<p>I second quinoa. It actually cooks more quickly than rice, it tastes wonderful, and it has lots of protein.</p>
<p>There is really nothing in meat that you can’t get some other way. The only questionable thing would be vitamin B12, which you can get from certain types of yeast used in cooking, but it’s easier to just take a vitamin with it. </p>
<p>Rice with black bean sauce (pureed black beans with cilantro and other spices to taste) and roasted peppers is delicious. So are stir-fries with tofu chunks and sesame tahini+ soy sauce for sauce. Almonds are a great snack with protein and fat. Look up recipes from Indian, Thai, and similar Asian cuisines. They have lots and lots of absolutely delicious vegetarian and even vegan dishes.</p>
<p>I was vegan for a few years as a teen. My mom let me prepare most of Thanksgiving dinner one of those years. She still did the turkey, but I made all the sides:</p>
<p>Mashed potatoes with chives and soy cream
Rice dream ice cream with cinnamon sprinkled on top
Green beans sauteed in red wine and garlic
stuffing with veggie broth
gravy made out of veggie broth and apple cider</p>
<p>It was all very, very good. </p>
<p>I’ve also made chili with crumbled meat-substitute. It tastes almost identical.</p>