Best vegetarian recipes for non-vegetarians?

ChocClare

CCP wrote: »

I've just read that back and I'm not sure how helpful it is, actually - it's one of these things I've cooked so often I don't think about what I'm doing anymore, and it was a made-up recipe in the first place. Sorry if it doesn't help much!

No, that's my sort of recipe! Thank you very much!

[Deleted User]

I'm not veggie, but my family enjoy vegetable crumble.

Saute one chopped onion, and add 1 tin of tomatoes and reduce to make tomato like base.

Add any other vegetables you like. This week I emptied my fridge, had mushrooms, baby italian tomatoes from market, carrot, purple sprouting, swede,courgette. Then I remembered I'd bought 5 boxes of tofu from home bargains for 19p, so chucked a packet in diced near the end for extra protein.

When cooked put in a glass dish and make crumble topping.

I normally cheat and just through a couple of slices of gluten free bread in the food processor, throw in some nuts and a little bit of cheese. If there doesn't seem to be enough to cover the dish I add a couple of spoonfuls of flour and some marg (to make extra crumble).

Spread crumble mix evenly over vegetable mix. Put in oven for about 20 minutes. If you've not resorted to extra flour and marg in the crumble top, you can just put the whole thing under the grill to brown for 5-10 minutes.

Empties the fridge of left overs, tastes better than it sounds, reasonably low in fat, and definitely low cost if you shop at a market for veg.

Good luck with the cooking.

ChocClare

Thank you for all your replies - all really helpful!

Well, last night took a whole lot of effort - more than normal anyway!

I rustled up a dozen HM pancakes, and my plan had been to saute some leeks, add some chopped chicken and a cheese sauce to make a filling for the pancakes, top off with grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bung under the grill. Served with some glazed carrots - yum.

As DD is no longer a meat-eater, I thought she could have a mushroom version of the same.

Unfortunately, my leeks were both past redemption, so I had to resort to onions, I had to cook the mushrooms separately because DS hates them and all in all it ended up being extremely faffy. Still, despite taking an hour instead of half an hour, everybody liked it and even extremely fussy DS commented on how nice it was (DD's mushroom one was YUM!). Of course, DS felt that he had to tease DD solidly for 10 minutes about how his was far more delicious and how much she was missing out, and was this chicken, or lamb-fed chicken? He's 17. What can you do.

Today I hit the supermarkets and bought in some emergency veggie supplies: mince, beans, nuts and seeds, extra veg etc. so I feel more prepared. The thing is, I have so many recipes that I know off by heart that I never have to think very much about supper - this is all new to me! So any tips and strategems will be very gratefully received. :T

OrkneyStar

- veggie lasagne ?
You can make it with any veg she likes and make the sauces same way as normal ?
You could even batch cook and do one with veggies only and one with some meat in too ?
Or perhaps a quorn one for everyone ?
- cauli cheese- with bacon bits on for the non veggies ?
- macaroni cheese- with ham or chicken on top for non veggies ?
- root veg stew (sweet tattie, turnip, carrot, potato, anything else she likes!)
- omelette/quiches - do mini ones and add meat to some, not to others ?
- sheperdhess pie ?
- soups ?
- veggie pasta bake ?
- bean stew ?
mmmmmm mouth is watering now, tbh many veggie meals can taste lovely and it is easy to add some meat to some of it, or serve with meat for the non-veggie (but a smaller portion of the veggie thing).
I was a veggie from 15-19 and my mum made lots of veggie stews, soups, we also had things like pizza, veggie sausages/fingers etc on standby for the lazy nights.
All the best!

ETA also curries/indian recipes may be of help to you....eg bombay potatoes, lentil dhal, mushroom curry......serve with naan and/or rice, and if anyone really wants meat you could serve some tikka or pakora alongside ?

spottybutterfly

Hope chocclare doesnt think im hyjacking this thread, but i cant see the point in two veggie meal threads going on at the same time.

Im not veggie my self, but not a big meat eater (not planninig on giving it up just yet), i probably only have meat in meals a couple of times a week tho, i eat more fish or quorn / linda mcartney type meals. I much prefer tucking in to veggie sausages, than horrible gristely lumpy fatty sausages (even sainsburys finest had me turning my nose up at the mush inside- and i allways get the one with the bits of bone in). Any how, as you'll see im a fussy eater and i dont much like tomatoes or onions and nearly all veggie recipies seem to have them in, can people suggest some non tomatoey recipies.

