Vegetarian teen - recipes and tips please

[LovingThruBlue]

Oh that looks AMAZING @Ngaio-RO!  I can't wait to try it. 

I'll let you know how I go.

*excited  

[taokat]

I just googled (I love the internet!!), and yes, dahl can be stored on the fridge for 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months. 

So we've all learnt something new 

[taokat]

The more important question we now have is - what's the correct spelling?? Dal, dhal, dahl, daal or dhaal?

[Ngaio-RO]

Haha @taokat that's exactly where I went with your previous post.

Ok so @LovingThruBlue I'm sure you're probably all over this by now but I just had a chat with my daughter and she reminded me of the dishes I made that were vegetarian for her but made it past the palate of a tween.

So here's what worked for us - 

Mac and cheese (until she turned vegan) was super popular with everyone. You can amp up the health factor by grating zucchini and cauliflower into it during cooking. Cover the top with buttered panko crumbs and bake until crispy and nobody mentions the lack of meat.

Veggie lasagne - the trick here was keeping the veggies small and unnoticeable. I would cook up a batch of 'bolognese' sauce with grated carrot and zucchini, eggplant cut into tiny cubes so it practically disappears and mushrooms. Everyone is cool with mushies so I didn't have to hide them.  Add tinned tomatoes and tomato paste and all the other things you usually add to a kick-ass sauce 

Once that's good you just make the lasagne like normal.  If I was making it just for the eldest I would roast vegetables and layer them but the younger kids just pulled them out.

Mashed potatoes and gravy. Or chips and gravy. Believe it or not, Gravox is vegetarian. Maybe even vegan, I can't remember that bit. It's the perfect comfort food. And if you're fancy you can by those jelly like vegetarian stock pots and make the gravy from scratch.

Garlic fried mushrooms with parsley

Sliced zucchini sprinkled with parmesan cheese and baked until crispy.

Tacos or nachos made with beans not mince. The trick is to cook it for ages and then go at it with a potato masher so you can't see the beans anymore. It actually looks like mince!! Or you can buy pre-made, refried beans but I recommend the reduced salt ones because they are salty af. And like three times the price of No Name kidney beans. Top with cheese, guacamole and sour cream.

There's a theme here, which I'm sure you can see. I hid the vegetables so the kids didn't notice them then I added cheese. It's not a vegan diet but it is vego and most importantly, it meant I didn't have to cook two dinners. Which was never going to happen.

By the time she moved out, I had become really grateful that her commitment to animals meant we all ate healthier, and cheaper, than before.

Sorry to bombard you!!

[hashtagmum]

Another thing to keep in mind is that halal and kosher sections of supermarkets are good places to find vegetarian and vegan products, eg, that Massel (sp?) brand stock is vegan - even the chicken and beef flavours, also kosher margarine, halal jelly etc.  I know I mentioned Indian previously but Middle Eastern food also great for vegetarian and vegan options, eg, felafel, tabouli, hummus etc.  You can really fill yourself up on that type of food!  It is cheap as well. 

[LovingThruBlue]

Not bombarded at all @Ngaio-RO! That's awesome! Copied to print for the fridge  

And thank you @hashtagmum!! I had no idea that Massel brand stock and halal jelly are ok. My daughter is going to love that about the jelly!  

[taokat]

Hey @LovingThruBlue, here's my recipe for the Potato and Leek soup. I've taken the bacon out of it.

Potato & Leek Soup

Makes: 2.5 litres

Stock Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 large swede
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 1 stick celery
• 500g potatoes
• 2 litres water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Soup Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large leeks, peeled and thinly sliced
• 25g butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 150ml cream
• Chives, chopped to serve

Method - Stock

• In a large saucepan place 2 litres of water
• Peel and roughly chop all stock ingredients and place in the water with salt and pepper.
• Bring to the boil then simmer for 45 minutes.
• Remove from heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
• Set aside until soup ingredients are ready to add.

Method - Soup

• Heat oil and butter in a frypan over medium heat.
• Thinly slice leeks and add, along with chopped garlic, then toss to coat.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until soft.
• Set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Blitz to make a smooth paste, then add to stock and blitz again making a thick soup.
• Place soup over medium-low heat, add cream and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with chives.

[LovingThruBlue]

Fantastic!! Thanks so much for all of these great tips & recipes  Now that it's the weekend I'm excited about getting into these

Keep them coming everyone. We can never have too many recipe ideas. 

[Beingme2017]

hi @LovingThruBlue how are the vegetarian meals coming along?

Any sure fire winner recipes you can share?

[LovingThruBlue]

Hi @Beingme2017 ,  Quiche is my friend 😜 It's all coming along slowly but surely. I have had some luck with toasted chick peas (slips nicely into lunches too) and egg whites are hiding here & there. SHe is getting a tiny bit more adventurous each week and as she does I will be able to delve into more recipes. I'm probably more so introducing her to new tastes at this stage.

Always up for more suggestions btw