Oh, where to start. (grin)

Beans are a good protein source, so bean burritos are good, as are roasted vegetable quesadillas with some cheese for the protein. On the days that you have oatmeal or something other than eggs, a frittata is a good choice, or a quiche. You can add potatoes or whatever vegetables you want to make it a good filling meal with some green salad and/or bread.

My kids like tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, but you don't have to have the soup to make the sandwiches. Spinach and cheese cannelloni are a good main dish, as is Ann T's Stacked Enchiladas, I love the enchiladas and I'll post the recipe at the end.

My oldest daughter was a vegetarian for several years and she liked the peanut butter/sesame noodles that are available in Oriental restaurants. She also likes tofu, and I don't mind tofu, it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

Hummus is a good dip with vegetables or crackers and is a good bean option if your kids won't eat bean soup. Personally I love a big pot of beans and some cornbread, but that's me. I especially like the baked beans that I make with the leftovers.

Four cheese lasagna, grits or polenta with cheese, macaroni and cheese. Have I mentioned cheese? (grin)

Both Eating Well and Cooking Light have good websites with recipes, as does Vegetarian Times, so you might find some good ideas there too, enough to get you started on some unique and creative recipes.

Anyway, the Stacked Enchiladas. I just made a double batch of the sauce with the last of my garden tomatillos, and froze it. It freezes well and I keep it on hand for when I have a craving. I will admit that I don't fry the tortillas, I just dunk them into the hot sauce and start layering, saving both a step and some calories.

Stacked Enchiladas -Ann T
==================
Source: Southwest Cookbook

Here is the recipe Helene for the Stacked Enchiladas. I see no reason why you couldn't layer these over lapping in a lasagna pan and then slice to serve. You will have to double the ingredients for the sauce as well as the fillings.

Vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) green Chili Sauce (recipe on page 195)
2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cups finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour vegetable oil into a medium , heavy skilled to depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat to 375F, or until a strip of tortilla browns in 60 seconds. Soften the tortillas, one at a time, for about 5 seconds per side in the hot oil and drain on paper towels.

Heat the green chili sauce in a shallow pan and dip each softened tortilla into the sauce. Place 1 coated tortilla on an oven proof plate and top with 1 tablespoons green chili sauce, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion; repeat twice so that 1 serving contains 3 layered tortillas. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 tortilla stacks. Bake the stacks for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

NOTE: Add cooked chicken and or pinto or black beans between layers.

Green Chili Sauce
1 Jalapeno chili seeded and diced
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tomatillos, husked and diced (or use canned)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced.
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeno , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour the chicken stock mixture into a blender or food processor.
Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantro and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

Oh, and have you tried quinoa yet? It's fast, easy to cook and very versatile.

Good luck!

Annie

Have a look at the book in the link. I've had this book for years as daughter is a veggie and we also like to avoid meat for a few meals in the week. She really writes brilliant recipes and you don't miss the meat at all. It's not all sloppy stuff!

Here is a link that might be useful: Martha Rose Shulman

This reminds me of when my daughter decided to become vegetarian. I had wanted to do so for a long time, so when she decided to, I did also. The problem was, said daughter hated vegetables, and was very picky. It was so long ago, I don't remember exactly how I managed, but basically, I was blessed with a husband that loved food, no matter what, and didn't care if he ate meat at a meal or not.

I will frequently use "meat" recipes and just leave out the meat part, or use vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef stock in recipes that call for that kind of stuff.

Look for the cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I turn to that cookbook all the time. It is comprehensive, and covers everything from appetizers to breads, to vegetables, beans, casseroles, to name just a few of the subjects.

I'd start with what your kids like to eat and go from there. Do they eat mushrooms? Will they consider tofu? Try substituting mushrooms for meat, or beans, or tofu. Don't forget nuts, too.

Sally

First of all, being a healthy vegetarian involves more than just cutting out meat. You need to get some books or go on line to study up on how to combine plant proteins (which are for the most part incomplete) at meals, so you can approzimate the health benefits of eating complete animal protein. It's vitally important for the health of your children, that you make sure they have ALL the protein components they need daily.

Also, you don't say what sex your children are--if boys, do be careful about using too much soy (soybeans, tofu, etc) Soy is loaded with estrogen and can throw off a guy's hormone levels.

