This summer, I finally committed to eating an entirely vegetarian diet. I’ve never particularly loved meat, but I continued to eat it because I was told growing up that I needed it for protein and iron. However, after spending the past few months trying new recipes with a wide variety of protein and iron-rich foods, I’ve come to realize that this belief is 100% false. Not only do I feel the healthiest and strongest I’ve ever felt, but I’ve come to love foods like tofu, sweet potato, and mushrooms by pushing myself to try different things.
Here are some of my new favorite meals for anybody interested in getting some new ingredients on their plate! I’m attaching recipes for each of them, but they’re pretty easy to customize on your own if you want to find something that better suits your tastes (I hardly ever follow recipes anymore).
Mushroom Veggie Burger
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/233999/mushroom-veggie-burger/
I never liked mushrooms until my mother made these veggie burgers for me in high school, and now they’re a staple in my diet! But for anybody who’s feeling skeptical, I don’t find that the burger has a very strong mushroom taste, especially since it has cheese and a couple of different veggies mixed in to balance the taste out. Definitely worth a shot!
Cajun Sweet Potato Rice Bowl
https://makeitdairyfree.com/cajun-sweet-potatoes-and-black-beans-rice-bowls/
This is probably my favorite meal listed here. Not only are the ingredients cheap and accessible, but the meal is super easy to make and tastes great for days after! I would recommend pan-frying the rice and black beans together along with cajun seasoning (or whatever other seasoning you want to use); this makes the rice more flavorful as it soaks up the bean juice.
Tofu Fried Rice
https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-fried-rice/
I’d always heard negative things about tofu from my friends and family who tried it, so I had never really given it a chance until my girlfriend started cooking it for me over the summer. It’s a bit difficult to cook because it has to dry out for a couple of hours, but when you can fry it up with some olive oil and seasoning, it’s fantastic! If you want to make it in fried rice, make sure that you use day-old rice (freshly cooked rice is sticky and doesn’t work super well). Grocery stores usually have bags of mixed frozen veggies that are labeled “stir fry mix,” and those always work pretty well for a recipe like this. This meal is super easy to prep in advance so that you can cook it up quickly on a busy week night.
Chickpea Curry
I’ve started eating tons of curry over the past year because it’s so easy to find vegetarian and vegan options for. Chickpeas have become a favorite food of mine because they’re filling, have tons of protein, and work well with all kinds of different recipes. Grocery stores also carry pre-made curry sauces, so that’s a good option if you don’t want to buy the specific ingredients to make your own.
Pizza
http://fannythefoodie.com/2017/03/05/vegan-pizza-3-ways/
This link brings you to a few different recipes, but I’ve only made the one called “Mean Green.” My roommate added feta to this when she made it for us, and it was delicious! (but I’m sure it’d be great without cheese as well). The pesto is awesome as a sauce, and I liked the leafy greens more than I thought I would. If you have time to, I think that grilling the veggies before cooking them on the pizza would be a great touch to this recipe, but that’s certainly not necessary.