So, my new boyfriend is a vegetarian. I'm not. I tend to not eat a lot of meat anyway, but a lot of things I cook depend on meat.

I want to be able to cook for him, but I don't really know where to start. Does anyone have any vegetarian recipes that only require a few ingredients? I'm on a tight budget and can't afford expensive ingredients.

Dang, I've spent most of my adult life trying to land myself a vegetarian SO. Thankfully I don't actually care what they eat; it was always more of a convenience thing - cooking two meals kinda sucks (sorry). =P

My fiance tends to eat mostly vegetarian when we're at home, though. Again, convenience. He'll occasionally add meat to his portion of whatever we've cooked, or have lunchmeat for sandwiches; but he was never a big meat-eater in the first place.

I dunno, I've always found vegetarian cooking to be waaay simpler, and am always surprised when people don't know how to cook for us. With vegetarian cooking, the key is substitution. Remove the meat in one of the dishes you're comfortable making, then look at what you're left with. Think of what would go good with those ingredients, and just play with it a bit from there. Pasta is a great example; don't add meat to the sauce, maybe throw in a few veggies, and it's suddenly vegetarian-friendly. Having a taco night? Buy some Mexican rice and fry up some sliced bell peppers and use those instead of ground beef (hell, there's even veggie ground beef out there that's actually pretty good, imo). In fact, a few fake-meat products might be worth looking into; although they tend to be a little more on the expensive side. And, y'know, there's always tofu (it seems it can be a bit of an acquired taste, but I personally really like it - if it's cooked well/properly).

Also, ask your boyfriend what he'd like you to cook for him. Or ask him to cook a few vegetarian meals for you so you can get a better idea of what you can do for him in return (or, if he's terrible in the kitchen, just ask him to help you =P).

Anyways, I hope I've at least helped a little. I don't usually use recipes or write down anything when I'm cooking - I just kind of wing it and hope for the best. =P

- This helps a lot! I also don't use recipes, except when I'm making something for the first time.

Yeah, I don't want to have to cook two meals. I'm fine not having meat, but I'm not a big fan of veggies. However, I've come up with ways to make veggies more appealing to me, like blending them and turning them into a sauce. My bf said he likes tofu, so I can learn how to cook that. I can also look into the fake meat to help make the transition easier. The money I don't spend on meat can be used for the fake meat.

I was vegetarian for a couple of years and I don't really like veggies either, so I relied pretty heavily on meat substitutes. They can be a little pricey, but no more so than decent-quality meat.

Pasta is usually a winner though, if you whip up a marinara sauce for cooked pasta then sprinkle a mix of breadcrumbs and grated cheese over the top and grill it until it's all melty and golden and delicious...

Yes! I myself just recently discovered the magic of blending unappetizing foods to hide them in dishes. Like, I've never been a big fan of beans or lentils, but they're kinda super important if I want to be healthy. I used to just choke 'em down - but blending and hiding them in a pasta sauce has changed everything. =P

And tofu can be a little tricky, since it's kinda like eating a very boring sponge until you decide to do something to it. The key is to not under or over spice it. This may take a few tries before you find a good balance, so don't give up if you don't like it on the first go. You can also try a wide variety of different recipes, since you don't really have to worry about clashing flavours. (Nine times out of ten I end up cooking it with soy sauce and adding it to a stirfry, but if you're not a big fan of veggies this may not be the way you want to go =P).

Oh, and if you want to have really simple burgers without getting veggie patties, portobello mushroom caps are pretty amazing (that's assuming you like mushrooms, of course). I've found store-bought veggie burgers tend to be hit or miss; there are some pretty good ones out there, but there are even more awful ones (and several of the "eh" variety).

Also, the important thing to remember when trying fake meat products: Do not expect it to taste like the food you are used to eating. I tried veggie dogs almost immediately after I became a vegetarian and thought they were the grossest things ever, simply because I was expecting them to taste exactly like the hotdogs I had grown accustomed to. A few years later I decided to give them another shot and found I loved them.

(If I can think of anything else I'll post again. =P)

I make a really good vegetarian chili. I use half a bag of Morningstar Farms' meal starters mix (sometimes called Crumbles for whatever reason), a can of pinto beans (drained), a can of kidney beans (drained), a can of stewed tomatoes (chopped up. you can also use diced.), and mix it all together in a big soup pot. You can also add any kind of peppers or onions, either in the chili itself or on the top. If you can get some vegetarian shredded 'cheese' substitute, you could sprinkle that on top too. You might be able to use regular shredded cheese if he's not vegan - ask him if he eats cheese or not first. This usually makes enough that I eat a bowl or two the day I make it and then a bowl or two for the next couple days. It can be frozen to be saved too.

I work with a lot of herbal teas, but I do remember seeing some vegetarian recipes somewhere while I was researching foods for Samhain and Yuletide. (You'll have to excuse I'm Pagan). These foods can be eaten regardless of religion and holidays, since they are not reserved to my religion.

Vege Recipes

You can also try this site (food.com).

I'm gluten-free and vegan, and my favorite meal to make is always soft tacos! You can make beans, corn salsa, guacamole, and really anything else you want to put in there. It's incredibly versatile and easy to make for special diets. If you're down to try cooking veggie meat, soyrizo is fantastic in tacos.

Really, eating vegetarian is incredibly simple - just take out the meat. Since he still eats dairy(?), you could also go for any pasta dish, sans meat.

Just try searching around food blogs for some recipes!

EDIT: Also, since tofu was mentioned above, stir fry is always a very simple dish to make. The key with tofu is to drain it, then wrap it in some paper towels, put it on a plate, put another plate on top of it, and let it press for 20-30 minutes to get out any excess water. Then I like to chop it into cubes and put it in a reusable container with soy sauce, maple syrup (yes, really!), Sriracha, and garlic powder. Then just put on the lid, invert a few times to mix it up, and let it marinate for 6-12 hours! Then just put it in a frying pan with the lid on, on low heat for about 20 minutes. Add whatever vegetables you want with it too! And then serve over rice.

Hopefully some of this is helpful!

- Wow, all of this advice is so helpful! Thank you!

(Sorry if not answering individually. Haven't had much time to spend on here lately.)

Lettuce is simple...