Simple quick and easy.veggie recipes for dd please

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Dd is 15 and veggie. I'm struggling with depression and rarely cook for myself, eating mainly cold chicken and salad.

What can I cook for dd that is nutritious but quick and easy and not expensive? She doesn't like jacket potatoes, loves pasta and pizza. She won't cook for herself, would just live off pasta and sauce if I let her.

Any ideas appreciated.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

If she eats pasta with tomato sauce and cheese with a side salad, is she getting enough protein for example?

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

Probably, but would depend on what else she has throughout the day. People get v worried about veggies and protein but you need an awful lot less than some people think. If you are concerned about protein nuts and eggs are your friend.
In terms of quick meals stir fried veg with cashews and rice noodles can be cooked in less than 5 mins.
Fritata
Quashedillas with a cheese and bean filling
5 bean chilli (perfect for batch cooking and freezing)
Enchiladas
Falafel and pittas
Does she eat quorn products?

[cdtaylornats]

I'm not a vegetarian but I do have a veggie meal from time to time - last night it was

Stir-Fry Vegetables with Cashews

Serves 4

Ingredients
Red Onion, 1 slices
Red Pepper, 1 sliced
Mushrooms, 200g sliced
Pak Choi, 2 heads quartered
Garlic, 1 clove crushed
Cashew nuts, 100g
Water chestnuts, 1 small can

Method

Fry onion for 2 minutes
Add red pepper, cashews, water chestnuts & mushrooms fry for further 3 minutes
Add Pak choi & garlic, stir through and cook for 2 minutes further
Serve with sprinkle of soy sauce

Serve with wholewheat noodles

[AllThePrettySeahorses]

My 2 favourite recipes to make are:

Veggie sausage pie
Pack of veggie sausages
Onion
Little bit of oil
Tin of baked beans
3 dessert spoons water
Squirt of tomato ketchup
Mild chilli powder
Topping - mashed potato (I'm lazy so use Tesco root veg mash £2 for 3 packs so you'll have 2 spare) and cooked frozen sweetcorn
Really easy - Cook sausages and when they're done, chop onion and fry in oil, bung in beans, water, a big dollop of ketchup and a decent sprinkle of mild chilli powder. Cut up veggie sausages into chunks, lob them in and simmer for a couple of minutes then put into ovenproof dish. Mix sweetcorn with mash and spread over top. You can put a little grated cheese over the top as well if you like and some parsley in the mash if you feel fancy. Chuck in oven for 25 mins until topping starts to brown and it's done.

Sweet potato curry
1 or 2 large sweet potatoes (or half a butternut squash if preferred) peeled and diced
Couple of handfuls green beans (frozen are fine)
250ml veg stock
Splash of soy sauce
2 dessertspoons peanut butter
Fresh red chilli, chopped
Teaspoon of chopped garlic
Teaspoon of chopped ginger
A little dried turmeric
A little oil
I always use low-salt soy sauce, stock and peanut butter for this. Again easy - fry the garlic, chilli, ginger and turmeric very gently for a minute or so and add stock, soy sauce, peanut butter and sweet potato. Bring to boil then simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until thick (keep an eye on it as it will need stirring). When nearly done, throw in green beans so they will cook through. Serve with stir fried veg or noodles or, even better, both.

[specialsubject]

have to say that she's old enough to get her arse in gear and help her mum, especially when her mum is ill.

fussy eating and vegetarianism don't go together. Pick one or the other. She can work out some appetising meals and help cook occasionally. Planning meals, cooking and budgeting are essential life skills.

sorry to be brutal but it isn't asking much at her age for her to be more helpful.

[AllThePrettySeahorses]

Actually, I've thought of some more:

A couple courtesy of Katie I Can Cook - originally filo pastry but shop-bought puff pastry is cheaper
Courgette pie
Half pack pastry, rolled into large rectangle
1 large grated courgette
Tub of soft cheese
2 eggs
Couple of spring onions (or chives)
Salt and pepper
Whisk eggs and season. Mix in soft cheese, courgette and spring onions. Line small loaf tin with greaseproof paper (easier if you wet and scrunch it first) and put pastry in with the excess over the sides of the tin. Pour courgette mixture in. Fold excess pastry over the top to make a rough lid and cook for around 30 minutes until filling is set.

Ratatouille pasties
Onion, chopped
Pepper, chopped
Tin of tomatoes
and courgette, aubergine or similar that you like and is cheap
Oil
A little chopped basil
A little garlic
Half pack puff pastry
Grated cheese
A little milk

Fry garlic and onion for a couple of minutes. Add pepper and whatever other veg you're using, tinned tomatoes and basil. Simmer until thick. Roll out puff pastry and cut an even number of circles out with a scone cutter. Put a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture on a pastry circle, sprinkle some cheese on it and top with another pastry circle, seal join with milk and etc etc until pastry circles all used. 20 mins in oven and they're ready. Leftover ratatouille can be used as pasta sauce too.

