Meal rut

[Graphista]

I think this happens to most of us at various points in our lives.

I'm in a dinner rut, vegetarian, having the same options on rotation with very minor differences:

Pasta - usually with pesto, sometimes tomato based sauce sometimes cheesy sauce

Stir fry - sometimes just veg with a sauce (sometimes home made sometimes ready made) and wither rice or noodles

Freezer to oven meal - some kind of veggie option (sausages, veggie grill, nut cutlet etc) with chips or mash and veg

Casseroles - often using quorn pieces, with veg and stock/gravy or a packet sauce or a home made sauce. Tend to batch cook and freeze the leftovers

But I'm bored with it all!

So please hit me with ideas -

I can't tolerate spicy food unfortunately these days (I like the taste but they have unfortunate effects on me these days) but I do like pungent, strong flavours eg can happily lick a pesto spoon! Love garlic and paprika flavours.

Happy to be hit with meat dishes that I can then "convert" to a veggie option.

Just need inspiration/shaking up!

Have you tried a recipe search from ingredients you frequently use/have to hand? Sometimes that throws up interesting ideas. This one is Tesco but there are others.

realfood.tesco.com/what-can-i-make-with.html

Not sure why I was craving it given the weather but I've just had a loaded salad - leaves with tomato, sundried tomato, black olives, capers, croutons, shaved parmesan.

How about smoky grilled aubergine moutabal? In fact levantine food in general - ottolenghi, sabrina ghayour, yasmin khan all do stuff that you might like.

Bean chilli without the actual chilli?

Root vegetable traybakes - green roasting tin?

Mild curry?
Fajitas/burrito/enchiladas etc, again just tone down the spice
Tabouleh with Pitta and hummus
Spanakopita
West African peanut stew

Root vegetable gratin is lovely and perfectly ok as a stand alone meal according to my dh . What about something egg based liked a broccoli or leek egg bake .

I sat down a couple of weeks ago with a notebook and went through all of my cookbooks to make a list of things I fancied trying/that I thought fussy DS would like as well. I'm working my way through one new dish a week. Good ones get added to a different page to make their way into the family rotation!

If you like paprika I do a made-up Spanish chicken thing which is chicken, loads of peppers, stock and tom purée with garlic and paprika, cooked quite slowly. You could recreate that with Quorn quite easily. Goulash too!

Frittata
Risotto
Moussaka www.delish.com/uk/cooking/recipes/a33989947/vegetarian-moussaka-recipe/
Mushroom stroganoff
Lentil cottage pie
Egg fried rice
Spinach and ricotta filo pie
spinach and feta filo pie
Paella realfood.tesco.com/recipes/vegetable-paella.html
Butter bean and vegetable crumble

Chickpea crumble www.coop.co.uk/recipes/chickpea-bake-with-oat-and-almond-crumble

I've just had the tiktok feta pasta (www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/02/01/how-to-make-tiktoks-baked-feta-pasta-2021s-latest-viral-food-trend/?amp). I know some vegetarians eat feta and others don't, but it might work with a rennet-less cheese too?

Cheese and tomato bread pudding recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/leftovers/cheese-and-tomato-bread-and-butter-pudding
Halloumi burgers
Potato, leek and cheese pie
Stuffed peppers www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roasted_pepper_with_19108
Halloumi traybake
Baked potatoes realfood.tesco.com/recipes/baked-sweet-potatoes-with-kale-feta-chilli-and-onion.html

Again feta based but this jamie recipe is great of you can deal with the faffyness www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/squash-spinach-pasta-rotolo/

I felt like this, got real sick of doing the same thing. I tried the Simply Cook spice boxes. I've kept all the cards from the recipes and have been able to recreate a fair few of them. I'm a veggie too so adapted some recipes and swapped out the meat but now they have started doing a proper veggie alternatives. It's worth a look. I love the mushroom stroganoff, spiced butternut squash risotto and Iranian stew!

I got this peanut butter chicken recipe from another MN thread. You could do it with tofu/quorn/chickpeas/anything instead of chicken.

I don’t do it in a slow cooker, just in a pan, it’s really quick. Serve with noodles or rice.

allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/45085/slow-peanut-butter-chicken.aspx

On my veggie days I do a tray of roasted veg (onion, courgette, cherry toms, aubergine, butternut squash, sweet potato, peppers, garlic,mushroom, anything really) with harissa spices, then serve with quinoa with harissa paste. I didn't think harissa is very spicy is it?

I also do roasted cauliflower, I do it with tumeric and garam masala, but you could do garlic and paprika? As a side dish. Or serve with felafel.

Other veggie meal is cauliflower or macaroni cheese.

Snack - home made humous which I make with some paprika, and carrot batons.

Oh yes, my three mushroom risotto is fabulous too!
The three mushrooms being closed cup, chestnut and dried porcini.

