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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

- We eat a ton of chickpeas, which are wonderfully flexible - a can of sauteed chickpeas is a delicious snack. To make a meal of them we'd add an assortment of veggies (kale, sauteed zucchini, sauteed cauliflower rice, etc) with avocado and feta. Chickpeas also can be added to many soups and fit in harmoniously. I have tried every canned chickpea on the market - Goya tastes best. 
 
- Speaking of lentils, black and green lentils are more delicious and versatile than green lentils which, in my opinion, are super bland no matter what. A really good lentil soup is chef's kiss. Red lentils, which largely dissolve, are great additions to other foods - adds proteins and can increase satiety. We'd add red lentils to our vegetarian chili to make it super hearty. Can also be added to other soups and they disintegrate and fully absorb the flavor of the soup. You can use black or green lentils in much the same way you'd use ground beef. Lentil tacos, made with taco seasoning was a favorite of ours.

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My DH is from South India and his entire family has been vegetarian for generations - most have never eaten meat - ever.  The trick is to have a balance of protein and other nutients, which most Indian veg dishes do.  We always use dried beans and not canned in our cooking.  The best place to buy them are in the Indian grocery stores.  They carry endless types of lentils, chickpeas, and other beans - whole and split.  They're very easy to cook with if you use a pressure cooker.  I cook the chickpeas and other larger beans in big batches in the Instant Pot, then freeze so we always have on hand while cooking.  They are so much better than any canned beans and they don't get mushy in soups and stews.

My sister-in-law is a well-known plant-based chef in Europe.  Most restaurants in the west just don't know what to do with vegetarian dishes - hence the cauliflower steak!  California is the exception.  My S-I-L uses a very wide variety of grains - some I had never heard of like Freekeh.  She never uses white rice which is just empty calories and of no nutrition value.  It was tough to get the older family members to switch to more healthy rice and grains because admittedly, South Indian food is very carb-heavy.  One of my favorite types of rice that she cooks with is black or "forbidden" rice.  It is really delicious and healthy as well. Whole Foods usually carries it and I highly recommend you give it a try!

I grew up a carnivore but as I get older I have also reduced my meat consumption a lot.  Especially beef - which I find harder to digest as I age.  I do eat a lot of chicken though.  All that to say, OP add lentils and a variety of grains to your diet.

Good luck!
  
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