My MIL will not eat meat. She says she's a vegetarian but won't eat veggies! I don't think she even knows the difference. Any recipe ideas?

I tend to think it is irresponsible to consider this a simple recipe request before knowing anything about the MIL's oral health, swallowing ability, or cognitive state.
It is not uncommon for sudden changes in food textures to be due to dental problems or dysphagia, and dementia affects all aspects of life - including common eating habits. Does she have trouble with eating utensils and scooping food, avoid hard or crunchy foods, chew on one side, hold food in her mouth, or cough after swallowing (especially liquids including water)? Any of these signs needs medical evaluation.

It is simple to find vegetarian recipes or strategies to hid nutrients in food the MIL does eat - looking under toddler diet helps. But, given the request for help is severe enough to post here, I tend to think this is about something other than dietary preference.

My husband prefers not to eat meat, has always been this way, but the last few years his dental problems has made it harder and harder for him to eat a lot of things. I have known for 50 years that there are choices for vegetarians to get complete proteins without eating meat. Just remember 3 categories: Nuts, beans, grains. Take any 1 from 2 different categories and you will get a complete protein. For instance: peanut butter with bread = complete protein. Refried beans with rice or a tortilla = complete protein. Pancake with almond butter = complete protein. Many vegetarians do eat dairy. My husband loves eggs & cheese, but if I ate the way he does with all the carbs, I'd weigh 300 pounds.

Don't know if your local grocery store carries Amy's brand of frozen vegetarian meals. I like their Mexican meals. There is a lot to choose from this company, and perhaps your MIL will like them. Portions (to me) are not large, have always microwaved very well.
There are a lot of recipies on line for fairly simple vegetarian fare. Not sure if your MIL likes beans, add rice-makes it a good protien source. Also, you might have to invest in a bottle of Beano-gas is a by product of this type of diet.
I remember my grandfather with Alzheimers who simply drifted away from eating meat-when I asked him why, he said "I don't like the taste". Ok. My mother with end stage cancer after chemo would have water ice-soothing and kept her somewhat hydrated. My husband with dementia keeps changing his mind with what he will/won't eat. So, I don't buy too much of any one item-right now he's into watermelon-but that won't last-not sure what he'll crave next....

I would do as aged care places do once regular meals are not eaten/hard to chew/ hard to swallow: soft diet. Thick soups, semi-blended main course, vitamin fortified drinks or puddings.

But since I am a horribly lazy cook I would be buying & trying the wonderful range of baby foods. I'd go for the organic no preservative no sugar range for older babies - risotto, pasta, stews, with or without meat sauces, with plenty of veggies. Obviously remove from jar or pouch - needs to look presentable & adult in a proper bowl. Oatmeal with fresh fruit eg banana or apple are nice for breakfast. Custard/yoghurt with fruits for dessert.

I actually live off this type of food when camping 😁

DaynaReiss: Perhaps she needs to see a Dietician.

My husband is opposite he will eat steak almost always and not big on veggies.

So lots of creation of dishes hiding veggies:
Quiche, lots of spinach and other veggies.
Homemade tomato sauce with spinach, peppers, mushrooms and pasta dish.
Fish with stuffing of various veggies, covered with cheese.
Smoothies, fruits and avocado
Toast with avocado, tomato and egg
Risotto with shrimps and kale and few other veggies of choice, I like exotic mushrooms
Home made pizza with lots of veggies covered with cheese
Quinoa with veggies
Tagine could be beef and chicken or veggies carrots, peas, potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes
Vegetable lasagna

Has this just started? If she hasn't seen a physician in awhile, I'd take her in. And what the heck has she been eating? Carbohydrates? If she'll eat smoothies and pureed soups, you can add in Metamucil or psyllium for bulk. To me, smoothies and pureed soups or bisques don't seem like vegetables. There are all kinds of vegetable bisques you can make. Using chicken broth is a good way to get some protein in her. If you go that route and you don't already have one, get an immersion blender. So much better than a regular blender. If you think you need to hide the vegetables to get her to eat, quiches are good. Apparently, there are store-bought quiche crusts (I would not make my own under these circumstances). Good luck to you.

As a vegetarian, she should relish the thought of asparagus flavored popcorn, right? Beets and carrots smoothies? Just sayin'!

