What is your favorite vegetarian main dish?!
What is your favorite vegetarian main dish?
What are your favorite vegetarian main dishes that have high protein? Do you have a favorite "fake" meat, such as garden burgers? Do you reccommend any brands of these fake meats? Please post any of your recipes or comments, I've only been a vegetarian for six months, but I'd like to widen my variety of foods.
Answers:
I've tried several of the "fake" meats, and I don't care much for any of them. The texture and the taste just don't appeal to me.
Personally, I make a lot of old standbys like lasagna but substitute firm, frozen and crumbled tofu for the meat. Freezing firm tofu gives it a better consistency, and it works very well in most recipes.
Beans are great, too -- lots of protein and a good value for your money. Chilli, tamale pie, baked beans, and white beans with cornbread are all high in nutrition and taste great!
I suggest investing in some good vegetarian cookbooks. Molly Katzen's "Moosewood" cookbooks are fun to read, and the recipes are delicious. I also like John Robbins' "May All be Fed" cookbook, but there are many other excellent offerings out there.
Good luck with your new lifestyle. . .I've found that going vegetarian has renewed my interest in cooking!
veggie lasangna or however you spell it
"Boca Chili"...use the crumbled boca burger. Just like you would any other chili (red beans, tomatoes, spices, whatever). The Morningstar Farms Veggie Dogs are good. Grill them or fry them in a little olive oil or Smart Balance on low heat (they burn easily). Good mixed with the Boca Chili.
postelein in a white sauce,or creamed spinach with cheese
IVES (the very best ground *beef* you can get!!!) This product is refrigerated, not frozen. It can be found at Giant Eagle in the veggie section
* Mix with taco seasoning and all your taco fixens' and you have taco goodness
* Cook in butter and garlic and mix with shaped pasta and you have garlic butter goodness (also good with spinach)
*put in your spaghetti
TOFU
* Excellent in ANY Chinese dish- If you have a favorite sauce, tofu will work. It is similar to chicken it that it has a bland taste and will eventually taste like whatever you cook it in.
It is also good breaded and deep-fried if you like some fattiness in your day
Morning Star Farms Chicken and Beef strips
* These are awesome. You can make whatever dish you like
Vegetarians can either eat eggs or not eat eggs. If you decide to eat eggs, Morning Star Farms has many wonderful sausage, bacon, chicken nugget etc. replacements in your local freezer section. If you do not eat eggs, there are not too many good replacements for these foods.
IVES also has great fake lunch-meats, hot-dogs etc. The bologna and hot-dogs are by far the most similar tastes to the actual dead animal. :)
EXTRA TIP- Use regular cookbooks. If you are not a good cook, use the minimal ingredient, under 30 minute cookbooks. Any food is vegetarian if you want it to be; just substitute for what you cannot eat.
Also,
Vegetarians do not eat seafood. Sorry. This is not a judgment, just how things are. Vegetarians do not eat animals. Fish and crabs etc. are animals. They have mothers. If you eat them you are not a vegetarian of any style.
Vegetarians do not eat meat. You can chose whether you eat eggs, chemical names that stand for meat or dairy, as well as whether you wear leather, wool or fur. If you do not do any of these things, you are a vegan.
When I crave things like cruelty-free donuts, or various cruelty-free products, I shop here:
pangea.com
veganessentials.com
They are completely legit, and their products are great!
Good luck.
try bocca burgers....yummy. "The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World" is my fav. main dish.
:+BEANS+:
is my fave
RECIPE
first u need a bean pot or a crock pot:
start by taking 2 Cups of ur choice of beans(i prefer pinto beans)
put these into a bowl of water(so the beans may clean)(for 5 M's)
take the beans that float up or any beans that look rotten
strain the beans
take ur pot fill with water a little ways past the middle
put beans in pot
its ok to have lots more water than the beans
if in bean pot=
put on low on the stove top
Crock pot=
put between median and low
add any spices that u like
cook for 2 H's
after 2 hours put
2 teaspoons of veggie oil and
1 teaspoon of salt
cook for another 30 minutes
ENJOY!
hope u like mexican
oh something u could eat with this is
chips or bread
I like so much gluten burgers, tomato′s sauce with thyme and wild rice.(or arboreous rice).
I hope to have helped you.
Vegetarian Shepard's Pie.
And a big pile of veggies on mashed potatoes with veggie gravy on top.
I LOVE Quorn Tenders and use them a few times a week. One thing that I make that is fantastic is a "Philly cheese steak platter".
Saute quorn Tenders in a little olive oil and add a splash of veggie stock and marsala cooking wine and let cook down. Once almost done, push tenders into middle of pan and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese and let melt. Top cheese with sauteed onions and let heat through. Serve as a platter or on a hard roll.
My meat eating husband raved about it.
smoky tofu wrap!
Serves like 5-6 people
time: 1hr and 15 min
ingredients:
I packet of firm tofu
3 or 4 sweet potatoes
1 bunch of kale
2 cups of brown rice
1 garlic bulb
1/2 onion
Very large tortillas (I reccomend Maria and Ricardo's Tortilla factory but anything will work)
Braggs Amino Acids (found at most health food stores like Earth Fare)
olive oil
mexican fiesta seasoning
salt
pepper
1 jar of veganaise
Preheat the oven to 350
start cooking the rice by adding water and bringing to a boil. It doesn't matter how much water because you will have to keep on adding water a few more times. brown rice takes about 45-50 min to cook.
cut tofu into about 25 rectangles and place inside something shallow and long. pour Braggs on and around the tofu (not too much as it may taste salty later) then chop some of the onion in long pieces and place on the tofu. mince 3 cloves of garlic and add to the tofu: set aside.
peel and cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes and add in a large mixing bowl. pour olive oil and add salt, mexican fiesta seasoning and pepper. stir as best as you can (I use my hands because it is easier) and dump into a cookie sheet about 1/2 inch deep and with handles. spread the sweet potatoes evenly. place into preheated oven and set the timer to about 40-45 min.
by this time (or sooner) you will probably have to add water to the rice. about 1&1/2 to 2 cups will do.
bring heat to a frying pan then add tofu to it (with the onions, braggs and garlic) brown the tofu and set aside
chop and wash the kale then mince 2 cloves of garlic and sautee the garlic with olive oil in a fairly large skillet. when the olive oil starts to simmer add kale and wilt the kale until your perfered size and set aside.
wait until the rice and sweet potatoes are soft then get a microwave safe plate and place a tortilla on it. heat the tortilla in the microvave for ten seconds then flip the tortilla and heat for another 10 seconds.
spread veganaise ovet tortilla then add rice, sweet potatoes, tofu, then kale and fold tortilla like a burrito
another great alternative for the kale is to instead substitute for fresh lettuce and cilantro, while cutting out the rice altogether and making the sweet potatoes a side dish.
any qustions email me: [email protected]