Meatless recipes...high in protein

[Nomad]

I wish to reduce my meat consumption somewhat this year. Don't really have a big desire to be a vegetarian or vegan, but I do think I (and probably Americans in general ) eat too much animal protein. HOWEVER, on my mind is I don't lose nearly as much weight when I don't eat meat. (If anyone has a guess as to why, please let me know) I eat a ton of veggies.

So, I'm looking for really yummy meatless, high protein recipes.

Anyone have any????

Many thanks!!!

 

[runawaybunny]

I like to make frittatas, but I don't have a recipe with specific ingredients written down. I just wing it with mushrooms or bell peppers and maybe some green onions or whatever else is in the fridge.

Preheat broiler.

Heat an oven proof skillet on medium heat for a few minutes then coat with cooking spray. Cook the veggies in the pan until lightly browned.

In a medium bowl combine cooked veggies, 5 eggs, 1/2 cup low fat cheese, thyme, freshly ground black pepper, and salt. If we have a carton of egg whites I'll substitute a couple of the eggs with egg whites. Stir well with a whisk.

Heat the pan on medium heat for a few minutes and then coat with cooking spray. Pour in the egg mixture and cook covered over medium heat until partially set. This takes less than 5 minutes.

Broil for a couple of minutes until the eggs are completely set. Usually takes about 3 or 4 minutes.

Served with a salad this makes a good meatless meal.

 

[runawaybunny]

If you like quinoa (protein source), tomatillos, and cotija cheese this one is really good. Quantities of tomatillos or tomatoes vary depending upon what looks better in the store that day.

In the summer the tomatillos are gorgeous but in the winter they are puny looking or hard to find, so I don't use them.

Make sure to cut the tomatoes because that's where the liquid for the quinoa comes from. If you don't cut them the quinoa will be too dry. (been there done that) If you're making it with less or no tomatoes or tomatillos then pour a few cups of vegetable stock over the top before cooking. Better too much liquid than not enough.

Quinoa and veggies in a slow cooker

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup cotija cheese
2 zucchini
2 summer squash or mexican gray squash
tomatillos
grape tomatoes

Layer of uncooked quinoa on bottom
1 layer sliced zucchini
Sprinkle with cotija
1 layer grape tomatoes cut in half - hold back about 2 cups of tomatoes for the final layer
Sprinkle with cotija
1 layer sliced summer squash or mexican gray squash
sprinkle with cotija
1 layer tomatillo wedges
Sprinkle with cotija
Top with remaining tomatoes

Cook for 6 hours on low

 

[runawaybunny]

No protein in cabbage, but they're good as part of a meatless meal so I'll share them anyway.

Cabbage Steaks

Preheat oven to 400
Cut cabbage into 1 inch steaks root to top (If you don't cut this way they fall apart. been there done that)
Brush with garlic & olive oil
Salt & pepper
Cook for 1/2 hour & flip & cook for another 1/2 hour

These are good with a sunny side up egg on top. I like mine with the yolk still runny so it soaks down into the cabbage.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Are you wanting to drop meat? or animal protein?

Huge difference.

Eggs, milk and cheese are excellent high-quality protein sources, especially in small quantities. But they are still animal protein.

Defatted soy flour can be used in place of part of the flour in baked goods, which increases the protein content. But I find it hard to use more than 1/10th as soy before it affects the quality. Example: White or whole wheat buns, recipe calls for 5 c flour, I use 1/2 c soy and the rest regular.

Peanut butter and other nut butters. Or nuts in general. In small quantities (high in fat, but also high in minerals, fiber, etc.)

Chick peas are versatile.

 

[Nomad]

I see, good question. Meat...trying to reduce my consumption of meat.

 

[recoveringenabler]

This is a really yummy snack.

INGREDIENTS:
One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans1 1/2 tablespoons olive oilSaltSpice blend of your choice
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Drain the can of garbanzo beans in a strainer and rinse with water for a few seconds to clean off the beans. Shake and tap the strainer to rid of excess water. Lay paper towl on a baking sheet, and spread the beans over. Use another paper towel to gently press and absorb the water on the beans. Roll the beans around with the paper towel to also remove the thin skin from any of the beans. Discard the skins and the paper towels.

3. Drizzle the olive oil over the beans and use your hands or a spatula to toss around and coat. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the beans are a deep golden brown and crunchy. Make sure that the beans do not burn.

4. Season with salt and spice blend.

 

[Tom14]

I will definitely try this suggestions.

