Very SIMPLE vegetarian dishes?

[ShayChristie]

Dh has been travelling alot and I just realized I could stretch the groceries while he is away by not using so much meat! Duh! ~head smack~

But, we are not big veggie people. My kids have been known to run screaming from the room. Literally. :eyes: I can't say I'm much better, but I try. ;)

Any ideas for some SIMPLE recipes with no strange ingredients(NO mushrooms! I'm willing to try a lot, but I draw the line at 'shrooms. :p ). I have all the pasta recipes down pat! For lunch today, I'm making some rice and mixed veggies. Very plain, but the seeing the veggies will be enough of a strain for my crew. :D

I can do stir fry as well. But otherwise, meat is the main part of our meals normally. :unsure:

TIA!

[Becky Jane]

I adore vegetarian dinners. I love serving a platter of grilled vegetables...very simple and delicious. ;)

Here are a couple of oven-baked dishes we love....

PARMESAN SQUASH

3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds zucchini and yellow squash, 6 medium
1 medium onion, 4 ounces
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ounce parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup (the real stuff this time )

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, then into half moons. Slice the onion in slivers. Sauté the squash and onion in butter in a large skillet over high heat, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid evaporates and the squash starts to brown slightly. Turn down heat to about medium-high and continue cooking until tender, stirring often. Season to taste then sprinkle the cheese over the squash. Cover the pan for a couple minutes to melt the cheese.
6 servings

Spinach Gratin

Blend together:
3 or 4 eggs
3 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt

Add and mix well
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (other cheeses work nicely also)
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1/4 cup chopped scallion (green onion)
2 Tbsp. dried or 4 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
(I also add garlic powder to taste)

Pour into buttered casserole (or unbaked pie shell). Top with
Thin slices of fresh, ripe tomato and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (spread evenly yet generously on top! I even sprayed the cheese with a little Pam cooking spray - which made for a delicious crispy golden topping for the the gratin.)

Bake at 450° for about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

* 2 onions, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
* 6 cups water
* 1 cup red lentils
* 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
* 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1/2 cup diced carrots
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 teaspoon garam masala
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon olive oil


1. In large pot saute; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
3. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy!


Vegetarian Avocado Tacos




* 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
* 1/4 cup onions, diced
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
* 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
* 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
* jalapeno pepper sauce, to taste


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix avocados, onions, and garlic salt.
3. Arrange corn tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven 2 to 5 minutes, until heated through.
4. Spread tortillas with the avocado mixture. Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with jalapeno pepper sauce.

[Michelle Pfeifer]

How are your kids on legumes (beans)? I mix 1 can corn, 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), and 1 can tomatoes in a skillet with some garlic and chili powder or cumin. Wrap in a tortilla, and eat. You can sprinkle some cheese on the mixture as well.

Word of caution: This is not a hit with my 8 yo old, but the younger two like it.

Michelle

[mariah m]

I know you said you disliked mushrooms...but we love to marinate some portobellos in Paul Newman's Italian dressing and then grill them...they are to die for. Even my daughter who skeeved mushrooms had one and loved them!

[ShayChristie]

Thank you! I see several things I can try that should not start a revolt. Complaining, yes, revolt, no. :eyes:

Marya, I'm sure they taste great! I just can't bring myself to take a bite. Literally, the thought makes me ill. I have 2 very teeny tiny toadstools growing in my aloe plant pot right now that are freaking me out. How did they get there? Why can't I get rid of them? Who first looked at fungus and said, "Hey! Let's eat that!" It had to be one desperately hungry, person! :lol: When I find mushrooms, toadstools, slab fungus, I have to crush it. I don't know why. I just can't walk by and leave it. Sad, sick woman, I know! :unsure:

Any others? And legumes are okay in small amounts. It's one of those things we don't eat, but I want to introduce in tasty ways hoping to increase the possibilities.

TIA!

[Rebecca in PA]

How about vegetable soup?

Or quesadillas with beans, cheese, and salsa?

Big baked potatoes with a variety of toppings?

Do you have the Pizza Beans recipe that has been posted here before? My kids love it. I can post it if you don't have it.

