What's your favorite meatless meal?

I love a local restaurant's vegetable pizza. We also love catfish dinners.

Omelets, endless variations.

Soups - just throw in veggies to your hearts content, add fresh herbs of any kind, and simmer until tasty. Yum.

An ordinary dish - stir fry, with rice.

spanakopita

I'm wondering what the protein source is in some of these meals, though we love split pea soup!

Sushi, I'm with you on the omelets! I had one this morning with some minced jalapeno and green onion. One XL egg is plenty big for me.

Hmmmm.....I'm thinking of quinoa (and onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese) stuffed peppers. That sounds kinda good, doesn't it?

Wow... Being a vegetarian, for me it's way too broad a question. Lentil, or chickpea salad/pilaf in either brown rice or quinoa can be a nice, healthy meal. Even more protein, try wild rice. Just add whatever veggies you'd like. You could even marinate and grill/fry some tofu and toss it in. Try almonds, walnuts, cashews, filberts... Go middle-eastern with a cumin and herb-based spice addition, or go Indian with curry-based flavors. Maybe a touch of toasted sesame oil (just a few drops). Not a fan of either? Go herbs and garlic... voila, Italian. In short, slightly change the additions in any way you'd like (Chinese, Mexican, French...,) and you have a nice, easy, healthy meal.

There are so many! (Remember, we made tofu commercially for a number of years.) But mjeddrah is one I've loved ever since I first made it in the 1960s. I used Vance Bourjaily's recipe in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, and I was happy to find the same recipe online.

I always serve it as he suggests, with the salad on top of the main dish. (Don't forget the mint!) Brown lentils are hard to find around here, but pardina lentils, while small, are great. I had mjeddrah in a Lebanese restaurant once, but liked my own better.

Vance Bourjaily's Mjeddrah

Eggplant parmigiana. Baked sweet potato with trimmings. Broccoli cheese soup. Fried chile ancho with cheese stuffing, baked sweet peppers with tomato sauce and rice stuffing.

Red beans with brown rice.

Just feed me French Toast and maple syrup :) Forgot add a pint of milk to that for me.

Sue

Cheese quesadilla with salsa. I just grate Colby jack or cheddar cheese and put it between two tortillas and cook it in a frying pan with a small amount of olive oil until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are browned a bit. I flip halfway through. Super easy, dirt cheap and my picky kids will eat them.

"I'm wondering what the protein source is in some of these meals"

I had the same thought.

"Meatless" means different things to different people, just like "vegetarian". We eat a lot of fish and seafood. It's a healthy alternative to "meat" so long as it's not fried. I'm sure you know that eating a legume along with a grain does provides a complete protein spectrum, ergo rice and beans, hummus and pita, etc. Also, it's not necessary to have a complete protein at every meal.

Your dish sounds good, grilled portobellos (or any mushrooms) are very "meaty".

It does take added attention to eat a balanced diet as a true vegetarian. Like so many people who DO eat meat, many consume way too much in the way of grains, grain products, and other carbo-loaded food.

Beans and greens soup

Veggie burgers. I make mine with chopped nuts and cheese for flavor and protein. Potato soup made with vegetable stock and garnished with sharp cheddar. Fresh Okra lightly battered with corn meal and fried in olive oil. Jasmine rice smothered in sauteed Kale, onions, and mushrooms with a splash of lemon and soy.

My first reaction was "lasagna", which doesn't have to have pasta, and can have protein substitutes for meat, but maybe that's not what you want.

There's a vegan restaurant that I went to with a friend that has all the different kinds of plant based proteins (you choose one), well prepared and served with a heap of vegetables, each prepared individually so they're all perfectly done. Lots of flavor. Filling in a way that leaves you satisfied for a long time without feeling weighed down. Really delicious. Not the kind of thing that's all that easy to do at home, however, though, with practice, one could learn when to add what to get the vegetables right. If I could have it magically appear, I'd eat their food all the time. :)

Meatless meals are some of my favorite budget beaters, since meat is the most expensive grocery item I purchase (my meat budget is $10/week for two adults so I choose wisely). I also mix small amounts of meat with meat substitutes/alternatives to stretch the protein with a low-costing vegetable protein source. Most people consume more than enough protein without meat if they eat a wide variety of foods from all the food groups each day. Combine foods like grains/legumes, grains/dairy, and seeds/legumes to form a complete protein.