My daughter is mostly a vegetarian who eats a clean diet (she'll occasionally eat a bit of chicken, though). She's grown, so is responsible for her own food choices, and has done a great deal of research into her choice. She makes wonderful meals that are enticing to anyone, not just veg. She cooks just about everything from scratch, she portions her foods, and combines them very carefully to get the nutrients she needs daily.

Some suggestions?
Vegetable quiche, 'meat' loaf from veg, nuts, grains; pasta served with sauce made of sauted fresh veg (you can always put out a bowl of meatballs on the side for those who want them), Vegetable Stir-fries (again, cook and stir the meat separately), Fettucini Alfredo with steamed broccoli or sun-dried tomatoes. Many soups work well if you use vegetable broth. If they eat boiled eggs, egg salad is another lunch option (not for days they carry lunch to school/work, of course). I make a wonderful lasagna by layering cooked homemade, whole wheat lasagna noodles with all kinds of thinly sliced fresh veg, assorted cheeses (mozzarella, Parm, Provolone, etc)--no sauce is needed, because the veg are moist enough. Vegetable omelettes.
How about occasionally having French Toast served with a topping of fresh fruit for dinner as a treat? Vegetable Tacos (meat on the side), cheese enchilladas. Margharita pizza on whole wheat crust.

My eyes always roll when i hear that, but not cynically. It can be a great education learning about food and where it comes from and how important it is for nutrition. A meat and potato/fast food/processed food diet is not healthy. Children wanting to explore a vegetarian diet can be a valuable lesson getting them involved in the shopping and preparing.
I watched a very unhealthy 30 something vegetarian one weekend, (friend of a friend), open little expensive packages from a health food store, instead of joining our meals of fresh organically grown veggie salads, homemade dressings, many healthy sides with grains and beans....always a meat but separate and grilled, not touching any veg.
The meats are always secondary and rarely the star of a meal in the summer season.

Replacements do not need to look like meat, but early on it is a good idea to research and have a few favorite t&t comfort meals like a veggie lasagna with a lentil, mushroom, and nut layer...for example. Or a veggie mac-n-cheese, sesame noodles using a nut butter, etc.
You are starting from a very good place if they like vegetables and you are discussing as a family.
An inexpensive spiral cutter might be a good addition to get them involved in the kitchen.
I don't have one but this is sitting in my amazon 'wish list' after being linked to a vegan blog. (i have no idea if it is any good without trying it....have not done deep research yet)

Here is a link that might be useful: spiral cutter

I agree with azzalea, it's more than just trimming the meat from the menu. I'd also put the new vegetarians in charge of making one vegetarian lunch and/or dinner per week, or cooking ahead on the weekends and having some vegetarian foods in the freezer to fall back on. A friend of our son was a "Twinkie Vegetarian" (avoided meat and ate junk food) his first year in college and had to be hospitalized with malnutrition by Christmas. Said son brought him to me for some cooking lessons, meal plans and recipes.

I took a vegetarian/vegan class several years ago as well as classes for the Macrobiotic Diet. The instructor was trained as a Seventh Day Adventist (who give great classes). She said in order to avoid pernicious anemia (lack of B12) they were instructed to go for a bike ride and to swallow some gnats when they rode through a swarm of them. Other cultures, especially those 3rd world vegetarians, depend on the weevils and bugs in their grains and grain products as a supplement.

In order to supplement iron in the diet (especially necessary for a female), add molasses to your meal plans - baked beans, molasses cookies, add molasses to hot cocoa or coffee, or mixed in milk like chocolate syrup.

We eat a lot of vegetarian meals to save on the food budget (my meat budget is $10 per week for two adults), and I make sure we have at least 2 servings of a meat alternative each day we go vegetarian: eggs, beans, grains, seeds, dairy products, nuts and nut butters, etc., and combinations of them.

I used homemade "wheat meat" (aka gluten or seitan) in many forms, including a high-protein granola-like "cereal", a meat extender mixed 50/50 with ground meat, and meat substitutes (breaded "cutlets", ground for a hamburger substitute or seasoned for a sausage substitute, "meat"balls...) before going gluten-free. Topped a lot of pizzas with "sausage" flavored gluten. I also avoid soy, but that's another meat alternative that comes in any number of forms.

