Have you tried tempeh? It's a soy product (they sell it in the freezer section here) that has a more robust texture than tofu. (Personally, I don't really like tofu. It feels too much like some sort of caulk to me.) You can substitute tempeh for any tofu recipe, or chop it into cubes and brown it like meat. I use it in tacos, stews, marinate it with Italian dressing and pan-fry it, and with barbecue sauce as sort of a "sloppy joe" thing.

This is a bit different.If your not a heat freak cut the tabasco back to 1 tsp.

BLISTER BEANS

INGREDIENTS:

1 15 ou.can black beans
1 15 ou.can black eye peas
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp.dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp.brown mustard
3 tsp. Tabasco or favorite hot sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Pour undrained beans and peas into a medium pot.Turn heat on to medium and add the rest of the ingredients.
Cook for about 20 minutes.

I don't know your husbands reason for not eating beans, but if it's the intestinal gas I suggest Beano! If not, use a can of re-fried beans as a thickener for soups. You can puree a can of navy beans or chick-peas for lighter soups. Well, it's a start!
Salena

There is a line of products called Natures Choice, all vegetarian and not a bean in the bunch. They have toco's that I've served to my carnivore friends and they didn't know it wasn't meat. Morningstar Farms sells frozen chic patties, tastes sorta like chicken :-), Boca burgers are good too. Check out the frozen food section at the grocery and you'll find lots of really great vegie dishes.

It's taken some time and experimenting but I do like tofu. I agree, however, that too much of ANY processed food isn't desirable from a health standpoint. I also agree about the Beano, what a stomach-saver :-) Any chance your husband would reconsider beans, or take them in small quantities (like part of a soup or something)? I know it depends on his reasons for not eating them but there's so many great things to do with beans...

Are you worried about protein? You may be more concerned than you need to be; if you're eating a varied, balanced diet you're probably getting more than enough. There's no real need to focus on protein-heavy foods although there's nothing wrong with eating them in moderation, either. It's just not as big of a need as some people think. 20-25% of your calories from protein is plenty, and many many foods have protein in them.

I like a variety of pasta and vegie combinations, you can go wild with that - sauces of all kinds, or just chopped, fresh, lightly cooked vegies, tossed with your favorite pasta. Same with vegies over rice. Add a salad or some fruit or veggie sticks, maybe a bread or cracker - full meal!

When I'm really tired I'll eat a sandwich and fruit and be happy - lots of good possibilities there. I'm still experiementing with tofu "egg" salad and some other tofu spreads but they've all been reasonably tasty. And there are many other things that make a good sandwich.

Also you can make some pretty quick "burgers" with leftover grains... potatoes make a great base for meals too so don't overlook them... does he like green beans? One of my favorite recipes is simply green beans and tomatoes and garlic cooked until very tender (I know, I know, vegies are healthier cooked crisy-tender, but this is sooo good cooked this way) and served over rice, or throw in a potato and a little water for a soup... to really be good, however, it should be garden-fresh tomatoes. The store kind won't cut it. Will he eat eggplant? It makes a good "meat"-type texture in some things.

Check out Nikki and David Goldbeck's 'American Wholefoods Cuisine' for TONs of great recipes, some very quick and easy. It's a life-saver for me. If you're vegan, just ignore the inappropriate recipes or use substitutes. It really is one of the best cookbooks I've found - nothing too fancy or complicated, just good basic foods with imagination and variety. Also, look at the post on this site from Amber "Looking for vegan dessert recipes" - I made some suggestions there for cookbooks and sites that might help.

Good luck, and happy eating!

Uncle Ben's rice has several mixes that do not contain beans. I like the cheesy varieties and add frozen vegies when I add the rice and flavor packet. Serve it with a salad and some rolls and you have a nice meal.

Here's another wierd one!

Use Chicken or Tuna helper...and instead of the Chicken or Tuna, substitute frozen veggies. I like Broccoli Cauliflower and carrots with water chestnuts. It's fast, 1 skillet, fast, tasty, easy, fast....lol.. you get the idea.

