If not much of a cook ! What would you cook if you wanted to make someone feel cared for but they don’t eat meat

[Recentgradneedingachance]

Hello

I want to treat family who I haven’t seen for over a year. I want them to feel well cared for when the are with for lunch and dinner. So lovelies I not much of a cook 🫣what would you do ?

AdaColeman the people I know who eat veggie sausages actually like meat. I stopped eating it about 50 years ago, for ethical reasons, but nursing at the same time, frankly some of the things I saw looked very much like a butchers shop,or a slaughter house,mangled humans smell very much like dead animals.. I used to like the Glamorgan sausages, only found one place that now does them,brakes, minimum spend £100 and huge delivery charges. Obviously there are people who like them, the same as people who buy convenience meals and upf. The vegans fakery appear to be taking over.

There's loads of vegan and veggie things now, Aldi have some nice pies and wellington type things, their beefless burgers are lush if cooking is tricky

Otherwise jack Monroe's mushroom risotto is easy and worthwhile, I have it with broccoli on the side and garlic bread and/or some griddled tofu (Aldi sell a smoked one)

I'd double the amounts though, you can eat leftovers the next day (don't freeze it though, it doesn't taste right after that!)

https://oursouthend.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/red-wine-and-mushroom-risotto-43p-vegan/

*TwistedWonder *
I'm with you.
I'm allergic to chillis/peppers and the smell of curry/spicy stuff makes me heave.
That was a major sticking point for me when l gave up meat 35 years ago, particularly when we went out to eat, the only veggie options were chilli or curry. It's why l used to end up having (almost invariably) fish and chips because there was literally nothing else on the menu l could eat.
Thankfully that's improved a lot now.

Not quiche, they always feel depressing in winter. “Here’s something generic we didn’t have to think about that won’t go with any wintry accompaniments.”
Great in summer with a salad though.

Vegetable ragù, spinach and ricotta in cannelloni or a pie, bean chilli with fixings, homemade soup (leek and potato is extremely easy), Chana masala (Meera Sodha’s is very easy and delicious)

You sound a very thoughtful host!

Sophie Dahl lentil cottage pie or Cathy's mushroom stew with dumplings( google them)

Dinner: Vegetarian lasagne but an easy but incredibly tasty version made with lots of pesto and spinach as the veg and ricotta with Parmesan and mozzarella mixed in for the béchemel bit. Served with a lovely green salad and garlic bread.

Lunch: Homemade soup - incredibly easy - roast a load of veg (maybe butternut squash with some carrots and onion chucked in, with some cumin coriander and chilli sprinkled over with a load of salt and pepper and some olive oil). Roast until all soft and a little caramelised round the edges, add good quality stock and blend - Bob's your uncle. Particularly nice with some grated Gruyère sprinkled over and some nice bread.

Easy to make, but satisfying and very tasty in a lovely homecooked way that will make someone feel cared for.

Oh another absolutely delicious soup:

Boil a load of red lentils in (very lightly) salted water until soft.

Separately, saute an onion, a load of chopped tomatoes, a load of fresh coriander (finely chopped stalks too), grated fresh ginger, garlic, some turmeric.

Once the lentils are cooked drain, and add to the above, with fresh water to your desired consistency, bring to the boil and season to taste. It's important that the sautéed stuff is in a sufficient quantity / proportion to the lentils seeing as the liquid is just water rather than stock - I've never actually made it with stock as find it packs tons of tasty flavour but don't see why you couldn't if wanted. I guess it's kind of a daahl but made to a thinner soup consistency.

A vegetable red Thai curry.

Fish pie.

Buy a really good quality white/bechamel sauce.

Mix in a packet of fish pie mix and some extra prawns. Lay in a dish and top with ready made mash...sprinkle with some grated cheese and bake until bubbling.

Serve with some steamed asparagus

Hippy Farm Beans from the Leon cookbook. So easy but with a hint of spice. With a wedge of garlic bread and a glass of red wine, it’s a great option for entertaining. I always get asked for the recipe.

owibl.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/hippy-bean-stew/

There are few things I like more than a simple omelette with a few chopped tomatoes mixed in, along with some really nice bread and butter.