Also, we often do breakfast for dinner when our budget gets tight. Eggs are fairly cheap protein.

You also may consider things that have smaller amounts of meat like soups or casseroles. You could even reduce the amount of meat in the recipe by half, but it would still have a little to give flavor and texture.

Not sure if any of these are helpful to you (my husband NEEDS his meat with meals ;) ) but we have had some pretty tight winters the past few years and these are some things that worked for us.

[Melissa C]

1 15 oz can of refried beans (we use fat-free with no taste difference)
1/4-1/2 c salsa (We use WalMart brand all natural mild)
1T of the taco seasoning mix I use...here's the recipe (http://melissajc.blogspot.com/2007/10/recipes.html) (not sure how much that would be from a normal packet, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out, or you could omit it altogether)

Mix those all together, add some grated cheese and you have a great very simple bean dip! Great for bean burritos or chip dip. Add some brown rice to beef it up as well.

We have this a lot! I double it for a family meal, quadruple for leftovers...it goes fast around here!

[Michele]

Our most simple vegetarian meal is so simple that it's almost embarrassing to write it up as a recipe. I make rice (or..in a BIG RUSH, I buy it from a Chinese take out place), add a can of kidney beans and a few handfuls of shredded cheese. Heat to warm and melt the cheese. The girls LOVE LOVE LOVE this (silly isn't it?).

:)Michele

[Merrilee Morse]

I know I am late coming in on this, but I invented a vegetarian recipe a few weeks back, in order to find a way to use a bunch of poblano peppers I got. If you don't have poblanos, regular bell peppers would do fine, but the glossy, dark green poblanos have a spicy kick that is wonderful!

4 poblanos, cut in half lengthwise and deseeded and deveined.
about 1 cup cooked rice
one can black beans
one can niblets mexi corn
one cup of co-jack cheese.
salt and pepper to taste
small can tomato sauce

Stir all ingredients together and put in the peppers, with the peppers lying in a 13x9 inch baking pan. Don't worry if all the stuffing won't stay in. Pour tomato sauce in the pan and add a sauce can of water then bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or til they look cooked and the chilis are soft.

[DonnaMarie]

. Who first looked at fungus and said, "Hey! Let's eat that!" It had to be one desperately hungry, person! :lol: When I find mushrooms, toadstools, slab fungus, I have to crush it. I don't know why. I just can't walk by and leave it. Sad, sick woman, I know! :unsure:


TIA!
:roflol: :roflol: Shay, have you ever thought about who ate the first chicken egg? They must have been saying, "OK, now what ever comes out of that chicken's b#tt, I'm going to eat it!" :roflol: :roflol:

Donna

[Kelly TN]

Shay, have you ever thought about who ate the first chicken egg? They must have been saying, "OK, now what ever comes out of that chicken's b#tt, I'm going to eat it!"

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol:
That was funny!

Kelly

[ShayChristie]

Well, Donna, don't go refuting my arguments with my own warped ideas! :lol:

And I have wondered about that before. :blush: See, I'm really a weird person. It's amazing I'm NOT a vegetarian, or even a fruitarian. :lol:

[AngieCott]

:roflol: :roflol: Shay, have you ever thought about who ate the first chicken egg? They must have been saying, "OK, now what ever comes out of that chicken's b#tt, I'm going to eat it!" :roflol: :roflol:

Donna

:crazy: You all are NUTS! :lol:

[NurseNicole]

individual pan pizzas (my kids like cheese and olives)
cheese quesidillas with sour cream to dip.
HUGE salad- varied lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, black olives, cheddar cheese, croutons, garbonzo beans, hard boiled egg,
Nacho supreme (chips, cheese, olives, tomatoes, jalepenos salsa and sour cream)
Stuffed peppers (I make spanish rice, cut off the top of pepper scrape and rinse inside, fill it with rice add cheese and bake)
mac & cheese (homemade)
Loaded fries (same as nachos only using potatoes instead of chips)
Veggie fried rice (I put onion, fried egg, sprouts, broccoli, carrots, peas)
grilled cheese and tomato soup
Potato soup with cheese and fresh bread