Yeah, there are lots of ways to tweak your meat-vegetable balance.
Personally, I don't count leafy salads when it comes to figuring out if I've made enough food for the meal - I love leafy salads, and they're nutritious, but they aren't that filling, and if it is filling, it's probably loaded with enough high calorie ingredients to make it less healthy.
Things like stir-fries and stews are a good way to stretch a small bit of meat a long way in flavour. If you're a chunk of meat eater, you can still give yourself a chunk of meat, but a small one - cut the pork-chop or steak into two portions, or have a chicken leg instead of full breast, and then add an extra vegetable dish or two.
So for example
- Small grilled steak, baked potato with a bit of butter, steamed green beans with grated parmesan, garden salad with vinagrette dressing, chickpea salad with mint and tomato.
- Single baked chicken leg with Mexican seasonings, beans and rice, corn on the cob, salad of chopped cucumbers, tomatos, onions, cilantro and lime juice.
- Hearty bean soup [sautee a small onion, stick of celery, one carrot and a handful of mushrooms, a small piece of smoked ham or pepperoni. Add two cups of water, a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of mixed beans (rinsed), plus a bay leaf, and a bit of rosemary and black pepper. Simmer until tender.] Serve with good bread, and a salad.
- Indian Potato and cauliflower curry, dhal (stewed spiced lentils), rice pilaf with vegetables, sliced tomatoes with chaat masala, stewed spinach.
For vegetarian that's filling and tasty, check out Indian cookbooks. They use a lot of rice and lentils and chickpeas and the like, as well as eggs and cheese.
As an aside on tofu - I like tofu in a lot of dishes, but I don't like it as a meat substitute. The taste, texture and the way it cooks are totally different. So check out tofu dishes, but go for Japanese or Chinese ones where it's cooked on its own merits, rather than ones that tell you to substitute marinated pressed tofu for beef or chicken.