For something more substantial, add potatoes to the omelette.

I think, in January, we could make a rota & I could eat at a different house every night. Or spend a few nights... happy to childmind/dog walk in return!!

To show them what you really think of them, cook them something they won't want to eat.

@Recentgradneedingachance Gnocchi is the way to go if you don't want anything involving lentils, chickpeas etc: they're just potato dumplings with a bit of flour mixed in to firm them up, they're nice and filling, and can be dressed up with just about anything to make them look impressive for a set dinner or whatever you have in mind. Here's one website with a selection of recipes, and I strongly recommend the many quality vegetarian recipes on the website The Mediterranean Dish as well.
23 Gnocchi Recipes | olivemagazine

On a regular basis i chop equal weight of onions/mixed peppers/ tomatoes to make my roasted veg.
Courgettes and aubergine can also be added too if you like.
I throw the lot into a large pan and drown in olive oil.
I sprinkly salt pepper chilli flakes, one chopped bulb of garlic and mis the lot.
I slowly cook on a low heat for several hours.
I have done this in a slow cooker over night.

I then carton up into the freezer and fridge.

The above is gorgeous on toasted brown bread, topped with brie, grilled/microwaved with a salad.

It is gorgeous mixed with pasta, topped with cheese and baked In the oven.

It is lovely ina baked potato with beans, toasted veg, cheese and baked, served with a salad.

It is lovely smeared on toast instead of butter.
Lovely smeared on bread in a sandwich.

It is a wonderful gift if you fill clean jars with it and put on a pretty label as a hostess gift.

So easy, so delicious, so healthy.

Roasted vegetable traybake with honey halloumi ontop

Lentil cottage pie

Creamy mushroom and leek pasta

Broccoli and cheddar soup with crusty bread

Mac and cheese or a curry?

Love the suggestion of mushroom pasta too or a risotto?

this but with a baked potato instead of rice!

I would be thrilled with anything home cooked for me. I rarely have a meal cooked for me. It's such a lovely thing.

Veg lasagne.
Home made soup, nice bread and some cheese
Any veg pasta dish
Veg chilli

Just anything!

Do you need recipes? Keep it simple.

I think I’d make a lovely macaroni cheese.

What sort of thing do you/they like to eat? Most traditional pasta dishes are vegetarian (and gorgeous). Something like pasta alla norma is a lovely winter warmer.

There are also lots of delicious vegetarian curries. Served with rice, naan and some chutneys?

Shakshuka is very popular with my friends. Served with some lovely fresh bread and a green salad?

Or something noodle based like Pad Thai?

If someone said they didn't eat meat, I'd assume they also didn't eat fish, because fish flesh is meat. So I'd check this first OP.

I do get why @Comedycook cook might think of fish and meat as two different things though, because I've heard a couple of people who are 'vegetarians' say they eat fish.

Baked eggs and spinach

Fry some thinly sliced onion and mushrooms in butter or olive oil until soft but not browned. Add garlic, salt and 1 tsp tarragon, fry for a further minute.

Add a load of spinach - we use about 1/3 large bag of frozen for 4 eggs (to serve 2), cook gently until the water from the spinach is evaporated. Turn up the heat and when it's sizzling, add a splash of white wine, cook until it's dryish again and turn off the heat.

Arrange the mixture in a flat layer in an ovenproof dish and make a dimple for each egg with the back of a teaspoon. Gently break an egg into each dimple and sprinkle a tiny pinch of paprika on each yolk.

Bake at 190 until the eggs are just set (start checking them after about 10 minutes) and serve immediately.

It goes well with any carb and you can make the spinach mixture ahead of time.

If someone said vegetarian...I'd think no meat AND no fish. But as they just said no meat, I assumed fish was fine

@Comedycook I can see why and so just wanted to warn OP to check.

My definition of meat is flesh of any animal. As a vegan, I have also been asked if I eat fish 🤣