Being a dready vegetarian :P

Okay y'all I know there is a group for vegetarians/vegans but I didn't think this would reach everyone since you have to be a member of a group to comment. And not everyone who eats vegetables is a vegetarian. :P

Here's the deal... I haven't [consciously, we all have slip ups for things] had meat in... 6 weeks? But instead of meat I have latched on to carbohydrates. Baddddd. Lol I am not much of a vegetable eater and that was one reason for my switch. Animal protein is not good for you, but in spite of that I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Love my dairy. Right now we are living with my husband's mom and we have a 2 year old, and for 2 reasons it's really hard to eat JUST foods that are sans meat... 1) I have to cook separately for myself the majority of the time, 2) her fridge is usually so stuffed I can't fit any of my things in there. I have resolved to occasionally eat chicken, although I plan on doing it only once in a very blue moon.... I am a vegetarian for health reasons and partially moral. Other animals eat other animals all the time, I don't see much wrong with that. But the animals that are raised for profit and for their meat and products are treated inhumanely. Since I can find nothing better than chicken.... at least the USDA prohibits the use of hormones in the chickens [in fact, all poultry]. Which means no GMOs except from the foods they eat. Even then you can get free range. Anyway. My point is... lol. With all of this explaining done...

I was wondering, can anyone help me with some of their favorite things to eat? It doesn't have to be just one. But any help would be appreciated. As soon as we move out I will be full lacto-ovo-veg but for now I will do as much as I can sans meat. thanks! And what kind of vegetarian, if any, are you?

updated by @heathen-hippie-o: 02/14/15 03:49:06AM

movedto dreadsand diets (yes theres a section for that)

i love stir fries im the same way very picky with veggies but been veggie 28 or 29 yeaers now

thers alot i dont like so i improvidse

i like stir fries with seitan or tofu (seitan preffered) sweet and hot and frying and yellow and red peppers (not so much green except the sweet or hot i mean not green bell peppers) olnions garlic ginger sesame sees maybe brocoli anjd a spicy peanut sauce made from peanuty buttyer (chunky all natural) water carmalized onions curry cumin garklin cayan

i like cheese omlets with spinach fetasa and regular cheeses

i like veggie burgers (some nit all)

tho really u dont gitta alter your diet tioo much to just remove all meat puzza speghetti lasan[gnya just leave out the meat sauces

falafils instead of meatballs or tvp

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

i could probably live on egg sandwiches and baked potatoes if i tried. i also love most kinds of beans and cornbread. and grapefruit! im kinda obsessed with it.

[Aha! Thanks lol]

Part of my switch was to be healthier and part of it was to acquire a taste for more vegetables. I have to say even though it's processed food and not from scratch [gotta find a recipe for it!] I did love Stouffer's veggie lasagna... even the spinach in it! I wonder if I could get a casserole recipe for that, long noodles were too much for me. haha.

And those Asian-inspired dishes sound really good! I have been doing well so far with just eating sans meat. Can't wait to get our own place lol

I'm not vegetarian but my favourite thing to make is soup. Get some veggie stock or make your own. There are very simple recipes online. I use chicken stock because I'm not veggie and I love my chicken.

Then you get a whole pile of vegetables. All the ones you like to eat and some you aren't sure about. Then boil them all together with an onion and some garlic. Lots of garlic actually. And whatever spices you enjoy.

Every time I make it it's different but it is always delicious.

My usual soups are broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, garbanzo beans, lentils, quinoa, onion, garlic, whatever other beans I have kicking around, and spices. Whatever is handy.Sometimes I will throw in a sweet potato or two as well. I'm pretty picky about my veggies but there are a lot you can mix into a soup broth instead of having chunks of them floating around. I'm going to be getting a hand blender soon to help with this.

Replace rice with quinoa. Replace a lot of things with quinoa. Quinoa is delicious and so good for you. YOu can make all kinds of things with quinoa. Even imitation chicken nuggets. It's amazing stuff.

