian that might be helpful for you.

The other recipe books I like are really dated, lol! Susan Powter's "FOOD" book helped her readers transition into vegetarian or more meat-free eating in stages and has some good and protein-balanced recipes in it. And my vegetarian bible when I was a teen was Diet for a Small Planet which is still in print but is more than just a recipe book.

Good luck with pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle!

[Joycelyn]

For me a transition was never hard. But then again I'm lacto ovo (I eat eggs and dairy), and I do eat a lot of meat substitutes (like Morning Star Farms, Quorn, etc.) I like them all.

The best advice I can give is this: I figure you're on the 3 fat chicks board because you have weight to lose, like me. Find an eating plan you can stick to, with foods you will enjoy eating. Someone on this thread mentioned that being a vegetarian doesn't automatically make you thin, and I totally agree. I think she mentioned, nachos and cheese enchiladas as examples!

Because I have insulin resistance I am on an eating plan called The Insulin Resistance Diet. This is perfectly suited to my lacto ovo vegetarian ways, and there's a huge variety of food for me to choose from. So it works for me. Find a plan that can incorporate vegetarian foods that you enjoy, and you're well on your way!

I believe that any form of healthy vegetarian diet, whether it's vegan or lacto ovo (like mine) has so many benefits over a meat eating diet, for anyone.

[mariamherrera]

just an update! I have cut out all Beef and Pork for two month straight now! and I couldn't be happier. .the sight of beef makes me sick now! I miss pork bacon a little there's just something about it.. I tried veggie bacon and it smelled good but it was gross! so I've tried turkey bacon and it is pretty good.. most things I used to get in beef or pork has a turkey substitute so that's been good for me.. My next phase will be cutting out poultry.. not sure when I'm going to give that a go but I'm just so happy I've cut out the beef and pork and I don't miss it at all! I've also only started buying cage free humane certified eggs to eat and Soy milk instead of regular milk! I'm little subtle changes but I'm doing it and I feel good about it!

[ennay]

On the bacon, my veggie friend says that dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in Braggs amino acids is way better fake bacon than soy bacon.

[Passionista]

Originally Posted by ennay

On the bacon, my veggie friend says that dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in Braggs amino acids is way better fake bacon than soy bacon.

If you added a little liquid smoke to that, it's even better!

I prefer to make it with tempeh though, or tofu.

[ParadiseFalls]

I've been a vegetarian for a year and a half, and I also HATE tofu. HATE it. Good substitutes are TVP (textured vegetable protein) and tempeh (amazing!!!). Tempeh with rice and veggies is awesome, and TVP in a burrito is also phenomenal. Black bean burgers are great.

The one thing I swear by and eat probably 3-5 times a week is the Subway Veggie Max--it's a veggie patty sandwich that ends up being 325 calories (with cheese!!) for a 6-inch.

For me, it wasn't hard because I never ate red meat or fish and was never crazy about poultry. If you love meat, all I can say is BE STRONG!!!

And whenever you want meat, pull up a picture of a puppy and ask yourself if you'd eat it. They're the same as cows!