Take a nice, big bowl of rice. Add brown sugar, apple slices and raisins. Sure, it’ll make me fat and rot my teeth, but I love it to death! I think milk would go well with it, too, but milk gives me gas. I’m (this close) to trying it with ice cream. I live on rice and its myriad variations - which probably explains why I’m the colour of a sheet of paper and able to make my fingers meet halfway up my forearm. But rice is a wonderfood, and I go through a lot of it. Bread is also nice - good bread. Rye and sourdough are my favourites, but in a pinch, I can make the white my mother buys good.
I’m not a vegetarian but I do eat a lot of no meat dishes.
There are a ton of recipes that don’t have meat in them.
You can make a ton of Mexican dishes without meat, using beans in place of the meat. Bean tacos, bean burritos, etc. Try a vegetable enchilada. Or you can always substitute mushrooms (like portabello) in place of the meat. Keep in mind that if you do that you will need to adjust your cooking because mushrooms put out a lot of water.
Any pasta dish is a good vegetarian meal. Fettuccini Alfredo (lacto because of the cheese – I think that’s right) I always add in some steamed veggies for color, flavor etc. Things like broccoli, sliced red pepper and occasionally carrot.
Artichoke and garlic in a pan with olive oil then add in al dente spaghetti or fettuccini.
All kinds of soups, casseroles, etc.
Heck, make pancakes for dinner. I have an awesome recipe for oatmeal pancakes. They aren’t heavy at all.
Make a large salad for dinner, add in some cheese, cooked beans (for protein) tomatoes, celery, onions, avocado, croutons, etc with your favorite dressing. (I do this all the time but add in some ham instead of beans.)
If you choose to eat eggs, there are a ton of egg recipes out there. You can find eggs that are vegetarian fed, they taste better, cook better and are better for you.
If you want snack ideas that are healthier than chips and cookies, try some homemade jalepeno poppers (the traditional kind, not the deep fried,) half a whole wheat pita pocket stuffed with artichoke, tomato, lettuce, feta cheese or blue cheese, drizzle in some vinegar and lemon juice and if you want some olive oil. Roll some lettuce leaves with an egg salad and tomato. A cheese quasadilla using a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle on some jack/cheddar cheese, add some chopped green chiles, some cilantro and/or onion if you want, put another tortilla on top, pop in the oven till the cheese melts, slice into eight wedges.
Any of the snack ideas can also become part of a meal. Add some refried beans on the side of the quesadilla and some fresh guacamole. For the poppers, just make extra and also add some beans on the side. Do a whole stuffed pita and add a creamy cucumber dressing instead of the vinegar/oil/lemon.
Not all of us meat eaters are meanies. I like to eat healthy and I do include meat in my diet but I eat vegetarian about 75% of the time in the winter and about 90% of the time in the summer when all the yummy veggies are fresh and tasty.
They have quinoa in our grocery store (King Soopers, part of the Kroger corp.)
Also, here’s a link to my oatmeal pancakes Pancake Variations There are a lot of recipes on the site, many are non-veg but hunt through and find some recipes that might fit your needs. Also, if anyone wants to add a recipe, please do it’s not all for Coloradoans, anyone can join.
Oh, and I don’t know why but I don’t recall OpalCat plugging her site here – since I shamelessly plugged mine, I will add hers as a service http://www.vegetarianstuff.com/ There are some recipes there, and by golly, add some recipes people. I added a few but be sure to add your recipe with the correct classification.
< hope Opal doesn’t mind that I added her site >
Damn, I keep forgetting stuff.
I watch “Regina’s Vegetarian Table” on PBS every weekend, she has some scrumptous recipes that even this meat eater would dive into. Here’s the link to her “website” http://www.pbs.org/regina/
If you get a chance, check out the show. She’s personable, fun and has some good tips.
Holy guacamole! I made a mistake!
Just thought I’d jump in here with a recommendation for an alternate source of protein. Try buckwheat (also known as kasha). It cooks just like Rice-a-Roni. The directions say to coat it with an egg and brown it in a skillet with some butter, but I’ve found that it works better when you use a dry pan, then add water, salt and pepper, cover, and steam for about 15 minutes. Also, add a packet of dry Lipton Onion soup mix or Lipton Onion/Mushroom soup mix to the water for a really nice flavor. And though it sounds like an odd combination, I usually add boiled shell-shaped or bowtie-shaped noodles in once it’s cooked. Here’s another recipe variation, too.
You’ll most likely find it in the Kosher/Jewish section of your grocery store. There are several brands, but I prefer Wolff’s medium grained, myself.
Some nutritional info on kasha from: http://www.minndak.com/buckwhea.htm#NUTRACEUTICAL
There’s some other interesting nutritional information on that page, too.
Happy cooking. 
I really appreciate your consideration in avoiding stepping on my penis - Spiny Norman
[sup][sub][sym]©[/sym][/sub][/sup] Jeg elsker dig, Thomas [sup][sub][sym]©[/sym][/sub][/sup]
Thanks all for the advice !
I think I’m going to be busy for a couple of months trying out all these recipes. Hopefully, once I’ve tried a bunch, I will start to get a feeling for what may will go well with other things and be able to start experimenting. Thanks for the jump-start everybody.
Oh, OpalCat, I loved your site !
Thanks again