25 Easy to Make Homemade Vegetarian Recipes that Won't Take Forever to Make (and Still Taste Delicious!)

We all know most of the benefits of leading a vegetarian lifestyle, but if you're used to eating meat, it can be tough to incorporate more vegetables into your diet in a way that still tastes good. Here you can find some hand picked homemade vegetarian recipes that won't take forever to make, and are a delicious alternative to your regular meat dishes!


1. You won't miss the eggs in these gooey vegan chocolate chip cookies! Try making them next time!

2. Stuffed bell pepper, lemon cauliflower, or veggie primavera sound appetizing? These veggie sides are the perfect way to boost your vegetable intake in a delicious way!


3. Eggplant parmesan is a great way to go meatless for an Italian meal. You can take it one step further and find yourself some soy based cheese, or local dairy.


4. Want to go dairy free, even with your ice cream? Try one of the many homemade soy ice cream recipes
featured on this page.


5. Emeril Lagasse has cooked up a winning hot, nutritious vegetarian chili recipe that even meat lovers will love!


6. Peas and mushrooms add extra veggies to this traditional fettucine alfredo recipe. Great winter meal.




7. They're fancy enough for dinner, and tasty enough to have at anytime of day. These veggie paninis will give you some creative ways to spice up your dinner.


8. An easy, fresh tasting homemade tomato soup tastes far better than anything you've ever had in the can. Just replace the chicken broth with instant (chicken-free) broth.


9. Sweet potato pie, zucchini brownies, cheddar broccoli soup and other veggie favorites can be found on these easy to make veggie recipes page.


10. Craving some meat? Have that beefy taste without the meat in this vegetarian beef stew
recipe.


11. Fried Zucchini is really simple to make, and goes great with many Italian recipes. Especially good when it's in season, in the peak summer.
12. Another great summer recipe is blueberry rhubarb pie. A good (albeit slightly sugary) way to boost your fruit intake a little.


13. Spinach is a pretty versatile vegetable, full of Vitamin K. Try out these healthy spinach recipes listed here.


14. Mushroom, pesto, sundried tomato... there are hundreds of way to go vegetarian with your pizza.


15. Authentic chinese food already has many vegetables in the recipes. Try out these vegetarian chinese food recipes next time instead of ordering out!


16. Sometimes, the appetizer is the best part of the meal. That's why these vegetarian appetizers are such a great choice. They're healthy, yet still have that delicious hour d'oeuvres taste.


17. Ahh, meatballs. It's tough to get a meat-free version right, but this recipe manages to make a great version of vegetarian meatballs.


18. Love a BBQ, but just don't eat meat? This vegan BBQ video will teach you that you don't need beef to have a smokin' barbeque!

19. There are a few dozen tasty vegan slower cooker recipes you can make at home in a snap on this page. Slower cookers reduce fat, and have loads of taste!


20. Lacking on fruits? These healthy fruit smoothie recipes are one of the best ways to squeeze more fruit into your diet.


21. Mexican food is one of the toughest things to try and make healthy. Try these vegetarian enchiladas next time you're craving some authentic Mexican food and cut some calories.


22. If you're in more of a Chinese mood, check out this page for some simple vegetarian fried rice recipes.


22. Back to Mexican! You can find a few dozen tasty vegetarian Mexican
recipes on this page. The veggie quesadillas sound delicious!



23. Start your day the right way! Tofu and soymilk make excellent replacements for eggs in this vegan omelette.


24. When everyone else is eating their hamburger, you can be eating your vegetarian hamburger. These versions are more "meaty" than "tofu-ey".


25. Stuffed bell peppers can easily be made vegetarian. They're usually meat-free anyways!

How to Use Up Food in Your Cabinet: Easy Recipe Generators

We've all bought a thing or two at the local grocery store that we thought we'd use, only to have it sit in the cabinet for months, sometimes years. If the food is still within the expiration date, you can of course donate the food to a local food pantry. If you'd rather make a meal out of your current cabinet inventory, there's an easy way to generate recipe ideas using Recipe Matcher.

RecipeMatcher.com is an easy to use website that lets you plug in the ingredients you have on hand, and suggested recipes will pull up based on those ingredients. The results can be surprising! It's also a great way to waste less food, and clean out the cabinets to make room for new food. You can also enter fresh ingredients into the ingredients list.

