Vegetarianism for beginners: 11 tips for new vegetarians
If you’ve decided to give vegetarianism a try, check out my 11 top tips for new vegetarians, and help make the transition to meatfree eating as seamless as possible!
January is always a good time for a fresh start – a time to refocus and think about your life goals. For a lot of people, that might mean finally giving up meat and becoming a vegetarian. Sometimes it can seem like a bit of a big step, and not everyone finds it easy – if you’re used to eating ‘meat and two veg’ type meals, it does involve a bit of a mental shift.
So if that’s you, hopefully these tips for new vegetarians will help you out! Welcome to the green side!
To compile this guide to vegetarianism for beginners, I took to my private Facebook group (Easy Vegetarian Dinners – come and join!) to ask for top tips from some of our more experienced vegetarians. Here’s what we came up with!
1. Don’t feel pressured to label yourself
There are so many different dietary labels out there – vegan, plant-based, pescatarian, omnivore, vegetarian (not to mention lacto / ovo / lacto-ovo vegetarian!)… but you really don’t need to label yourself if you’d prefer not to. I’m certainly not going to police your diet, and nobody else should either.
Just because vegetarians generally continue eat both dairy and eggs, you’re more than welcome to give up one or other of those too, if you want to. You can eat a mostly plant-based diet, but still eat honey if you like. If you want to eat 99% vegetarian, with the occasional piece of fish, nobody has the right to tell you not to.
As long as you’re comfortable with what you’re eating, that’s all that matters.
(and if you’re not comfortable with what you’re eating, there’s no better time to make a change than right now!)
2. Make changes at your own pace
The ‘all or nothing’ attitude can sometimes actually get in the way of making any progress at all – even if you’re not ready to start eating 100% vegetarian all in one go, that doesn’t mean you can’t start taking small steps towards reducing your meat consumption.
There are all sorts of different ways you can start to make changes:
- implement Meatless Monday, where you start with just one vegetarian day each week
- give up one meat at a time – perhaps start by just avoiding red meat, but still eating chicken and fish, then moving onto the next meat when you’re ready
- eat vegetarian Monday to Friday, but still have meat at the weekends
- make sure you eat vegetarian breakfasts and lunches, but still have a piece of meat at dinnertime
- decide there will be certain meals you’ll always make veggie, but not others (e.g. you love vegetarian pizza, but still want to eat chicken curry)
However you choose to start reducing your meat intake, make sure you’re doing it at your own pace. Your vegetarian diet is far more likely to stick if you’re feeling comfortable with the changes, rather than feeling forced to have a total diet upheaval in one go.
3. Start with what you already eat
Even if you’re a real meat lover, chances are you already eat all sorts of vegetarian meals – vegetable soup, margherita pizza, beans on toast, scrambled eggs, tomatoey pasta…
Keeping a few of these familiar dishes on your menu can help you to feel like not so much has changed.
Plus, there will be many more meals in your current diet that can easily be made vegetarian with just a few simple changes. Don’t feel that you suddenly need to be eating exotic meals filled with bizarre vegetarian ingredients – it’s perfectly possible to make a great vegetarian curry, vegetarian burgers, vegetarian meatballs, etc. without too much effort.
Familiar foods, made veggie.
4. Don’t be afraid of using meat substitutes
When thinking about how to change your current meaty favourites into vegetarian versions, don’t be afraid of using meat substitutes.
There are all sorts of vegetarian products available that imitate meat – vegetarian beef-style mince, chicken-style pieces, burgers, meatballs, nuggets… sometimes all it takes is a straightforward swap, and you can enjoy the meatfree version of your favourite dinner with no extra effort at all.
If you’re not keen on the first meat substitute you try, don’t let it put you off trying other kinds – some brands and products are better than others. Some don’t actually taste much like meat at all, and are simply designed to be cooked in the same way, whereas others are scarily realistic. So keep trying until you find one that works for you!
I don’t really want to comment on which brands are most meat-like, as it’s been twenty years since I ate meat, and I’m not really qualified to say!
