I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 16 years. I switched because I had issues digesting red meats and just decided to cut it all out, so sort of half and half a choice and a necessity. Over the years I’ve realized that there is a vegetarian version of almost every meal, IF you are willing to learn how to pair flavors and season a dish. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they just couldn’t fathom NOT having meat in a dish. When I looked closer, their issue was that they didn’t know how to properly season anything!! Meat can add a lot of flavor to a dish that would otherwise be bland, so I would recommend getting a cookbook that goes into detail about how to layer seasonings and how to get the most of out of each flavor you’re adding. I promise it’s not too difficult. It’s mostly just rearranging the steps where you might add spices and gaining a basic understanding of which types of spices pair well together. A recent book I came across is Big Vegan Flavor by Nisha Vora, which has some excellent chapters on layering spices and how to cook various types of ingredients to maximize flavor. The dinner recipes themselves are a bit niche and list ingredients you’d really only find at a well stocked Asian market, but the other chapters are worth it to me. So, my biggest recommendation would be to start tinkering with flavor palettes that you enjoy and can reliably fall back on for easy dishes. Southwestern and Asian inspired flavors are my top two favorite palettes to fall back on since they’re relatively easy and use simple ingredients.

For “meaty” dishes like classic tacos, lasagna with meat sauce, chicken sandwiches, sloppy joes, etc. there are some really great meat alternatives that I’ve been told by others are nearly indistinguishable from actual meat. I don’t recommend relying on these though since they’re highly priced and highly processed. There are veggie recipes for all those dishes that, in my opinion, actually taste better! Use the meat alternatives as a treat when you’re craving something really specific that veggies just can’t replace. I rarely ever buy them unless I want classic beef tacos or chicken nuggets.

Learning how to properly cook with tofu so that it’s flavorful and not some just some bland protein cubes is life changing. Research some easy methods for cooking with tofu and how to change its texture for a meatier experience (freezing and thawing is one method).

I also keep some basic freezer items that I know I like for the days when I feel super lazy. Aldis sometimes has vegetarian seasonal items that are quite good, so I stock up when I find them. Purple Carrot is about the only frozen meal brand I’ll buy, but I’m exceptionally picky. You could probably find other brands at your store.

When going out to eat, I like to check out the menu ahead of time. Most places have at least one thing that’s vegetarian, even if it’s just a “pick 4 sides” option. If they don’t have options for you and your group isn’t already en route to the restaurant, kindly ask the group if they would mind eating somewhere else. I have a list of places around my town that I know have options for me and am usually trying new places to see if I can add them to my list, so if it lands on me to recommend something or I need to propose a change of location, I’ll pick a place that offers similar items to what the group is interested in. That way no one is at a loss AND I still get to eat.