Ideas for protein for vegetarian DS(12)?

[cheeseismydownfall]

DS has been vegetarian for around six months and seems fairly commited. I want to support him, but it's making family meals tricky. I would happily cook and eat all manner of delicious veggie fare, and DH and I would probably eat very little meat if we were only cooking for ourselves. But DS has two younger siblings who are fairly unadventurous, and our midweek meals tend to consist of simple protein (grilled chicken, grilled fish etc) served with rice or potatoes etc and vegetables. They both have tiny appetites and will simply not eat if they don't like what is served, and as they eat healthily (albeit in a limited way) I really don't want to fight that battle right now.

Up to now we've been relying quite a bit on quorn, Linda McCartney sausages etc, but although these are fine occasionally I don't really like him eating so much processed food. Also I don't think he's getting eboigh protein to fill him up because he's getting hungry quickly and then filling up on pasta, bread etc, which isn't great.

So what I'm after is some ideas for homemade alternatives that I can maybe freeze and then reheat alongside our meals. Veggie burgers, that type of thing. If anyone could share their best receipes with me I would be hugely grateful! Or any other approaches that perhaps I haven't thought of. Thank you!

If you like stir fries then toasted cashews sprinkled over the rice and veggies is a good one. I also really like lightly toasting sunflower seeds in a heavy based frying pan (no oil) and adding a drop of soya sauce - this is good for stir fries, also on tomato based pasta dishes or just as a snack.

I like to make spag bol, either with a tin of green lentils or using Quorn mince.

Omlettes are good, or egg fried rice.

Will return if I think of more..

DS is veggie and we're not. I try to do as many family meals as possible. Eg:
pasta pomodoro with plenty of cheese grated on top
fritatta
humous and falafel etc
vegetable chilli - no need for quorn - just plenty of peppers, courgettes, onions, mushrooms, passata and kidney beans
cheese and onion puff pastry plait
quiche
egg and sweet potato fries with peas and carrots

Good swaps are:

If you're having chicken, he has chunks of grilled or fried halloumi.

If you are having something like fish goujons, he can have firm tofu, smoked or unsmoked, dipped in cornflour batter and rolled in sesame or breadcrumbs and fried.

For a burger, try chopping a shallot very finely, adding drained, coarsely mashed red kidney beans, beaten egg and fine brown bread crumbs plus any herbs or spices he likes, form patties and fry.

DS likes veggie stuffing balls, made with veggie mince (which is more of that processed stuff, I agree - we try to avoid it too) with chopped up walnuts or pecans, finely minced sage, onion and apricots, beaten egg and brown breadcrumbs, rolled into balls and baked.

Oh, and using quinoa in place of rice is good as its full of protein as well as carbs so fill up for longer.

If you're having chicken, he has chunks of grilled or fried halloumi.

I know halloumi is very popular these days but it has shitloads of salt in it - not good for a growing body.

Try tempeh, seitan, tofu, lentils and beans. And if he likes smoothies, buy a bag of Spirulina powder and add a couple of tablespoons to the jug.

If he's veggie, not vegan, then there's plenty of protein in eggs and cheese (not all cheese is made vith vegetarian rennet, but it's easy enough to check)

If he's not eating whole grains, then try to push him in that direction as these are more filling than refined and tend to complement the protein in pulses.

i keep a supplie of veggie stuff ion the freezer - some is processed like nut cutlets, mozzerealla and pesto melts, cauliflower cheese grills etc

Then i bulk cook veggie chilli, veggie bolagnaise etc (made with lentils and veg and beans not quorn mince) to portion up and pop in the freezer

We have poké bowls or Buddha bowls a fair amount, or bibimbap type of thing.
Or tacos.

Anything where there is a basic carb eg rice or noodles or taco shells.
Then veg and protein so that the omnivores can have eg chicken or the vegetarians can have something different.

Last night I made wide rice noodles fried with onion and garlic, sweet chilli sauce and pepper.
There was also finely chopped parsnip through it because we have a million parsnips.
That was the base then I made steamed broccoli as the main veg.
Omnivores had sweet chilli mackerel.
Vegetarians had Tamago - sweetened omelette with soy sauce through it.
I put out a bowl of nuts and a bowl of chopped coriander.

They all seem to like decorating their bowls themselves in their own way.

Instead of Tamago we sometimes make caramelised tofu or fried seitan or tempeh.

