Vegetarian meals-AIBU

[AreYouDaveGorman]

Ok, kind of light hearted, but am I doing this wrong??

There are so many threads on here that say to go veggie to save money.
I have friends that have lost weight by going veggie??

Please! If you are one of these people what are you eating?
I really want to reduce my meat consumption for a lot of reasons. It doesn’t help that I’m also gluten free so a lot of veggie substitutes aren’t suitable (but even if they are they’re still pretty processed and expensive).

I gained weight when I went veggie as I just ate carbs!

My friends who have lost weight say they eat loads of salads-but no-one can actually give me a good veggie salad recipe that is filling enough to have as a main meal.

So....AIBU or has anyone else found this?

If you haven’t found this pleeeeeease tell me what you eat!

[quote Sexnotgender]Lentil walnut bolognese themodernproper.com/walnut-and-lentil-bolognese[/quote]
thank you for this recipe - It sounds lovely and I had started to google!

There are lots of good meat free sources of fat and protein - cheese, eggs, tofu, pulses, beans, nuts and nut butters. Cutting carbs and upping fat and protein alongside a wider range of fruit and veg will help you feel better and also lose weight

This is a great thread

I’d suggest looking at the gousto website under vegetarian meals. They have lots of delicious recipes.

Base your meals on mainly veg and some protein.
Avoid white carbs.

I had a revelation when I had cooking lesson at a hotel in India to make a basic Dahl. Handful of lentils, salt (never pepper until food is cooked) chillies, chilli seeds, curry leaves, a long stalk that looks like a leaf, turmeric, a tiny pinch of cumin powder. Add cold water and boil for 15 minutes. Then add a tablespoon or so of coconut powder, never milk to thicken. Fry mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves in a little olive oil very hot for a minute and chuck in. Stir and it's ready to eat within 20 minutes start to end and gets tastier each time. He said you don't have to have the fresh ingredients, in Sri Lanka its the staple filler meal and can all be done from dry ingredients. And just cheap red lentils, no need for fancy ones.

[quote Sexnotgender]Lentil walnut bolognese themodernproper.com/walnut-and-lentil-bolognese[/quote]
I was just going to ask for this!
Thanks

I eat whole foods plant based (so no fake meats or processed oils and stuff). I buy huge bags of potatoes, dried beans, quinoa and frozen veg like broccoli, peas etc. Potatoes are needed for satiety, you can't just have salad. I feel really amazing now, stopped my blood pressure meds and it is cheap as chips. My husband and kids eat mostly veggie but some meat, and the weekly shop goes up significantly when we get processed stuff. The key is canned and frozen veg.

I have a lot of money invested in beyond Meat and I really rate it. It's not too processed and my triumph was going to a Brai and not one South African realised it was plant based. So whilst I agree about processing food, if we can offer an environmentally and cruelty free option, we shouldn't rule it out

We do veggie Gousto! Some cracking recipes. As said previously, avoid fake meat and substitutes, stick with vegetables.

This is one of my all-time favourite salads - lentil, courgette, feta and beetroot

I liked the sound of HFW swede and potato pasty but I’ve just entered the recipe into MFP & it’s nearly 1,100 calories per pasty!

I am often guilty of shoving a veggie meat substitute into the oven for dinner because, turning a load of random veg into a meal, seems to take a lot of effort.

I will have a look at some of these ideas and see if I can become better at meal planning.

I think veggie meat substitutes can have their place, just like sausages, chicken nuggets and fish fingers on an omni diet. Fine as long as they’re not every day. Quorn fish fingers, beans and chips is one of our favourite lazy meals.

I am vegetarian. It’s not necessarily low calorie or cheap.

I've been a vegetarian for most of my life and still struggle with my weight. A lot of high calorie food is vegetarian- cheese, cream, nuts, oils, butter, cakes, chocolate, biscuits, warm fresh bread (hard to resist or eat in moderation!)

I do have some cheap meals I cook like dal, bean chilli or stir fry with home made sauce. I also have a lot of meals made up of so many different ingredients it can quickly add up. Making a roast with everything but the meat is ridiculously cheap. Jamie Oliver's delicious aubergine curry (involving several spices, tamarind, mango chutney, peanut butter etc) isn't nearly so economical.

I've been a vegetarian for most of my life and don't struggle with my weight.

I eat lots of veg - green leafy veg, carrots, etc. These are usually cheap and filling. Don't buy them already chopped as they are rank. They also last quite well in the fridge.