5. That said, meat substitutes aren’t for everybody
While meat substitutes can work really well to ease you into vegetarianism with meals you’re already familiar with, they don’t work for everybody. If you’re an ardent steak lover who’s choosing to become vegetarian for environmental or health reasons, chances are a vegetarian imitation steak is just going to leave you disappointed.
Luckily, there are a million other kinds of vegetarian proteins, so you certainly don’t need to eat processed meat substitutes if you’d prefer not to.
Beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds – they’re all great vegetarian forms of protein that you’ll learn to love in their own right.
6. Be prepared with a well-stocked pantry
Over the years, we all develop our own arsenal of quick go-to meals – the kind of thing you make after a long day at work, and you don’t want to actually use any brain power.
If you’re used to rustling up something meaty, it might require a bit more effort to come up with a quick vegetarian meal, so if you don’t want to end up reverting back (or just eating beans on toast every single time), it’s important to have plenty of vegetarian ingredients on hand.
I shared a post not long ago about how to stock a vegetarian pantry. It details everything you’ll need to keep in your cupboards – all those simple base ingredients that will mean there’s always something quick and easy you can rustle up without too much thought.
If you look in your cupboards and see that they’re full of tasty foods that you can eat, you’ll put a lot less thought towards those things you can’t eat.
7. Cook with recipes, at least to begin with
Until you get used to vegetarian cooking, it’s probably worth cooking with a recipe, at least some of the time. Without the added flavour and juices of meat, you may find you need to put more thought into how you’ll get plenty of flavour into your vegetarian cooking.
It can definitely be done! Vegetarian food can be just as irresistible as the meaty food you’re used to, but you might need to give it a little more consideration than usual – for example using fresh herbs, plenty of spice, a wide variety of veggies, etc.
That’s why it can be useful to have a recipe in front of you for inspiration – have a browse through my huge collection of vegetarian recipes, and see what inspires you! Even if you don’t follow the recipe exactly (I love it when people make my recipes their own!), it might just spark some ideas about how to make a tasty vegetarian meal.
Once you get more used to vegetarian cooking, of course, you can be more independent.
8. Try to experiment!
Although my recipes on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian are full of everyday ingredients that can easily be found in most supermarkets, there is probably the odd ingredient that’s less familiar to meat-eaters – a lot of omnivores don’t eat much tofu, for example, and may not be as familiar with edamame or paneer.
That’s why it’s so great to experiment in the kitchen – get excited about the new world of vegetarian food in front of you! Focus on the positive – there are so many amazing foods out there that you may not have ever experienced before.
If you enjoy cooking, a great challenge is to try one new recipe every week, especially if it contains a new-to-you ingredient.
9. Reframe your thinking
For a lot of ‘meat and two veg’ eaters, meat forms the centre of every meal – that’s the thing you decide on first, then you figure out the side dishes to go alongside it.
While some vegetarian meals can certainly have this structure (my carrot and white bean cutlets are great in a roast dinner type meal, instead of meat!), most vegetarian meals are a little different. If you browse through all my vegetarian dinner recipes, very few take this form – so rather than choosing a main dish and then choosing sides, it’s better to think of a vegetarian meal in its entirety.
10. Beware hidden ingredients
If you’re deciding to make the move to a vegetarian diet gradually, you might not initially worry about ‘hidden’ ingredients in foods that may seem vegetarian at first glance.
But if you do decide to be stricter about your vegetarianism, beware! It’s always worth checking the labels on your food to make sure it’s really veggie-friendly, at least until you get more familiar with your new diet.
A few examples:
- gelatine in gummy sweets, marshmallows and jelly
- animal rennet in some cheeses (including ‘real’ parmesan cheese – veggie versions are easy to find!)
- animal suet in some traditional puddings and dumplings (luckily most are vegetarian now)
- animal-derived flavourings, e.g. in higher quality packets of crisps (chips)
As mentioned before, it’s up to you where you draw the line when it comes to your vegetarianism, so you may decide that you’re okay with eating ‘hidden’ animal products, but it’s worth being aware either way.