We used to make sure we were consuming a "complete" protein by combining foods for each meal - grains & beans, grains and dairy, legumes and seeds, seeds & nuts or nut meal, etc. Now you don't need to combine foods for each meal to make a complete protein as long as you consume it throughout the day. But old habits are hard to break and I still combine foods each meal to make a complete protein.

--A simple mixture of cooked lentils and rice can be used as a substitute in ground beef in recipes. The combination of lentils and rice = a complete protein.

1 c. lentils
1 c. rice
4 c. water
Cook like you would rice.

--Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) work fairly well as a substitute for chicken in casseroles.

--I keep a stack of homemade Bean Burgers in the freezer, and now I make Sprouted Bean Patties (mixture of adzuki beans, lentils, mung beans and radish seeds) and I like to use them for lunches. They can also be crumbled and used like ground beef in a pinch.....

--Meatless chili is another freezer-friendly food. Great as a topping on baked potatoes or used as a base for a taco salad. I also make a lentil mixture for a taco filling, and use refried beans and/or beans and rice in Mexican entrees instead of meat.

Be prepared for some digestive issues if there is a large amount of whole grains and nuts added to the diet without using a soaking or sprouting method to reduce the difficult-to-digest proteins. Switch to sprouted grain breads, soak your oatmeal overnight, soak bulgur in lemon juice and water for 1/2 an hour before using it in a salad or patties.

Sprout whole grains/beans/seeds/legumes when possible. I also soak all of our nuts overnight, then dehydrate them before we consume them. This is especially important if you use ground nuts as a meat substitute in recipes. Soaking/sprouting and dehydrating reduces the hard-to-digest tannins and neutralize the enzyme inhibitors. Nuts will not only be easier to digest, but their nutrients are more readily available if you use this method. People who switch from meat to a lot of whole grains and nuts can soon find they have digestive issues and nutritional deficiencies. For anyone who has digestive problems when consuming large amounts of nuts or they get an irritated mouth from them, soaking and/or sprouting first will help eliminate this problem.

Increasing the number of servings of carbs (pasta, bread, cereal) in the diet doesn't make up for the protein in meat. Choose protein-rich foods as your meat substitutes.

Vegetable broth is another freezer food, and can be used for any number of things you would use beef or chicken broth for. Add some nutritional yeast, Bragg's Liquid Aminos (although I avoid it due to the soy), or Raw Coconut Aminos for a meaty flavor. Good way to use parings and trimmings and less-than-perfect, or forgotten food in the vegetable drawer.

-Grainlady

I will make this short.
I am a 73 year old male with leukemia which was diagnosed 6 months ago. I, immediately, decided to begin a caveman diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and berries....with water and pure fruit juices as my only drinks. I stopped coffee, all dairy, alcohol, sugar and salt.
In these last 6 months, I have lost 35 lbs. and feel better than I have for 3 years (except, of course, for weeks when I have chemo). Before I put anything in my mouth, I ask myself "did the caveman have this to eat?" It's pretty simple.
I also visit the link below for additional help. They have references to the best foods lists.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alkaline Foods Diet

WOW!! I was away from my computer for a bit and I am just checking back. These suggestions are great. I appreciate the sentiments of those of you who criticize the notion of being vegetarian while not being healthy - i.e. eating junk food. There is a "pasta-tarian" in my extended family -- a vegetarian who hates vegetables. I have taught all my kids how to grow food, shop and cook. They all eat pretty healthy (one has a bit of a sweet tooth, but to get sweets she has to bake them herself from scratch, so that is working out ok). They have never gone to McD's except once another parent took my son and he got sick from the yucky food, poor guy!

I am going to try all the recipes and suggestions that you guys have posted. We love to cook, so it will be fun! Thanks!

Islay, probably the last thing I need is another cookbook, but I think I'll have to add that cookbook you recommended to my collection. It looks really good.