 

[GoingNorth]

If you have kids, (or a whacked-out SO) the other way to remove the skins from canned chickpeas is to place a chickpea between thumb and forefinger and squeeze while aiming toward a bowl.

Aiming at each other is even more fun, but requires rounding up the ammunition and washing it thoroughly.

 

[Jabberwockey]

Chick Peas/Garbanzo beans are an excellent protein source and are used in many Middle Eastern recipes. Hummus and falafel for example, both of which I love! Something else not mentioned is portabella mushrooms. I know someone mentioned mushrooms earlier but portabella mushrooms are a good source of protein. You can even grill one like a hamburger patty.

 

[GoingNorth]

Garbanzo beans are also popular in Indian cuisie, and in Hispanic cuisine from certain regions.

 

[Jabberwockey]

We've recently started to try some of the meat substitutes available at the stores. Haven't brought myself to try tofu yet but have had pretty good luck with several different Morning Star products. The Mediterranean Patty was excellent! The "riblets" in bbq sauce were ok but nothing special. The sausage tasted pretty good but you have to be careful cooking it. If you don't get the outside fairly crispy, the center will have almost a....creamy?....texture. You have to be careful not to over cook them though. Haven't tried the "chicken" patties or breakfast strips yet. The main ingredient in most of these, if I'm not mistaken, is chick peas/garbanzo beans.

 

[GoingNorth]

The "chicken-oid" stuff is OK. The breakfast strips and breakfast sausage patties are hideous. Very bitter soy aftertaste if you are sensitive to that.

I find most textured soy protein products to have a bitter flavor. Much better are the products made of beans and lentils. Much healthier as well.

 

[Lil]

I never noticed any of them to be bitter. But the texture is not like meat...even ground meat. Certainly not my favorite, but not too bad.

I have a few recipes that are meat-free.

Vegan Chili
2 cans of diced tomatoes (or 1 large can)
2 cans of chili beans
1 can of no sodium black beans
1 cup of dry lentil beans
¼ cup chia seeds (optional)
1 bag of Boca soy crumbles
3 cloves of garlic
2 habanero peppers
Cayenne pepper, chili powder etc. to taste

Combine all of the ingredients into crock pot and cook on low overnight.

Skillet Zucchini
¼ cup butter or margarine
6 small zucchini
1 onion
2 tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup water
1 T soy sauce
2 T bread crumbs (approx. and if desired)
grated cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced zucchini and onion, chunked tomatoes, salt, pepper and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in soy sauce and bread crumbs. Top with cheddar cheese. Cover and cook 2 minutes more. Sprinkle servings with parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Torte
Lots of zucchini - enough sliced to fill a 9 x 13" pan
6 eggs
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced (more if you like)
2 T. dried or 1 T. fresh marjoram leaves, crumbled
1/2 c. really good parmesan cheese, freshly grated.
Bit more parmesan for the top, if you like lots of cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T. olive oil (for oiling the pan)
Steam or saute the zucchini slices. Drain & blot dry. Put in oiled pan. Beat eggs with the rest. Pour over the top. (Maybe lift the layers a bit to make sure egg mixture really coats all the squash.) Sprinkle over extra parmesan if desired.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 - 40 minutes. Serve hot or at room temp. Superb buffet dish.

 

[Jon777]

Not sure why you would have difficulty losing weight on a vegetarian diet. It might be an indication of some kind of underlying problem...like a food allergy or something else? Might want to think about running that by a competent medical professional and getting assessed.

As far as recipes go, a few books come to mind:

Laurel's Kitchen, Diet For A Small Planet, the Moosewood Cookbook

The Moosewood Cookbook was one of the first gourmet veggie cookbooks...so there should be some good things in there.

Don't forget, you can always supplement your protein intake with a good protein shake. Some folks are now leaning away from soy protein and towards pea or rice protein...but there are various options that you can explore..

best of luck.

I wish to reduce my meat consumption somewhat this year. Don't really have a big desire to be a vegetarian or vegan, but I do think I (and probably Americans in general ) eat too much animal protein. HOWEVER, on my mind is I don't lose nearly as much weight when I don't eat meat. (If anyone has a guess as to why, please let me know) I eat a ton of veggies.

So, I'm looking for really yummy meatless, high protein recipes.

Anyone have any????

Many thanks!!!

 

[Jon777]

forgot one more source...

IVU..

3100 vegan recipes...

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/