Need easy and quick vegetarian meal ideas

yamz

Fri, Jul 08 2016, 3:33 pm

mirah2 wrote:

The above are all great ideas, a few additions:

1) Our usual Friday night soup is lentil and chickpea with spinach (which adds iron). Most of the ingredients are 'store-cupboard'/tinned and I use frozen chopped spinach, so it's very easy to sling together and the cooking time is fast.

2) Roast veg are great - they can be cut up/prepped the night before (which is most of the work) then left in the oven to do their thing. Root veg/potatoes work, but also onions, big mushrooms, peppers - you name it.

3) I make crustless quiche, which saves on effort/buying pre-made crust.

Hope this helps! Shabbat shalom.

May I please have the recipe? That sounds great!

yamz

Fri, Jul 08 2016, 3:47 pm

It sounds like you are cooking for both vegetarians and omnivores. Is that the case? If it is, do yourself a favor and DON'T cook two separate dinners every night. Just switch out the animal protein for the vegetarians and occasionally make hearty vegetarian dishes everyone can enjoy.

In terms of shabbos food -- you can still prepare a lot of the standard fare if you wish. Instead of chicken soup, you can make vegetable soup with matzah balls. You can still make dips, salads, kugel, rice, roasted vegetables, and serve the same dessert you always did. Grain or bean salads are filling, infinitely variable and taste great even when made ahead -- perfect for shabbos lunch. Try to look for recipes using quinoa, wheatberries, barley, or bulgur. Chickpeas, black beans, lentil and large white beans are all excellent candidates for bean salads. There's a lot out there beyond pasta (although that is a tasty option too).

An easy to prepare weeknight dinner -- baked potatoes and a big tossed salad. Add a scoop of cottage cheese on the side or put beans in your salad if you want protein. (People are really protein obsessed. You really don't need that much.)

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jul 10 2016, 6:55 am

mille wrote:

I love Budget Bytes (http://www.budgetbytes.com), there are a lot of vegan/vegetarian recipes, and many more are very adaptable! Most are super simple and quick to make.

I also love the Moosewood cookbooks for vegetarian cooking!

Ooooh, I ADORE my Moosewood cookbooks! I have never had a bad recipe from any of them. There is a pancake recipe in there that is to die for. The stuffed zucchini is amazing, too.

momofone613

Sun, Jul 10 2016, 7:56 am

Fried rice with veggies (whatever u prefer) and soy sauce with scrambled eggs inside for protein. I make that a lot and so good, also can b heated up on a plata...

Shakshuka with cous cous.

Meetless meatballs (made with mushrooms)

Zuccini patties in tomato sauce served with rice.

Baked zitti. (Altho its similar to lasagnia,still good:) )

Wraps. ( I put sour cream, beans, avocado, lettuce tomato and cheese)

Veggie chilli.

Broccoli soup.

Egg drop soup.

Mushroom barley soup.

Veggie egg rolls.

Spinache and mushroom boreccas.

(Im assuming no fish...?)

If u need recipes, just ask Smile

chavs

Sun, Jul 10 2016, 6:10 pm

Thank you so much for all of the recipes and suggestions. Sorry I didn't get back until now, I'm sitting and making a meal plan now though and this is amazing. Thank you!
Correct, no fish. And yes it's gonna be easier not making two meals.

gummybear

Mon, Jul 11 2016, 12:42 pm

Another really easy thing to make that I often take for lunch but can also be made for shab dinners/lunch is roast veg with Israeli couscous. I just roast sweet potatoes, peppers, cherry tomatoes and red onion, add it to the cooked couscous and season with olive oil, balsamic, lemon, salt, and pepper.

A bean chilli is really good too and so easy to make. Here's a recipe I love:

https://www.rivercottage.net/r.....hilli

Good luck with your new venture Smile

mirah2

Mon, Jul 11 2016, 4:09 pm

yamz wrote:

May I please have the recipe? That sounds great!

Not very good at strict recipes as I improvise a lot, but here goes:

Friday night lentil, chickpea and spinach soup

Serves 3-4

Main ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
3-4 chunks frozen chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
Water to cover well - I measure by eye so don't know exact quantity.

Optional extras:
1 can sliced mushrooms
2 sliced carrots
Chopped/minced garlic

Spices/flavourings:
Osem parev soup mix (as stock)
Lazy option - Pereg 'steak' mixed spice mixture (contains cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, salt and black pepper)
More time option - ground ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin/cumin seeds, ground garam masala, amchoor powder (optional - dried green mango powder for those who don't know), chill flakes (optional), smoked paprika (optional), cinnamon (optional). I play around with different spice combinations depending on my mood, not all of the above options will go together so don't feel you need to use everything.

Stick it all in a pot, bring to boil then simmer for around half an hour. Keep an eye on the water levels to make sure it doesn't get too dry and top up if needed. The end result is usually v. thick, almost like a stew. If reheating for Fri night, sometimes I will add extra water and stir thoroughly before starting to heat.

Enjoy!