11. Go easy on yourself
If you do find yourself having a slip up, don’t beat yourself up about it. When I first became a vegetarian at around 10 years old, I think I lasted about a week before being tempted by my Grandma’s pigs in blankets. Luckily, when I tried again soon afterwards, it stuck, and I’ve now been veggie for about two decades!
So if you do get tempted once in a while, and eat something you would usually avoid, it’s really not the end of the world. As with anything – just get back on track the next day.
Be kind to yourself!
Great Article!! I am vegetarian by force because I can’t stomach meat anymore. I guess its a good problem to have.
Thank you for sharing.
Hey there!
Meat actually makes me sick. At times when I eat meat I get so sick I can barely eat for about 2 days. So, I started my transition about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Any advice for a hard switch?
Lots of the above can apply to a hard switch! Use meat substitutes to make it easier if you find you’re missing meat – or if not, jump straight in with beans, lentils etc :)
I literally just woke up one day this month and I couldn’t eat meat I just can’t stand or handle it anymore. How do I deal with the changes?
There are lots of great tips in this post! And you’ll find lots of recipe inspiration on the site too :)
You can make your own vegetable broth. Save the scraps when you cut up celery, carrots, onions, garlic and so on. (I wouldn’t use bitter vegetables). Once you get a big bag full in your freezer, pull it out, cover with water, add spices/herbs you like (maybe an extra onion or garlic if think it needs more flavor. Cover with cold water and simmer at least 45 minutes. Drain this liquid in a strainer, pushing on the vegetables to release the juices. Cool and freeze for your use in soups, stocks, and so on.
Great tip and a great way to make use of your scraps! :)
My number one tip that always comes up when people ask how I can manage to be a successful vegetarian (especially in the deep south of the U.S.) is that you can almost always find a way to eat a fairly well-balanced vegetarian meal, even when it seems it might be difficult, if you’re willing to give it a little thought and be creative. For instance, when you’re eating out at restaurants or at other people’s homes, non-vegetarians tend to assume you’ll need special consideration and while it’s nice when people take my vegetarianism into account when making food plans, I’ve found it’s not usually necessary! Even if people look at you funny, order the burger with no patty, extra cheese. Burrito with no chicken, extra beans! It works!
Yes, good point! Lots of things can be adapted to be made vegetarian with just one or two simple changes :)
Hi Becca,
In the Beware of hidden ingredients section, a lot of soups use a chicken or beef broth even if they are vegetable based with out meat in them. It might not be a big deal for someone just starting to experiment with a vegetarian diet but I have been very sick from eating a couple bites of soup before realizing it was a meat based broth.
It probably would not cause everyone to get ill but I have not eaten meat or seafood for a very long time so it has that affect on me. I love soup in the winter so I make a lot of crockpot soups!
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Yes! Meat stock is another good one :)
Looking forward to receiving recipies, + advice+ helpful tips, proud to be a new veggie,
Ooh have you signed up to my mailing list? Thanks! :)
Vegitarian diet does not include eating fish…its anything that had a face at 1time…
You’re right – I didn’t mention eating fish?
Im vegetarian by force because I can’t stomach meat anymore. I guess its a good problem to have.
Although I am not a vegetarian yet, I intend to be (with vegan being the ultimate goal). I think the idea of not getting hung up on labels will be a great help to me. When I have tried to go veggie in the past, I always felt pressured by my family and friends – like they were waiting for me to slip up and ‘not be a vegetarian again’. This way, I can gradually phase meat out, without feeling like I have failed completely if I do slip.
Slow gradual transition will be my approach this time. I will gradually finish off the animal products I have in the house already, and replace them with vegetarian/vegan foods each time I go food shopping. That way, I won’t have to do the big overhaul shop which can be overwhelming.
Loved this post, and found it to be really motivating. Thank you :D
Sounds like a great strategy – much less pressure than trying to go cold turkey (or cold tofurkey!). Good luck :)
I agree! I really like the idea of not putting a label on myself quite yet being a very new vegetarian (1 week.) I can honestly say it’s been an easy change so far- but I know I’m not very far in yet lol. One thing I have been doing that I think will be helpful is making vegetarian freezer meals. I’ve made black bean burgers, falafels, veggie stuffed bell peppers,stir frys and some soups. I think it’s a good idea if your working a full time job, have a family ect to have something easy, convenient and ready at your finger tips. I think it’s wise to plan ahead so your not tempted to slip :) Thanks for the post!
