Vegetarian Meal Ideas
There are often times when I don’t feeling like making a dinner based on a meat entre. It’s possible that I’m losing my taste for meat. Or I also think more about what’s involved in getting the meat I see in my grocery store from the animal to the shelf. I wonder if I would eat any meat if I had to go out and hunt it down myself. On the other hand, I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my chicken cutlets or the occasional grilled cheeseburger forever. Most of all I do think a more vegetarian diet has a lot of health benefits worth considering.
There are many wonderful vegetarian recipes available in cookbooks and online as well. Perhaps the hardest adjustment is the mental one of moving away from making meals meat-centered, especially dinners. For most of us that is the way we were fed growing up, a meal based on meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
So if not meat, then what? One of the most popular meat substitutes is tofu. Tofu is a very versatile food – you can grill, eat it cold, and make it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are loads of great recipes with tofu including ravioli, grilled sandwiches, salads, desserts, and much more.
You can also make great meals using eggplant. This is a natural and fresh food that’s quite delicious. You can serve it plain or make a layered casserole. You can make a simple casserole of baked eggplant by slicing up an eggplant or two, breading the slices and briefly frying them in a pan. Then place a layer of sauce at the bottom of your casserole dish, followed with a layer of eggplant and cheese, and continue layering with a final layer of cheese on top.
Any kind of pasta can make a great vegetarian dinner. You can make a simple white cheese sauce or your favorite red sauce, topped with fresh grated cheese. Serve with some fresh baked asparagus or a leafy green salad with balsamic dressing and you’ve got a delicious, satisfying, and healthy meal.
One of my personal favorites is pizza. All family members can enjoy a delicious slice or two and it’s so easy to make it vegetarian style. Instead of topping with pepperoni or sausage, you simply add other goodies like pineapple or pepper. If you need to please some of you meat lovers, simply put your vegetarian toppings on one side of the pie and the meat on the other side.
There really is no end to the ways you can incorporate a more vegetarian lifestyle into your food routines. You don’t have to make the change all at once, but if you start in small ways you’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes to eat less and less meat. And you’ll feel plenty healthy and satisfied in the process.