Sally

I think cavemen ate meat - at least when they could get it. I've been reading a lot of anthropology books about ancient humans, and it is worth considering how diet affected humans as we evolved. Cavemen were healthier than the farmers who succeeded them, as the farmer's diet was not natural for humans. I tried being vegetarian, but it did not work for me at all, especially since I have mild allergies to wheat, oats, soy, rice, and corn. I think that too much wheat in anyone's diet is probably not good, and all grains should be eaten in moderation. It is healtier to eat roots, like potatoes, yucca, taro, etc., plus other vegetables and fruits. Milk from cows is also not natural for our diet, and I have problems with a lot (but not all) dairy. I try to eat a fair amount of fish, but it is expensive and I have to be careful to avoid too much fish that may have mercury.

To cook for a vegetarian, I recommend looking at cuisines that have a lot of vegetarian dishes, such as Ethiopean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Thai, etc, and not try to make something vegetarian that was not meant to be vegetarian. I eat a lot of garbanzos, lentils, pinto beans, Lima beans, and other legumes, but mainly because I like them and they do not upset me. Lately I have been eating more potatoes and less rice. Potatoes are not as bad a carbohydrate as wheat, according to my doctor. I really lilke seitan, but it unfortunately does not agree with me.

Anyway, my caution is to watch our for the carbs.

Lars

I second Lar's suggestion to explore cuisines from countries that are mostly vegetarian, rather than trying to substitute for meat. As they explore and grow, they might also become more accepting of various types of dishes. When I was younger, I was primarily vegetarian and enjoyed all of the Moosewood recipes. Their hummus recipe is an old favorite of ours. Also, explore some of the more unusual grains, like Quinioa. Quinoa is high in protein, we use it instead of rice often.

I became a vegetarian at age 17. My folks were OK with it, mom had been raised 7th Day Adventist but wasn't really into the vegetarian part much. But she was very familiar with the idea that being vegetarian could be a healthy choice, as her healthy, long lived friends can attest. But I did not expect my mom to cook me special foods. If I wanted something special vegetarian I made it myself. But I was already helping my mom make a significant part of the dinner meals so this was not an issue for me either. Plus mom and I had always been the vegetable enthusiasts in the family, as opposed to my "plain foods" brother and my dad whose four main food groups are carbs, fat, meat and sugar.

The biggest pitfall of being vegetarian, in my experience, is going overboard on the carbs, or the dairy with a lot of saturated fat. Modern milk is a weird substance, considering you can get it in a carboard carton on the shelf these days, is a bit scary if you know anything about milk. Flours are quite a refined product and just aren't that good for blood sugar eaten by themselves, so I try to avoid them, even non-wheat versions. I'm not a fanatic about it, but I would caution someone who is embarking on a vegetarian diet to avoid loading your diet with carbs and sugars. Whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables should form the backbone of your diet.

I am lucky because soy does not bother me, but some folks, (like my brother) are allergic to it. I love tofu as a sub for dairy or meat in a lot of applications. I like to buy or make baked tofu seasoned with italian or asian flavors. Things have changed so much from when I started, nowdays magazines are full of recipes that are either vegetarian or can be easily adapted. But then I've always liked dishes that are a mix of things. If you're a person who "doesn't do bits" like one of my friends said once, you're going to have a tough time finding a replacement for the slab of meat that is an integral part of how most people eat. I've always been a lover of soups, casseroles, stir frys, stews, salads, etc. and whole grain breads, so for me being vegetarian is easy as pie. It's actually eating a meat-centric diet that is hard on me. But I'm only speaking for myself here. I like nothing better than a thick bowl of split pea soup, a corn muffin and some kale salad for dinner. My dad on the other hand, can scarcely sit near me when I am eating such things, he might catch a glimpse of something green!

You are lucky because there are just so many more options available all over the place now, not like when I was starting out in the 70's. I also eat soy based fake meat, sometimes. I don't do well with gluten based products. That's why I could never eat my mom's Seventh Day Adventist fake meats, they are all made with MSG, which gives me an almost instant headache and stomach ache. I've steered clear of seitan and all its cousins ever since, although I occasionally eat some seitan like products. But honestly there's enough variety for me without all the meat substitutes, as I happen to love whole foods of all types. Just occasionally I like to have a tofu dog or veggie burger. BF gives me such a hard time about my "tofu pups!" :)

I am quite addicted to Morningstar Farms fake sausage patties though. I eat them several times a week. I'm really surprised that I can find fake italian sausages too, which I occasionally put in soups or stews.

