budget healthy mostly vegetarian eating ideas

[njcarita]

decided to try and eat mostly vegetarian ... for health reason... weight ..high bp.... not any moral objection...

But really don't know what to eat.... and darn those veggies are expensive

I do plan to have fish a few times a week ( so i guess that would be a pescitarian sp?? ).....

so what the heck do i eat..

today for breakfast i had:
a cup of half decaf coffee
toast with peanutbutter and bannana
6oz cranberry/grape juice


for lunch I am making a humus/cucumber/roasted red pepper sandwich..

totally lost as to what to have for dinner ( making a turkey breast for familY)..... Maybe Ill have the sides...


help...

 

[rvchat]

I try to do this too and agree that veggies are not cheap.

we make a lot of potatoes (baked in O oil or mashed ) and zuchinni with onions, also baked, as well as green/ red peppers sauteed with olive oil.

decided to try and eat mostly vegetarian ... for health reason... weight ..high bp.... not any moral objection...

But really don't know what to eat.... and darn those veggies are expensive

I do plan to have fish a few times a week ( so i guess that would be a pescitarian sp?? ).....

so what the heck do i eat..

today for breakfast i had:
a cup of half decaf coffee
toast with peanutbutter and bannana
6oz cranberry/grape juice


for lunch I am making a humus/cucumber/roasted red pepper sandwich..

totally lost as to what to have for dinner ( making a turkey breast for familY)..... Maybe Ill have the sides...


help...

 

[Soben]

Dried beans are super-cheap. If you make the hummus from scratch w/dried beans, it's very cheap. The tahini is the big $ ingredient, but you can experiment and try to use as little of that as possible.

Buy in season and on-sale veggies.

Grow your own if you can.

Stock up when frozen/canned are on sale.

 

[GatorMama]

Black bean tortilla casserole, vegetable lasagna (a favorite around here!), singapore noodles, sweet potato/black bean enchiladas... There are LOTS and LOTS of blogs out there with vegetarian and vegan recipes.

 

[jsmla]

We're not veggie but I'm a HUGE fan of dried beans-cheap, healthy and so versatile

Since they do take a lot of time to cook I tend to make big batches and freeze them in meal-sized portions. If you don't cook them all the way the don't get too mushy in the freezer. My favorites are red/kidney beans, large white butter beans, pinto beans, navy beans and black beans. With those I can make all kinds of dishes-Cajun, Tex-Mex, chilis, Cuban, Italian quickly and easily.

Home-made hummus sounds good-I'm going to have to try that

Hubby is a big meat guy but I can kind of trick him by adding bulgar to things like chili and spaghetti sauce. It has a ground beef like texture.

When we grill out I'll sometimes have grilled veggies and a potato when the others are having steak or burgers. My favorites are zucchini, yellow squash, onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes.

 

[babyrich]

portabello mushrooms make a good sandwhich too. I've seen several recipes for meatless meatballs using Walnuts and/or Almonds. I had them at a restaurant one day and they were awesome. You wouldnt know it wasnt meat.

 

[njcarita]

Black bean tortilla casserole, vegetable lasagna (a favorite around here!), singapore noodles, sweet potato/black bean enchiladas... There are LOTS and LOTS of blogs out there with vegetarian and vegan recipes.

black bean tortilla casserole sounds good!! do u have the recipe??

 

[ceecee]

Beans are cheap and high in protein. Potatos are cheap and high in calories so if you're watching your weight not a good choice. There are tons of things to do with dried beans (and you don't have to soak them like I always thought!!!). Try making your own Hummus, that can be expensive depending on the kind you buy. I buy mostly veggies and fruit and when we quite buying meat (and processed snacks) the weekly grocery bill went down.

 

[budbeerlady]

Try not to limit yourself into thinking just veggies or sides. I did that my 1st month and so bored, frustrated, not happy. I missed my "normal meat food".

Make tacos with beans and rice, or soy crumbles. When I cook with Morning Star or Boca my meat loving Dh cannot tell the difference. I also do the beans/rice in burritos!

Make a huge pot of pasta with lots of cut up veggies in the sauce.

Grill and make yummy veggie kabobs.

My current favorite sandwich is brie, cucumbers, onion and spinach.

Make stuffed peppers for the family but fill yours without meat.

Play with Tempah and couscous for a variation.

 

[babyrich]

My current favorite sandwich is brie, cucumbers, onion and spinach.

Would love to know how you put this sandwhich together, it sounds yummy!

