<p>My husband and I decided to go vegetarian. We are really new at this and could use the benefit of your collected wisdom. Suggestions, good products to try, etc.</p>
<p>Boca Burgers are awesome. Morningstar Farms has some great stuff (burgers, chicken patties, chicken nuggets). I find Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to be the best shopping spots. </p>
<p>Basically, avoid weird stuff. There are some folks who produce the freakiest foods and they taste AWFUL, like soy-birdseed-some-exotic-grain whatever. I think people give up when they eat too much foul vegetarian food, when in reality the switch should make things taste better. Meat is pretty unnecessary, so if you guys get discouraged keep looking for yummy stuff.</p>
<p>Protein combos are something to learn about. There are an infinite number of pasta dishes which are so delicious and not in any way weird. Here is one of my favorites:</p>
<p>Fry up fresh chopped garlic in evoo, add chopped sun dried tomatoes, a can of chick peas, chopped fresh basic leaves, fresh ground pepper, some veggie broth and maybe a little white wine. Crush half the chick peas with the back of your fork. Toss in some cooked penne and serve. Sprinkle pecorino romano on top.</p>
<p>What about homemade minestrone soup, including cannelloni beans, with a crusty loaf of Italian bread?</p>
<p>Eggplant parm is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. Vegetarian lasagna is also delicious. Can you tell I like Italian food?!</p>
<p>Google “best vegetarian restaurants in [insert mattmoosemom’s city]”. Check out their menus for ideas, or better yet go there are eat their dishes and recreate at home.</p>
<p>I’d invest in a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks and start trying out recipes. I really like Molly Katzen’s [Mollie’s</a> Store - Still Life with Menu Cookbook](<a href=“http://astore.amazon.com/httpwwwgetcoo-20/detail/0898156696]Mollie’s”>http://astore.amazon.com/httpwwwgetcoo-20/detail/0898156696) It’s got great recipes, good time saving tips for preparing things in advance, and it’s generally healthier than her earlier cookbooks. </p>
<p>My in a hurry veg meal is canned chickpeas, sauted vegetables and a bottle Indian curry sauce. But you can do much better than that!</p>
<p>This Chilaquiles casserole is one of my favorite’s from Mollie. [Mollie</a> Katzen Online](<a href=“http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=chilaquiles]Mollie”>http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=chilaquiles) You can vary it a lot, I’ve even been known to hide tofu in it. Whoops just looked, this version has tofu in it!</p>
<p>Costco - great salsa, hummus, falafel, awesome avocados (I eat all of them together, no cooking needed), very fresh nuts at about half price, great dried fruits (here is your desert) which I also eat together with a bit of hard alcohol. You can tell that I do not like cooking, Costco has been serving me very well. there are other great products there, like cuscus salad, pesto sause, great whole grain bread…etc…, unbelievable muffins (about 1000 calories each though), ice cream is the best, and great Greek yougurt…frozen sweet potatoes french fries are out of this world and so are sweet potato cheaps. I am not vegetarian, I do not care much about meat though. I have my steak once a week, and it has to be from Costco. No, I do not collect advertising fees from them, just love the place.</p>
<p>ABout half the recipes in any good Italian cookbook are meatless. And they’re all tried and true.</p>
<p>^^True, dmd! I love veggie lasagnas much better than meat ones, and I’m not a vegetarian.</p>
<p>Mattmoosemom - are you going vegan or will you be eating eggs, milk, cheese, etc.?</p>
<p>DH is making our zucchini lasagna right now. Although he puts some ground turkey in it, no need for that. The zucchini replaces the pasta for a low carb version.</p>
<p>Trader Joes: Tofu, Tempeh, Soy Chorizo, Tofurkey Italian Sausages,
Edame Hummus. My experience is that Trader Joes has better prices on
soy products compared to my local supermarkets.</p>
<p>Check out the Goya dried beans in your supermarket. They are a little
work to cook but they have a nice combination of protein, fiber and
carbs. They have little to no flavor so you have to combine them with
something else for flavor.</p>
<p>I love Baba Ganoush which is like pureed eggplant.</p>
<p>Also look at Indian Food, most (?all) of which is vegetarian.</p>
<p>We plan to eat dairy and eggs, and Thanksgiving turkey!</p>
<p>That’s like the Bill Clinton Vegan diet.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.molliekatzen.com/-[/url]”>http://www.molliekatzen.com/-</a> Molly Katzen has a website with info and recipes.
