Where can I find easy vegetarian recipes?

Dear Reader,

Having some vegetarian recipes on hand can be helpful, whether or not you're a vegetarian yourself. There may be times when you have company over who are vegetarian, for cultural, religious, or other reasons, and you want to be prepared. In addition, people may choose to consume fewer animal foods and products in their eating plans, and desire to find suitable and tasty meat-less substitutes. Vegetarian eats are not the bland, boring fare some may traditionally consider (plain tofu, boiled carrots, or alfalfa sprouts!) — the flavors, colors, and textures can be lively and incredibly appetizing to many palates. And, similar to non-vegetarian meals, vegetarian eats can be simple or complicated to prepare.

A few web sites and cookbooks, among others, can help you whip up your own healthy vegetarian dishes and plan well-balanced eating. Lots of wonderful recipes can be found on some vegetarian web sites; however, they are time consuming to browse, so be sure not to be too hungry when surfing! Some vegetarian sites to start at include:

Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) VRG is a Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association. This website is a valuable resource for vegetarians.

All Recipes — Vegetarian Recipes
This web site will automatically convert their recipes to make any number of servings you desire!

Veggies Unite!
Vegweb.com contains a seemingly unlimited number of recipes, and lots of other info vegetarians would find interesting.

Cookbooks are also terrific resources of recipes for vegetarians, including:

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast & Easy Recipes for Everyday, by the Moosewood Collective
Actually, all of the Moosewood cookbooks are excellent!

The New Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition, by Laurel Robertson
This book not only contains recipes, but also lots of helpful nutrition information for vegetarians and anyone interested in good health.

Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, by Nava Atlas
Recipes with 5 ingredients or less are quick and easy.

These books, as well as other vegetarian cookbooks, are available at on- and off-line bookstores. For more information about vegetarianism, browse through the Q&As listed under the Optimal Nutrition section of Go Ask Alice!'s Fitness and Nutrition archive.