First of all Ellendi, you are to be commended for being willing to cook vegetarian for your two daughters!! How old are they? I turned vegetarian at 17 and at that point started cooking for myself. My mom, although she was a meat eater, had been a Seventh Day Adventist so she was supportive of my efforts, plus I had been assisting her in making dinners for many years, so it wasn't that much of a stretch for me. Mom liked what I fixed, but my dad and brother are super picky so I helped cook other stuff for them.

It's hard for me to recommend cookbooks and recipes since tastes, food preferences, time contraints, etc. are so varied among people. I'm a total hash cook, throw it together kind of person who rarely makes anything that has to be manipulated much or finessed in any way. So although my recipe file has a recipe in there for "wheatloaf" I have probably made it three times in the last 30 years, and two of those were in the first ten.

I can root around and see if I have any "tried and true" casseroles, but you might not even like them. Some folks abhor tofu for example, others don't eat fake meat and others are sensitive to beans or certain vegetables (like cabbage and onions, for example) or just don't like them.

What I strongly recommend is checking out a few cookbooks. You might want to try and find a copy of "Diet for a Small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe, which is the seminal guide to being vegetarian for ecological reasons. I have made most of the recipes in that book and they are all good. This was probably where your Woodstock restaurant got their inspiration back in the day. There's also "Recipes for a Small Planet." Ms. Lappe's work is suprisingly in line with current food trends. The other great vegetarian cookbooks are the Moosewood ones. I have "Enchanted Broccoli Forest" which is a much more difficult cookbook to navigate and I rarely use it anymore, but some of the other Moosewood cookbooks are good. I have the "Daily Special" one but that is mostly soups, sandwiches and salads. I also have their "Low Fat Favorites" which has a fair amount of casseroles. It's OK. Maybe the "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" might be something you would like.

At this point in my life, I get most of my recipes online, and just adjust. For example, I use fake sausage or fake meat crumbles, or sub beans or tofu for the protein in a dish. I live on rice pilafs and stir fry or sauteed vegetable accompaniments. About the only casserole I make anymore is baked ziti. You can also make baked spaghetti, subbing lentils for the meat. I don't even make things like stratas or escalloped dishes, just too much time to do. And a lot of my stuff is pretty hard core--beans and grains and veggies kind of thing, not for the average palate. Like some nights I will make sauteed vegetables and beans in a tomato sauce and serve over polenta or pasta. Very basic. One of my "go to" dishes for company is pasta with feta cheese, which is not a "light" vegetarian dish by any means! Years ago I would make stuffed acorn squash but the effort to make them vs. how much anyone actually liked them was not worth it.

Anyway, try some of the Moosewood cookbooks, I think there may be some casseroles in there. This week I am crazy busy but I might have time to copy some recipes on Friday. Meanwhile maybe you could give folks on CF an idea of what kinds of foods you and your daughters like. Frankly, I think the best solution would be for them to pick some dishes out they think they might like and cook for you!! There are some awesome vegetarian cooking blogs out there too, and I'm sure even videos. I often google videos to find out how to cook some kind of dish I'm not familiar with. I've seen a lot of migas videos recently, and whenever I do something Indian I have to check them out.

Good luck, sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Maybe some others have some tried and true vegetarian casserole recipes they can post in the meantime.

HI again!
Well, while perusing ye olde recipe file for the scalloped potato recipe, I can tell you that there are not many "casserole" recipe in there, and the ones that I do have are heavy on the eggs and cheese, so I wouldn't call them "light." So before I start copying stuff down, I can tell you that in my recipe file there are patterns of dishes, many of which don't fit the mold of typical "casseroles" but could be put in a casserole dish to serve! Here are some examples:

-A thick chili or other bean stew, topped with cornbread dumplings
-Stuff with layered noodles like a noodle kugel or baked pasta.
-A lot of my casseroles are variations on a vegetable kugel, using eggs to bind, cheese for protein and then a mix of grains and vegetables.
-Stews served over rice, or some other type of pilaf like barley, quinoa or bulgar wheat. I prefer rice most of the time, but do make some of the other occasionally. I have a few recipes that call for millet but I don't really care for that so end up throwing most of it out when I buy it, I have it sitting around for years!
-Stir frys and curries served over rice
-Sauteed or braised veggies mixed with some type of protein, served over pilaf, usually rice but nowdays it might be quinoa.
-Loaves like lentil or "wheatloaf"
-Stuffed things like peppers or squash
-Layered stuff like strata (bread) or squash or potatoes or "tofu parmigana" I get most of my strata recipes from the "Cooking Light" web site, they seem to like stratas!
-Baked bean mixes (stuff like "Hoppn' John" and Picadillo)
-Mousaka (or however you spell it, I got the recipe from a friend, I have made it only once in 30 years and it came out of "New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant" which by now hardly lives up to its title.)

