Recipe(tried): Sheryl, what has helped me most.....vegetatrian (more or less) since October...

I thought it would be really daunting, just seemed like one more thing to be stressed about since having a heart attack in September. I had already been eating low-fat and beef had lost it's appeal for both myself and my husband when it happened. Now, I thought, on top of all this I have to change my eating even more??? I was NOT a happy camper!

Well, it hasn't been that bad. DH is still eating some meat, I add it to his portion of what I cook for myself usually, as a friend calls it, "using meat as a condiment".

A cookbook that is inspiring me the most at this moment is A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends by Jack Bishop. It's packed not only with great recipes but lots of info on eating vegetarian and tips on almost every page. Some of the recipes are:

Soft Corn Tacos with Garlicky Greens
Spinach Onion Quesadillas with Avocado-Chipolte Salsa
Open-Faced Spinach Melts, Gazpacho with Grilled Vetetables Penne with Pan-Roasted Garlic
Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil
Grilled Mozarella Sandwiches with Tomato-Freen Olive Salad.

Most Italian dishes we ate already were meatless as we leaned towards veggie lasagnas, bruschetta and mushroom marinaras. Sometimes I'll fry up a turkey Italian sausage for DH's portion, sprinkling it on the pasta then topping with the sauce.

I slip turkey slices or chicken breast pieces into his Quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches. Sometimes tuna into his grilled cheese for a tuna melt.

I love heated canned beans on top of baked potatoes, he can't eat beans so he has all the toppings that go with a baked potato and maybe some crumbled fried bacon or taco meat. Sometimes we both have tvp, the textured veggie protien, the type that is already taco flavored on top of our baked potatoes, we can't tell the difference between that and regular taco meat! So we have that along with fat free yogurt or sour cream and some shredded cheese (in his case, as I also have to rule out most of the bad fat, so no cheese but the soy type), sliced green onions, salsa, chopped tomatoes, etc.

A baked potato bar when company comes over can be so easy, baked white and sweet taters with all the toppings set out for everyone to build their own, vegetarian or not.

I buy both kinds of hot dogs, veggie and not, they even have a veggie bratwurst, so we usually are eating the same type of things, ie, the buns, coleslaw, just different kinds of dogs that don't require anything but the grill fired up for both.

Pizza is easy, I either make individual if he wants meat or do half with, half without, I'm not sure how vegetarian your daughter wants to be, that will make a difference. Maybe she just doesn't want to injest it, or doesn't want it touching her food, or doesn't want to see or smell it.

I'll post some of my favorites over the next couple days. I know I've posted some before, I'll see if I can do a search and find them, perhaps Betsy can add the links.

Don't give up Sheryl, some days are frustrating for me, but it's really not been that bad. I have instant vegetarian soups for those days and I bake taters ahead so I can just heat one up with some beans when I don't want to think about it. Quesadillas are a nice easy thing too, you can stuff them to order. Good luck!-Micha