-Lentil Tacos

-Quesadillas

-Eggs and pancakes/waffles (the proverbial breakfast for dinner)

-Black Bean Soup and cornbread

-Sauteed Chickpeas with Broccoli & Parmesan Cheese

-Refried Bean Tostadas

-Hummus with vegetables

-Tortilla Pizza

-Veggie Chow Mein

-Migas (an egg dish)

-Black Bean "Burgers"

Happy to share recipes.

This is a list of the "Best Vegan Protein Sources" that might be helpful.

-chia seeds (2.5g protein per T.)

-soybeans & soy products (although I personally avoid soy)

-hemp seed

-quinoa (4g. per 1/2-cup; I make my gluten-free pizza crust with cooked quinoa)

-Ezekiel bread

-amaranth

-hummus

-buckwheat (I make 100% buckwheat noodles)

-spinach

-sun-dried tomatoes

-guava

-artichokes

-peas

-beans

-lentils

-peanut butter (and other nut butter)

-sprouted whole grain bread

-teff

-gruyere cheese

-2% Greek Yogurt

-shelled pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts

-vegan protein powder

-Triticale (which is a rye/durum wheat hybrid)

Ooh, some great suggestions, people! Thanks so much for taking the time to give me some inspiration!

A seafood meal.

Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.

A fresh fruit salad with cottage cheese.

Grill some sweet bell peppers, cleaned out of course top open or as boats, grill mushrooms, sweet onions, grape tomatoes, sliced yellow squash. Chop up the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and squash, add softened cream cheese and stuff into the bell peppers sprinkle with grated cheese I like mozzarella you can also add cooked brown rice if you like, heat on grill or in oven to melt the cheese. It's like stuffed bell peppers with out the meat. I add a sprinkle of Tonys Cajun seasonings for a kick.

We love Tuna Turnovers. Very yummy and easy!

Eggplant spinach lasagna using the eggplant in place of the pasta. Put the riccotta cheese and spinach mix in between the grilled eggplant. I have made it that way for those on a gluten free diet.

Caflower, I use zucchini that way.....we're not eggplant lovers.....and love it. It's especially good with a white sauce.

Well, if seafood is considered a meatless meal, it would be fried oysters....my favorite food in the whole world....if I fry them and I know they are fresh. Or shrimp gumbo. I don't eat very many meatless meals....my red beans and rice has sausage in it. Even pea salad...I put bacon in that. I guess the only meatless meal would be when we have pancakes for supper.

Ooh....I thought of one. I like to saute zuchinni and mushrooms and onions and serve over linguini with lots of good quality parmeasan.

then there are salmon patties,or creamed peas and salmon on toast;hashbrown casseroles,broccoli salads,of which there are various ones,and very filling.

there are some really good ideas here,for sure.

Well, I didn't really phrase my question very well because I mean to eschew any meat, legs, fins, or, feathers, and anything in between. But eggs and dairy are still important sources of proteins and vitamins for me.

I've inherited some stubborn health problems which include type two diabetes, high BP, and cholestrol numbers that are troublesome. In recent years, I've managed to get off all medications except for a diuretic, and have done it entirely through making big adjustments to what I eat.

I can't eat any processed food, breads, pasta, or sweets, and I've found that I have to watchful about certain high fiber foods like some grains and legumes. Drats, because I've loved my mixed grains and rice. I still eat them but in much smaller amounts than before.

My diet needs to be high in protein but very low in carbs. As my doctor says....meat and vegetables. I'm hoping that I can have more meatless meals that still fuel my body.

I have increased our fin and shellfish consumption. My version of tuna or salmon patties is to use leftover tuna salad, add an egg or two, and fry it slowly in butter or ghee. Dee licious!

Thank you all so very much for some great ideas for healthful and tasty meals. There are times that I feel restricted by my diet, but in truth I'm not. These many suggestions are an example.

