Please give me all your interesting vegetarian advice!

[sunshinesoph155]

Sorry if there is a better thread for this, but I thought 'food' most appropriate!

I've just resolved to become vegetarian, I haven't eaten meat for a while but now I've decided I won't full stop. Its partly moral and partly for health reasons. Because of this, I don't want to eat loads and loads of cheese or meat substitutes.

Has anyone got any good tips and/or recipes? I'm alright money wise but would like to keep food costs low, and its just me. I know all the basic veggie recipes but would like to branch out and cook some really tasty meals!

OP I hope you don't mind of I ask a question here
Out for dinner tomorrow and the veggie starters aren't great, it's Thai food and option is a soup with coconut milk. I'm guessing they only add a teeny bit of that? Other option is spring rolls which I don't like.
I've had some very heavy curries made with coconut milk and wished they'd gone a bit easier on it as it's quite rich. So wondered if anyone here knows if a soup is likely the same. Thanks.

Most Thai food is heavy on the coconut and also contains fish or oyster sauce. Tempura veg are normally a safe bet for a starter, so long as you're not vegan.

I love the Thug Kitchen recipe book. It's a bit sweary which can get tedious after a while but the recipes are so simple and fun

Veggie for 26 years here. Top veggie cook books imo are the Veg Everyday book lots of people have already suggested and also Leith's Vegetarian Bible.

thanks Ony. I can never see the point of battered veg....(that sounds funny)

I might just try the soup and hope for the best.

Advice? Try not to rely too much on carbs for food. Pasta or rice based dishes are great but soon get boring if you eat them too often. I like green lentils cooked with veg. Love spinach and poached egg - super quick and easy - on a wrap. Omelettes are also quick, easy and filling. Vege sausages are great - the cauldron ones are particularly good IMO. There are lots of food that are vegetarian-friendly like cheese on toast, chips, egg n beans that aren't obviously vegetarian.

I'm a veggie and don't eat meat substitutes unless I'm at my PILs as they are meat and two veg types so I don't like to be awkward

Indian food is fab for veggie stuff - all manner of veggie curries, cauliflower works particularly well, Dahl, samosas, byriani.
Also make a lot of Mexican food - bean and courgette quesadillas, nachos and guac/salsa for a quick tea, lots of interesting salads if you look at American websites. Bean and cheese enchiladas would be my favourite

Soups are an easy one - I like pea and mint/ curried parsnip/ leek and potato.

Stirfry Is another quick and easy meal

Obviously Italian foods - pasta, risotto, bruschetta

I use a lot of pastry - spanakopita, chilli bean sausage rolls, asparagus tart, caramelised onion and goats cheese

Bean burgers and wedges are also really good fun to make from scratch

I use tofu a lot, it's very versatile and has a high protein content (if you're concerned).

You can freeze it, then after defrosting it goes well in pieces in stir fries, with tamari sauce.

This is a very interesting thread. I'm looking to reduce our meat intake and want to do it by having tasty vegetable based meals rather than just subbing the meat. I've been looking for a good veggie cookbook and wondered if in addition to the recommendations here anyone also has one for a Mexican veggie book? A few people upthread have suggested Mexican as a good cuisine for going veggie and the kids love Mexican here so that could help me sell it to them!

If you buy the savoury soya flakes (organic are best and not expensive) you can use them where you would use mince meat. No one would know esp. if you use a nice oniony garlicky tomatoey sauce to cook them in. It's so quick. Howaboutthis

I can recommend Sam Sterne's 'Eat Vegetarian' - loads of good recipes & some baking & puddings which most vegetarian recipe books miss!

Howabout Google Thomasina Miers recipes from Wahaca - there are veggie Mexican dips and meal ideas I've used of hers before.

Easy veggie Mexican meal for the family though - make spicy beany tomatoey rice, pile into burrito wraps with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, salad etc and eat rolled or toasted in a press. Probably not authentic but tasty and full of goodness. We add halloumi in too sometimes.