I'm a picky vegetarian

[TwinMomPlus]

I am so picky that being a vegetarian is hard.

I don't like tofu, eggplant, or beans! I will eat them but not much.

I still eat dairy and eggs, or I wouldn't get any protein at all.

I need ideas on meals and snacks for the picky vegetarian!

Thanks!

[caiesmommy]

What don't you like about beans?
What about dips like hummus, spicy black bean, white bean dip ect. with pita and veggies

Are you making dishes that beans are there but aren't the MAIN picture of the meal..think curry where you get the other tastes and the beans just add to it. Dhal is a good example of this. I LOVE RED LENTIL DAHL! Also veggie soups work well this way. I make a red lentil carrot coconut in the slowcooker that purees up and tastes wonderful

Tofu is a hard one, IM not a huge fan, if my dc didnt love it I would NEVER buy it. You can puree it and season it into a ricotta substitute for lasagna(even my hard core meat loving family likes that), you caould make asian dumplings as well

There is always seeds. We eat a lot of hemp seeds which are a great source of protein. Sprinkle them onto pasta dishes ect. I also make homemade muffins once a week and add seeds to them. Hemp seeds get added into pancakes here as well

[bandgeek]

Nuts and nut butters? Some PB on a piece of toast can pack as much as 10-12g of protein.

Salads with sunflower seeds or almonds and a hard boiled egg. And bacos! You can pack almost an entire day's worth of protein into a carefully planned salad.

Pasta with tomato sauce, chopped veggies, topped with a little cheese.

Lasagna with shredded veggies in it.

Stir-fry...load up on veggies with a yummy sauce (for a good, cheap sauce, just combine some peanut butter, marmalade or fruit preserves, and some soy sauce), then toss onto a bed of rice. Use edamame or mock meat for a good protein boost.

Whole wheat muffins with shredded veggies in them make good snacks.

Egg salad for sandwiches or scooped up onto crackers.

Lentils! Have you tried them? Excellent source of protein and they can be made into almost anything. Here's a few of my lentil recipes (pretty basic, you can google them):

Lentil tacos
Shepherd's pie
Lentil mini-loaves
Red Lentil Cauliflower curry
Lentil sloppy joes

Do you like chickpeas? They are not really "beany" like other beans. Good for hummus, tossed in salads, and in curry.

Baked potato smothered with cheese or butter/margarine, broccoli, and bacos.

Cut veggies with dip, cut fruit, almonds, the occasional granola bar, ect...all the typical "snacky" type foods are a lifesaver when you don't have time to really prepare anything or cook.

Honestly, if you eat dairy and eggs I can't imagine you'd ever have trouble getting enough protein. Grains and fruits/veggies alone can provide you with what you need, although you might have to work to get enough. Add in dairy and eggs and you're golden.

I'm a dairy-free, almost egg-free vegetarian who doesn't eat tofu, and limits soy. I do fine.