Also any suggestions what i can do with a tin of chick peas my mum bought them (i still live at home) a bout 3 months ago after seeing me eat homous, stating "well thats what its made from" but me being not a very good cook, and more of a get it out the freezer section type of girl i havent got a clue what to do with the blooming things, and is the stuff (brine?) their stored in usefull for anything.

Anyhow in answer to the original post, i lived with a veggie for 6 months when at uni and basically week cooked all the meals together, cooking meat seperatly ifit was ever added, and adding it at the end so as not to "contaminate" the rest of the food.

Also please remember if doing something like dumplins to get veggie rennet (its in most suppermarkets now), i remember about 8 years a go helping some people cook a large meal-it was casterol with dumplins, and the guy making them put dumplings in both the quorn and the chicken casterols, queue me "what you doing its got animal in it" so he fished them out before the veggies noticed, and told me not to tell them. Thinking about it i should have asked for a bribe i felt terrible not telling the veggies.

I dont know how strict she will be, but one thing when living with a veggie, and a meat but no- fish eater ( ) she might want seperate washing up sponges/ water to wash different plates (i could never see the point as its beeing washed away but ).

Also might be worth finding out if she will eat fish, tinned tuna and salmon often can be used up in meals. I know thats not vegitarian but if she's cut the meat out more because she doesnt like it then she might be someone who doesnt mind eating fish.

Maxjessdru

I have recently gone veggie (again, mainly because I've never really liked it anyway) and have an OH who is a committed carnivore and eats virtually no veggies!!!!

Some of the recipes I have managed to suit both of us have been:

Carbonara (with mushrooms for me - added bacon for him)
stroganoff (again mushrooms for me, beef strips cooked separately for him)
stir fry (just veggis or quorn for me, chicken/prawns for him)
Curry (again meat added to his portion)
last night we had wraps (I had cheese, avocado, mushrooms and peppers - he had the same, swapped the avocado for cajun chicken)
Bangers & me (quorn for me)
home made pizzas
have also managed to do a veggie chilli using soya mince without him noticing!
warm salad - with added bacon or chicken for OH

hope this helps

OrkneyStar

spottybutterfly wrote: »

Also any suggestions what i can do with a tin of chick peas my mum bought them (i still live at home) a bout 3 months ago after seeing me eat homous, stating "well thats what its made from" but me being not a very good cook, and more of a get it out the freezer section type of girl i havent got a clue what to do with the blooming things, and is the stuff (brine?) their stored in usefull for anything.

If you rinse the beans well the brine should come off fine!
I would use them in a stew, with lamb if you like it, or chicken. If you google search Moroccan/Middle east recipes you will likely find something. They can also be used in curries too.
They need something to give some flavour as they can be a bit bland on own.

Muddles

Brie Casserole

Sweet Potatoes thinly sliced
Onion sliced
Courgette sliced
Mushrooms sliced
Tomatoes sliced
Brie Sliced
1/4 pt of Double Cream
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Salt

Parboil the Sweet Potatoes for a few minutes. Layer all the ingredients in a Casserole Dish making sure you use the potatoes for top and bottom. Season with the garlic salt. Pour on Cream and cover with foil and cook in oven at 200 for 3/4 hr. Its lovely with a greek salad and pitta bread. I have done this with any veg lurking about but more firm ones I tend to parboil for a few minutes to make sure they are cooked thoroughly. Also lovely using Leeks and blue cheese instead of the brie.

Sarsie

SpottyButterfly: The easiest thing of all to do with them is heat your chick peas in a pan like exactly like you would with a tin of normal peas and serve them when you would serve normal peas, like with your normal dinner. I love humous and I love chick peas... I am one of those freaks who will happily eat them cold from the tin with a spoon I'm afraid.

Also back to the original point about where the protein will come from for your growing child, mushrooms are another protien source- every kind.

Bettie

Favourites
mediterranean bean stew
vegetable cobbler ( with vegetarian suet)
cauliflower cheese
pizza (cheese and tomato)
tofu provencale
portabella mushroom burger
and my favourite:
spinach pancakes in au poivre sauce ( the others prefer cheese sauce or onion pepper and tomato- most cheeses in supermarket are veggie these days but I always check for the V just in case)