Two great reads for new vegetarians are "Diet for a Small Planet" by Francis Moore Lappe, and "Laurel's Kitchen" by Laurel Robertson and Carol Flinders, et. al. Very comprehensive nutrition information. Also great recipes, still "go tos" for me after all these years. Of course I am dating myself, perhaps there are better books, but these two books were very influential in shaping many modern ideas about healthy eating. Of course there is the whole glycemic index issue, "clean eating" and macrobiotic schools of thought out there too. But when it comes to discussing some of the ecological, moral and spiritual aspects of our food system, these two women broke some ground.

Lately I have really gotten into thinking about how the microscopic flora and fauna in the soil and in our food and in our bodies affects health, partly because I myself have been experiencing so many immune system issues. My food struggle these days is limiting sugars in my diet, and trying to find ways to access and afford foods raised without pesticides and hormones. But that's a whole other post!!

Back when I was just starting out, I subscribed to "Vegetarian Times" which you might want to get for your kids for Christmas. And nowdays there are so many FABULOUS blogs out there, Wish I had time to read them!

I just re-read your post and if your kids don't like anything "mushed together" or fake meats, you have quite the challenge in front of you. IMHO, if your kids have strict dietary ideas, then they should pick out the recipes and help you make them, not leave it up to you!! I had a friend once remark that he tried to be a vegetarian but he just couldn't do it because vegetarian food was "just too mushy" lol! If I had to eschew soups, stews and casseroles then I would subsist on mushy veggie patties or loaves. I have a recipe for "Wheatloaf" that I like but it takes a lot of time to make it so I don't do it that often. Same with bean burgers, etc. How about salads? Anyway, if your kids don't want to eat meat they need to educate themselves about good vegetarian nutrition options and start suggesting what kinds of healthy foods they are going to eat. My mom expected me and my brother to help with food prep because she worked full time so I got things started and helped finish when she got home. I think I was about 12 when I started helping.

You might want to look at incorporating soy flour into your baked goods, that's one way to up the protein. I really would not want to encourage my kids to eat a lot of cheese, from a fat and cost standpoint. I am not anti-cheese, anything but, I love the stuff!! My friends have picky eater vegetarian kids, they LOVE pasta. There are nut and vegetable sauces you can serve over pasta too. You might look into Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." Lots of ideas in that book for fritters, sauces and the like. I can't be bothered with all that so I guess I'm not much help. I'm a hash cook--chop it all up and hash it together is how I eat! Tonight's dinner--quinoa tabouleh, toasted whole wheat pita bread with hummus and goat cheese. Lots of lettuce, tomato, green pepper and cucumber. Yogurt mayo sauce as a condiment. Normally I would do yogurt tahini but I can't afford the sesame paste, it just goes bad on me I don't use enough of it. Your kids might like falafel (fried spiced chickpea patties). I don't make it from scratch, just buy the mix which I can get pretty easily. I don't know about kids and quinoa. I can barely stomach the stuff but eat it because it is good for me.

My husband and I aren't vegetarians, but we usually only have red meat or chicken one or two nights a week so most of our meals are vegetarian.

Our son and his family are vegetarian. The hardest part is finding festive enough vegetarian dishes for holiday meals.

For regular warm weather dinners, it is pretty easy. There are a lot of salad possibilities such as adding nuts, beans or a sprinkle of cheese to the salad for some protein.

For winter, I'd find it hard without doing meals that use soups or chili. When our son originally became a vegetarian, he was a pretty picky eater (almost a "vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables") but he did learn to broaden his palate. He still doesn't like totally pureed or cream soups, but he can enjoy a soup where the components are identifiable like a minestrone with vegetables and beans in a broth or even a partly pureed soup like a pea soup.

Tonight I'm making falafel since our son's family will be with us for Shabbat dinner. They are so much better made from soaked chick peas run through a food processor than falafel made from a mix.

Sometimes we cook Indian dishes such as Chana Masala (chick peas with curry spices and some tomato).

Olive Trees and Honey is a good vegetarian cookbook. The subtitle is A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World so it has recipes from some of the ethnic cuisines that others have suggested. There is a Kindle edition to help save your burdened cookbook shelf.