Congrats on eating more veggie food! Enjoy your first veggie Christmas if you’re celebrating :)
Thanks for these useful tips !
Thank you so much me and my sister turned vegetarian two days ago, it’s hard but it took so long for our my mum to allow it, we got this far…
Stick with it Maisy, it can be tricky at first but once you get a few easy meals under your belt I promise it will be so easy :)
Also just wondering, do you have any tips for meat free recipes with rich umami flavours? Thanks :)
I LOVE this, if you don’t mind tofu: https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/honey-soy-tofu/
Or this roasted aubergine is amazing, if you don’t! https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/roasted-edamame-noodle-bowls/
Oh wow, they look delicious! I love a bit of tofu, and that’s done just how I like it.
Thank you for the tips. I think it’s helpful to include the fact it’s going to be hard as I had been thinking if it would be hard it might not be for me. I come from a family of veggies and pescatarians and was veggie for a few years in my teens. In my heart I always wanted to stop eating meat but I do really enjoy it and I have no willpower! Ive started cooking from scratch a lot more lately and experimenting with new foods, a lot of them meat-free, so I think now is the time. Please wish me luck!
Good luck Nat! I think it’s easy once you get used to it, it might just take a bit of getting used to. Hope you’re doing well! :)
I felt the same way, Nat. For years I would debate internally but never commit because i enjoyed a certain meal or real craved ___. I would often try to ease into it and do a pescatarian approach or a structured “exception” list but that always led me back to where I started.
This last time-I decided I was done. I told myself all of the many reasons I needed to do this (personal reasons, health, animal treatment, environment/sustainability, etc.) (whatever your reasons, say them to yourself and let yourself acknowledge that your reasons are reason enough) and cleaned out the kitchen.
Any products I had in the pantry with meat like soups or tuna fish cans, I dropped off at a food shelf. I gave any frozen meat or fish to friends as to not be wasteful and then I began.
This has by far been the most effective transition for me and I haven’t missed any of the “exceptions” I used to want. I do my best to be assertive and unapologetic yet flexible and not an obstacle for others.
You can do it!
-One happy veggie.
That’s an awesome comment. Thanks Kathryn <3
This is awesome I was a vegetarian then turned vegan 2 years ago then went back to meat. I am going back to vegetarian I think going to vegan so fast really made it hard because I love cheese. Plus I am a picky eater and don’t like much vegetables and hate rice, but I just tried quinoa and enjoy it. So I hope this time I will be able to stick to it! I don’t eat much meat as it is, it makes me feel sick always has since I was little. But finding vegetarian meals for picky eater like me is hard definitely going to read more blogs this time also!!!!!
I hope you can stick to it this time and find plenty of recipes here to inspire you! :)
Nice tips. This is very useful. Thanks for sharing this post.
I was starting to panic when my son told me he wanted to be a vegetarian, although it had already crossed my mind, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the right food in regards to nutrition and taste. I am doing this with him and we gave ourselves 2 weeks just so we don’t feel pressured. I would definitely like to be a forever vegetarian so I’m going to do my best.
Thank you for this blog and thanks to everybody on the comments, the tips and recipes really help.
Giving yourself 2 weeks to begin with is a great idea :) I’m sure that as long as you’re a little creative and try lots of new things, you’ll realise that eating veggie can be really easy! Hope you find some recipes here that you enjoy :)
I realize this post is a little old now but I just came across it on Pinterest. Very new to meatless eating here and I’m finding that starting out as a “pescetarian” helps. I think still eating seafood is helping me transition as a big meat eater. Just wanted to throw that in for other newbies. Great post and comments!
Thanks for your message Grace – I read them all, even on old posts! And I’m glad you’re finding a way to cut down on your meat intake that works for you :)
I am also new to this and am very happy I have decided to use fish to help me transition to vegetarian.
