Need Some Good Cheap Meatless Recipes!:)

My family starting with my mom have used the More with Less Cookbook (you can find it on Amazon) for years. It has many meatless dishes along with other money saving recipes. My favorite meatless dish is Esau's Pottage. My husband (meat and potatoes guy) and 3yr old love to eat this dish.

1 cup of lentils
1/2 cup rice
1 onion
1/4 cup of oil
3-4 cups of water
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
dash of garlic pwdr (1/8 tsp)
2-3 diced carrots
2-3 stalks of celery

Throw it all in the pot bring up to boil then simmer till lentils and rice are tender. About 25-30 minutes.

Good luck.

Our favorites are rice and raisins or beans and rice. To make rice and raisins, you throw in 1/2 cup raisins as you cook regular rice. To serve, put it in a bowl with milk and a sprinkle of sugar, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon to taste. For beans and rice, cook each separately, then make layers of rice, beans, and any toppings you like such as shredded cheese, sour cream, green peppers, green onions, tomatoes, etc. Beans and rice combine to make a complete protein! Yay! And they are super cheap.

HI.

www.foodnetwork.com - has some great, cheap and meatless recipes. I always pull from there and most times it is really good. I read the reviews though and take tips from people who have previously cooked them too. Rachel Ray does some really good recipes.

I recently did this meatless lasagna and it was really good. Here is the link on food network:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/skillet...

Good luck.

Try thevegetablewithmore.com
or eatingwell.com. There you can fill out requests for meals, ie, vegetarian.
Good luck!

This is a quick and easy dinner you can make with or without meat.

1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 TSP Olive oil
1/2 to 1 Cup water
2 pkgs of pork or chicken Ramen Noodles
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP soy sauce

In a large skillet, cook broccoli and carrots in oil for 2 minutes. Add water, noodles, parsley, soy sauce and 1 seasoning packet from Ramen Noodles. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 3-4 minutes.

I sometimes add chicken or pork to this recipe cook it until the meat is not longer pink, then I follow the rest of the recipe. You can also add more types of veggies if you like.

My favorite online recipe source is allrecipies.com I use it to find pretty much everything. Because the recipes are submitted by real people at least most of the ingredients I recognize. :-) There is a fabulous white chili. It calls for chicken, but is just as delicious as a vegetarian dish. There is an area where you can put in the ingredients that you do want and the ingredients that you don't want and find recipes that follow those guidelines. It is great when your pantry is limited and you're out of ideas. Good luck.

I don't have a recipe for you (at least not a meatless one) but I was just curious if you were a co-op member - boutifulbaskets.org is a great way to get cheap produce once or twice a month and it is $15 for a laundry basket full of great fresh produce. Check it out!

I'm assuming one of your family members is still on breast milk or formula since you say you feed only six... and you are married with five kids! LOL ;0)

Tip #1 - I only make a few meatless meals: which are chili, lasagna, enchiladas, twice baked potatoes and baked or curried tofu dishes. The most important vegetarian tip I've learned having cooked for over 40 years is to slightly roast your spices/seasonings before adding them to a dish like chili. There is no need to purchase expensive spices, especially from a grocery store. Go to any ethnic store: Indian, Middle-Eastern, Mexican or check out the mexican spices in the mexican aisle. You'll save bundles on spices there. There is also a great vegetarian dry protein product available at Sprouts or other health food stores, which I add to chili, which looks and tastes pretty close to meat. I forget the name.

Tip #2 - GOOGLE your recipes. You'll find lots and lots of vegan/vegeterian recipes online for cheap.

Tip #3 - check out Ellen Gray, Tell Me What to Cook. Website: http://www.healthy-quick-meals.com/mealplanner.html. She makes food in RMT (Real Mom Time) and she now features weekly vegetarian recipes. Her items are always good, fast and kid tested.

Best of cooking!
Jen

I use the website Recipezaar a lot to find good recipes. One particular recipe I found on that site that comes to mind is the Good For You Taco Salad. Really easy, uses common ingredients and tastes great!!

We try to do meatless at least twice a week (my daughter does 7 days/wk ... she's a vegetarian, though she does eat fish). We have a meatless pasta meal, usually with a salad and some fresh-baked bread (garlic or not) once a week, and I'll throw together something like a vegetarian stroganoff with mushrooms and potatoes, or an easy mac n cheese casserole as well. Usually I make things that can be made with or without meat (like the pasta). We also like to do "breakfast for dinner" every couple of weeks, with eggs, hashed browns, and fruit salad.

The stroganoff can be elaborate (with portabello mushrooms and fingerling potatoes) or not (you can even used canned 'shrooms and chunks of the cheapest potatoes) and the McCormick stroganoff seasonings (which are often on sale and couponed). The only real expense, when I go with the cheaper produce, is the sour cream. I won't compromise on that, so I get real sour cream, but you can almost always find that on sale. Basically, slice the mushrooms and potatoes thin or chunky (depending on how long you want to take to cook 'em. Soften the mushrooms and potatoes with a chopped onion by sauteing in canola or olive oil, add the seasoning packet and water, and simmer. You can serve it with rice or noodles, if you're not being carb-conscious (potatoes + noodles are a great indulgence; my excuse is that the noodles add some protein. Again, a veg or green salad on the side, and voila! a "gourmet" dinner!

Good luck!

Check out the blogs "Cheap Healthy Good" and "Casual Kitchen". Most of their recipes are meatless. Do a google search for "laughably cheap" recipes. Those two websites will probably come up and you may find more as well.

Check out DreamDinners.com they have a variety of meal plans & can accommodate vegetarians.

I make this with cornbread... mmmm...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/qu...