Help with Vegan/vegetarian Recipes

I wish I could help you. Salads are my biggest step into being a vegetarian. I'm a carnivore!

I know people who have gone Vegan. Some do it for a few years and then add things back into their diet one thing at a time.

My dad has gout. So he went without beef for a long time. Then he and my mom were out on a trip and went to a convention where a guy was talking about gout and such. It's the protein in general, so they changed up their diet, changing their protein intake and adding more cherry into their diet. My dad hasn't had a gout flare up in about 1 year.

eggplant parmesan on a bed of spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce. (slice eggplant, coat with breading, pan fry till breading is browned, place in baking dish with mozzarella on top, then tomato sauce, bake 30 minutes. cook the spaghetti squash in 350 oven till cooked thru. then slice open and scoop out the "noodles" serve the squash covered in more sauce with the eggplant parm. )

chili rice. (i use salsa a can of black beans and rice)

quinoa sautees. (cook quinoa according to directions, set aside. sautee veggies. ex: peppers, onions, broccoli, peas, carrots, spinach, mushrooms and a can of black beans add the quinoa. and enjoy)

stuffed peppers. with beans as the protein source.

zucchini pizza crust. and cheese on top lots of cheese... ( i have also seen folks use cauliflower for the crust. but have never done that)

zucchini lasagna with beans instead of ground beef for the protein source

tomato bread. (slice tomatoes, set them on bread, sprinkle garlic salt oregano pepper and parsley on top, cover with mozzarella and broil till cheese starts to brown. i often add avocado slices to this sandwhich)

i do a ton of garden to table foods in the summertime. and these are a few of my summer menu items. and if you need more details on how to make anything i have listed just let me know

I have vegetarians in my family and cook for them often.
I think the best way to start is to take recipes you already know and love and incorporate more veggies and take out the meat.
For example, a taco salad with beans, seasoned rice, avacado, corn, etc. is plenty good without meat.
Pizza, omelettes (if eggs are okay?) soups and stir frys are all easy to do with lots of different kinds of veggies and and no meat. Substitute beans and tofu where ever possible. Or fish, shrimp or other seafood.
Pasta can be tossed with a simple chunky tomato sauce, alfredo or pesto, serve with salad or veges on the side.
If you like hummus or other healthy dips that makes for a great way to incorporate raw veggie slices into your snack routine.
Nuts and dried fruit make good snacks too!
Get on Pinterest for ideas, you will find TONS and you can read peoples' comments and photos to see if a recipe is worth trying, or how to tweak it.

I know you are looking more for recipes, but I just wanted to throw this out there:

www.skinnytaste.com

All the recipes are coded (Whole30, Vegan, Kid Friendly, etc) and I have NEVER had a bad recipe from Gina! She tests them all herself and is constantly updating them if folks don't like how something turns out. Lots of folks also comment about things they have done to the recipe that has worked for them (like making a Whole30 recipe into one that is also vegan).

If you can go vegan, I definitely applaud you. I really thought about making the leap and I just can't commit. I do eat vegetarian regularly and I also focus on trying to incorporate plant-based products in my cooking and also try to reduce animal fat where ever I can, but going totally vegan just hasn't worked for me.

Good luck!

I've been a vegetarian for, um, 34 years. What sorts of foods do you like? I eat a lot of beans. One of my favorite things to eat is stuff pablano peppers. It has red pepper, black beans, cheese and jalapeno. If you might like something like this, I'd be happy to share the recipe. I also eat a lot of Thai style curries with vegt and tofu, and my favorite breakfast is a Frittata with peppers and mushrooms. For lunch I usually eat a salad of some sort with lots of nuts and avocado.

