I need a shopping list

[maplekitty]

If there is a similar thread, please rediract me!

I am wanting to start cooking more vegetarian meals. Ever since being pregnant I have a queasy stomach around raw meat - yuck!
I've never cooked veggie before, so I'm not quite sure of some staple foods to add to my shopping list.
Can anyone help me out on some things to buy, like lentils and beans...i'm totally lost!
thanks!

[SweetRed]

I don't know if there's really a "staple" vegetarian list because there are just so many ways to go veggie!

I guess the thing a lot of people (myself included) are concerned about with vegetarian meals is that they have enough protein in them. Frankly, I am not a fan of tofu, so I mainly cook veggie dishes with various cheeses, beans, eggs, and occasionally lentils. Even veggies like broccoli and spinach are a good source of protein.

A lot of the cooking websites (like allrecipes.com and cookinglight.com) allow you to search specifically for meatless recipes. See what they have and start out easy - something like black bean burritos or a baked pasta dish with cheese. It might take a little work in the beginning, but it soon becomes second nature.

[sublime311]

Vegetarian Times (http://www.vegetariantimes.com/) magazine has a ton of really great recipes (both with meat substitutes and without - I always preferred not having a meat substitute). The website has recipes, too, but I liked my low-priced subscription, too.

Veggie soups are a great way to go and an easy way to get in some lentils or other beans.

ETA: Here is another excellent resource (http://www.vegsoc.org/info/goingveg.html) with information on how to move to a veg diet.

Found this there:

What You Should Eat Every Day on a Vegetarian Diet.

3 or 4 servings of cereals/grains or potatoes
4 or 5 servings of fruit and vegetables
2 or 3 servings of pulses, nuts & seeds
2 servings of milk, cheese, eggs or soya products
A small amount of vegetable oil and margarine or butter.
Some yeast extract such as Marmite, fortified with vitamin B12.

[jenjunum]

I know a lot of people that really like the fake meat products. Not sure if those might make you queasy too.

If I remember correctly, I think quinoa (keen-waa) has a lot of protein in it. I like cooking it (you boil it like pasta, some directions say more like rice but my cooking instructor said to boil it with a lot of water and then drain) then mixing it with some veggies for a cold salad with a simple vinaigrette (olive oil, shallot and whatever type of vinegar I feel like). It's a nice change up for a different texture.

For lentils I like the beluga variety. They are black and hold their shape (named after the caviar variety). Cook those in chicken stock for more flavor.

I like black beans and pinto beans the best. I usually cheat and used canned beans.

I love fritattas and you could add some pre-cooked ham (like lunch meat) if you wanted to get some meat that was already cooked.

[Sol]

We're vegetarians and I prepare a lot of Indian food (most staple dishes have beans or lentils), we buy a lot of nuts (cashews, walnuts, etc.) and we have pasta with black beans or chickpeas too. I used to eat meat years ago and I simply kept preparing my favorite foods minus the meat. But then, I'm more of a carboholic (I have whole wheat pasta every single day), so it didn't change things much for me.