-protein powder added to various things ; oatmeal, drinks, pancakes etc
-yogurt
- long cooked bone broth to make up for minerals… freeze in ice cubes and drop in smoothies,soups etc (Josh Axe sells this in powder form now I think)
-b vitamins

How about an appointment with a Dietician?

shrimp and cheese grits
quiche
soups
zucchini bread
kefir, yogurt with fruit, smoothies
Costco dark chocolate protein bars, a banana and coffee
Fried rice with shrimp, chicken, egg
Grilled tuna and cheese sandwich

my mom swore she didn’t like carrots until she had hubby’s coconut carrot soup 😂

My Mom had similar issues and had stopped eating. We did solve it, but I found out that chewing was getting difficult for her, so we had to cook things so they were very soft, meat and veggies may just be too tough. She also lost most of taste, so things did not have any value. So, how we did this, cook things much more, use different sauces, ground meats with onions work well, fish also is great. We asked her to choose her recipes and prepare a shopping list with things she likes to eat so she owns her choices. She is diabetic, so she can choose a lot of things but has to have the right calorie content and vitamines. Also she drinks one Ensure (high calorie chocolate) drink every day to get the calories she needs without having to consume solid foods. These worked well

Oatmeal.

What is her definition of meat? For some people, it is just red meat. Chicken and seafood is okay. For other people, chicken, fish (both fresh water and from the sea) and seafood are out. Tofu, beans and lentils are the closest they get to protein.

Once you get her definition of meat, you'll have lots of possibilities.

Another way to figure this out is to see what she cooks for herself and others.

Its all a puzzle....

Cheese dishes, rice and bean combination dishes, tofu, sneak extra eggs into everything, dairy... some folks are ok with fish and/or chicken.

If I had to cook for this, I would use a grain like rice or couscous, with a sauce I made from vegetables and reduced with a stick mixer so it doesn’t look like an individual vegetable. I’d probably make two sauces, one green (frozen peas are a nice colored base) and one red (tinned tomatoes and beans, plus the orange veges like pumpkin). A white dob of sour cream or yogurt would be nice too. Just remember that for completed vegetable protein you need a combination of grains and pulses (ie peas, beans, lentils). Cook in bulk and freeze.

Another thing you can try is very small servings on a large plate. It makes the servings look smaller.

There are too many options to list, it is all going to depend on what she does like to eat and how those foods are prepared in her culture - what was she eating before?
A lot of people gag at over cooked veggies, a lot of other people despise veggies that are so quickly cooked they are barely warmed through..... what is her preference?
Beans and lentils are totally different things when served as baked beans, refried beans and in a vegetarian chili, or an Indian dahl.
Does she like and can she tolerate salads?
Grain bowls?
Soups are always my easy go to suggestion, the varieties are endless and extras can be frozen. Curried pumpkin or squash made with coconut milk is a special favourite.

Your MIL has ALZ/dementia and therefore, is likely confused by what constitutes being a 'vegetarian', especially since she's refusing to eat vegetables. My suggestion to you is not to drive yourself crazy with this. Offer the woman a variety of different foods with many SWEET tasting options, since dementia patients most often lose their taste for anything BUT sweet tasting foods: yoghurt, ice cream, jello, puddings, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, bite sized foods such as cheese & crackers, grapes, fresh orange slices, watermelon chunks, melon chunks, milkshakes, fruit smoothies with protein powder thrown in, etc. Offer her small bites/meals 6x a day vs. large meals 3x a day. See how that works. Elders esp with dementia lose their desire for large meals, especially when a big plate is put in front of them. I wouldn't worry too much about 'nutrition' at this point, but about getting SOME food into her body; that's more important than 'what' food she puts into her body. Some food is better than no food, marginally 'healthy' or not. At an advanced age, and with dementia at play, who really cares about grams of protein vs. grams of fat & cholesterol? Let her eat what she LIKES to eat and call it a day.

Best of luck!

Beans? I love them. There's a company I used to be able to get them only online, but now in my corner specialty store.....Rancho Gordo. Has all sort of great heirloom beans. I will get a
I Joe Mire Poix (all cut up carrots, onions and celery) and cook them forever. Sometimes add Kale, or chili powder if a chili. I can eat on them wrapped in a tortilla forever, and have lots to freeze.
I love cheese casserole, as well, and add a can of campbell's tomato soup layered in, as my Mom used to. I add bacon as well but can use fake bacon as well.
I wonder if it's a "thing" because at 80 I am losing my taste for meats as well.

Mac and cheese and cheese lasagna come to mind. Potato cheese soup (crumble bacon on top of yours instead of cooking it in the soup) and a baked potato bar (where everyone puts their own toppings on) might be good too. A cheese quesadilla is quick and easy. I know everything I said is cheese, those are the easiest ones I can think of.

What WILL she eat? Have you spoken to her doctor? Does she have any issues with swallowing? Sometimes they suggest protein shakes or milkshakes/smoothies with veggies mixed in but I wouldn't start anything like that without talking to her doctor to see if there are any underlying causes. Is this new? Did she eat meat before? Does she have a meat aversion, texture issues, or issues with chewing it? There could be any number of things going on so I would start with a call to the doctor.