Ideas for meat free protein

[movingforward2016]

I don't eat much meat, I'm trying to loose weight but I think I'm not eating enough protein! I am calorie counting but probably eating mostly naughty foods in small amounts!

I love veg, potatoes and curries! I'm thinking maybe lentils etc but I have never used them so I need some ideas!

Do you like chickpeas? It's easy to stir some tinned chickpeas into a veg curry.

Do you know that one-third of our food should be healthy fats? I'm not clear .... do you not care for meat, or have you reduced in order to lose weight?

I've been a vegetarian for 30 yrs and I make my own "burgers" for protein. Mash up a tin of chick peas or red kidney beans, cannelli, etc. Mix in cooked rice, fried onions, garlic, coriander, salt. Bind with beaten egg, form into shape, dip into breadcrumbs. Fry.

Same mixture (without egg) I also use for stuffed peppers.

Then there's lentil & cauliflower soup - delicious and full of protein. A veg & potato curry with or without pulses. Then there's fritata (sliced cooked spuds covered with beaten egg), similar to omelette. Chilli con carne made with minced soya or Quorn.

I do like chickpeas so I'm happy to put them in a veg curry!

I just don't like eating a lot of meat so prefer ideas without meat!

I like the sound of the burgers might give them a go

I also make chili with quorn mince which I love!

When you say pulses what type are good for protein?

Also I didn't know potato or cauliflower were high in protein? Have you got a recipe for that soup?

Lentil & cauli soup - protein is in the lentils of course.
All pulses & beans are good for you.
There is some protein in spuds, but it's an incomplete protein. You should read up on nutrition. I think that eggs are the only 'complete' protein in the non-meat area.

greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins

to add to the above -
cheese, milk, yogurt, fermented soya, quinoa, pulses, beans, nuts and seeds etc.

Southallgirl are you from southall? sorry to derail OP!

Lentils are awesome! Puy lentils are lovely in a warm salad with roasted carrots or parsnips, beetroot, goats cheese and greens. Red lentils make a lovely bolognese/ragu with tomatoes, onions and carrots. Green lentils are nice with mixed beans and a spicy tomato sauce to make enchiladas or just a chilli.
Agree chickpeas in a curry are great for a bit of firm texture along with vegetables. Tarka dal is lovely as well, it's a lentil curry.

Do you like fish?

Quinoa and farro (emmer wheat) are grains that are high in protein. Use them like couscous, or in place of rice, or in a salad

Also bear in mind that if you are using MyFitnessPal or similar for calorie counting, not all foods have the correct protein amounts filled in, and it also seems to overestimate how much protein you need each day

Southall - hmm I seemed to have changed pulses for potatoes in my own mind! I was thinking of a cauliflower and Potato curry type of soup I should pay more attention

Peace lots of good ideas thank you

Clear - I don't eat any fish apart from tinned tuna! I think I will try to eat fish again but I don't like the fish smell! I might try curried fish?

Black beans are lovely and great source of protein. Use them wherever you would use kidney beans.

A Moroccan cod tagine would be nice, or a Keralan fish curry. Making myself hungry now!

If you like potatoes and tuna, you can make tuna fish cakes or, less fiddly version, stuffed jacket potatoes (scoop out the potato and mix with tuna and a bit of something to combat the dryness of the tuna, natural yoghurt would be a healthy option, and some seasoning/herbs then put back in the potatoes, sprinkle with grace cheese and reheat.)

Grated cheese

I'm getting slightly addicted to Quorn mini eggs if that's any help ... They are tasty! Good addition to salad lunch etc.

Cottage cheese, cocoa powder, nuts, peanut butter in addition to all things mentioned already. Or if you're trying to lose weight, what about protein shakes? You can get some low calorie, low sugar ones just to add a bit extra to your diet. Veggie household here so I'm always thinking of ways to get extra protein into our diet, especially for the kids. There's a blog called Chocolate Covered Katie which is good for sugar free recipes, she uses lots of sneaky beans and cocoa powder in recipes which will bump up the protein content add will.

Have you got a recipe for that soup?

Lentil & cauliflower soup, potatoes optional.

Put the lentils on to cook, there will be scum to remove from time to time that rises to the top. Once there is no more scum, add cauli florets (& a few diced spuds if you like) to the same water. Add diced capsicum for sweetness, and one or two veg cubes (or chicken or beef). Add a good dollop of olive oil or butter, add garlic plus parsley or coriander if you wish.

Separately, fry onions and stir into the soup. Serve. Cauli & spuds should be well cooked - no al dente in soups.

Hi, I've been vegetarian on and off for 20 years now (I go through phases of eating fish. Just to clarify, I don't eat meat for reasons of taste, not ethics).
Virtually all foods contain some protein, even those that are described as 'carbs', so if you eat a variety of foods you probably will be getting enough protein.
For 'high protein' foods I eat - beans, pulses, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds and milk and milk products such as yoghurt. I never eat quorn or meat substitutes, I don't like them and there are plenty of other foods to eat.
A previous poster mentioned complete proteins, again not something you really need to worry about if you eat a variety of food over the day but an example of a vegetarian meal that includes the full range of essential amino acids is good old beans on toast (beans + grains ie wheat).
I often sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of my meal to up my protein intake, bearing in mind that 30g of cheese is approx. 120 cals. Cheese and lentils go well together.

Sorry, forgot to add - For ideas for lentil recipes, I like dal (lentil curry). There are hundreds of different recipes, I make one with spinach. Really cheap and tasty.