Easy kid friendly meat-free meals?

[Rockbird]

We're a family of happy carnivores but over the last few months DD1 (11) has developed an aversion to meat. She's not fully veggie so cheese etc is fine. She'll eat fish fingers and certain types of sausages but that's it.

However, I'm totally stuck for what to cook. I'm happy for our family meals to be largely veggie and to do her an alternative on the days we have meat but I'm struggling to find things she'll eat. I've googled but finding that a lot of so called kids' recipes still have avocado and other stuff she won't touch. I need help with something both girls will recognise and be vaguely familiar with but will suit both of them.

Does that make any sense? TIA.

Mine love ribboned cooked veg in wraps with houmous.

Or afrementioned veg cooked in a tomato sauce. I can even manage to sneak avocado in as I use smoked paprika in the sauce.

Macaroni cheese - I chuck loads of veg in mine - anything I've got.

Good old baked potato with beans & cheese always goes down well here as well.

if you need some freezer basics try asda they do the most scrumptious vegetarian and vegan items spinach burgers beetroot burgers spinach sausages et

Mine hoover up the Jamie Oliver green spaghetti and it is a brilliant way to get a load of leafy greens/iron into teenage girls that don't like red meat.
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/super-green-spaghetti

Jack Monroe's website has quite a lot of good vegan recipes that they will eat, especially her vegan burgers (substitute chickpeas and roll into balls and you have falafel instead) which have the advantage of being nutritious and cheap.

cookingonabootstrap.com/2018/09/11/carrot-kidney-bean-burger-recipe/

They are not great pulses fans but I find a mild chilli made with black eye beans and served with guacamole and wraps rather than rice seems to disappear pretty quickly.

Ah, 11 years!

Oops.

As you were.

Familyofaliens you are supposed to eat veg to get iron if using a lot of quorn but too much soya is bad for kids as it can mimic oestrogen.

In an ideal world and with kids who’ll eat whatever’s put in front of them, you’re right!

I meant more that replacing meat with Quorn isn’t such a sensible option for growing girls as replacing it with soya.

This is our current favourite - its a slow cooker recipe.

Notes: I never peel butternut squash - the skin goes very soft when cooked. I don't add yoghurt as DH is vegan. All my teens (all meat eaters) absolultely love this. Ready to cook lentils? I just throw in the dried orange lentils from the supermarket but I rinse them 2-3 times.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/7163/recipe/easy-butternut-squash-slow-cooker-curry

Veggie lasagna is easy. Soups also work well with lentils etc. Quiches are another one. Egg and potato salad is popular with children.

In our house my kids love:

Slimming world curry (it's veggie friendly and healthy but tastes amazing!)
Baked potato
Lentil stew
Quorn Bolognese (but you could use lentils again if they didn't like the meat like look)
Katsu curry
Tomato pasta with some veg
Sunday dinner with a quorn roast
Toasties or pizza for an easy meal

Jacket potato’s
Bean chilli with wedges
Risotto
Paella
All manner of curries
Stir fries

If she’s not going to eat meat then she has to get used to eating a wider variety of meals. As long as she eats eggs and cheese then it’s not as much of an issue but if she decides to become vegan then you have to take a closer look at her diet. Things like beans and lentils are great for protein. “Mock-meats” such as Quorn chicken and mince are great. Green leafy veg. You just have to be careful, although some non-meat foods have the same levels of protein and iron in them, the body has greater difficulty absorbing them than in meat (depending on the food) thus you have to eat a much bigger bowl of lentils to get the same amount of protein you would find in a steak.

I’d suggest supplementing with vitamin D and B12 if she does go vegan.

-sorry just finished writing and realised you asked for recipes not any dietary advice...I’ll post it anyway in case you find it useful

A few ideas...

Red lentil and carrot bolognese (nicer than it sounds)
Bean (and veggie sausage) stew / chilli
Butternut squash or mushroom risotto
Mushroom stroganoff
Flafel / houmous mezze salad
Peanut soup (this is soo tasty)
Vegan pesto with pine nuts
Homemade granola - for the seeds

Quickest veggie dinner is wraps dliied with naked beans and cheese. Roll up and bake in oven until beginning to crisp.

Macaroni cheese: sorry haven’t read whole thread, probably suggested already. But, add a spoonful of marmite to your cheese sauce, takes it to a whole new level.

At that age, the sort of veggie family dinners my DC would happily eat were:

Pasta bake (pasta with tomato/pepper/onion sauce - other veg too if you know DC like them) with chopped mozzarella or cheddar baked in wth it.

Veggie chilli. My DC loved quorn mince at that age, but if they don't, just chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes with kidney beans, tomatoes, mild chilli and herbs on rice or garlic bread

Left over veggie chilli in tacos with grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salad

Frittata - chopped cooked potatoes fried with onions, peas and if they like them red pepper and sweetcorn, pour on beaten eggs with herbs and garlic paste, cook until set then grate on some cheese and grill until bubbling. Cut into slices to have with salad.