 

[njcarita]

Try not to limit yourself into thinking just veggies or sides. I did that my 1st month and so bored, frustrated, not happy. I missed my "normal meat food".

Make tacos with beans and rice, or soy crumbles. When I cook with Morning Star or Boca my meat loving Dh cannot tell the difference. I also do the beans/rice in burritos!

Make a huge pot of pasta with lots of cut up veggies in the sauce.

Grill and make yummy veggie kabobs.

My current favorite sandwich is brie, cucumbers, onion and spinach.

Make stuffed peppers for the family but fill yours without meat.

Play with Tempah and couscous for a variation.

alot of great ideas......
I am also trying to limit my dairy intake ( see if it helps my sinuses).... so trying to stay away from Cheeses....

love the stuff peppers idea... just trying to think what to stuff with.... brown rice, zucchinni , carrots , corn.... anything else sound good??

 

[GatorMama]

Here you go!

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole



1 large chopped onion

2 10oz cans Rotel tomatoes

½ cup picante sauce or salsa

1 tsp ground cumin

2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup reduced fat cream cheese

10 7-inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese

2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded



In large skillet sauté onion, and then add chicken, tomatoes, picante sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Then, stir in beans and heat through. Add cream cheese at the end, and stir until melted. Remove from heat.


Spray bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread 1/3 of bean mixture on bottom of pan, topping with a layer of tortillas and half of cheese. Then another layer of bean mixture, tortillas and bean mixture. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle on remaining cheese, and bake until melted. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and guacamole as desired.


**I usually double the recipe and make it in three smaller dishes and freeze 2 of them.

 

[babyrich]

alot of great ideas......
I am also trying to limit my dairy intake ( see if it helps my sinuses).... so trying to stay away from Cheeses....

love the stuff peppers idea... just trying to think what to stuff with.... brown rice, zucchinni , carrots , corn.... anything else sound good??

I looke online and there are lots of vegetarian stuffed pepper recipes using mushrooms, shallots, beans... maybe not all combined; but these are other suggestions to use as stuffing.

 

[PatriciaH]

I am making portabello mushroom and eggplant parmesan tonight. Just like you would make regular chicken or eggplant parmesan. Tomorrow a romaine salad with pears, blue cheese and a white wine vinegar dressing. We will have that with 4 cheese Agnolotti (pasta) from Buitoni. We also like Pasta Prima Wild Mushroom and Thyme Ravioli. We make pizzas with Boboli crusts-just add sauce, cheese and artichoke hearts for example. Friday I will make a tofu and eggplant curry over rice. You can just mix with coconut milk and a bag of stir fry veggies. I like butternut squash ravioli with a sauce of melted butter, brown sugar and 1/2 and 1/2. Sharp cheddar and apples are good with crackers. Pears and brie with honey on some bread. Goddess dressing is great for dipping veggies.

Oops just saw about the dairy. Veggie burgers have gotten a lot better. Those are good with some tater tots for fun. Top with tomato and lettuce and onion. Avacado is great too. I love veggies on the grill too. Just add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Asparagus is great that way.

 

[budbeerlady]

Would love to know how you put this sandwhich together, it sounds yummy!

Slice off some brie, put that on the top of the bread, next was the onion, cucumbers slices and then the spinach on the bottom of the bread. Easy, light and delicious!

 

[figaromeetsmarie]

sweet potato and black bean chili

 

[KBW]

I'm also vegetarian and I get tons of recipes off food.com. The site has a few hundred thousand recipes (plus reviews of most of them), and you can search based on dietary restrictions, ingredients, ease of preparation, etc.

 

[blanq]

I am not a vegetarian, but I often will eat meatless meals. Here are a few of my favorites:

Black Bean Rice Bowl
This really has no recipe; I just add in the amounts of stuff I want. In a bowl, I layer:
Brown rice (I use Trader Joes and I stir in some lime juice, lime rind and cilantro)
Mexicorn (canned corn w/peppers)
Black beans
Chopped tomatoes
Salsa
Guacamole or chopped avocado

Panzanella Salad
Sorry, again no recipe. I take a loaf of bread (french, ciabatta, etc) and cut it into cubes. I toss with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and some Italian spices and bake in a 350 degree oven until toasted. I mix the bread cubes with a bunch of fresh chopped tomatoes, chopped English cucumbers, fresh basil, fresh parmesan, toasted pine nuts,olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or you could use a prepared balsamic vinaigrette).

