Healthy and Simple Vegetarian Recipes

There are many reasons that someone would choose to forgo eating meat or animal-products. Whether you're committed to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle or are inviting a vegetarian friend over for dinner tonight, finding great-tasting and healthy recipes is a great idea. Here are some ideas that will get you cooking.

There are many meat-substitute products on the market. Veggie "sausages," "burgers," vegetarian "meat" crumbles and even tofu "turkey" for Thanksgiving. While these products do offer protein and other nutrients, they are often full of chemicals to make them more meat-like, and frankly, they aren't always that delicious. So my advice: skip the fake meat and find some truly unique vegetarian recipes that actually taste good!

It's actually very easy to get all of the protein and vitamins you need in your vegetarian diet by incorporating a variety of foods. Eating many different kinds of vegetables, beans, cereal grains, nuts and fruits can help you maintain a good balance. Remember, even if you chose a vegetarian lifestyle for health reasons, you still need to include some fats in your diet. Drizzle a little olive oil over your salad, or saute your veggies in a little oil and you're all set.

Vegetarian recipes aren't limited to salads. Pasta is filling, and with a rich tomato sauce filled with vegetables, it can be a great, complete meal. Try throwing some cannellini or butter beans into the sauce for some extra protein. Also, leftovers work really well as a minestrone soup.

There are many vegetarian recipes for soups, baked goods, desserts, curries, pizzas, and so on. You can experiment on your own, or find more vegetarian recipes online or in great cookbooks like those from the Moosewood restaurant. Once you find things you like, creating your own variations couldn't be easier, or more delicious.