With costs of foods so high, many people have turned to meatless dishes to help make their food-dollars stretch.

Some substitutes you're probably familiar with are legumes, tofu and nuts and seeds. But there is a good deal of protein in dishes that include a fair amount of cheese and whole grains as well.

Today, for our lunch, I prepared tacos. We did not have hamburger, so I combined two types of beans and pressure-cooked them with the appropriate seasonings. I, personally, missed the hamburger a little, but the taste was still nice. And the nutrition might have actually been better without the meat (the sodium and extra fats beef carries).

One of my favorite soups to prepare is something we call "Creamy Potato Vegetable Chowder". Cheese provides its protein. 

                                 Creamy Potato Vegetable Chowder 

Ingredients:

2-3# potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small/medium onion chopped    

3 carrots peeled and chopped

1 cup peas

2 stalks celery, chopped    

2 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups shredded cheese

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter/margarine

1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

Simmer vegetables together until tender in water to cover. Meanwhile, heat milk, butter, salt and pepper over medium heat. In a cup, blend cornstarch with enough water to make a smooth, almost runny, paste. Whisk cornstarch mixture into milk mixture with wire whisk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese, and stir until blended. Add the cheese mixture to the vegetables and stir until combined adequately. Season to taste, and serve with fresh, sliced whole wheat bread (or even wheat quick-bread).

Other favorite recipes we use for meatless meals are cheese manicotti (the egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, and parmesean cheeses make a wonderful protein compliment with the pasta).

Or, try soups. There are so many that utilize beans! And what variety of flavors! Spicy, all the way to sweet! Smoky Bean Chowder, Minnestrone, and Wintery Bean Soup are some of our standby's.

Have you ever tried peanut soup? :-)

Get out your favorite recipe books for more ideas! Alter them to fit your tastes. Don't be afraid to "tweak" the recipe to suit you and your family. It's part of the fun of being a creative housewife!

You might like to serve baked beans (excellent protein value when combined with a thoughtful side dish such as noodle salad, whole grain bread, or seasoned rice).

If you like the idea of patties, you can form nearly any bean into a "patty" suitable for breading and frying, or serving as-is, with a rice or noodle dish and steaming vegetables. Season with poultry seasoning, tomato paste, ground cumin or soy sauce for a flavor your family would prefer. Drain beans well after cooking, mash, add an egg (or two if you have a fair amount of beans), some finely chopped onions, and some flour/crushed crackers and press into patties. Heat and serve, or roll in bread crumbs, if desired (or seasoned flour) and fry. We like ours topped with cheese or a special sauce. Or - Serve on toasted bread.

My children love garbanzo bean spread (hummus) with pita bread and sprouts.

You might like Falafel balls if you enjoy a bit of spice.

What about meatless chili? -- Chili is not my favorite meal, but my family thinks it's wonderful! Add extra beans (or a variety of beans) to your dish, and lots of chopped vegetables such as onion, green pepper, chopped tomatoes and corn. Top with sour cream (or plain yogurt) and cheese. You might even like to heat corn or flour tortillas in the oven until crisp, crumble and top.

We can easily avoid the cost of meat if we are creative. And our families are treated to a wider variety of tastes than they might otherwise enjoy.

Enjoy cooking!  

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Shared by maa

The potato chowder sounds good. I make something kind of like it and I add bacon bits. I know it is meat but just a strip or two of bacon, cooked and crumbled makes it taste soo good.
Thanks for the recipe.
maa's mom

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