I've served the vegetable biryani from it a number of times. That's kind of a casserole with a layer of vegetables between layers of rice and with nuts and fruit mixed in with the top layer of rice, but things aren't mushed together in it so perhaps your family would find it acceptable.

You've gotten some great advice already.

Vegetarian diet does need to be sure to include adequate protein and it must have some animal product or B vitamin supplementation to be a healthy diet.

A couple of things to note:

o quinoa is a complete protein and an excellent thing to use with a vegetarian diet.

o there is some controversy about whether unfermented soy is harmful or not and some recommend fermented soy products such as tempeh as being the soy to eat.

Incidentally I just saw this article on YAHOO today, "10 Great Protein Sources for Vegetarians."

Number one was chickpea flour. Apparently that's a product that is getting a lot of buzz with the gluten free crowd. So I guess you could add that to your baked goods for extra protein if you're worried about soy flour. I have not tried it for that. I did add it to some too runny hummus I made and it didn't seem to have much taste. I bought some and plan to experiment with it when I get a chance. I have recipes for some fritters that use it and also now chickpea fries!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ten Great Protein Sources for Vegetarians

I just read this thread. We eat vegetarian food at home which includes some eggs and dairy mostly in the form of milk and homemade plain yogurt. I agree with your kids that vegetarian food should not try to replicate the flavors and textures of meat. A veggie burger that pretends to be meat will always not be as good as the one made with ground beef. I agree with Lars's suggestion above to try cooking food from cultures which eat a lot of vegetarian food. My family is from India and vegetarian food is a way of life. Grains like Quinoa are great source of protein. Lentil offer a very big variety and can be cooked in many many ways. Some cheeses like the indian paneer are firm when cooked similar to firm tofu and work well as ingredients in wraps, curries etc. It can be a pain to cook separate dishes for every meal. I would suggest considering the whole family eat vegetarian a couple of times a week and freezing portions for your vegetarian kids for some of the meals where they eat separate.

Here are my go to choices for veg meals with sufficient protein:

Veg chowmein with tofu
Thai curry (Green or red with tofu & veggies)
Indian dal and rice
Indian channa (garbanzo beans) or rajma (red kidney beans) served with rice, or quinoa or some kind of flat bread like lavash, chapathis or tortillas
Plain yogurt with rice served with a side of spicy curry or kimchee.
Greek yogurt with spicy salsa dip with veg crudites
falafel with pita
rice & lentil or quinoa & lentil risotto (search for kichdi recipes).

Here are couple of video blogs for indian food that breaks it down nicely.

Manjula's kitchen
Showme the curry

If you are adding bean flour (or substitute it for a portion of the wheat flour - up to 15-20%) in baked goods to increase the protein, use small white (navy) beans milled into flour because they have the least amount of "beany" flavor.

Better yet, sprout the beans and dehydrate them before milling into flour. Sprouting increases the available nutrition, makes them easier to digest, and lowers the carbs. It's also another way to reduce the beany taste.

Instead of chickpea flour, I mill chana dal (immature garbanzo beans) because they are very low on the Glycemic Index - in fact, they are one of the lowest foods on the Glycemic Index. They won't raise blood sugar like chickpeas do. I also use them in hummus and many other recipes. Vegetarian diets can be very high in carbohydrates (more than is suggested for your daily allowance in a balanced diet), as well as those that are high-glycemic that increase blood sugar, so that's another nutritional element to consider.

Other fun recipes include pinto beans (refried beans) or mashed/pureed cooked beans, in cookies, cakes - even FUDGE (see the link below).

Lentil puree is another good add-in for baked goods. I've used it in recipes for waffles, biscuits, cookies, bars and muffins. I usually sprout my lentils before blending it into a puree. Once again, this increases the nutrition, reduces the carbs, and makes them easier to digest.

I add adzuki beans to rice to increase the nutritional profile. Adzuki puree is another good add-in, as is adzuki flour. Add sprouted adzuki beans to stir-fry.

If you make your own tortillas, it's easy to increase the protein by adding bean flour (beans and grains = a complete protein). Another boost of protein is to add some sesame seeds, which also makes really yummy tortillas.

It's just so easy to add beans to our diets - even for people who think they don't like them ;-). Black Bean Brownies anyone?

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: U.S. Dry Bean Council -