Protein-rich, HEALTHY meatless recipes :)

[Princess_Abby]

Inspire me! Please share protein-rich, healthy meatless dishes/recipes that your families enjoy.

 

[dwc]

Uh, just give this one a chance. The first time I saw it I passed, but it really is tasty.

Oatmeal pancakes

1/2 c oatmeal
1/4 c low fat cottage cheese
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Blend ingredients (I use my blender) until smooth. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray, add batter and cook on both sides. Great alternative to high carb regular pancakes, plus the cottage cheese and egg whites give a significant amount of protein.

Does meatless include or exclude fish?

One more … macaroni and cottage cheese casserole. Good for nights when you need to prepare the meal ahead and just pop in the microwave to heat.

2.5 c cooked pasta ( I use bowties or macaroni)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1 tsp minced onions (dried)
1.4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 - 1.5 c low fat cottage cheese
3/4 c shredded 2% mozzarella cheese
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except pasta and cheeses in a small bowl. Place pasta in a 2 quart casserole. Stir in cottage cheese, mozzarella and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese into the pasta. Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or heat in microwave until warmed through.

 

[LilyM]

A good carbonara (ish) pasta sauce:

Fry some sliced mushrooms (if desired) and reserve on a plate or in a bowl.

Then gently fry a little chopped garlic in a some good extra-virgin olive oil. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool a little.

Briskly stir in beaten-up eggs (one per serve), cracked or normal pepper and salt, and a very little milk if you like.

Put pan back on a VERY gentle heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens a little. Stir in some grated parmesan or romano cheese, stir until well-mixed. Put the mushrooms back in. Serve with pasta, and extra parmesan if you like.

Good source of protein with the egg, dairy and mushrooms, and pretty healthy unless you go really heavy on the olive oil or cheese.

 

[mom2Grace]

I learned this from a home-stay study abroad trip in Costa Rica. We often have this on Fridays, one of dh’s favorites.

Gallo Pinto
Costa Rican Breakfast

1-2 cups cooked leftover rice, one day old taken from the fridge. It is very important that it is day old rice.
1 regular can black beans (or the equivalent of home cooked beans)
About ½ cup chopped onion or more
1-3 cloves garlic, chopped
About 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, more or less for taste
1 chopped red pepper, bell or other kind ok depending on how spicy you like. Green or other bell peppers work too.
1-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, depending on how you like it
1-3 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
Salt to taste (¼ tsp)
Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large cast iron griddle.
2. Add the rice, onion and garlic to the griddle and fry until the rice begins to turn a little brown. Stir regularly to keep rice from burning. Add the pepper about half-way through.
3. Add the beans, including some of the liquid but not all.
4. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the chopped cilantro.
6. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated.
7. Serve for any meal of the day.

 

[kage_ar]

Okay, I am more of a “process” cook than a recipe cook.

The Carbonara above - I have used olives instead of mushrooms too…

Fried Rice is easy and can be meatless (or you can put in the meat you want, even ham and bacon are good)…

Cold leftover rice
Broth (chicken or veg)
Veggies
Eggs
Oil

Large non-stick skillet. Take the veggies you want and saute them with a bit of ginger, garlic, onion (to taste or what you have around). If you WANT meat, and have to cook it, well - saute that too. Remove veg (and meat if you used it) from the pan.

Lightly scramble some eggs (at least two, but more if you are going meatless and want the protien). Chop them up well, take those out of the pan and put over with your veg. Make sure there is no egg left in the pan to burn.

Now heat a couple tablespoons of oil in your pan, and add the rice, you want to lightly coat the grains rice with oil - so, eyeball it and add more oil if needed. Once it is all coated, over a med to med/high heat, start adding the broth. The idea here is for the rice to absorb the broth (even though the rice is cooked, it will soak up the broth), so, add slowly and keep gently folding the rice. When it has absorbed all it will (you can tell, there will be some broth standing in the pan) - add back your veg/egg/meat and mix it up - warm it all through.

Now is the time to add in soy sauce to taste.

 

[Renny]

If you are open to tofu, check out the Akasha Richmond book The Art of Tofu. Lots of good, healthy recipes, I seem to recall…
Also, Ezekial bread has protein in it & I really like lightly toasting it, putting on a little mayo & then thin slices of cucumber, thick slices of tomato & avocado & some sprouts.
I really dislike cucumber, but it is a must-have on this sandwich.

Oh & another good cookbook that really spells out amounts of protein & other nutritional factors is Vegetarian Mother & Baby Book by Rose Elliott.

I know I have some actual recipes somewhere…let me find them…

 

[dulcissima]

A good carbonara (ish) pasta sauce:

Fry some sliced mushrooms (if desired) and reserve on a plate or in a bowl.

Then gently fry a little chopped garlic in a some good extra-virgin olive oil. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool a little.

Briskly stir in beaten-up eggs (one per serve), cracked or normal pepper and salt, and a very little milk if you like.

Put pan back on a VERY gentle heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens a little. Stir in some grated parmesan or romano cheese, stir until well-mixed. Put the mushrooms back in. Serve with pasta, and extra parmesan if you like.

Good source of protein with the egg, dairy and mushrooms, and pretty healthy unless you go really heavy on the olive oil or cheese.

We do that too but with zucchini (cut into big matchsticks) and onions.

A good cookbook I like is The Healthy Kitchen by Dr Andrew Weil. Delicious recipes, vegetarian, fish, and chicken.

 

[Chronister4673]

We love these recipes:

Taco Style Lentils and Rice I skip all of the spices and just use bulk taco seasoning from Sam’s. Serve with mild cheddar or mexican blend cheese melted over top. Garnish with diced tomatoes and green onions. You can also use this as a meatless taco filling, the texture is somewhat reminiscent of ground beef.

Italian Pinto Beans I serve this over rice with mozzerella cheese and a side salad.

thefamilyhomestead.com/cookingwithbeans.htm This is where the Italian Pinto Beans recipe comes from. Also, there are tons of other recipes.

Pretty much any bean + any whole grain combines to make a protein. Add a little fat (such as olive oil) and you can have a tasty and economic main dish!

 

[AmberDale]

I make this a lot during Lent, I think it’s Healthy…

Spinach Spaghetti Bake (I made this up)

Chop some mushrooms, put in med/low skillet. Sautee a bit… Add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Add 1/2 package of frozen cut up spinach (cook in micro to thaw)… Simmer while Pasta is cooking.
Pasta: any you like, i use spaghetti noodles…

Toss sauce and spaghetti…Put in glass 9x12 casserol. Cover with cheese. Back at 350 for 20 minutes!

My husbands Aunt said “I don’t like Spinach”… I said “Try it”. She did and had a 2nd helping.

If you don’t eat cheese, just toss the spaghetti and sauce and serve like normal. It really is quite good.

 

[puzzleannie]

there are a lot of great recipes in the Lenten Recipe thread which is still in the archives, mods bring it out every lent, start there.