Vegetarian meals for a fussy teen

[LoveSantaAu]

While I know there are many tasty vegetarian meals (and have cooked a few myself!) I am struggling a bit to cook dinner every night when most of the family eat meat but my daughter is a vegetarian - and fussy at that.

She doesn't eat mushrooms or pumpkin for example, and whinges about having to eat beans/lentils/chickpeas. So apart from the difficulty in deciding what to make, I am concerned about how to ensure she is getting enough nutrients like protein and iron. Although she does eat cheese and yoghurt so at least gets protein that way.

But any meal suggestions would be gratefully accepted!

 

[Ella]

Why don't you do more things like a vegetarian lasagna or pie? That's something everyone can eat or you can make a smaller veggie one. To be honest I'm not a fan of chickpeas and beans and I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. I like them occasionally, but hate it when people expect me to eat them all the time. There are lots of veggie substitutes like soya mince and tofu which you can use instead of meat so you can make the same dishes.

Try stir fries (with noodles or rice) so then everyone can have that and add some fried tofu as that is high in protein. You don't want to make too much work for yourself, but have dishes you can all eat. Try using toasted sesame oil to flavor as it is nice and subtle.

 

[LoveSantaAu]

Thanks Ella.

We do make stir fries where we cook the meat separately but I should do more tofu versions. And I will try it with sesame oil, thanks for that idea.

I may have to perfect a simpler vegetarian lasagne - my favourite one has layers of eggplant and zucchini which of course Miss fussy dislikes!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I am pretty certain I have posted a very simple and very tasty veg lasagne somewhere on here that even my grandfather and my brother loved. If will see if I can find you a link.

OK here it is... www.cookingbites.com/threads/vegetable-lasagne.249/

If you can't read it let me know and if can type it out. The trick is to get a really tasty cheddar cheese and not mention the celery which is not noticeable once the dish is cooked!

What sort of things does she like.... If was also a very first vegetarian teenager

 

[LoveSantaAu]

Thanks SatNavSaysStraightOn - that recipe looks like it may just work so I'll try it after shopping day tomorrow. Lasagne used to my daughter's favourite meal before she became vegetarian (although to my shame, her preferred version was the frozen supermarket one!)

She likes tomatoes, rice, cheese, lots of fruit, beetroot, potatoes, capsicum, bread, carrot and cucumber.

 

[Ella]

Thanks SatNavSaysStraightOn - that recipe looks like it may just work so I'll try it after shopping day tomorrow. Lasagne used to my daughter's favourite meal before she became vegetarian (although to my shame, her preferred version was the frozen supermarket one!)

She likes tomatoes, rice, cheese, lots of fruit, beetroot, potatoes, capsicum, bread, carrot and cucumber.

She likes more fruits and vegetables than me! What you could do is make a huge bowl of pasta salad so she can snack on it and keep it in the fridge, I usually add pesto then I can add some mayonnaise, or warm it up with a tomato sauce. The great thing is you can add veggies to it, some roasted peppers, sweetcorn carrots and beets.

Another idea is to do a tortilla/nacho meal where everyone picks their own fillings, so you can have refried beans for everyone with salsa and guacamole, or tortillas with cheese and tomato melted in between them and then dipped into sauces as a side.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks SatNavSaysStraightOn - that recipe looks like it may just work so I'll try it after shopping day tomorrow. Lasagne used to my daughter's favourite meal before she became vegetarian (although to my shame, her preferred version was the frozen supermarket one!)

She likes tomatoes, rice, cheese, lots of fruit, beetroot, potatoes, capsicum, bread, carrot and cucumber.

You could also try some homemade ' Indian ' dishes. I use quotes because everyone sort of assumes they are going to be hot and spicy, but if you make them yourself you can control the spices and heat and adjust the recipes to taste. B they are not at all got and spicy and a lot don't involve 'weird and wonderful ' ingredients, but everyday veg like potatoes, onions and tomatoes which is one of our favourite in this household. Served over rice it is great.

I have such as recipe on here which is will link you too. It is really easy to make, you can omit the asafoetida if you can't get hold of it (a spice) and you can add different veg to the basic concept to create variety.

Right this is the basic recipe
www.cookingbites.com/threads/landed-myself-with-a-problem-my-mother-liked-one-of-my-bung-it-recipes-and-wants-a-copy.953/

Don't be put off by what appears to be a long list of spices. If you can't get yellow mustard seeds they are not essential etc. I prefer to use tamarind dates and make my own puree from them, they add a fruitiness to the sauce that really adds to the flavour. Yell if you need help or have any questions.

The basic recipe had evolved from a recipe book called "Mango Soup" by Jenni Malsingh and it is an excellent entry into vegetarian Indian cookery but the paper back version is very expensive now, however the kindle version is only ₤3 something. Don't know how that equates in Australian dollars but....

www.amazon.co.uk/Mango-Soup-Delicious-Nutritious-Vegetarian-ebook/dp/B00L6ZKUGM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415804558&sr=8-1&keywords=mango+soup+book

 

[lizzief79]

If you want to make simple dishes that the whole family can eat, then you can't go wrong with pasta dishes. I make vegetarian lasagne regularly, plus dishes using peppers and tomatoes. Does she like nuts? Try incorporating these into some dishes. Courgettes stuffed with soft cheese, walnuts and tomatoes is delicious. I add grated cheese to the top and bake in the oven. It only takes five minutes to make. Vegetable curry is another simple dish that you can all eat.

 

[DancingLady]

Have you ever tried cranberry beans? They are similar to the pinto bean, but have a much smoother texture and better flavor. They are considered a gourmet bean. I absolutely love them and it took me years to learn to like beans. Your daughter may find them much easier to learn to like than some of the other more bland beans.

I would recommend meatless chili with corn bread as a great way to get a complete protein. You can probably get away with stirring in some canned pumpkin to add a squash. If the chili has a lot of flavor it will overpower the pumpkin pretty well. A trick I use more making good chili is to use a jar of pasta sauce for the tomato part since it is already seasoned.