What are some good ways for a vegetarian to get protein?

Sometimes I'm below the recommended amount of protein I should consume. What are some ways that you get your protein and what are some ways for me to get all of mine?? Thanks

One word... Soy.

Soy is a great source of protein - also peanut butter or nuts in general. Edamame is a great snack and easy to prepare. Outside of that, there's an endless amount of soy products for vegetarians/vegans. If you're a light vegetarian, you could also use some of the nutrients found in fish - try to eat some of that if it's within your diet restrictions. Fish provides a great source of protein. 

Try nuts(tasty), tofu(very high in protein), tempeh(good barbequed!), wheat gluten(sounds gross, tastes good..think spices and cook it till very brown, very high protein) beans and rice when eaten together are as complete a protein as meat. Brown rice is much healthier than white of course. Try meat substitutes from boca and morningstar in the frozen section of the supermarket(read the labels on these brands, some products are high in fat) although i think the best meat substitute brand is the Lightlife "Smart" brand in the refridgerated section. High in protein usually fat free, low in calories, tasty too. They have "bacon", lunch "meats" , "chicken", even ground "beef". All of the foods I listed are staples in my diet. I have been a vegetarian for 10 years since I was a teenager and have always been in good health with a good iron count. It is important to get your blood tested for your iron count, which can suffer if you do not get enough protein. Hopefully you can find these types of foods at supermarkets in your area. If not talk to the manager and suggest that they carry them, they just might listen!

oh! I forgot about edamame, it is one of my favorites, you have to try edamame!!

Beans, lentils, QUINOA (high in complete protein and tasty), flax and any other whole grains (wheat berries, buckwheat etc.).   Eggs and dairy can help if you eat them.  For dairy a natural type of yogurt that isn't PACKED with sugar is a great choice.

Excellent link here with all the protein sources and how many grams each serving has.   I just came across this yesterday and bookmarked it! 

http://www.vegparadise.com/protein.html#Chart s ;

-Yogurt ! some of the ones i get are 5gs in each little pot!

-Nuts and seeds.

-Brown Bread.

Hope this helps a little.

make sure you are getting complete proteins:

 

whole grain breads + nut butters

rice + beans

pita+ hummus

 

and so on..... too much soy give you too much estrogen which cn throw your body off during your monthly cycle..i avoid soy the week before and the week after and my moods and every are better

 

and by saying you in my comment, i dont mean you directly, just as a common you

make sure you are getting complete proteins:

 

whole grain breads + nut butters

rice + beans

pita+ hummus

 

and so on..... too much soy give you too much estrogen which cn throw your body off during your monthly cycle..i avoid soy the week before and the week after and my moods and every are better

 

and by saying you in my comment, i dont mean you directly, just as a common you

Thanks. I also had my first luna bar today which was very good and had quite a bit of protein and I got some clif bars as well.

Mmmm...Clif Bars - how I love thee.

Just watch out; they're so good they're addicting! You wouldn't think they'd be all that great, as they are an energy/protein bar, but they taste just like their flavors; the banana nut bread one is to die for!

OOO! OOO! I second the Odwalla Super Protein bars. You can find them at Whole Foods or Wild Oats; they have 16 grams of protein for a 230 calorie bar, which is pretty good compared to most other brands! Just make sure you get the Super Protein one...the rest only have about 3-4 grams of protein.

any type of legume, especially chick peas

If you like eat cereal, I reccomend Special K Protein Plus. Granted it doesn't taste amazing, if you add some Splenda and some cinnamon (it seems to complement the cereal's flavor) and let the milk soak in, I think it's addicting. 100 calories for 10 grams of protein plus the protein from the milk, not too bad. Also cottage cheese. High protein, low calorie...lovely.

I have been a semi-vegetarian since January (still eat fish every once in a while). Cottage cheese, peanut butter, fake meat (morningstar black bean burger and boca bratwurst are GREAT!) and whole grains are most of my protein. Kashi crunchy granola bars are also fantastic and have up to 7 grams of protein in some of them (my favorite is pumpkin spice...YUM!).