Truth be told I almost never make any of this stuff. I make "clean out the fridge" stir fry, braise or stew, then make a grain or whole grain pasta and top it with that. Or I make soup. Once in a while I get some really special vegetable and feature it.

There are tons of great cooks on here who have vegetarian recipes. Also if you google me, (lpinkmountain) and "gardenweb cooking forum" you might find some of my recipes. But honestly, I would seek out a great vegetarian blogger and follow them! I follow "Smitten Kitchen." She's not vegetarian but often features vegetarian dishes. I'm sure there are way better examples out there. I rarely cook these days, I have only recently come back to CF after a year's hiatus. I just don't have the time, energy or inclination much anymore. That's why I now eat meat occasionally, it is a quick and dirty way for me to get lean protein. But I'm still about 80% vegetarian.

Thank you! I actually have Moosewood and did have Diet for a Small Planet.
I'll keep searching. Lots out there.
My daughters are young adults. One moved back home and although she is on her own food wise, she eats on her own schedule, it would be nice to have some really good recipes to make for her and when my oldest visits as well.

You are a very nice mom Ellen!

Hi Ellendi! I finally have some time to write after a very busy work week. I would recommend again trying to find "Diet for a Small Planet" and "Recipes for a Small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe. She has a ton of recipes for light pilafs and casserole type things, and I have made just about every dish in the "Diet for a Small Planet" cookbook and they are all delicious. That is my "go to" cookbook for the basics. Yesterday I saw a link for a blog and cookbook that looks interesting, "The Sprouted Kitchen" which is done by Sarah and Hugh Forte, a cook and photographer combo. Looks like they have some good light recipes there. I haven't tried any. I do follow "Smitten Kitchen" by Deb Perleman and make a lot of her recipes.

Here's a couple of my tried and true "ligher" (read not much eggs and cheese) recipes.

Carbonada Criolla (Argentinian Tsimmes - Squash Casserole)

Note: this is for filling a large hubbard squash. Occasionally you can find one about the size of a football. That's the kind of squash I love, but you can use this filling with delicata or acorn or turban squashes. So prebake the squash until almost done. The way I do my squash is to just put it in the oven uncut at 400 for about 30 min. Then I let it cool, slice it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then I bake it a little more until it is as soft as I like it. If I'm just serving it plain I would season with oil, butter, salt, maple syrup, whatever before the final baking. But for this dish, just salt and leave plain.

2 TBLSP olive oil
2 cups beans (I use kidney or a mix of black and kidney), fake meat crumbles or baked or smoked tofu. (Use one thing or a combo, depending on your taste. I usually use a combo of beans for color and meat crumbles for texture).
1 large coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 12 oz. can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes. (Parboil these for faster prep)
1 large or 2 small yellow potatoes (I use yukon gold)
I cup vegetable broth (I use "Better Than Bouillon")
2 med carrots
1 small can corn (5 oz, drained) or 2/3 cup frozen corn. USE ORGANIC, regular corn is genetically modified to be doused to the max with Roundup weed killer in the fields!
4-8 pitted prunes (I like the smaller amount)
4-8 dried peach or apple halves

Saute onions, garlic and protein source. Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a slow boil. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook 30 min. on simmer, add more water if necessary. Add oregano, corn and fruit, simmer for 15 more minutes. Stuff tsimmes into already baked squash halves. Bake 15 more minutes more. Note: for more protein you can add rice, quinoa or barley to the tsimmes before stuffing. Top with some toasted nuts if you like, for presentation. This if a fabulous celebratory meal in the winter. To make it into a traditional casserole, mix the tsimmes with cubed squash (you could even use butternut if you are going this route) and rice and put it in a greased casserole for the last 15 min. You could top it with a mix of nuts, olive oil and matzah meal to be traditional, or bread crumbs. This is good with a dollop of greek yogurt, goat cheese or lite sour cream to top when serving. But not necessary if you're trying to stay "light" on fat and calories.