What to make for a husband who won't eat beans? Make for him space so he can cook his own meals! But seriously, you said you don't eat meat, so I'll assume that your husband does. Aren't there many things that the meat can be cooked separately? As a convenient example, the Chicken or Tuna Helper suggested in another post would be extremely easy without sacrificing taste (if you have a taste for chicken or tuna helper). You can cook it how you like, divide out a portion for your husband and add the meat to his. He doesn't eat ANY type of beans?

If you have recipes that you like that contain beans, try substituting green peas or chick peas for the beans - you could even prepare 2 1/2 batches and add beans to your portion. (How does he feel about lentils?)

Get creative with grains! They are so easy. Cous cous, different rices, risotto - you can do a zillion one dish meals with them. You could add prepared meat (e.g.,cooked shrimp) to his portion before serving. Everything that you do with pasta you can do with grains. Lots of meat eaters love wild rice - it is really satisfying. I make the rice and while it is cooking saute thinly sliced celery and mushrooms in a little butter, mix with the cooked rice, pour in baking dish, bake at 350 for 15 minutes (or even longer) - yum! You can experiment on this theme with any grain - the little bit of baking seems to "marry" everything together.

Veggie casseroles can be prepared in advance and frozen. I find that freezing in general helps my diet and wallet so that I don't eat unhealthy expensive food out all the time. Making a big batch of artichoke tomato pasta sauce is just as easy as a little one - just freeze in the little bags made for this purpose in the correct portions. Same for soups. Don't forget that old standby, the crock pot. You can make a very hearty stew with potatoes, onions, great bean-less chili for a different taste. Throw everything in the post before you go to work, turn on low or med, dinner is ready when you get home.

Polenta pie is super quick and delicious: make your polenta in the pot, stir in any thing you want - diced red/orange/yellow peppers, garlic, jalapenos, a little cheese, any spices, anything not too watery or that wouldn't go with cornmeal. When it's cooked, pour into a greased glass pie pan, sprinkle top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese melts. Cut like pie and serve with salad that you make while the polenta is baking.

I agree that the prepared (frozen, etc.) vegetarian foods are just as junky as non-veg. Have you ever looked at the sodium contents?

Got this off another website:

Vegan "Meatloaf"

1 package of frozen TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein- Ground beef imitation type such as "GimmeLean")
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion (or according to taste)
1 egg OR equivelent in egg-replacer
Approx. 1.5 cups of bread-crumbs (Add as you feel needed)
A lot of ketchup (the more the better)
Defrost TVP. Hand-mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Put in casserole dish, mold to dish. Add more ketchup to cover sides and top( like cake icing). Bake for 1 hour (or until the veggies are tender). Note: When served, it may fall apart, or crumble. This "meatloaf" is best with corn and mashed potatoes on the side!

Personally, I love to cook and be creative with food - it really relaxes me. Perhaps since time is a factor, you can start to prepare meals together if you already don't. It's a nice way to be together after a day of work. (If your...

I don't understand your question. There are hundreds of receptures without beans and meat. Try some italian one.
My doughter doesn't eat a meal without meat and my son is a vegetarian and now 21 years old. I had never any problems to cook some nice. May be the kind of eating in German is another than yours but it's real easy.
Instead of meat you can try cheese sometimes. It is to fry like a Wiener Schnitzel - you turn it two times first in scrambled eggs than in grounded bread an fry it in a pan on low heat. Combined with toast and a tomato salad is it an easy short meal.

I make wheat gluten (also called seitan) from scratch-actually very easy, and it is great chopped up in a stir fry. What you need so that it's not so time consuming is gluten flour; I get it at my local co-op. Mix one scant cup water with one cup flour. It should form a dough right away. Squeeze it a few times to get out the excess water, and knead it a little. Break or cut it into small 1/2-1" pieces. You can deep fry them until puffed and golden, bake them at 350, or boil them in flavored water. I usually boil them in water into which I have put soy sauce and some sesame oil for a chinese taste. You need more water than you think because the pieces will double in size. Simmer for about an hour. This will make enough for at least two meals. Store the extra covered in the flavored water so they don't dry out. Wheat gluten is very high protein and I really like the taste. Other good uses for it would be in pasta sauce or to replace meat in a curry recipe. You can add whatever herbs you like to the water- italian for a pasta dish, maybe cumin and corriander for Indian/curry.