Vegetarian advice

I've recently cut out red meat, pork, and lamb from my diet - all things I love, btw, so it's a real challenge to get by with just fish and poultry. Luckily I love fish and poultry too, but I could use some help with recipe suggestions, esp. for veggie, legume, and fish dishes.

This is for health reasons, to see if more lean meats will help my head, and help me lose some needed weight. Thanks!

I'm of no help to you. I always say Hubby and I are Mr. & Mrs. Jack Sprat. He takes off his chicken skin and gives it to me. He laughs because when ever we have fried chicken in the house he goes to get some of there's little naked chicken breasts where I've taken the skin off and left the meat.

He cuts all the fat of his steak, and yup, gives it to me. We lick the platter clean!

But, we both have trouble with our cholestreol. At least I have a reason!!!

Charlotte

Bubbs,

I have a recipe with chicken and beans (I like it and it's gone over well with most that have tried it).

2 cups cooked chicken
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can cannelli (great northern work too) beans
1 tbsp bbq sauce
grated cheese

Heat up the chicken in a skillet (you can add seasoning here if you like), add the tomatos and the beans (drain first if possible) and heat up. Once heated through add the bbq sauce (you can use whatever flavor you want - I personally use honey or spicy honey) - you may need to adjust for taste but start small and increase gradually. The recipe calls for grated cheddar but you can substitute or omit (I've done both) and just mix in until melted. Serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

I don't eat a lot of red meat...actually quite rarely. So I do a lot of chicken or ground turkey. I can give other recipes but please remind me of your triggers (I'm afraid some of what I listed might be)

That sounds yummy! I especially need bean recipes. What are canelli beans?

Being mexican, I can make a mean pinto/refried bean from scratch LOL but that's about it for beans.

Oh, and I especially need ground turkey recipes. I'm pretty limited with ground turkey recipes. I can get them online of course, but I want tried and true recipes from my friends

You'd never guess, but I actually went to culinary school Seriously, I did. Classical French cooking though, so a heavy concentration on, you guessed it, beef!

Cannelli are white kidney beans. Why they get a fancy name I don't know.

Ground turkey - well any casserole that called for ground beef, I substitute ground turkey.

So meatloaf, I add it to spaghetti sauce, I have 2 casserole dishes that I do (and know the recipes off the top of my head). Here are the recipes for those:

Goulash
1 lb ground turkey
box of mac n' cheese
Can of pork and beans

Brown the meat. While browning, cook the noodles from the mac n' cheese. When the noodles are done, drain and add to the meat. Add can of pork and beans. When all is heated, take the cheese packet from the mac n' cheese and mix in. Serve. Alternatively, you can leave out the mac n' cheese and put Parmesan cheese on each serving. Either is yummy.

Nothing in the House casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1 can of black olives (sliced)
packet of taco seasoning
1 - 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (optional)

Brown the meat. Drain the kidney beans and add. Drain the olives and add to the pan. Mix in taco seasoning (following directions on packet). Add rice if desired.

If you need other ideas let me know and I'll go through my recipes.

I'm not much of a cook, but do eat veggie (with fish and dairy) just do to my preferences. I will eat a lot of Amy's and Annie's stuff--they have awesome frozen meals and soups that are high protein and fiber. When they are on sale or in bulk (Costco has an 8 pack of Lentil and Minestrone soups) it isn't a bad deal. Overall, a lot of stuff like quesadillas (whole wheat tortilla with a small amount of low fat cheese) with sides of black beans/salsa/avocado, salads with all the toppings (veggies, fruits, cheese, nuts) and nonfat dressing, indian food packets with brown rice, etc. I will shop at Trader Joes a lot too. I also eat a lot of meals that are thrown together--breakfast for dinner, random combos of maybe a shrimp cocktail, some brown rice, and a salad, etc. Whole wheat mac & cheese with lots of veggies. The tofu meat replacement stuff has some good kinds. I like the bratwurst lately. I actually don't like the ones that taste similar to meat like the Boca burgers. Once of my favorite meals is a grilled portobello mushroom with cheese, avocado, and sprouts, on a whole wheat hamburger bun. They even have these whole wheat bagels with 10 g of protein. For dinners I focus on having more veggies and salad than my main entree to fill up. People are surprised when I tell them that I get all the protein I need from dairy, beans, grains, and tofu. When starting out veggie, you need to focus on that. But with fish (I didn't always eat it and still only like sushi, shrimp, fried stuff, or similar fish that doesn't taste like fish), that helps. To me, having to spend a lot of time prepping food isn't worth it. The cost of recipes can actually be more as although you buy less prepared foods, there are a lot of ingredients to buy that you don't always use all of. Unless you have a big family, you don't want to make huge portions (we don't have enough freezer space so that may be a big reason for us).