Due to heredity, I guess, my cholesteral numbers are reasonable. So I eat eggs without a second thought. But I'm curious why you would use eggs as a source of protein while eschewing chicken/fish in your recipe request.

I am basicly eating meat and vegetables also right now with my low carb eating, I have to say that after a few months of that I feel really good (part of that may be the exercise though) so this thread has given me some good ideas, thank you for starting it.

Rhizo, you sound a lot like me. I inherited some difficult genes too. Dietary restriction is the only thing that keeps me from developing a serious condition. Meatless low-carb isn't easy to achieve. I can't eat cheese, so that compounds the problem.

Lucille, I believe studies have shown eggs are not the cholesterol raiser they were once thought to be. My dad, who had to severely limit saturated fat lest he end up in the hospital, could eat them, and I (who have the same situation) can too.

I would have to interject, eggs are a production item and a renewable source, while you only get one go (so to speak) when you eat the "producer".... Same goes for dairy products - milk (and all the things made with milk) are a production item. You eat the nuts from the tree, not the tree, fruit from the vine, not the vine, kinda' thing. Plus, eggs and dairy products are a complete protein like the meat sources they come from, which can be a benefit.

I personally lump fish in the meat category because it's an animal source, not a plant-source protein; as well as it's a fairly costly protein option. Food costs are why I choose vegetarian meals in the first place. When you check the cost per pound, a 5-oz. can of tuna costing 69-cents = $2.21 (rounded up) per pound. In my world, that equals "meat". While a pound of lentils is $1 - $1.49, but not a complete protein. Those who consider fish non-meat is due to the teachings of the Catholic Church, not an animal/plant debate.

-Grainlady

Alisande, I think that we do share some of the same need for food restrictions. I sure hope that I don't develop a problem with cheese!

Grainlady, I must confess that I never thought of it that way!

Lucille, eggs are now considered a healthy food, and in moderation, an important part of a normal diet. Many years ago, people thought that they had to avoid them, but the science behind that warning was faulty. I have several per week. Mine come from a nearby CSA.

I had forgotten, Lucille, that you were on a low carb program. One of the main consequences for me has been ENERGY, fewer days of severe muscular aches and weakness, and no more tummy issues.

I don't even try to avoid fats because on a low carb plan, fats become the fuel. Healthful oils, butters, and somebody turned me on to the addictive ghee (thanks a LOT, lol) are a part of every meal.

There are some great ideas in this thread, I agree. I'm so grateful for the thoughtful responses.

"When you check the cost per pound, a 5-oz. can of tuna costing 69-cents = $2.21 (rounded up) per pound. In my world, that equals "meat". While a pound of lentils is $1 - $1.49"

Sure. Except you can't make a tuna sandwich with lentils.

I'm sure usage varies from place to place and person to person. Where I live, someone who says "I don't eat meat" is usually referring to land animals. Here's a definition I found from Google, and recognizing anything can be found, just serves as a reference that definitions are variable

pes·ca·tar·i·an

ˌpeskəˈte(ə)rēən/

noun

1. a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish.

A can of tuna for 69¢? I don't know where you live, Grainlady, but around here it's more like $1, even for chunk light. More for solid white. And I shop at Walmart.

The non-meat eaters in my family all eat fish. And I guess they're lacto-ovos too, because they eat eggs and dairy products. The only people I know who don't eat any animal products are vegans.

I've been a vegetarian (no meat, no fish, some dairy) for just over 25 years. I was vegan for about a 3rd of that time - no animal derived products either in my diet, nor my lifestyle (ie... among other choices, no leather.)

I still don't cook with, nor eat eggs at home. I do, however eat products that contain eggs. I will eat mayonnaise, and I don't drink animal milk, but I will eat cheese, for example.

Growing up in a Catholic family, I've always got a kick from people who (as was pointed out) for religious reasons, considered fish a non-meat. Years ago, before it became as common place as now, I would constantly encounter people who thought that as a vegetarian, I would, of course, still eat chicken lol.

Until my parents were forced to learn about food after they both had heart surgeries, and Mom came down with diabetes, they thought I was out of my mind.

