Quick Vegetarian Meals
My daughter and I have been vegetarian for about 9 months now and it's been great except for a few things:
1. I hate to cook and am running out of ideas to please a 12 year old.
2. I really don't have much time to cook.
3. I have two meat eaters in the house that I'm slowly trying to convert to vegetarianism.
Does anybody have any suggestions of quick meals that a 12 year old would enjoy as well as die-hard meat eaters?
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15 Comments:
I just ripped off a completely delicious pasta dish from a fellow Serious Eats member named Banana- thanks, Banana! My recipe is a tiny bit different than hers, but it's delicious and kid-friendly, seeing as how my two toddler nieces gobbled it up. I used organic chicken broth in mine, but since you're going for vegetarian you can just use three cups of the well-salted pasta water instead of the broth:
Good olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. of red pepper flakes (optional)
One 1lb. box of ditalini (or any other small pasta)
2 cans of garbanzo beans or “chickpeas”
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ c. of finely chopped fresh basil and Italian flat leaf parsley
3 c. of organic, reduced sodium chicken broth
Boil pasta only until very al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet sauté red pepper flakes (optional) and garlic in olive oil until garlic is soft, do not brown.
Drain the garbanzo beans and add them to the garlic. Sauté over medium heat until beans are heated through.
Add cooked pasta to garbanzo beans/garlic mixture. Gently combine beans and pasta.
Add chicken broth and let simmer on medium low heat until the pasta has absorbed half of the broth.
Garnish generously with Parmesan cheese (the more the better), sprinkle in herb mixture and drizzle with olive oil.
Enjoy!
PumpkinBear at 11:39PM on 08/15/08
I can't make mabo tofu from scratch, but it's a pretty snazzy dish. I usually buy the ready-made packet. It's a Japanese dish that is Chinese in origin - mapo tofu. I like the Japanese version more, probably because that is what I was raised on and most familiar with (associating mabo/mapo) as far as flavor expectation.
The packet is a stewed thick sauce base. There is no tofu included. You just add whatever vegetables you want. I usually add fresh green beans, 1/4 of a bell pepper, and tofu. You don't even need to add the tofu if your family doesn't like it. :) It's better with it, especially if you cook the tofu early on so it is imbued with the essence of the sauce. It comes in not spicy to little spicy.
Here is some information on mabo tofu at an online store. I am not advocating or affiliated with this site. It was the first site that popped up on search and appears to have good info on the dish.
The other is Japanese curry. If you haven't tried Japanese curry, it's a milder version of Indian curry that is a touch sweeter (ofttimes apples stewed in), lighter on the cumin, and ranges from not spicy to a little spicy.
I believe all the curry bricks are vegan. My husband makes the roux from scratch too, but he's too busy killing people right now so I don't want to bother him (in a game, of course). I'd join him too, but I'm in relaxation mode atm. Some information on House kokumaro curry. We add (beef), potatoes, carrots, celery, and a little bit of bell pepper.
When I'm visiting with family in Hawaii, I really enjoy going to bakeries and getting curry pan (curry inside a non-curry flavored bun - I prefer it not deep fried), cream pan (bavarian creme in a bun), and anpan (sweetened azuki bean paste inside a bun).
There are always croquettes w/o meat. To spice it up, you can buy curry powder and incorporate it into the croquette mix.
I frequently buy House Foods brand for both, but there are other brands too like S&B (their Golden Curry is awesome) and Glico.
You can get these at any Asian grocer, and someone told me that they spied these at a Super Walmart.
If your family doesn't like Asian food or are sensitive to MSG, they may not like these particular options - other companies may omit the MSG though. :)
Cassaendra at 5:40AM on 08/16/08
What about a pesto tomato sauce over a stuffed pasta? My kiddo likes that and it's quick - use store bought pesto, throw in a couple of nice rice tomatoes, puree and pour over the cooked pasta.
Maureen at 6:48AM on 08/16/08
Okay, I'm putting on my 'Rachel Ray' vegetarian chef's hat....
1. Boca chicken burgers. I love Boca chick'n patties--put one on a toasted wholegrain bun, garnished with lettuce, tomato, and avocado for creaminess (or mayo if your daughter prefers that). Serve with salad, veggies, and oven-baked fries. Can also do the same with the Gardenburger veggie riblets.
2. Boca chick'n nuggets, veggies, and small roasted fingerling potatoes with various dipping sauces.
3. Gardenburger meatballs with spaghetti or spaghetti squash, or simply on a whole grain hero roll with tomato sauce.
4. Stuffed baked potatoes--with meat toppings for the meat eaters, and cheese, veggies for you and your daughter.
For the meat eaters, you can sub in 'regular' hamburger meat or grilled chicken for the Boca stuff.
Slightly more complicated: Cook's Illustrated has a great eggplant parm recipe which involves baking the veggie not frying it--lower in fat, less mess, and can be frozen ahead for the week.
HeartofGlass at 8:06AM on 08/16/08
I recommend the book, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone", by Deborah Madison. The recipes are easy, delicious, and most are very appreciated by meat-eaters, as well.