Another - if you're ever in the supermarket and they have those chopped mixed veg packs going very cheap, they make decent veg crumbles. Just microwave veg for a few minutes, put in dish, pour over some veg stock and top with crumble (flour, butter, salt, pepper and walnuts if poss). Cook in oven for 25 minutes (there's a theme going on here) and it's done.

Leek and tomato crumble is nice too. Fry off half a pack of frozen leeks until soft (5 mins or so), add a pack of 6 largeish tomatoes, chopped up, and fry again for a couple of minutes. Add 300ml of veg stock, a tub of soft cheese and some dried or fresh thyme and mix. Pour into dish and top with same crumble as above but with mature grated cheese added too. And cook in the oven for - you guessed it - 25 mins.

[Destinysdaughter]

This is lovely, delicious easy and cheap. Just use normal spaghetti.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/spelt-spaghetti-vine-tomatoes-and-baked-ricotta

[Thecatgotmytongue]

She eats Quorn. She loves cashew nuts but doesn't like eggs.

Stir fry is a good idea, thanks.

She likes falafel, I buy cauldron ones.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Thanks for the recipes, I'll try them out. She doesn't like crumble or pastry much, but I could probably use bread dough, so they're like pizza pockets or something.

[Destinysdaughter]

For the recipe I posted above it requires fresh thyme. I either buy a plant or buy a sprig and then freeze the rest. You can then use a bit when you need it, just take the leaves off.

[KitKat1985]

If you got some wraps and keep some bean / nut burgers in the freezer she could make herself some bean burger wraps etc. She can throw on some cheese and salad for a bit of extra nutrients (and maybe some guacamole - yum). Not much effort required.

[cexuwaleozbu]

She won't cook for herself? At 15?
I think you need to put your foot down on that one - you are not a servant.
When I went vegetarian at the age of 14 my mum said she would make 2 evening meals a week for the whole family that were vegetarian and the rest of the time it was up to me. I quickly learned how to make big batches of meals and freeze them in single portions for myself.

Buy the girl a cookery book and let her get on with it.

[SpuriouserAndSpuriouser]

It depends on what she eats the rest of the day but for an evening meal I would try and get a good amount of protein in, especially as she is only 15 and still growing. BBC good food has loads of recipes that are really quick and simple and have good amounts of protein so have a look on there. In the meantime these are the things I probably eat most often as a veggie myself:

Lentil ragu pasta sauce (this is good to make in bulk and freeze, and can also be adapted as a base for shepherd's pie etc.)
Bean and cheese quesadillas
Thai red curry with chickpeas
African peanut soup
Spaghetti alla puttanesca (also works just as a sauce and pasta cooked separately, not as a one pot)

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I agree - I went veggie round about the same age and had to cook for myself. And much as I bitched and moaned about it at the time, I was so glad when I left home aged 17 that I could actually feed myself properly!

Teach her to make soup and bag and freeze portions - that will be a big help for both of you actually. Likewise big veggie curries.

Don't discount the humble beans on toast, which is packed with protein and a very easy, cheap meal.

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

This BNS and quinoa chilli recipe would give her half her RDA protein in one meal.

[ErrolTheDragon]

The Cauldron marinated tofu is really good in a stir fry too - we're not veggie but we prefer it to meat for this. We usually have it with cashews as well.

My DD prefers the Cauldron sausages to meat ones too - you can do these in the oven from frozen which would make it easy for her to do just for herself ... soss sarney with baked beans?

For extra protein when she's having pizza or pasta and salad, add some walnuts to the salad ... Nice crunch and good oils.

[Destinysdaughter]

Agree if she wants to go veggie she needs to learn to cook for herself. It's not difficult but cooking good veggie food takes both imagination and practice. Unless you want her to be living on pizza and chips when she leaves home!

[lastqueenofscotland]

I'm a veggie and went veggie at 11 and learnt to cook! You need to put your foot down.
Easy recepies are
Fajitas
Lentil chilli
Chickpea curry/Dahl/mutter panner
Veggie sausages and mash
Falafel and hummus

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I know, I know ... But she's had exams ... And sometimes it's too stressful .. If I ask her to cook she will but only pasta.

Thanks for the suggestions. At the moment I'm not looking at batch cooking - no freezer space and too daunting a task. Quick and easy works best right now.