In the past 10 years knowledge about food and nutrition has come a long way! For the first decade they expected me, at any moment, to fall over faint from protein deficiency. Now my stepdad will bring up something he read on the internet about beans, or seeds etc... being good for you, and forget that a quarter of a century ago I was telling them the same thing. It's too bad their generation, for the sake of someone's profits, were kept ignorant for so long.

It's so easy to eat meatless and be healthy, but it's also easy to eat meatless and eat horrendously! While I still sigh inside myself when I see parents in the store buying white bread for the most precious things in their lives (their children), it's also good to have seen little things change... like whole grain products becoming more popular than their enriched counterparts --- that's said to skip the carb debate. It's all personal choice, and many healthy choices often come down to genetics, age/metabolism, and lifestyle. Many Europeans eat pasta everyday of their lives and remain healthy and disease-free.

In any case, it's good to see people having as good info as is available to make healthy, economical decisions in their lives.

alisande - I live in Kansas and can regularly find tuna for 69-cents a can, even 59-cents on sale, $1.12 for solid white albacore. Yes, there are more expensive brands, but they don't fit my $10/week meat budget. I generally add a meat alternative to get more servings of protein - a high-priced protein mixed with a low-cost protein still equals a protein. You can't "stretch" meat with carbohydrates (noodles/rice) because you get more servings of carbs and less servings of meat; and most people already get too many carbs during the day. We also eat on the lower half of the glycemic index of foods, and watch carb intake.

rgreen48 - "easy to eat meatless and eat horrendously" so true - I call them "Twinkie Vegetarians", and another type are "Pasta Vegetarians" who eat little more than frozen meatless pasta meals. These were monikers given by a class I took from a lovely Seventh Day Adventist vegetarian, formerly vegan. She's also the lady who taught to eat gnats when you are out on a bike ride for the B12. My vegetarian experience was eating a Macrobiotic diet.

Snidely - I mix tuna and white cannellini beans, or tuna and lentils, as a plant-based protein extender, and chicken with cannellini beans. Cannellini beans also work as a substitute for chicken in some recipes (similar texture to make a meatless recipe). I make lentil/rice mixture as a plant-based substitute for ground beef. We also enjoy lentil tacos. There are all kinds of vegetarian "mock" recipes. I make "mock tuna salad" with chickpeas or chana dal (immature chickpeas which are lower on the glycemic index of foods than chickpeas). Even though it is-what-it-is, chickpea salad ;-), but not a bad plant-based substitute.

Before going gluten-free, I made "wheat meat" (aka seitan or gluten) and could make "mock" sausage, cutlets, ground "meat", "meat" balls, Sloppy non-meat Joes...... I always mixed ground wheat meat with all sources of ground meat (sausage or ground beef) as an extender. Living in wheat country, it was inexpensive to convert freshly-milled whole wheat flour into "wheat meat", and I would also use vital wheat gluten - purchased in #10 cans from Honeyville Grain.

I have a recipe for "Chicken" Fried Steak that is a meatless recipe made with old-fashioned oats - a recipe from The Prudent Homemaker's blog.

Another cheap eat.... Make cheese curds with hot water, powdered milk and white vinegar. Season the curds and make into patties called "Cheeseburger Patties". The recipe for Cheeseburger Patties can be altered with clam base or tuna juice, white bean flour (I mill my own) and some cracker or bread crumbs to make "Mock Fish Fillets". The recipe can also be altered by adding corn flake crumbs, white bean flour, and chicken bouillon and seasonings to make "Mock Breaded Chicken Tenders"

I've made a hobby of collecting and trying "mock" recipes and lots of vegetarian/vegan/raw foods recipes. These are also some things I've learned to make with home food storage (which includes large amounts of grains/seeds/beans), and a lot of information and recipes inspired by the LDS Church and many of their published followers, like sisters Rita Bingham and LeArta Moulton, and many others.

It's not for everyone, I realize, but it's another reason I try at least 3 new recipe each week, and keep to a $125/month food budget for 2 adults. It also proves you can eat very well without having to spend enormous amounts of money.

-Grainlady