Lemon Basil Pasta
Okay, another no recipe meal. Sorry. I cook up some thin spaghetti and drain. I add olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest of the rind (you can experiment with this, but I like a good amount of lemon in this), fresh basil, sea salt and pepper to taste. Lemon peper is good on this too. Sometimes I add sliced kalamata olives. My family eats boatloads of this stuff.

Now for a few of my favorites that do have recipes:

Corn,Jicama and Edamame Sald w/Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 cup (more or less to taste) Newman's Own All Natural Light Lime Vinaigrette
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 cup match stick-cut jicama strips
1 cup match stick-cut red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/3 cup fresh snipped cilantro
Mix it all together. In the summer, I substitute fresh off the cob corn (cooked) for the frozen. I sometimes will add grilled shrimp to it.

Saute of Potatoes, Tomatoes and Fresh Corn
4 T olive oil
2 lbs fingerling potatoes
2 pints cherry tomatoes
8 medium ears of corn, kernals cut from cob
4 tsp fresh tarragon leaves
2 tsp lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until just barely fork tender; remove; cool a bit so you can handle them; cut them in half. Add potatoes to 2 tsp olive oil in saute pan, and saute potatoes until brown. Remove to bowl. Add another tsp. oil into pan and cook cherry tomatoes for a few minutes (they will start to break down so remove them before they droop into a mess) and remove to bowl with potatoes. Add the remaining tsp oil to saute pan, and saute corn until it begins to brown. Remove to bowl. Toss with lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. This makes a lot so you can pretty easily cut it in half for a smaller batch.

Spinach & Tomato Phyllo Bake
4 eggs, beaten
8 oz pkg fresh spinach
1 C (4 oz) crumbled Feta cheese
1 C Ricotta cheese
1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 green onions, chopped
10 sheets (14" x 9" phyllo dough
3 large tomatoes, sliced
Butter flavored cooking spray
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

In large bowl, mix all ingredients together except for dough and tomatoes; set aside. Spritz one sheet of phyllo dough with butter-flavored cooking spray; place in an 8" x 8" pan, allowing one end of the dough to hang over dish. Repeat with four more layers of dough. Spoon 1/3 of the spinach mixture, layer 1/2 of the tomatoes, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, remaining tomatoes and the rest of the spinach mixture on top. Top it all with five more layers of the butter-flavored spray covered dough. Fold dough over filling toward center; spritz with more butter-flavored spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

Editing to add one more...

Perogies with Red Cabbage & Apples
You can get cheese and potato perogies in the freezer section of the grocery store. Cook them in a saute pan per the package directions. In a separate saute pan add one chopped apple (with skin) to a bit of butter and cook the apples down a bit; add one jar of drained red cabbage sauerkraut, a bit of brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon. Serve the perogies with red cabbage and a dollop of sour cream. This is sort of German-inspired and maybe not for all tastebuds, but I love it!

 

[Priorityonecb]

We do a black bean quesadilla that everyone loves!!

Flour tortillas spread with a layer of fat free vegetarian refried beans, then topped with black beans, corn and avacado. We do top that with cheese so i guess it's not true vegetarian! We grill these on a griddle on both sides. Then cut into triangles. We serve these with fresh fruit on the side.

 

[Sagginit]

i try to limit my meat intake. i love tofu stir fry, its quick and easy. i also make tofu nuggets, i fry them for the taste but i did bake them once and they came out fine.

i had edamame and peas in abororio (risotto) rice tonight with a lil garlic and olive oil. i also have used abororio rice with chopped tomatoes, onions, tomato sauce, italian seasoning, and cannellini beans. both of these are my takes on "rice & beans".

i love veggie chili and soups. you can find tons of recipes and tweak them to your taste. i was inspired by this board to make my own veggie broth and it was much easier than i thought.

quinoa is a good healthy grain with protein in it. it can be pricey but i like it as an occasional treat. i cook it in half water/half applejuice and then add almonds and dried fruit for a vegan breakfast.

i also would check out whole living for recipes. i have been getting the magazine for a few years and it helped me try new vegetarian foods and ways of cooking. they have a good database on their website. i also like amys when i don't have time to cook and was able to adapt some of their meals to my own recipes to make at home (vegetarian pot pies for example).

i mix cheap with expensive. cheap is things like canned tomatoes, sauce, beans, and frozen veggies. i will then spring for organic greens, carrots, and apples because the quality is worth it to me.