[Vegetarian</a> Recipes Search | Vegetarian Times](<a href=“http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/]Vegetarian”>http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/) So does Vegetarian Times.
An internet search turns up thousands of sites. </p>
<p>My favorite vegetarian cookbook is “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” by Mark Bittman- maybe take it out of the library for a test drive before buying. </p>
<p>Trader Joe’s is the vegetarian’s best friend, and I agree with Spideygirl about Boca Burgers. Trader Joe has some veg meatballs in the freezer. I make meatball subs with them, and they are excellent. Also, Boca and Morningstar make beef like crumbles which make excellent sloppy joes and shepherd’s pie.
Also, tofu, eggplant and portobello mushrooms are very versatile. You can often substitute them in your favorite recipes that call for meat.</p>
<p>Mattmoosemom, you’re going to have to lay off the moose, though.</p>
<p>I make three meals that I rotate for lunch- easy to make. Quinoa and edamame with pepper relish, black beans/chick peas and salsa and the last is vegetarian chili over rice. I use 1 cup Boca crumbles, 1 can kidney beans, a small Goya tomato sauce 8oz and a 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes add any spices you like and a let it cook at low heat.</p>
<p>I just got my monthly Wegman’s Menu magazine. I enjoy it because I’m a vegetarian and it has a good selection of seasonal, interesting vegetarian recipes. The recipe does, too. Wegmans.com</p>
<p>I recently made Cajun roasted tomatoes stuffed with orzo and then broiled quickly with parm sprinkled on top. They were a huge, huge hit.</p>
<p>“…three meals that I rotate for lunch”</p>
<p>Sounds like my cats’ dinner: tuna Fancy Feast, salmon Fancy Feast, chicken Fancy Feast, then back to tuna… 
Although your lunch has more variety than my daily breakfast of scrambled eggs, fruit and yogurt.</p>
<p>Here are some recipe ideas from my favorite co-op’s website:</p>
<p>[Vegetarian</a> Recipes| PCC Natural Markets](<a href=“Recipes | PCC Community Markets”>Recipes | PCC Community Markets)</p>
<p>BB- I am a creature of habit. When I am eating right I basically eat the same things everyday.</p>
<p>Almost any recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breast will work with firm tofu. Dry it well and proceed from there as you would with chicken.</p>
<p>tom, did not mean to offend you. My apologies. I’m a creature of habit, too, so I know what you mean. :)</p>
<p>Many Indians have been vegetarians for generations. Many good recipes- you can tone down the heat. You need to be sure you are getting quality protein- beans (of many varities) and rice will give you complete proteins- one has amino acids we need that the other lacks. I presume you will allow milk products. Be careful to get enough iron. Watch out for pasta- just wheat/carbs but not a good source of protein. You should find out the nutrients you need on a daily basis and figure out how to get them without animal proteins. Most of your diet can be the same- fruits, vegeatables. Lentil soup in a can by Progresso, Cambell’s condensed pea soup (no ham) are two easy meal items. So is black bean soup, vegetarian refried beans (go for the low fat varieties of foods).</p>
<p>Time magazine came today- cover about nutrition/foods (haven’t looked at it yet).</p>
<p>The problem with Progresso is sodium; processed foods are often problematic with sodium but it seems that a lot of canned soups are even moreso.</p>
<p>One of the indian guys that I work with asks me for vegetarian ideas (I’m not a vegetarian but you wouldn’t necessarily know it from what I bring into the office). I think he asks me because I’ve lost 60 pounds; he’s been trying to lose a lot of weight for the last 15 years.</p>