Are there any dangers to being a vegan? I workout 6 days a week, and I take a multivitamin twice a day. I love all sorts of veggies and fruits so becoming a vegetarian was not hard for me. I have been doing it for 3 weeks and am loving this, my husband made turkey meatballs, I had a few and could have left them alone!! I just want to make sure I am being healthy with this Chang:)
Vegan or vegetarian? I’m not vegan so can’t really help hugely there, but I think it may be sensible to take B vitamin supplements if you’re going fully vegan? Not sure, best to do some research :)
Thank you so much for the inspiring tips. I’ve been considering vegetarianism for a while and I know deep down that it’s the best choice ethically speaking but I always thought it’d be such a big deal. After reading your article and the comments, I have the impression that it can actually be done. Thank you so much for being positive and not judgemental of those who still eat meat.
Absolutely! Can’t stand judgemental veggies :) and it definitely doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t want it to be – just cut down gradually and experiment a bit in the kitchen and you’ll realise that vegetarianism can actually be quite fun! :)
I’m e new veggie, and my fiancé is still a meteater (not that it bothers me). We make all our dinner together, and we make the same dishes. I just replace the meat with veggies :) Yeasterday we had chinese chicken cashew, but I switched out the chicken with extra paprika and broccoli :) And I have completly fallen in love with quinoa and black beans! :D yummy!
Your situation is the same as mine – I’m veggie and my husband eats meat :) (though luckily he’s happy to eat the veggie dinners I cook most of the time!). Make sure you’re still getting plenty of protein rather than just piling up on veggies! Quinoa and black beans are great options :D
Some fantastic tips here! I do like to eat vegetarian as often as I can, but there are times when only a good old steak will do. :)
Just realised I’m still putting in my old blog address – this is going to take some getting used to.
What a good idea. I think there are lots of folk out there who’d like to become vegetarian but find it a bit daunting.
So much fabulous advice here! And such wonderful company – thanks a bunch for including me. x
some great tips here -have been through phases of eating and not eating a vegetarian diet, and it helps that there is so much inspiration from more vegetarian cultures to try out and enjoy.
Really interesting. I am a meat eater but have regular meals without meat. I like the thought of not labelling yourself. It’s not for me for ethical reasons nor even environmental ones, just that I try to listen to my body and I often feel like what it needs is vegetables or at least meals with minimal meat.
A good list of tips Becca. Thanks for including mine.
Such a great idea for a post – thanks for including a couple of tips from moi! I love the idea about not being in a hurry to label yourself as you’re easing into it. No need to put that pressure on yourself!
i think staying positive and making slower transition is the way to go :) great tips dear.
I’m not vegetarian, but I actually find non-meat meals quicker and much simpler to prepare than ones with meat! Especially if you aren’t vegan – an omelette, for instance, with crusty bread and butter; how about pasta with grated cheese (that used to be my end-of-the-month staple when I was young and broke!). You can add all kinds of vegetables to this. A microwave is your friend…. Or, when in not so much of a hurry, chop a mixture of vegetables and cook them on a low heat in a lidded frying pan, stirring frequently but keeping the lid on as much as possible. When cooked, stir through some cream cheese – or hummus, if you are vegan – and serve with pasta.
I agree, a vegetarian dinner can be so quick to make! And delicious too :)
Awesome collection of tips! It’s been a while since I went veg, so I sometimes forget some of the challenges in making the transition. I get asked for advice on this a lot and I’m sure this will be a great place to point people. Thanks so much for including a tip from me!
love this list – need to come back and read the comments when I have a bit more time – I think that I would say to new vegetarians, go easy on yourself: you might find yourself eating shrimp paste or gelatin by mistake but we have all done it – you might arrive at a wedding and forgotten to tell them you are vegetarian (as I did once) but you just smile and remember that wedding isn’t all about food and you will probably get some cake anyway :-) It gets easier, you learn more tricks and if you do miss bacon then I highly recommend making tofu bacon on regular rotation like we do!
When I first went vegetarian I started by eating vegetarian lunches (at school) and eating meat with my family in the evenings. Then after a while I gave up meat for lent, and that gave me the confidence to go completely vegetarian. I used to really miss Sacla Pesto, but now they do a veggie one too!