Why go all the way to cut out the meats? Why not just limit the fatty ones and focus on the good ones? They have shown that switching to veggie won't necessarily have you lose weight unless you really focus on calorie counting or similar. I just don't believe in going veggie to lose weight, sorry. And if it is for health reasons, there are healthy choices to make eating meat. If its what you like, why don't you just make some improvements so you don't feel deprived? The best diet is not a diet but a lifestyle change which you can stick with for the rest of your life.

Best wishes.

Make sure you get enough protein. Cutting down on red meat can adjust down some important stores like iron.

Sounds like a good reason to buy a good filet mignon once a month.

My daughter and I have been on the no red meat diet for quite awhile.

One of my favorite dishes is Chicken Tortilla soup. I add corn, extra beans, etc to jazz it up and it is wonderful for a cold night. And I always have the fixings in the panty. In fact, I think I'll make that for dinner tonight.

You can saute, roast, bake chicken breats in bulk, freeze them and have them hand for salads, soups, casseroles, pot pie, pad thai, etc

My favorite for baked chicken is to use breast with the skin on (you can remove it later) Rub the chicken under the skin and all over with salt, pepper, garlic and poultry seasoning. Rub lightly with olive oil and bake ate 325 degrees about 30-45 minutes until done. I either make a simple gravy and have that as the main course wth rice or potatoes and lots of veges. Or, I cool them off, slice and freeze in serving size portions and have it on hand for a quick salad, etc.

I have about 1001 different ways to do chicken.

Fish is super easy, Saute, fry, bake.... Top with a lemon butter sauce... mmmmm. I've found that using rice flour as a coating gives a super crisp coating on fried fish and chicken.

I'm experimenting with fried tofu. I've almost go that right.

Ground turkey get substituted into anything that calls for ground beef.

Throw a can of beans into any soup to add protein.

Nuts, nut, nuts and seeds are an excellent source of protein and essential fats. I eat them as a snack or throw some on a salad, in vege dishes, chinese foods. Where ever you want to add some crunch and extra flavor.

Alli

The only thing I'd caution with tofu is that understand what you are getting. The fermented may set things off for people...I don't completely understand the chemistry but it seems to be a trigger for some. Don't want someone to make it then have a horrible M as it was a trigger.

Thanks, guys, this is great info.
Tortoisegirl, that's a lot of info, I'll think it all over. I love the portobello mushroom idea, I love mushrooms.

I should've mentioned, I've done this before, but it's been a really long time. I don't remember much of how I prepared my food before, so I am definitely looking for new, fresh ideas to dress up my food.
I do prefer to prepare my own food, I don't do frozen, prepared or packaged foods. It's just a personal choice. I love Trader Joe's, and shop there when I can, but I am on a tight budget, and I live very near 2 farmer's markets and 2 99-cent stores that actually get fresh produce every day, so it's not a huge deal for me to get fresh produce daily.

I actually love red meat, I should've mentioned that earlier too, I just do this periodically as a personal choice. I can't speak for what's been "proven" as a weight loss method, just what works for me and what I find a personal challenge. This is a personal challenge for me as much as a weight loss one. I'm the girl who adores a good filet milon, rare. So for me, this is very much the challenge of giving up something I really love.

I do count calories, actually. I find I need to, or else I eat too large of servings. I've lost 3 pounds in just under a week so far, so I'm pleased!

Alli, I love chicken tortilla soup! What a good idea. I love baked chicken too. Very low cal, and I can eat the whole breast. Whoo hoo! Thanks. I think if I eat it with lots of veggies, I can eat more LOL

I may try tofu next. Hmmm....

