Let's face it. Whether you're trying to cut down on your meat intake or you're a full fledged vegetarian, it can get tiring trying to come up with meal ideas. You want to eat balanced meals, and ensure you're getting enough protein, but you also want it to taste good, too. I've put together a list of six vegetarian sources of protein and recipe links for easy reference. Hope this helps to inspire some new meals!
1. Almond butter (and all nut butters!) are a great source of protein. Almonds, by the way, have the most protein out of all the nuts. Try it in chickpea cookies (don't let the name fool you, these are unreal!) or a chia almond recovery shake.
2. Black beans (and all beans!) have a ton of protein and are actually pretty versatile. I've used them in everything from dinners to desserts. Try the vegetarian Mexican black bean dish, and the super moist and delicious black bean cookies.
3. Hemp protein is a great alternative to chemical tasting protein powders. Try it instead of whey protein in this post workout recovery shake, or bake with it and make hemp protein cookies.
4. Lentils are a year round staple for me. I absolutely love them. Try them in a lentil pesto casserole, or in a soup.
5. Tempeh is so easy to prepare and really versatile as well. I loved it in my pineapple ginger tempeh bowl.
6. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein. It's also super easy to make (1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water, bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 mins). I've had it in easy bean and kale soup, and Mexican quinoa bowl with lime.
Tell me, what are your favorite vegetarian sources of protein?