Man-friendly vegetarian meals?

[Kaissa]

Oh, that portobello recipe reminded me of another recipe I use a lot.

This one is a 'most requested' by hubby's most carnivorous friend (and they are SO easy).

Portobello sandwiches

whole portobellos (cut off stems, and I take the gill things out too)
cooking spray
salt and pepper
roasted red peppers (in the jar)
mayo
fresh dill - minced (to taste)
crusty sourdough

Spray mushrooms with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil until desired doneness.

While your mushrooms are cooking, mix the mayo with the dill ( i always use more dill than I think is necessary). Lightly toast your bread.

Spread the dill-mayo on the bread, top with a portobello, throw on a layer of roasted red peppers and more mayo and toasty bread.

It sounds like something is missing, but trust me, it's perfect this way. 

[fallencupid]

That one sounds good too.

I never used mushrooms like those before in a recipe (I lead a sheltered life I realize), and I cut those gills out too. I'll have to try your recipe some night. 

[lupinbunny]

You take the gills out?! What's left?

[fallencupid]

I thought that too when I cut the gills out. But the recipe I used said to cut them out. And when I did I was like, am I doing this right? There is hardly anything left. But the gills look nasty anyways to me. I probably wouldn't have eaten them if I left them on. Blech.

[SlyBetty]

After four years of living with me my boy is practically a vegetarian too. Through much trial and error we have discovered that our favorite meal to make both of us happy is burrito night. Sometimes I make refried beans, other times I make rice and beans. I also stir fry a pile of peppers, onions and zuccinni on the side. Sometimes he eats them, sometimes he doesn't.

A friend of mine actually grinds up vegetables in a food processor and then adds them to fake meat crumbles. Once it is covered in taco seasoning, her husband (who hates veggies) never knows he is eating carrots, zuccini or whatever else she thinks of. LOL.

I also made a baked ziti recently and filled it with minced onions and portabello mushrooms. It gave the dish a meaty consistency that we both liked a lot. And my fella HATES mushrooms with a passion. He actually never asked what the meatiness was - so I never told him.

[clairebjamin]

This is such a great post topic!  My husband eats meat, and thankfully, doesn't mind not eating it for most meals!  I have recently been trying to be more open to cooking meat for him, but it is hard to not neglect my own main course when doing that.  I am waiting for someone to make a cookbook for vegetarian meals that meat can be added to separately.     
Our favorites are vegetable lasagna, fajitas (with grilled peppers and onions and black beans). And we have bought the black bean burgers from the store before.  I am definitely going to try the homemade black bean burger recipe though!  Thanks for posting!

[Cheebz]

I am waiting for someone to make a cookbook for vegetarian meals that meat can be added to separately.     

Actually, there is a cookbook out there that is similar to what you are looking for called "The Flexitarian Cookbook." My boyfriend's mother is a meat-eater but also a picky eater and she bought the book as a peace gesture for family dinners at which I would be present (Previously I was expected to make do with extra salad). Anyway, the book includes recipes that can easily be altered for meat-eaters, vegetarians, pescatarians and I think there might be a few vegan options in there too.

[trinashere]

I own "The Flexitarian Table" and while it has fantastic recipes in it, it's not very functional for everyday dinner making. Most of the recipes take a long time and use ingredients most people don't necessarily have on hand all the time. I bought it with high hopes because I'm sick of making two meals every night. But I am going to try a really awesome lasagna recipe for Thanksgiving. But I'm estimating it will take me three days to get it down. For real.

[Kaissa]

I made this tortilla soup tonight and my husband loved it, so I thought of this thread. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. The only thing I did differently was add a can of rinsed black beans to make it a bit more substantial for my meat-loving hubby (added with the corn). It made a ton - enough for the two of us for dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow and some for the freezer as well.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix (my store didn't have this, so I just used a bell pepper and an onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn
12 ounces tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper and onion stir fry mix, garlic, and cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
Mix corn into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with cheese and avocado.

You take the gills out?! What's left?

yes, I always do. I think it's because the first time I ever used portobellos the recipe told me to. I've never thought not to! 

[muffinpod]

i'm not vegetarian and neither is my husband, but i hate cooking meat and besides, it's expensive. we eat heartily, though.

one of my favorite things....

Cuban Burritos:
tortillas
black beans (canned or homemade*)
brown rice
jack cheese
sliced avocados
fried plantains*
shredded lettuce or spinach leaves
hot sauce

*plantains: slice 1/2 inch thick, fry in a bit of olive oil until light golden, remove from pan, smash with the back of a wooden spoon, return to oil and fry until crispy

*homemade black beans: soak 1 cup dried beans overnight. in a large saucepan, cover the beans with water. dice a red bell pepper, an inion, and two or three cloves garlic. add to beans. heat until boiling. boil 15 minutes, reduce heat to simmer and cook until soft. season to taste with salt, pepper and lots of cumin.

he also loves...

Thai Green Curry:
1-2 Tbsp. green curry paste
1 14oz can coconut milk
1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

mix these ingredients together and add a bag of frozen veggies and some stir-fried tofu. serve over steamed rice. yummm.