Or the Linda mcartney meat substitutes in bags in the freezer section eg pulled chicken.

"he's getting eboigh protein to fill him up because he's getting hungry quickly and then filling up on pasta, bread etc, which isn't great."

the problem with vegetarian diets. Does he eat cheese and dairy products? I hope you can persuade him to, as well as eggs.

These are nice to make a big pot of, to keep in the fridge for him to snack off:

Soften lots of onions (try to sneak in butter) then add celery and carrots (all finely chopped). Then pour in green or puy lentils and stir, cover in water and two veg stock cubes. Simmer until soft, finish off with balsamic vinegar.

Or: lots of onions again, fry gently until caramelised (for the sweetness), 2 tins of mixed beans and 1 tin of chick peas or lentils if you can't be bothered with the overnight soaking and boiling, 1 tin of tomatoes and a veg stock cube.

I did this for vegans once: a tagine (again, lots of onions sweated slowly for sweetness) of butternut, courgettes, chick peas and the large white beans whose name I forget. Add tagine spices to the onions (cinnamon, coriander, cumin, bit of chilli, bit of ginger, pepper, that sort of thing) add the butternut courgettes and beans, and don't forget the stock cube.

They asked for the recipe!!!

You can make great veggie burgers by mashing up chickpeas, add spices like cumin or paprika, coriander, crushed nuts maybe, grated carrot and molding them together then frying or you could bake.

Wow thank you!! lots of great ideas so far! Will come back and reply in more detail but some extra info -

DS would eat his own bodyweight in cheese if we let him. He also eats eggs (scrambled, omelets). However DD does NOT like cheese, and neither DD nor younger DS like eggs. Also two siblings not massively keen on saucy dishes eg curry, pasta sauces etc. Hence the fairly basic meals...

Good point about the whole grains. We all eat quinoa (except DD). I think brown rice etc would be met with some resistance, but probably not insurmountable...

Reading that back, they are like a bloody Venn diagram where the only think in the middle is pizza. It's so bloody frustrating! Sometimes I look longingly at the 10 kilo bags of dog biscuits in the pet aisle and which there was the equivalent for children!

How old is the ds? Can he start taking responsibility for cooking some of his own meals/parts of his own meals?

As the plant eater in my family I buy protein powder and have a shake every day. That way I know I'm getting the recommended daily intake without having to fuss too much about having the right amount of grains/nuts/legumes in every meal, though I do try to do that too, most days.

Some of our staple meals:

• Chili con carne made with lentils and beans + rice and all the Mexican trimmings
• sweet potato, coconut and chickpea curry
• baked beans, mushrooms, sauteed spinach on toast (+ eggs and bacon for those who eat it)
• stir fry with asian veg, tofu, noodles or rice
• felafel, hommus, tabbouli, Greek salad (+ marinated lamb for those who eat it)

If he's still hungry after eating then you need to give him a bit more of the protein in the meal. He may also need more fat. It's easy enough to get enough protein in a veggie diet, but the portion of the protein bit usually needs to be bigger than it would be in a omnivore diet. With those simply meals I'd do eggs to replace the meat protein if you don't want processed foods - fried, boiled, scrambled, omelettes would all work. Just give him a bit more than you might normally. Switching to wholegrains, and/or adding seeds/nuts on top of meals is also an easy way to get a bit more protein to fill up on.

Sometimes I look longingly at the 10 kilo bags of dog biscuits in the pet aisle and which there was the equivalent for children!

I feel your pain, OP. It’s only now mine are young adults that they (a) buy and cook for themselves and (b) are more adventurous with their food.

Tofu is easy - get the firm kind, cut into slices, marinade it (not essential but it takes flavours well - I usually do a kind of ginger/chilli/lime type of marinade. Then gril bake or fry it 9if you are going to fry it I would dip it in flour andit goes crispy. It can also be added to a stir fry - if the rest of the family is having eg chicken stir fry, then set a bit aside for DS and put some cubes of tofu in his and just heat through.

If you mix together nuts (any kind - cashews are nicest IMO) with breadcrumbs and an egg (add a bit of cheese if you like) you can use the misture for nut burgers, nut roast, or as a 'sausage' roll filling.