We do a lot of stir fry with whatever is fresh/on sale at the store or the farmers market. We use tofu for protein. Buy the extra firm kind and drain it well. If you put a plate on top of the block of tofu and then weight it down with a can of beans or tomato puree, it's faster. Sometimes I cheat and buy the cubed tofu to save time! I marinate mine in a little low sodium soy sauce but you could reduce the salt further by using half vegetable stock/broth. You can add 5-spice powder or ginger, whatever you like in Chinese food. Do this ahead, then drain and save the liquid to mix with more broth or some white wine and a little thickener (like cornstarch). Gently fry the tofu until it's brown on all sides, remove, then stir fry the veggies (longest cooking first, then keep throwing in the shorter cooking ones) until crisp-tender. Add the broth and let it thicken, put the tofu back in to heat. I serve it over brown rice - I usually put some soy sauce and veggie broth in the rice water too.

Do you grill? We do all kinds of veggies on the grill, either on skewers or in a basket, or sometimes with larger slices (eggplant, sweet potatoes, zucchini cut the long way). We do asparagus, peppers, onions, red potatoes, Idaho spears, kohlrabi when we can get it, and corn on the cob in foil. We put a mix of oil and herbs on everything but the corn (we use butter, pepper and herbs on that but you could use a butter substitute). I keep a pot of parsley, dill, chives, thyme, basil, etc. and just snip what I want.

I know you're looking for recipes but thought I'd list some ideas. You can always
google the recipes for exact ingredients/measurements.
-corn salad (w/diced tomatoes, onions etc.)
-bean & cheese nachos
-soups
-Mexican salad w/iceberg lettuce chopped, can of drained kidney beans, can of
drained corn, diced grape tomatoes, diced red onion, dressing of choice &
crushed Doritos all mixed together
-bean burritos
-veggie burritos
-veggie pizza
-lettuce wraps
-shrimp kabobs once in awhile
-cauliflower crust pizza
-veggie stir fry (tri colored peppers, onions, garlic,) over rice
-crockpot of beans
-veggie lasagna
-lentils
-salads (try all kinds of greens & add lots of fixings like corn, beets, diced
grape tomatoes, nuts, shredded cheese, dried cranberries. Set out like a
salad bar. Let everyone make their own.
-Broccoli salad
-roasted peppers, onions, diced butternut squash in oven w/olive oil for approx.
30-45 mins
-fruit kabobs
-grilled veggie and cheese nachos
-egg burritos
-baked potato bar (top w/veggies, cheese)
-nuts for snacks if your kids don't have nut allergies

stir fry!!!
the brightest colored bell peppers you can find, sauteed in lovely ghee or olive oil with onions and garlic and broccoli and pineapple (use the juice from the pineapple can in the sauce if you're using canned). i'd add some seasoned tofu or seitan for texture and flavor.
serve over rice or quinoa.
yum!
khairete
S.

I make a lot of soups and stews using beans and some other veggies such as carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and maybe tomatoes. You don't need to use a meat broth or even vegetable broth in them--water works fine! I have a substantial spice collection which provides the flavoring, along with the carrots/etc. I'd suggest looking for recipes online based on what bean/grain/vegetable you want to use for the main focus (if lentils, for example, then search for vegetarian lentil soup). [I know you wanted recipes, however I think you are better served in the long run by finding things which appeal to you and your gang. I don't know if you like to cook elaborately or more basic/quick, for example]. I'll serve those stews/soups with a grain such as brown rice, quinoa, or millet, or with bread to soak in them. We often have a plate of sliced fresh veggies (cucumbers, red/yellow/green peppers, grape tomatoes, etc) to go along with the main dish to add some crunch and different flavors. For a cookbook, I'd suggest starting with Laurel's Kitchen or the Moosewood Cookbook. Those are classic 1970s vegetarian cookbooks with more accessible ingredients and simpler preparation than you often find online. Have fun with it!
ETA: My go-to soups are a brown lentil soup, a red lentil soup, and a lentil soup with winter greens. I make a pot, store in fridge, and heat up the needed amount for dinners over a few days. Also, I found something online called 'Bowl of Stuff' online which can be a life-saver; it's a basic bean stew served on a grain (or pasta) which you put on the toppings of your choice. I often just use a home-made bean stew instead of the cans; the great thing is that people can customize their own bowl. Here's the link: http://bakeanddestroy.net/2012/07/bowl-of-stuff-a-vegan-d...

I suggest the ketogenic diet