If you have plenty of canned or bagged pet food around that may expire before you use it up, donate it to a local animal shelter. They certainly will put it to good use!

How to stop buying wasteful food (for your next grocery shopping trip):

• Don't buy in bulk if you don't need it. Costco and BJ's might be a good deal, but if you don't need the surplus and you can't go through it, you may wasting more money than you're saving.
• If you haven't tried something before, buy a small pack of the item or a smaller size.
• Buy individual size containers for things you haven't tried before. That way, if it's a multi pack and you don't like it, you've only used one, and you can give the rest away (for example, a 6 pack of Spicy V8 vegetable juice).
• If the item has dust on the cover at the store, don't buy it. Chances are that product is sitting on the shelf unpurchased for a reason!
• Shop for foods with less packaging. Buying fresh is an alternative at many grocery stores, including nuts and produce. Bring your own reusable bags or reusable containers and fill it up with the grains, nuts, or fresh products you're looking for (these are usually located in the produce aisle, or sometimes one aisle or two over).

Intro photo of grocery cart by zoovroo on flickr.

The author of this page writes on this green blog, and sells eco friendly products like reusable paper towels, organic body products, and biodegradable trash bags. Stop by the TheGreenerEarth.com today to view the entire product catalog!

5 Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables During the Winter

Veggies are good for the environment! Now that the farm stands have long closed and winter is upon us gone are the days of fresh vegetables from the garden or your local farm stand. So how do you maintain your vegetable intake to ensure you are getting everything you need? Here are some tips on where you can find vegetables and incorporate them into any recipe!

1. Frozen vegetables! You can find frozen vegetables in any grocery store at any time of the year. These can easily be added to any dish you like or eaten alone. My personal favorite is to steam them and have them as a side. Veggie Panini's are a huge favorite in my house, and in the winter we switch over to frozen vegetables!

2. Grow your own! If you have some extra room in your kitchen or another part of the house, there are a lot of kits now sold to help you grow your own vegetables inside of the house. While it may not be ideal in the summer, in the winter this is perfect if you are looking for fresh vegetables! There are also many miniature herb gardens which are also sold, allowing you to grow your own basil, rosemary and whatever your favorite spices may be. For some all you need is a sunny window, others will come with a heat light to help them grow!

3. Jarred vegetables! The one item I would caution you on is that a lot of vegetables sold in jars have been pickled or soaked in brine. A favorite, artichokes, are usually stored in brine. To get read of that brine-y salty taste, drain the artichokes or vegetable of your choice and let them soak in water. This will allow the brine to come out of the vegetable, leaving behind the true taste of the artichoke.

4. Grocery store vegetables (from the produce section)! Keep in mind what vegetables are currently in season. Right now that would include a lot of the root vegetables. Root vegetables are great to bake and make for an easy meal. Keep in mind which veggies are in season when buying vegetables in the grocery store. The vegetables that are in season will taste the best and most likely had the shortest trip to the store!

5. Canned vegetables! Last but by no means least is canned vegetables. Now while these may be the easiest ones to use, use caution. Recent studies have shown that these veggies could potentially contain BPA which is coming from the cans. I would use this as a last alternative, and definitely not something to be used on a regular basis.

Avoiding BPA in Your Lunch

When it comes to your food, BPA has been popping up all over the news for the harmful effects it can have on your body. Forbes Magazine writes: "Some studies have linked it to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and developmental problems in children. Health advocates say exposure to the chemical could present a particular problem to developing fetuses."

Going BPA free with food can seem tough, especially if you're relying on disposal plastic items like ziploc bags and baby bottles. Fortunately, one such item that can help that toxic dose of BPA is reusable sandwich bags. These ones in particular are BPA free, and are easily hand washable.

Some other suggestions for avoiding a heaping helping of BPA:

* Limit consumption of canned goods. Canned products have been shown to contain amounts of BPA, especially harmful to children and pregnant women.

* Go BPA free with your baby bottles. Search the net for truly BPA free bottles.

* Opt for glass jars instead of plastic. Plastics, especially some #7 plastics, have been known to contain trace amounts of BPA. Glass is a good alternative.