Best Foods for a Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarians need to get creative to come up with the best meals to replace meat. The person needs mushrooms, beans, rice, tofu and lots of vegetables to substitute for meat and to keep the diet less boring! What is neat is you can get creative being a vegetarian by using spices as well. Coriander, garlic, ginger, rosemary, cayenne pepper, cumin, and turmeric can add zest and a kick to any meatless dish. If you are new and want to become a vegetarian, try substituting one veggie meal for red meat, and then start working to remove other meats. The lifestyle is a slow dance, and implementing a lot of protein in the beginning is important to have a balanced diet. You can enjoy tasty meatless options and keep the tummy happy. Here are the best 5 foods for the vegetarian diet.

Rice

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Rice is another staple in the vegetarian diet and it absorbs the flavor of spices. We know it can be bland, and dull. But just like tofu it can be your foundation to a tasty meal, or snack. You just need to add some kick to it, and play with different variations. There are 40,000 kinds of rice out there, but for the sake of time, here some popular ones. Check out arborio rice, brown rice, and jasmine rice, and these are all long-grained rice (less starch). People are afraid of rice due to the carbohydrates. However, it can provide you with instant energy! Avocado a Day Nutrition suggested a spicy brown rice bowl made with broccoli. You would need:

• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas
Saute broccoli and mix with cooked rice and toss all ingredients into bowl and enjoy.

Veggie Burgers

Vegetarians probably have no idea of who created the veggie burger. Health food store owner, Gregory Sams, invented the first non-meat burger called "VegeBurge" in 1982, and it has been a blessing to many meatless lovers. Since then people have enjoyed the patty made with beans, mushrooms, grains, vegetables, rice and other spices that make up the veggie burger. You can buy them frozen, or make it from scratch. If you feel ambitious, AllRecipes.com had a simple recipe for your own vegetarian burgers: Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and lightly oil a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. You may never buy frozen again!

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