Also, this recipe is a top five for me: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html

I have about 30 veg cookbooks but still mostly use allrecipes.com. I love how every recipe is reviewed - I only make things from there if they have tons of good reviews, they are practically backed by a guarantee. I can share a few specific recipes I love though:

Delicious!!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moroccan-style-stuffed-acorn-squash/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=moroccan%20stuffed%20squash&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-tortilla-soup/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=vegetarian%20tortilla%20soup&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Another vote for 101 cookbooks!

I also suggest you start out on Pinterest and look for vegan boards if you're looking for things that are lower calories. I wouldn't invest in a bunch of cookbooks yet if you're just starting out with a vegetarian diet.

I cannot believe nobody posted this yet (and she lives in DC) - I absolutely love her recipes!

Keep It Simple Foods

http://www.keepitsimplefoods.com

I highly recommend taking cookbooks out of the library first -- that's how I found out about some of my favorite cookbooks.

I have the original Bittman "how to cook everything" and I adore it. It's a great resource. I was less wowed by the vegetarian one, since it had many of the same recipes & ideas so I couldn't see buying that one too. But I think having or the other would be a very good resource.

I also like Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.

NP here.
I went on Amazon to see the reviews on Moosewood and Mark Bittman's books and there are enough negative reviews (despite the 4/5 star ratings) that I'm put off.
Please keep the suggestions coming. Maybe I'll try the library and get a free book before spending any money on one.

Thank you for all of the recommendations so far!

1) Moosewood is bland. Blech.

2) Deborah Madison is very good, BUT many of her recipes require a lot of ingredients. It can be intimidating. These are best for weekends when you have more time to cook.

3) Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is the basic veggie cookbook I recommend for people starting out.

I'm not vegetarian, but am a huge fan of Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Even the recipes that don't sound too exciting on the surface have been delicious. It definitely has some that are high in dairy/cheese, but also tons of bean and grain-rich recipes.

I very highly recommend Love Soup by Anna Thomas. She wrote the Vegetarian Epicure way back when, and this latest book offers much healthier but still amazingly delicious vegetarian meals.

I do like some of the Moosewood Cookbooks (and I lived in Ithaca and am a Moosewood loyalist) but a good number of the recipes are heavy on the cheese/cream etc.

OMG, any Moosewood Restaurant cookbook. The recipes are really tasty and even my meat-and-potatoes DH likes them, which frankly is shocking. Plus, they recommend good accompaniments and cite the pages to find them so you can put together a whole meal that is really great. Cannot recommend these cookbooks enough!

I was just looking into some cookbooks of that nature myself-- I found two on Amazon that seem to be what I'm looking for. You should read the reviews:

-Vegetarian 5-ingredient gourmet: http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-5-Ingredient-Gourmet-Nava-Atlas/dp/076790690X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3MBNMUFEPH1ZI&colid=68MZ1KUZTT8U

-Quick Fix Vegetarian: http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Fix-Vegetarian-Healthy-Home-Cooked-Minutes/dp/0740763741/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2JYWQ6NI24UY1&colid=68MZ1KUZTT8U

Also, if you're on Pinterest, there are tons of people with Vegan / Vegetarian boards. Some of those recipes look really good. I've been experimenting with quinoa lately and have liked everything I've made (basically how I'd make pasta salad, only substituting quinoa for the pasta.) I find that when I take it to work with me for lunch, I feel full a lot longer than I would after eating a sandwich. It has lots of protein.

101 Cookbooks

Everyone in my family needs to lose weight ,and we are interested in more vegetarian meals. Most of my current recipes are heavy on the pasta and cheese. I need to learn to cook things with grains and beans and veggies that are lower calorie but hearty enough to appealtoDH and teen boys. Do you have a go to cookbook or website to recommend?