Carrot-Cashew Curry
Makes 4 servings

4 TBLSP oil (I would use peanut for this, or sunflower or grapeseed. I no longer use canola oil or corn oil, due to the Roundup connection)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. fresh ginger (I use powdered, but you could slice up and dice fresh ginger if you like)
1 tsp. mustard seeds (use a pinch dried if you don't have the seeds)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. tumeric
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups sliced red onion
2 small potatoes, or tomatoes, or celery or a mix
4 large carrots all thinly sliced
2 cups fresh orange juice, or less (I would use less)
2 red peppers or 2 cups cabbage, whatever color and type you like
dash cayenne pepper to taste

Saute spices in oil 3-5 minutes. Don't get too brown or burn! Add onions, salt and carrots and potatoes if using.
Saute another 5-8 minutes
Add orange juice and simmer until veggies are tender. Note: some folks don't like the taste of cooked orange juice, they say it tends to give a vomit flavor (read: excess stomach acid). If I were to make this today I would probably use a mix of stewed tomatoes and some grated orange peel or orange juice. I can only drink low acid oj so I usually have that in the fridge, along with dried orange peel in the pantry.
Add rest of veggies and simmer until barely cooked. Add veg. broth or water if the pan gets too dry. Add cayenne to taste. Serve over brown rice and topped with toasted cashews. You can use peanuts or almonds if you like them better, but this dish is best with cashews. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt or low fat sour cream. You can add some tofu or yellow split peas if you want more protein.

So there you have it, a typical meal for me and pretty hard core veggie so not sure if your daughters would like these kinds of things.

Hi, hope you don't mind me jumping in! I've been a vegetarian for the last 16 years. I'm very strict - no meat or broth, so I like to cook a lot as restaurants can't always be trusted.

I agree about the cookbooks. I have dozens and they are all very pretty but I rarely use them. I get most of my recipes from online blogs. Some of my favorites are Pioneer Woman, Annie's Eats and Smitten Kitchen.

They all have vegetarian sections, but you miss out on a lot of potential ideas if you only look there. Most recipes can easily be made vegetarian with some adaptions. Switching out the broth types, leaving out the bacon, using fake meat instead of real meat, etc. I bet you can make a vegetarian version of most of your favorite meals. Of course it won't taste exactly the same, but it can be tasty on it's own.

If your daughters are open to fake meat, Quorn is by far my favorite. I love the taste and texture, and the meat eaters in my life enjoy it as well. I also like the Morningstar breakfast sausage and bacon, but I don't eat it too often as I try to stay away from too much processed soy. As far as broths, my favorite are the Better Than Boullion No Chicken and No Beef flavors (I get them at Spouts or Whole Foods) or the Rupunzel Sea Salt and Herb flavor. I don't like most packaged vegetable broth as I find it has an overly sweet flavor, probably from all the carrots.

Since you are looking for ideas, and since I am making my monthly meal plan, I thought I would share some of our upcoming meals with you, and where I got them. We eat pasta occasionally but I really try to keep it mostly vegetable/legume based. Most of these I serve with just a simple salad or some extra roasted vegetables:

1. Vegetarian Pot Pies with Feta Scallion Biscuits
http://www.annies-eats.com/2013/01/23/vegetarian-pot-pies-with-feta-scallion-biscuits/

2. Quinoa Spinach Mac and Cheese
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/quinoa-spinach-mac-and-cheese/

3. Thai Veggie Burgers with Peanut sauce
http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/03/03/thai-veggie-burgers-with-peanut-sauce/

4. Tacos (I use Quorn beef crumbles, black beans or lentils with regular taco seasonings) with corn tortillas, salsa, sour cream, cheese and guacamole. Served with black bean, corn and avocado salad.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/black-bean-salad-recipe.html

5. Lasagna Stuffed Portabellos
http://www.annies-eats.com/2013/02/25/lasagna-stuffed-portabellos/

6. Chipotle Chicken Chili (substitute Quorn chicken or ground beef)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/11/chipotle-chicken-chili/

7. Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Thyme Browned Butter Sauce
http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/10/30/roasted-pumpkin-pasta-with-thyme-browned-butter-sauce/

8. Breakfast for dinner - French toast, omelettes, home fries, etc.

9. Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce
http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/01/23/black-bean-patties-with-corn-relish-and-avocado-cream-sauce/

10. Asian Noodle Salad
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/my_most_favorite_salad_ever_ever_ever_ever/

11. Stir fry (either quorn chicken or tofu) with assorted veggies. I like broccoli, baby bok choy, water chestnuts, snow peas, etc. Served with jasmine rice or quinoa.