We've just had meatball marinara sub-rolls. Could you do similar with veggie mince?

I don't use recipes but to give you ideas I've recently had veggie moussaka, stir fried noodles with tofu, and chilli beans, but you could leave out the chilli and use something like smoked paprika.
I made a big pasty/ roll thing with them, then froze some which will go in tacos tomorrow.

Oh, I've also frozen some of the lentil mix from the moussaka which I'll top with a parma ham wrapped cod fillet, but you could use whichever veggie alternative you prefer, or even just and egg and nice bread would be great.

DS is veggie so we eat a lot of veggie dinners (including all the ones you list!)

Some hits are:
wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil
butternut and chick pea paella with paprika, garlic, onion
asparagus, leek and pea risotto, maybe with fresh mint
home made pizzas topped with tomato-based topping, sliced onions, peppers, mozarella, olives etc served with salad
stuffed red peppers - stuffed with brown rice, brown lentils, finely minced carrot, celery, onion, and topped with chopped cashews and grated cheese
frittata with salad and sweet potato fries
spanakopita - home made fresh spinach and feta filo pastry with red onion, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts
mild aubergine curry with yoghurty dressing and naan or rice
tacos or burritos with smoky paprika red pepper and sweet corn hot salsa, fresh home made guac, sour cream and salad.

Stilton stuffed mushrooms
Haloumi and Mediterranean veg skewers
Root veg and chickpea tagine
Home made falafel, if you add veg there are so many options, beetroot and butternut squash falafel (separate things not both together)
Root veg savoury crumble.
Veggie sausage toad in the hole.

@Buntysbosom yes that's my normal trick but I'm also in a rut of buying the same things every week! Bad habit

@palavah yes the spiced but not hot spicy is my kinda thing so I'll look into that kinda thing.

@lastqueenofscotland yes I do my own mild versions of normally spicy dishes, not had Mexican in a while so have added suitable ingredients to shopping list. Also very interested in exploring other cuisines from my usual italian/Chinese/Mexican/Indian

Peanut stew sounds right up my street I used to make a cashew one years ago

@Floralnomad i do like eggs and you've reminded me I've "fixings" in to do omelettes etc

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett ohh yes that sounds my kinda thing guidance on amounts please?

Stuffed peppers - not had for AGES had forgotten those, ditto halloumi

I'll have a look at simply cook thank you

Peanut butter "chicken" with quorn pieces sounds an idea

Sorry I can't do harissa at all doesn't agree with me.

Not had tofu in a while too so might get some in for a change from quorn

I do a "fake" risotto which is much quicker (I can't stand for long periods) using giant couscous which gives a very similar consistency

Cheesy pasta is a frequent choice.

Spanakopita - I've never worked with filo and I'm a bit wary of it

Stilton stuffed mushrooms

That does sound nice

Veggie chilli, moussaka or lasagna.
Tesco have recently started doing halloumi fries, which are lovely.
Stuffed peppers.
Omelette with peppers, mushroom etc.
Egg and chips. Or a veggie full English.

Went to see if I could get skewers (the sticks just) from Tesco and they have these! -

In several flavours too! Perfect for me

I eat loads of daal. That doesn’t have to be hot spicy if you’re ok with cumin/coriander type flavours.

[quote Graphista]@Buntysbosom yes that's my normal trick but I'm also in a rut of buying the same things every week! Bad habit

@palavah yes the spiced but not hot spicy is my kinda thing so I'll look into that kinda thing.

@lastqueenofscotland yes I do my own mild versions of normally spicy dishes, not had Mexican in a while so have added suitable ingredients to shopping list. Also very interested in exploring other cuisines from my usual italian/Chinese/Mexican/Indian

Peanut stew sounds right up my street I used to make a cashew one years ago

@Floralnomad i do like eggs and you've reminded me I've "fixings" in to do omelettes etc

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett ohh yes that sounds my kinda thing guidance on amounts please?

Stuffed peppers - not had for AGES had forgotten those, ditto halloumi

I'll have a look at simply cook thank you

Peanut butter "chicken" with quorn pieces sounds an idea

Sorry I can't do harissa at all doesn't agree with me.

Not had tofu in a while too so might get some in for a change from quorn

I do a "fake" risotto which is much quicker (I can't stand for long periods) using giant couscous which gives a very similar consistency

Cheesy pasta is a frequent choice.

Spanakopita - I've never worked with filo and I'm a bit wary of it

Stilton stuffed mushrooms

That does sound nice

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I like a lot of paprika so one teaspoon per portion I would guess, packet of quorn, 2 - 3 peppers, onion, couple of garlic cloves, glass of red wine. Maybe a little cinnamon, I use that a lot as DS won't go near spice. I don't have a recipe sorry!