I’m not vegetarian but Husband is, so I only ever have meat when we go out, if I’m home alone or sometimes a little bit for my lunch at work. Everything else I eat is vegetarian because we’re just two people and it would be ridiculous and wasteful to cook two different meals. So I feel a bit like I’ve got a foot in both camps here. Husband says I’m ‘no-man’s-land-itarian and a whole new word ought to be invented for the likes of me. Consequently I find I have a lot to say about the subject.
On the one hand I could, at this point, see myself having given up on meat entirely. Not as a conscious decision, but as a more gradual process. I’ve even found myself occasionally having the same as Husband when we go out too. On the other hand, I don’t really want to give up meat completely. I really really don’t want to. I don’t want to end up like Husband who, after 20 years of vegetarianism, has lost the ability to process it, so if you accidentally give him a soup based on a chicken stock, for example, he’ll get sick as if it was a regular food poisoning. I really really really don’t that for myself.
RE 6, though, it depends on where you’re from. In the UK you can go into pretty much any restaurant and expect there will be at least one vegetarian option, and it will almost always be clearly marked as vegetarian. In Denmark, you can only do that if you go into a pizza place. Vegetarianism is not unheard of, but it’s very uncommon indeed here. We’re a HUGE meat eating nation. You can usually get some sort of vegetarian alternative in a restaurant, but they’ll want to know in advance and you won’t know what you’ll get. When we got married one of our presents was a gift certificate for a fairly fancy restaurant here in town and we had to tell them about Husband’s dietary requirements in advance. It was so fancy, in fact, that we ended up having to pay half the bill ourselves. We had four courses, mine were the meaty ones from the menu and Husband’s the planned in advance alternatives. What did he get? A salad and a soup and a salad and a dessert. And a cheese sandwich when we got home. So yeah, depending on where you’re from, eating out can actually be a bit of a bother. We have had a better experience elsewhere, but really, in this country you just can’t know. We generally tend to avoid places where there isn’t something vegetarian already on the menu. If you look at a lower price range, it’s generally easier to find something suitable (in this country.) Especially if it’s some sort of ethnic place.
Finally, if I could add a tip to the list, it would probably be more of a tip for the meat-eaters who suddenly find themselves in the situation of having to cook a vegetarian meal for someone. Relax. It’s not actually difficult. In fact, in many ways cooking a vegetarian meat is much easier than cooking a meaty meal. With meat you always have to make sure that it’s cooked properly or you can make people sick. Nobody will get sick if you vegetables are a little undercooked. They’ll just be a bit crunchy and obviously the flavour will suffer some, but they won’t make you sick. :)
And for the actual new vegetarian, my tip would be that yes, the feeling of being full after eating a vegetarian meal feels different from that of eating a meaty meal, and it takes time to get used to this. When I first knew Husband and we had eaten together, I would frequently find myself needing a snack of some sort later in the evening, because I’d get hungry again. After a while, though, that stopped. I got used to the change. I think it took maybe a year or so for me, but at that point I wasn’t having vegetarian food every day because we didn’t live together yet. Had it been every day, I’d have got used to it much quicker. :)
Coincidentally I’m actually in Denmark right now!! And yes, we did have to walk around a bit to find a place for dinner that had a vegetarian option!
I love your tip about cooking for veggies – I definitely think it’s less stressful cooking vegetarian food! :)
Oh neat! Whereabouts in the country are you? (If you are comfortable sharing) We live near Aarhus in Jutland.
I’m in Copenhagen, just for tonight – flying home tomorrow :) beautiful city!
Did you find somewhere to eat in the end then? Shame I didn’t know, I’d have recommended Ambrosia’s Have to you. We found it a few years ago and they do a vegetarian buffet. They are associated with a yoga place and make you take your shoes of when you come in, and they only do vegetarian food. It’s a bit different from a ‘normal’ restaurant, but we thought it was a nice place. ‘Hyggelig’ as we’d say in Danish. :) One of those untranslatable words meaning sort of an amalgamate of cozy, nice, pleasant and stressfree all in one. :)
Aww that place sounds lovely!! We are around for lunch tomorrow, but I just looked it up and it looks like it’s a bit of a walk from where we’re staying :( if I come back again I’ll definitely make sure to put it on the list!