I make lentil sausages - cooked red lentils, bread crumbs, cheese a little curry powder to taste (optional) and an egg - roll into sausage or patty shapes dip in flour and gently shallow fry - make a batch, they freeze well and can be used as the protein element when others are having meat, they are also really nice cold and make a good snack to pop in packed lunch boxes.

Puy lentils make a good shepherds pie - mix with carrot and onion and a little liquid (veggie stock, or tomato paste mixed in water) top with potato. Make individual servings and freeze. If you freeze without the potato it can also be used as a sauce for veggie spag bol.

I use Ellas kitchen veg puree cubes - in the frozen section of the supermarket (tesco def have them) they are aimed at babies and young kids but I find them really good for adding to soups stews and amny dish that requires a bit of liquid or a sauce - they give body and flavour.

The following as a big hit with my children and grandchildren and their friends. They are vegetarian burgers.

Take some coarsely ground spelt and bulgar wheat and cook in some water (according to instructions) with some curry powder in the water. When done add some finely grated raw carrrot. In a separate pan fry a finely chopped onion and a finely chopped stick of celery. Add this to the grain mixture. add some grated cheese and chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste then add a beaten egg . Form into burgers with some flour. Be careful not to add too much egg , just enough to allow the burgers to stick together.
Put the burgers in the fridge for a short while then fry on both sides,

forgot to say that when the grain mixture is cooked it should be dryish - no extra water hanging around.

Anjum Anand's burgers are lovely (from her vegetarian book which is great). Here's the recipe: www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/a/anjum-anand-s-chickpeaburgerswithpurplecoleslaw.html

Just thought of something else that my parents used to make for my brother when he was a teen - chocolate flapjacks with loads of nuts as well as a bit of dried fruit. Obviously it's sugary but lots of protein for filling him up.

One thing I cook which my DH adores is a tofu schnitzel. I slice a block of firm tofu and squeeze it in the usual way. Theh I coat like a schnitzel (egg, flour, breadcrumbs. I like to put sesame seeds into the bread crumbs as it adds a nice coating and a bit of flavour. Then fry in a bit of oil like regular schnitzels. I then eat it with apple sauce on the side if being eastern European about it, or covered with some passata if being more mediterranean. It is really really good.

(I am a big fan of tofu)

Silken tofu can be made in to a smoothie/milkshake with fruit and a bit of milk - I make one with tofu, plain yog, a spoonful of oats and a banana (plus a bit of milk if it is tooo thick) for a filling breakfast.

I would also suggest giving him a protein based breakfast - scrambled egg/omelette/ poached egg/baked beans on toast etc. I try to get protein into all meals, wherever I can.

Fritters are easily made too - selection of finely chopped or grated veggies - sweetcorn, courgette, carrot, squash etc and some beans (tinned haricots, green lentils, kidney beans) mixed into a drop scone batter (ie a thick batter) and whatever flavouring you choose (bit of curry powder, or bit of grated veggie cheese) dollop a good spoonful into pan and shallow fry. Drain well. - These are always very popular with mine and again can be frozen.

Make a thick frittata or spanish tortilla and give him a slice of that in place of the chicken/fish etc your other dc are having. It will keep a few days in the fridge. Tinned beans and lentils are your friends. My Dc had no idea they were having lentils in shepherds pie and moussaka. (not meat) A few borlotti beans added to pasta wil add more filler and black beans and are great in chillies or added to rice in chinese meals.

For ready made food that isn't too processed I buy Goodlife bean burger and nut burgers for the freezer. They are handy to have when you haven't time to faff about making your own burgers. My DC dislike quorn and meat substitute products but wille at quorn crispy nuggets at a push.
I agree that breading tofu is a good substitue for meat on the side. My DC like silken tofu foil wrapped and baked in the oven with a drizzle of soy and sesame oil and mushrooms.

Burritos with beans in.

Stir fries with tofu and cashew nuts.

Nut roasts.

Milk shakes.

Frittata.

Bean stew.

Veg chilli.

Veg lasagne with lentils in it.

Bean soup.

Hummous and wholemeal pitta or oatcakes as a snack
Peanut butter and apple slices as a snack.

Mushrooms and papers stuffed with goat's cheese

Vegetable bake with brown rice in it and cheese on top.

High protein yoghuts, quark or kefir for pudding.

Many vegetarian teenagers eat mostly junk food. There are few if any vegetables consumed. It doesn’t seem to do them any harm so it’s no good telling them they’ll get scurvy.