My daughter turned vegetarian this year, so I am learning! I have never liked eating a lot of red meat, so I have a lot of other recipes. I will give you some of the easy ones.

Cheesy Tilapia
Grease a baking pan. Lay as many filltes as you wish to make on pan. In a seperate bowl, mix equal parts lofat mayo and grated Parmesan. Spread enough to lightly cover top of fish. Bake at 400 until light gloden brown

Easy Cheesy Salsa Rice
No real recipe. Make some rice, white or brown. Set aside. Mix a jar of salsa, defrosted corn, and rinsed canned beans. In greased casserole, layer like lasagna. Start with some salsa, them sprinkle on some cheddar or other shredded cheese, then bean mixture. Repeat, ending with cheese. Bake until gloden and bubbly.

Chicken Packets.
In greased foil pieces, put bite sized chicken pieces, cubed potatoes, carrots. Pour some italian dressing on top. Carefully seal packet. Bake at 400 until chicken and potatoes are done. I will try to add more later, head not so good today.
Cindy

Hubby is a vegetarian so I make lots of meals that are veggie then add meat for my daughter and I. I like easy meals like veggie stirfry with peanut sauce (peanut butter, lime juice, garlic, shallot (or onion), ginger, lite coconut milk), over brown rice. We get a lot of pre roasted chickens from the whole foods and add them to stir fry, taco salad, vegetable soups (creamy (no dairy for my daughter) soups like butter nut squash, black bean soup (yummy), minestrone, tortilla soup etc.), we are big on veggies. I love greens (collards, kale, chard etc.) I like to make a big pot with sauteed onions and garlic, then wilt the greens in the oliveoil, onion, garlic mix. Then pour in a little broth and let them cook until desired texture. Cannellini beans are white kidney beans. They are a staple in italian cooking. I love them in soups, on my greens, in salads.

I make a mean soup with ground turkey, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bell peppers, chicken broth, greens (usually kale), spices and cannellini beans. Yum! Chicken or turkey sausage also works really well with that.

Ellie Krieger at foodnetwork.com has some great healthy recipes.

You can make turkey patties in almost any flavor. I make individual meat loafs with spinach and turkey, sweet potato baby food, bell pepper, onion, garlic, worchester sauce, bread crumbs. They cook faster in small patties. Sat I made greek turkey burgers, onion, shallot, fresh oregano worchester sauce in the patties then a cucumber, onion, garlic, oregano and plain yogurt sauce for dipping! Yummy. Served with roasted asparagus and steamed carrots.

You can make mexican flavored turkey burgers and put them on taco salad, we use ground turkey for enchiladas with lots of grilled veggies and very little cheese, tacos, burritos etc. Just make sure to flavor the meat well with a good mexican mix (I just use paprika, ground ancho chiles, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and mexican oregano).

My hubby loves the boca fake meat patties and the Quorn brand fake chicken. I am not a big fan

You can roast a chicken at the beginning of the week and then add the meat to all of your veggie dishes. I usually make a past of olive oil, herbs and garlic and rub it under the skin of the bird. Then stuff the bird with lemon, herbs (leftover from the rub), onion and garlic. Then sit it on a bed of root veggies, whatever you like. Onion, potato, sweet potato, turnips, carrots, fennel etc.

The meat works great in soups, salads, wraps omlettes etc.

wow, can you tell I love food? I have grown to love vegggies over the last decade or so. My daughter and I have a garden and we spend a lot of time at the local farmers market.

Good luck on your eating plan. I hope you find some great food!

Mary Anne

LOL Mary Ann, my kind of gal. I love food too.

Funny story. My sister and I are on this diet together, though she is eating meat because her husband is (he hates fish passionately). But otherwise she's doing the calorie counting, portion control, more veggies, eating healthy, not junk, etc. It's good to have someone to do it with, and when I make chicken dishes, everyone eats them. It's just the fish I'm on my own with (she'll eat fish but only when her husband is not eating, isn't home, or doesn't mind, so in other words, rarely).
Anyway, we were up watching the Olympics, my BIL was asleep, and I said, "I don't mind losing weight, but I swear, when is my @#!@ stomach going to hurry up and SHRINK already?! I'm so !@#$! hungry I'm going to tear someone's head off!" She laughed and totally agreed. It's true though, she said sometimes when she goes to bed, her tummy is growling so much she can't wait for it to be morning so she can eat breakfast. I know the feeling.

