Choosing not to eat meat or bread with your dinner cuts out calorie-dense foods, leaving your more room to experiment with what you put on your plate. Depending on what you prepare, a healthy dinner with no meat and no bread often requires minimal cooking, shortening prep time. Keep the dinner balanced to provide high levels of nutrients.
When piecing together a dinner without meat and bread, make sure it has protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Beans, eggs and soy products are excellent sources of protein, which helps maintain your muscles, prolongs a feeling of fullness and makes the meal feel more satisfying. Whole grains provide the benefits of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates supply you with energy and the fiber that often accompanies them promotes satiety. Nuts, avocados, dairy products and beans supply healthy fats with relatively low levels of saturated fat. Healthy fats allow your body to absorb vitamins efficiently.
Designing tasty appetizers and starters without meat or bread is quick and simple. Try a tray of cheeses and vegetables with a healthful dip, such as low-fat salad dressing, salsa or hummus. Soups based around beans, vegetables, tomatoes or dairy work, as well. Without bread to serve with the soup, consider some roasted tofu or tempeh as a stand-in. Appetizers also offer you chance to get creative with vegetables -- try wrapping thinly-sliced tomatoes, crumbled cheese and cooked beans in lettuce leaves. Mini kebabs with fresh veggies on toothpicks work well. For a sweeter appetizer, provide fresh fruits in bite-size portions or a fruit salad, which also works as dessert.
Entrees without meat and bread are easy to base around beans, vegetables, grains or soy products. A lasagna-type dish with thinly sliced vegetables, cheese, beans and sauce is simple to piece together, for example. Layer your favorites in a pan and bake it until everything is tender. Other options include fish kebabs with vegetables, lettuce or cabbage leaf wraps containing beans and tofu, grilled tempeh, quinoa with diced veggies, or brown rice and a vegetable stir-fry.
Bread is a common side dish to a variety of meals, but it is not required to make the dinner interesting. Salads make quick, customizable sides. A mini salad bar -- with prepped leafy greens, beans, fresh veggies, cheeses and dressings -- allows everyone to make their own for greater convenience. Other simple sides include mashed beans, steamed or grilled vegetables, baked potatoes or turnips, roasted vegetables and cooked grains. Don't forget seasonings and condiments; provide variety with things like ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and lime wedges.