I'm not a vegetarian and never plan to be but I do eat a lot of dishes that are vegan. One of my favorite things to eat is raw pasta. (I eat high raw) You'll need:

1 big zucchini + raw garlic and onion to taste + italian herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, whatever u want)+ sea salt + black pepper + a fresh tomato + extra virgin olive oil + water.

Peel the zucchini and cut it into chunks. Then turn the chunks sideways and slice even, thin little pieces, however big you'd like the chunks of "pasta" to be. Get it all chopped and put into a bowl or a tupperware (I use a tupperware, you want something you can cover but a bowl could work).

For the sauce just chop the tomato and throw in the blender along with the garlic, onion, olive oil, salt and herbs. Add a little water for as thin a sauce as you like. Sorry I don't have specific measurements for this stuff, I'm an "instinct" driven chef so I just toss in as much feels right to me. When it comes to making the sauce, just go slow, taste, blend, add more, adding a little bit at a time til it's the right flavor/consistency that you'd like.

When the sauce is saucy to your liking, simply dump it all over the "pasta"... then either leave it out somewhere warm for a few hours and serve, or stick it in the fridge overnight and take it out a few hours before you want to eat it the next day. It's important for it to soak in the sauce for awhile so the pasta gets soft and the sauce develops flavor. You can eat it right away if you want but its much more crunchy and much less pasta-like. The best time I ever ate this stuff was after it sat in my backpack for 3 hours on a hike. It was warm and delicious and almost the same texture as real pasta!

Enjoy! If you like this one I have an alfredo version as well. I have tons of raw food ideas, actually. I've been eating this way over a year now and its' awesome.

sorry to be that guy but if u occasionally eat meat ur NOT a vegetarian dont call yourself one. ive been a vegetarian for a long time. since i started calling myself a vegetarian i havent eaten any meet or ever "cheated". accidentally eating meat is one thing but but doing it intentionally is a completely different story.

http://www.vedcicvegans.blogspot.com im a hard core vegan but even obese carnivores seem to like the desserts on my blog because they are guilt free in every way.LOL i have been too busy to post anything lately but there are many things to choose incl a few non-desserts. try starting your relatives off with a vegan dessert, this usually catches their attention positively.

Loads of italian cooking/tomato based sauces you can just leave the meat out and they're still fabulous! I live near Tillamook so still do *some* dairy, I just limit it because my stomach doesn't like it. I love eggplant parmesan or lasagna that uses zucchini/eggplant instead of the noodles. Homemade black bean burgers. Stir fries, tofu fried rice. Vegetarian chili. Curries, wraps with different veggies and sprouts, quinoa pilaf in veg. broth and toss in steamed or sauteed vegetables. Some days fruit smoothies with almond or coconut milk is better for convenience, or just a salad. It can be hard to do with a roommate or family that eats differently but can definitely be done with some planning!

Thanks Heaven. I would never have thought to look up the USDA's ruling on hormones in chickens.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/chicken_from_farm_to_table/ind...

I'm with Eagle on this one. I make stir-fry almost every other day. I make huge portions that it can last me for 3 meals. Sometimes I through it on top of pasta, but more often than not, I use a brown rice.

1 package of seitan

1 or 2 bell peppers

10 or so Shitake mushrooms

half an onion, 1jalapeno

2 gloves garlic

a little ginger

1 can of chunk pineapple (I put it on almost everything)

1/2 to 1 jar of Korma or Curry depending on my mood or consistency preference.

I haven't gotten around to making my own curry paste because I can't get myself to break yogurt. It creeps me out that I'd have to heat it up. I know it'd be safe. I am just overly cautious about my food. I worked in a kitchen for years. I know what goes on back there.

I've got my own spiritual reasons for not eating meat. So I've found that this works for me.

My girlfriend, on the other hand, does eat meat, so I find myself spending a little extra time in the kitchen cooking because I have to cook for her and me. Most of the time she'll just use my stir fry and pick around the seitan and cut up her chicken and use that as herproteinin it