Things like Kale, Spinach beet and Swiss Chard are easy to grow, as are things like pak choi and herbs

Hummus is easy to make.

Never been much of a carb eater. Potatoes are ok but not keen on rice, pasta, bread, pastry etc. Cake is an occasional treat

Spices. Buy them whole and grind as needed.
Lentils - green ones are the best IMO and they give satiety.
Ethnic shops are often cheaper for spices and tahini. 3 for £1 chick peas etc
Aldi/Lidl for basics
Meat 'substitutes' - often cheap when they put out the last lot of yellow stickers. Some of them are good,, some a bit grim

@PurpleDaisies

I think veggie meat substitutes can have their place, just like sausages, chicken nuggets and fish fingers on an omni diet. Fine as long as they’re not every day. Quorn fish fingers, beans and chips is one of our favourite lazy meals.

Totally agree. I make virtually all of our meals from scratch with whole foods. Do love an occasional beyond burger though. Or a Richmond vegan sausage.

@Whentheydontmeanwhattheysay

I liked the sound of HFW swede and potato pasty but I’ve just entered the recipe into MFP & it’s nearly 1,100 calories per pasty!

I am often guilty of shoving a veggie meat substitute into the oven for dinner because, turning a load of random veg into a meal, seems to take a lot of effort.

I will have a look at some of these ideas and see if I can become better at meal planning.

Wow! I didn't realise but admittedly we are quite an active family and don't really do calorie counting! I'm sure with smoothie/porridge for breakfast and a pulse soup for lunch it'd be fine, or having half with green veg or baked beans. It's a great cheap filler upper for kids in winter though. I make them in bulk then freeze.

Thirding or fourthing The Green Roasting Tin cookbook, it's excellent. I've even gifted it to confirmed meat eating parents who love it. Most of the gluten containing ingredients can be easily substituted for gluten free.

I also like Asian Green and Meera Sodha books for Chinese and Indian veggie recipes.

The key is really not to eat the meat substitute products so much. They are expensive and not very healthy.

I’ve been veggie most of my life and am pretty slim and never really had a weight problem. I do eat carbs but not at every meal and my diet is fairly high protein with plenty of veg. I eat lots of pulses, nuts and seeds, eggs, cheese, tofu. Much of those are high fat but that’s fine as it fills me up. I don’t really like fake meat and will never go near seitan or over processed soya.

Typical meals we eat (I also need to feed non veggie DP and a teen). Lots are or can be adapted to gluten free by swapping out the pasta:
Spicy chickpeas with rice and lots of green veg
Poke bowls with lots of veg, edamame and tofu
Omelettes with veg, herbs, and/or cheese, plus salad or sautéed veg
Lentil dhals or soups with lots of veg, with or without pasta or rice
Stir fries with crispy tofu or cashews plus noodles or rice
Falafels with Middle Eastern dips, plus salad and flatbreads
Mushroom and lentil ragù, with pasta, or polenta or buttery mashed potato
Lasagne made with fresh egg pasta
Plus we do lazy nights with scrambled eggs or the odd veggie burger plus a quick side of whatever veg is in the freezer

I don’t really have a sweet tooth but I do love crisps and fried crap, but as I no longer seem to digest that stuff I eat them very occasionally nowadays . Which is probably a good thing!

Your meals sound great @Melassa

Thanks. Most are easy to make ahead and/or freeze. Also I’m a huge fan of doing stuff in one pot if possible.

One more thing. I am a great fan of good quality frozen veg. It makes life so much easier, I tend to use fresh onion, leek, carrot and red cabbage and then shake in a bag of cauli, broccoli and peas to a veggie shepards pie with not beef from iherb and a handful of brown lentils.

OP, if you're not actually vegetarian you can reduce the amount of meat you eat by just using a bit in each recipe and replace with pulses and vegetables.

Eg chilli with a small pack of mince and lots of peppers, onions, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans. Makes lots of portions so a good batch cook option.

Cheese sauce pasta bake with small pack of bacon bits and cauliflower and broccoli and only a bit of pasta.

Biryani with just a couple of chicken thighs and chick peas, onions, spinach and also have a dhal and a vegetable curry with it. Again a good batch cook option and only a tiny amount meat per portion, loads of veg and naturally gluten free.

This is another favourite- aubergine lasagna

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/aubergine-lasagne/

@Sexnotgender made the Indian Cottage Pie yesterday, was fab - will definitely be a new regular feature here. Thanks!