12. Roasted Vegetable Minestrone - I love this recipe, and always add a Parmesan cheese rind, great flavor. Serve with crusty bread.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/roasted-vegetable-minestrone/

13. Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowls with Peanut Sauce
http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/01/07/lets-do-lunch-roasted-veggie-quinoa-bowls-with-peanut-sauce/

14. Mushroom Ravioli with Pesto Cream Sauce

15. Veggie Enchiladas - really good
http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/06/06/veggie-enchiladas/

16. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and some kind of green veggie
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-meatloaf-with-vegetables/

17. Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/01/black-bean-soup-toasted-cumin-seed-crema/

18. Vegetarian Chili (if you don't want fake meat)
http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/12/03/vegetarian-chili/

19. Corn Chowder - this is a treat, leave out the bacon, substitute veggie broth for chicken.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cheddar-corn-chowder-recipe.html

20. Grilled Cheese and Sherried Tomato Soup - this soup is so good! Big crowd pleaser.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/sherried_tomato_soup/

21. Greek Panzenella
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/greek-panzanella-recipe.html

22. Mushroom Bourguignon with Egg Noodles
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/

OMG Chi, can you come over and cook for me?! :)
There are so many more vegetarian protein sources available out there nowdays than when I started. Back then, if you wanted a veggie burger, you had to make your own, and fake meat was relegated to msg-laden Adventist stuff (my mom was a 7th Day Adventist and they were doing the vegetarian thing long before it became fashionable), or dried TVP that I got in the health food store. Now there's a whole section in my local small town grocery where I can get meatless stuff, and this is true almost everywhere. I've gotten pretty good at this point of adapting or even making up recipes.

Here's another one I adapted, from the blog "Three Guys from Miami.". It is very similar to the Carbonada Criolla

Picadillo (traditionally made with chopped meat)
Serves 8
Olive oil for frying
1 lg. onion, diced
1 lg. bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 lbs. ground meat substitute or a mix of meat substitute and beans (I would use kidney or black for this)
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I'd use a can of diced ones)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
4 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup raisins (optional, but that's what makes the dish!)
1/2 cup green olives or 1/4 cup capers
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic cloves in oil until softened, about 5 min. Add ground beef substitute. Mash sauteed ingredients into meat substitute and brown it. Add tomatoes, rest of spices, and cover and simmer 15 min. Add olives or capers, raisins and simmer 5 min. longer. Serve over rice. You can omit the raisins and add 3 cups potatoes, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup red wine for another type of stew. To make this into a casserole, put in a greased casserole dish. For a potato gratin, layer the sliced potatoes in the dish with the sauce and bake to finish until sauce is thick. For just me, I hardly ever heat the oven up for a casserole, I do most things in a braising pan on top of the stove.

Chi, thank you, I will be looking at all of those. I ran and got my iPad and took snapshots of your whole post so I can refer back.

Yes we know all about the fake meat products. My youngest who has been a vegetarian since middle school, came back home after living in her college town after graduation. Her skin looked awful! She never had this much acne even as a teen. Long story short, she gave up the soy and we started on the Quorn products. It took 6 months but her skin is so much better. Now, she can eat some soy.

Oldest switched over when she was in college. But now she also does gluten free. Luckily she doesn't live at home so I only have to deal with her every so often.

My feeling has always been that if something is good, than it's good!

Thanks Ipink for taking the time to share all that useful info.

Tonight I am trying out a quinoa, soy, cashew stir fry.

I am not a quinoa fan, although BF likes it. I was not a fan of its cousin buckwheat. I can tolerate the red quinoa though, if I rinse it and toast it a little first before cooking. I use it in pilaf, cold salads, etc. Here's one of my favorite quinoa dishes, Kale Quinoa Salad, from Smitten Kitchen. It's great for those on the gluten free bandwagon, It calls for ricotta salata which I cannot find good stuff plus I don't do well with most dairy like that so I use goat feta, which is one of the only cheeses I eat.

I try to limit soy too. A lot of the fake meats are mostly soy protein though. Then the other big tvp product is gluten, like seitan. I don't do well with moldy things, not good for some intestinal issues I have, so quorn is pretty much out for me. That's why I started eating meat again, so many of the alternative proteins are out now for me. I still only use a bit of it, do a lot of whole grains and beans and nuts. I do OK with soy as long as I don't overdo it. Same with dairy. I try to limit those items to one serving a day, along with any wheat products. That's why I eat such a varied diet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kale and Quinoa Salad

Ipink, thanks for the recipe. I have a quinoa and kale but it's nothing like this one!

I made the Cashew, tofu and quinoa bowl tonight. (Made my husband and omelet.)
My daughter and her boyfriend liked it. I would rate it good not very good or excellent which means I will keep it in a file and not in my special index box which only house favorites.

This recipe uses grape seed oil and now that I have it I will make Tracy Pollan's Signature Salad.

I am going to try to make a new vegetarian dish once a week.

One that looks interesting is a BLT with eggplant bacon. Might save that for when my older comes. She really likes eggplant.