Eggs, beans, chips and peas

Veggie pizza with sweetcorn, onions, peppers, tomatoes and cheese

Jacket potatoes with cheese, beans and homemade coleslaw

My sis (veggie for 20+ years) cooked a banging pho at the weekend with tofu in. I've never had tofu before but this was yum and my kids couldn't get enough.

if she still like sausages then chop them up and use them in a pasta bake a bit lasagne esque
or squeeze them out of the skin and use them for meatballs you can all still have
veggie and lentil shephard pie.look up the good food one its great
could you make you own breaded fish fingers to make them a bit heartier.serve with dauphinoise and veg
sausage and bean casserole is lush.
fajitas without the chicken is just as nice.
roasted chickpeas is a lovely snack and can be done so many ways.
spinash and ricotta lasagne
jus roll sheet of pastry.top it with anything and everything the meat eaters can have salami and bacon,chicken and she can have anything she likes.like a better make you own pizza slice.
veggie crumbles with a white or tomato sauce.
currys.sweet potato.tofu.brocoli and curry make great currys.
cabbage,cauli and broccoli steaks are great and the kids love them.
when making things like baked rice or try paellas its easy to just do some chicken thighs on the side or just take some off for her at the end and sitry through your familys meat.
Tesco do some really good grab and go frozen foods.veggie burgers and pies and nut cutlets.
start your veggie stiry fry or thia paste veggies then last minute add the meat eaters chicken or pork.
jacket potato.

Falafel with pitta, couscous, hummus

Fajitas - substitute the chicken with quorn pieces or just go all veggie (peppers, onions etc)

Tacos - do the same as above

Eggplant (Auvergne) Parmesan

Veggie burgers

Will she eat fish? Salmon, cod, tilapia, mahi mahi are all great

We are vegetarian: to add to the growing list

Spain’s has tortilla is delicious home made or from supermarket. Great stand alone for lunch or add grilled vegetables or salad

Veggie paella

Asparagus risotto

Ravioli with mushrooms, creamy sauce and other veg

Full on roast dinner with nut roast and veggie gravy and Yorkshire puds

Veg sausage and mash

Just roll tarts have huge range of ideas on website

Spanish tortilla

I'm raising my baby veggie (not vegan!) And he's 7 MTHS now but loves pretty much most things.
Pesto veg pasta - older ones eat it!
Macaroni cheese but with added califlower
10veg bolegnaise - I puree it as the older ones are suspicious of mushroom's
Lentil, aubergine and squash stew
Currys!
Dall and rice - makes a complete protein, I like yellow Dall with spinach but kids prefer big standard Dall
White veg bake with crumble topping
Chunky soups with added soup milk of dried beans etc
Pizzas - kids love making their own (I add veg to pizza sauce and blend it!)

We do a lot of winter veg meals with pulses as the main protein, they go down quite well.

Lentil lasagne: sautée carrot, onion, garlic, then add lentils, bay leaf and veggie stock plus a little tomato passata to make the sauce, you can layer with bechamel/ put cheese on top.

Kidney or other red beans with rice: sautée onion, garlic and bay leaf, smidge of cumin, then add jar/tin of beans without draining them, tip from a Brazilian friend. Super simple, they love it. It's good in wraps too, with guacamole, yoghurt, rice, and stir-fry with strips of onion, peppers, courgette.

Pasta e fagioli, pasta soup with lots of sautéed fine-chopped veg, plus borlotti or canneloni (or other) beans plus stock and little macaroni or ditalini. You can puree at various stages, ie purée veg base, or even purée veg base plus beans, depending on fussiness.

Chick pea stew with all kinds of veg depending on what kids are into + mild harissa spices, served with couscous and yoghurt.

Scrambled tofu (you can make a really basic one where you just add onion, mustard and a wee bit of turmeric so it looks a lot like scrambled eggs!)
tofu fingers (use the blocks of smoked tofu)
macaroni cheese, if not vegan
lentil soup
chick pea and cauliflower curry
refried bean quesadillas
rice and beans with greens
caribbean rice and peas with greens
soy mince lasagne
chick pea and sweetcorn burgers
sausage rolls made with linda mccartney sausages
pasta with tomato sauce
pasta with a sauce made of pureed cauliflower and garlic
curried cauliflower soup
nut roast
lentil bake
bean loaf
toast with white bean spread
wraps with peanut butter and banana

Things on toast, egg, cheese, beans - easy enough for an 11 year old to do themself if you are having meat.

Humus with pita bread and/or veg to dunk - easy to make with tinned chickpeas.

Easy garlic dip, one clove of garlic finely chopped, 2 tablespoons of mayo and 2 of greek yogurt - mix together.

Easy cheese/creamy sauce. 1/2 tub of philadelphia (or similar) put in a pan with 2 desert spoons of water and stir with a wooden spoon. It works well with pasta on its own but you could add peppercorns, mushrooms, spring onions etc to bulk it out, it also goes well with fried or wedges.

Roasted veg.

Home made spring rolls, buy the wrappers and a supermarket bag of stir fry veg, wrap the veg in the spring roll wrapper and oven bake or fry.

Some ready rolled puff pastry, spread dijon mustard on top and sprinkle with parmesan, use a utter knife to score into 'straws' and bake - when you take it out of the oven smap into straws, have as a snack or something to dip.

Alternatively leave out the cheese and instead of baking whole cut a ribbon, wrap it round a few asparagus spears and bake.

posh fried eggs, separate the white and yolk, whisk something you like in the egg white (I use smoked salmon but that's not veggi) you can use spring onions, cheese, anything that cooks quickly. Pour the egg into a frying pan, make a small hole in the middle and add the yolk back in.

Rice cooked in coconut milk with veg added and spices if you like.

Can I muscle in on someone else’s question 😊
Which holds it’s texture best in a saucy curry, tofu or quorn?