This is where I started when this household began transitioning to vegetarianism.
Brownie at 9:43AM on 08/16/08
Quinoa-anything is awesome. Tofu scramble. Roasted vegetables. Vegetable tacos or fajitas. Baked enchiladas. Lentil salad. Lentil or TVP sloppy joes. Summer rolls (you only have to turn on the stove for a minute). Spaghetti with almond-butter sauce.
I would check out fatfreevegan.com for a lot of quick ideas. I also like the postpunkkitchen website.
KarynMC at 10:18AM on 08/16/08
put some good salsa in the bottom of a baking dish {if it's very runny, drain it for a few minutes}. crack some eggs on top, then grate some cheese on top of that. bake until the whites are set, probably 15 - 20 minutes.
cybercita at 11:32AM on 08/16/08
Frittatas - so many different recipes with fresh vegies and/or cheese.
I also make a "kitchen sink" frittata which gets rid of all my leftovers!
Nonny at 12:49PM on 08/16/08
Making falafel is really pretty easy - I soak the beans overnight, but I hear you can use canned. Chop an onion, toss in with chickpeas (start with 1 c dry, soak overnight/drain, or use 1 can) all into a food processor. Add a few cloves of garlic and some spices (1T cumin, parsley, etc, many recipes online), keep buzzing in the food processor until evenly mixed and crumbly. Form into patties, toss on a lightly oiled baking sheet, spray with spray oil (or if you don't do that, lightly brush with olive oil). Bake 222-26 minutes, flip half way through. serve in pita breat with nice fresh sliced tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, whatever! I like to whip up a little tzatziki-like sauce too, shredding some cucumber and mixing in with yogurt, garlic, and lime/lemon juice.
I also did stuffed shells with a ricotta/spinach/artichoke filling and topped with easy marinara sauce (canned works just fine!!!). I made way too much filling so I popped it in the freezer, and it was even easier to make the next time around since half the work was already done for me.
Also, stir-fry! Wash and chop your veggies when you get home from the grocery store (helps with the rest of your meal food prep too) to cut down on time when you go to cook. I like to drain and then cube some tofu and marinate it in spicy stuff for a day (optional, of course), then cook the tofu up to brown, then add your veggies till tender-crisp, then your rice. Scrambled egg is a good choice for adding protein too, it's also nice and quick.
I also agree with KarynMC - quinoa ftw!
joyyy at 1:37PM on 08/16/08
also check out Peter Berley's books both seem to fit exactly what you need. the first is called Fresh Food Fast which is completely vegetarian, seasonal recipes that can all be done (mostly) under a half hour and definitely within an hour. the other is the Flexitarian Table which is devoted to families like yours (and mine) which have both vegetarians and meat eaters who would like to eat in harmony without having to prepare two separate meals every night.
avryan at 9:32PM on 08/16/08
Of course I can help out... my blog is filled with vegetarian recipes that I have tried and tested over the years on all my non-vegetarian friends and family and all have been a great success.
My suggestion to you when building menus is to try to shift the way you think in regards to a plate - protein, starch side and veggie side. Try to think of the Rice or the Pasta or the Casserole as the main part of the plate always accompanied by a fresh salad and some other side dish. This way you will not overdo vegetarian/soy protein products. Overdoing protein, animal-based or vegetarian can be detrimental to your overall health.
Here are some ideas your 12-year old might like:
Chicharritas de Plátano
Veggie Nuggets
Cheesy Rice Burritos with Tomatillo Salsa
Caprese Quesadillas
Macarrones
Veggie Tortilla Soup
Spinach, Tomato and 5 Cheese Risotto
Spinach Fettuccini and Marinated Tomatoes
Pink Mac and Cheese
Brown Rice Krispies Treats
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 10:16PM on 08/16/08
My favorite meal to make contains any kind of pasta topped with a variety of vegetables (sauteed in olive oil and garlic). Last night I discovered my favorite combination thus far:
garlic/basil linguine (from Trader Joes) with
snow peas
normal peas (frozen)
zucchini
avocado (don't sauté this, just mix in at the end)
(top with tons of parmesan--this should help satisfy the meat eaters)
The whole thing is really quick, filling, and delicious. After including avocado, I feel like the dish is a lot more satisfying...and you get a lot more nutrients.
Smoosh at 3:26PM on 08/18/08
I'm not a fan of pasta or rice, but quinoa (as stated before) seems to do the trick for me. It is high protein and can be made in any way you use rice or couscous. Quick, easy delicious.
Of late I've used it in a sushi rice manner, preparing it the same way but making a deconstructed sushi bowl with kampyo, quinoa and ripped nori strips. Other bowls could be avocado, asparagus, shitake mushrooms or sweet potato bowls. Great if you have already made a batch of sweet potato fries.
souldawg at 11:51AM on 08/19/08
Wanted to also add that fatfreevegan has a lot of great, easy vegetarian dinner solutions. Her blog is terrific.
souldawg at 11:52AM on 08/19/08
Fried rice and frittatas are my favorite go-to vegetarian meals. Here is a link to my favorite vegetarian food blog:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/
devaleena at 4:43PM on 08/20/08