Veggie principles

[picklemepopcorn]

We're cutting down our meat drastically- or at least trying to!

Would anyone like to share simple principles for varied veggie eating? I'm worried we'll eat lots of tomato based sauces which will all taste the same and not be nutritionally balanced!

I'm thinking, vegetable based meals with a sprinkling of nuts, seeds, beans, eggs and cheese thrown in for nutrition/seasoning. Does that sound right?

What do you think?

Does it have to be a "all in one pot " thing?
I have a plant based diet and I will have a salad (kale, chicory, tomatoes, avocado , quinoa) and then some biased lentils on the side.
Because the kids and DH are not, some dinners, I prepare a couple of salads and a couple of cooked veggies and I then cook a steal for them and slice some tofu for me.

Braised not biased

The tomato based sauce thing is a definite trap you can fall into!

Stock up on a wide variety of different pulses - Puy lentils, orange lentils, green lentils, cannelloni beans, chick peas, black beans, aduki beans, butter beans etc.

Feta cheese makes anything taste more interesting.

Herbs & spices are your friend - we eat lots of curries. Yoghurt & cocunut milk to ring the changes if you want a creamy curry, not a tomatoey one.

And Hugh F-W's River Cottage Veg book is my favourite go-to for recipe inspiration.

Curry mmmmmmm
Tofu - it’s really nice if cooked properly
halloumi and paneer - also very nice
Noodles and stir fry
Jambalaya - can be veggie and lovely
Pasta sauce doesn’t need to be tomatoey - I love green chillis and mushrooms, or even lemon.

Roast extra veg at dinner then have for lunches
Make up big batches of grains- pasta salad, rice salad, tabbouleh etc.
Big veggie soups- lentils and split peas make these more filling
Veggie sausages, nuggets and burgers are useful to make meals look "traditional" but don't worry too much about "meat and veg" type meals. Equally don't just live out of one pot.
Baked potatoes or sweet potatoes are a great base, layer up the veg, cheese and bean dip or hummus, top with some crispy seeds.
Fruit can vary up your savoury dishes- grapes or strawberries in a salad, for instance, or dried apricots or sultanas or even banana in a curry.
Add some richness without going mad for fat content by using just a small sprinkling of strong cheese instead of lots of a milder cheese.
Build up a good spice stash and "travel" with your tastes. So if one day you are having vegetable lasagne or moussaka, the next night try a veggie Thai curry and the next night an Indian "fake away." But equally if you want to eat your pakora with your tabouleh and guacamole, that's half the fun.

That's helpful, thank you. I'm working on lentils and Dahls. I've just mastered naan bread, so curries are popular at the moment!

I've not really used tofu- years ago I tried, but didn't much like it.

Thinking in terms of salads might help- platter salads like humus, coleslaw, beetroot etc.

Peanuts help brighten things up, too!

Sauce wise, cream, yogurt, coconut milk all make a change from tomato. Is there anything else?

What kinds of risottos work for you? I've a pea and peanut one that goes down well, that's about it.

Ooh more, thank you!

How is tofu cooked 'properly ', Fekko?

I like it griddled (of course deep fried is bloody lovely but ‘nya nya nya unhealthy’ - but the Japanese Canteen does it with a hot chilli sauce 😋).

I very rarely use tomatoes in anything. For soup I use stock. I love veggie gravy, or a mushroom based sauce. Mushroom soup can be a good base for veggie pie fillings or "veggie supreme." I love quiches with asparagus, peas, or broccoli. Pesto, of course, which comes in some great varieties (though homemade is best!) Some aren't technically veggie because of the resin in the cheese, though. Red peppers work really well as a base. There's soy sauce based sauces for stir fry, or satay. Actually not just peanuts, lots of nuts make a good case. Cashew cream can be really tasty and luxurious. Avocados can be used as a base too. And yes, dairy, so things like quark and yoghurt as well as milk and cheese.

There's nothing wrong with tomato based sauce.

I'd contract more on 'eating the rainbow', so ensure you're getting all different colours and varieties of veg, and more importantly, ensuring you get enough protein from different sources, and iron and calcium.

Pesto - how could I forget! I love tomato pesto and smear a layer on a baking tray then add veggies (and/or Macaroni) and a cheese sauce then bake.

Have you heard of Buddha bowls? Totally hipster I know, but they are a lovely visual for eating a variety.

There are some "weird" ingredients that take a while to get used to using but taste great in the right combos, like tahini. It's full of calcium but tastes quite bitter if you overuse it or on its own. It's great in hummus and dips or dressings and gives things depth.

Oil based sauces on pasta too. You certainly don't need tomatoes (although they are nice especially roasted mmm)

Toasted pumpkin seeds are great for adding crunch & protein to salads, stir fries, risottos etc ...

Does anyone have a decent slow cooker Dahl recipe?

Tacos! Roast cauliflower, spicy bean, roast sweet potato, fillings are endless!

I gave up eating meat for 16 years.

Other forms of protein are your friend here - eggs, cheese, peanut butter on toast, baked beans on toast, nuts.

I'm sorry if that doesn't help you with evening meal ideas much! Do you like quorn / meat substitutes? They are good too. Good luck.

I’ve cooked tofu for years, but recently discovered a new delicious way... Put some cornflour and salt in a bowl, cut your tofu into cubes, coat in the cornflour. Fry till golden, making sure the cubes don't touch or they'll stick to each other. Then add to your chilli, sweet and sour, or other dish.

Ooh, lovely. Thank you all! I'll keep Looking at this for inspiration. I'm not going proper veggie. Just severely reducing meat.

I love halloumi. Can I cook tofu like that?

I use my George foreman to cook my tofu and halloumi!

I love scrambled tofu. But yes grill it. There are some great flavoured ones. Tempeh is very nice, too.

Also soya mince or quorn are great. Although lentils are a great sub for mince, too.

Tempeh is notnice. Fekkos don’t like tempeh 🤢

Ooh.

What about Seiten? I've not found it on sale anywhere obvious yet.

I slip into more of a curry trap...

But stir fries with noodles
Pesto instead of tomato sauce with pasta
Risottos
Stuffed mushrooms
Imam byaldi is delicious but every time I’ve made it it’s been awful... need a better recipe
Fajitas/quesadillas.
Any number ofcurries
Sainsbury’s shroomdogs are delicious so them with mash is something we have a lot
Beanburgers are easy to make
Falafel