Part of it is that we are cutting as much starch out of our diet as possible. I should explain that on top of red meat (that's my gig), we are cutting pasta and white rice out to a large degree. Not entirely, but like 90%. Now, my sis and I grew up on this stuff. We're part mexican, part italian. Lots of pasta, lots of spanish rice. Then, to boot, my mom remarried when we were little, and my stepdad is half Chinese, and an excellent cook. But every meal, and I do mean every, goes with steamed rice. We got used to it, and we love our rice. We really do. I could eat just a bowl of rice alone, I love it so much. But not at all good for the figure.
Well, we've cut it out of our diet as much as possible, but what we've learned is that, darn, that starchy stuff is what fills you up! When we do have it, we measure it, 1/2 a cup only, maybe 1 cup if everything else is low cal enough. But It's hard

Ok, enough of my sob story. LOL All this to say, I love veggies, but its hard getting used to substituting veggies for my beloved rice. Last night I baked chicken and sauted a whole pan of veggies - zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and bean sprouts, sauted in a touch of sesami oil, then a bit of soy sauce for flavor. I ate the whole pan and they were great. But veggies don't stick to your ribs like rice does; my tummy was growling like mad 2 hours later. I wanted to hop in the car and get a filet 'o fish!!

So keep the rice recipes coming, for sure, cuz I'll make them (if you have caloric info, I'll take it, but if not, don't worry about it, I can estimate it all), particularly if they go with veggies and beans. I want to keep eating my beloved rice, but can't eat it the way I used to.

Confessions of a starch and red meat junkie, eh?

I picked up a copy of better nutrition, one of the free publications from my local health food store. They have some wonderful vegetarian recipes this month. They look fantastic. Is there somewhere to get one of those near you? If not I can scan them and send them to you. Also I get healthy eats weekly, a weekly email from the food network. They always have some wonderful ideas.

Mary Anne

Oh and I love

vegetariantimes.com

eatingwell.com

MaryAnn, you're wonderful

Sorry I haven't been on lately, it's been rainy here, and rain is one of my surefire triggers. My head has been miserable.

I've been eating alot of fish, and today I had my very favorite for lunch, spicy chicken curry. I love curries. Luckily, my head does not mind spicy food. Knock on wood. I grew up with spicy food, and I love it. Curries are a special delight.

I decided to go the no red meat route for personal reasons, the challenge, and to be healthy, but here's a nice side effect. In 2 weeks I have lost 10 pounds. I'm very happy about that. Will see how much more I can lose in a month, eh?

On the down side, I went to donate blood today - and they said, nope, no go, your iron is too low. I have struggled with anemia my whole life, so I was bummed to hear that, but not overly surprised. Guess I'd better pack more iron into my diet to make up for the lack of red meat!

Have you tried prenatal vitamins? They are packed full of iron. After I had my daughter I was severely anemic, they actually wanted me to participate in a paid study. I stupidly continued on with my prenatals and within two days I was no longer within range of anemia to participate (IE GET PAID! LOL)

Congrats on the weight loss, that is awesome! 10lbs in two weeks! What an accomplishment! Keep up the good work, you'll be fitting into all the clothes you want to really fast at that rate! Wish I was still loosing 10lbs every two weeks, unfortunately my BFF topamax has slowed down with weight loss. Still trudging along, albeit slower than before but maybe it means you must come live with me and cook for me. We'd have fun! LOL

I'd love to come cook for you, LG. My sis and BIL do not appreciate good cooking. My BIL still laments that fact that I won't cook hamburger helper! LOL

Prenatal vitamins, what a good idea. I will look into those. I was taking this liquid iron I got at Whole Foods, but it was so expensive, I had to stop taking it. $30 but a small bottle, that barely lasted 2 weeks.

Yesterday I put on a really pretty peasant blouse I bought a year ago, wore once, and never again because I'd gained too much weight and didn't like the way it looked. It fit and looked really nice now! Whoo hoo!!! Go fish!!!