There is a word for you – flexitarian. For the most part, you are a vegetarian but eat meat infrequently, say a few times a month. I am striving to be a flexitarian and needing more vegetarian recipes found myself here, and, boy, am I glad I did! The only thing I would request is more slow-cooker recipes. That really helps with meal planning and makes sure I have a meal or two ready at all times! Looking forward to trying some of these recipes!
Thanks Pat, so glad you found me! :) I’ll definitely be sharing a few more slow cooker recipes as we move into the autumn! For now, you can see my slow cooker recipes here: https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/tag/slow-cooker/
I’m a veteran Vegetarian but am always looking for new ways to cook easy, satisfying meals that will also appeal to rest of the family that are mostly meat eaters. Hence the fact that I am always looking for recipes on this site! One thing I have learned over the years is that beans are a great substitute for meat in some recipes and there are also a ton of things you can do with them. There are so many varieties that the choices are endless! Black beans, red, white, refried, I could go on but you get my point. I love them all and they give you that much needed protein as well. Hope this is helpful!
I <3 beans!!
I’d actually restate one of those – “Don’t worry about hidden ingredients.” If this is your first foray into vegetarianism you have more than enough to do without getting down into the weeds trying to make sure that the last fraction of a percent of animal-derived rennet is removed from your cheese, or whether the restaurant you’re eating at used chicken stock to season the rice.
Good point Richard! I guess it depends how deep people want to get into their vegetarianism :)
Sometimes its the “I’m famished and can’t think what to eat quickly” that sinks people. They can’t face one more salad. That’s where I grab my frozen hashbrowns – the plain loose shreds in the freezer section – and fry them in just a tablespoon or two of oil (one when I am being good). What? Potatoes for dinner? Well, here’s where they get good. I’ve added chopped onion, definitely salt and pepper, brussels sprouts cut in half, asparagus cut on the diagonal in pieces, and any other veggie you like. It makes a great almost instant dinner and for me, it’s comfort food. It’s not fancy and it doesn’t look fancy either but it tastes great and if you add a cut up apple or orange on the side if it doesn’t seem like a full meal you will think it is after you eat a plate full. I end up with 1/3 to 1/2 veggies to potatoe amounts. And it’s good reheated so make plenty. I do use a non-stick pan for this.
I especially liked the hint to not worry about labeling yourself veggie to start with. That’s a sure way to have friends and family give you a hard time if you slip up making you feel like a failure. You aren’t. There isn’t a timetable. Every meal eaten veggie style is a good step forward.
Another hint: Everyone is having pancakes or waffles with bacon or sausage and you are just left with the pancakes or waffles? Set out a small bit of almonds or other raw nuts by your plate. Just a small amount like 10 or there abouts will give you that break in taste and texture plus be good for you.
Totally agree about needing some go-to quick meals! That’s when I often turn to ‘fake meat’ – just throw it in the oven and you’ve got most of a meal. Your hash brown idea sounds ace! :)
And I love your comment that ‘every meal eaten veggie style is a good step forward’ – completely agree!
Becca – thanks for great post! I have found that following lots of vegetarian/vegan recipe blogs, like yours (and some of the ones you quoted above, there are a couple new ones I will start following!), I get inspired and feel more like part of a community. It is also cool that it is an international community! You are in UK, I follow Simple Vegan Blog from Spain, and lots of folks in USA. I pin lots of recipes and try to make a new one every weekend. I have discovered so many wonderful ways to eat vegetables and no, protein is not an issue (which is always the first question people seem to ask..”how do you get enough protein?”, “What do you eat?”). Looking forward to making your chickpea biryani this weekend!
Glad you found a few new blogs to follow Lisa! :) enjoy the biryani!
I still consider myself a newbie at this and I really appreciate this sort of thing! I’ve been lagging the last couple of weeks and needed a pep talk :)