I need to expand my recipe repertoire- vegetarian

[Marquez]

I have just realised I am rotating about 4 recipes- I need some more ideas!

Current staples-

chilli non Carne with quorn mince

tofu stir-fry

wholemeal pasta with garlic, mushroom and courgette tomato sauce with cut up linda McCartney sausages

baked tofu with roasted sweet potato, carrot, swede and onion

any more??

Criteria:
-quite cheap
-easy and quick to prepare

• involves lots of vegetables and some sort of vegetarian protein

-doesn't need any electric kitchen equipment beyond oven/microwave/hob

• vegetarian obviously!

I make a bean burrito bake which is delish

Chop up celery, onions, tomatoes what ever you fancy. Soften in a pan. Add either tinned chilli beans/kidney beans/any kind of bean you wish and heat. I usualy use beans in some kind of suace but you could add chopped toms/passata instead

In a baking dish load the bean filling into tortillas ,roll them up and lay in dish -keep doing this until dish filled .

Sprinkle cheese on top, bake till cheese bubbles.
Serve with sour cream, salado what ever you wish

curry? Tagine? Auberginey mousaka style bake thing? Pizza and salad? Toad in hole w veggy sausages? Homemade beanburgers and wedges? Falafals and wraps with salad and yog? Rissoto (we use pearl barley instead of rice, cheeper and more nutritious)

Top of me head's now empty but will check back in later... There was a recent thread on veggy comfort food that you might want to check out, lots of lovely autumn ideas there.

Some of my staples:

Couscous with a stew containing whatever vegetables you can find (I did sweet potatoes, aubergine, carrot, courgette and green beans last night) with onion and tomatoes, plus a tin of chickpeas. You can make it spicy or not, or just use fragrant things like cinnamon, coriander or saffron.

Pasta sauce made with onion, tomatoes, red (and/or green) peppers and red lentils, either kept lumpy or whizzed up with a hand-held blender for a smooth sauce.

This one does need a blender but is really easy: red lentil pate and lentil burgers - cook red lentils in a measured amount of vegetable stock (I use 225g lentils to 700ml of stock) on a low heat with a saucepan lid on until all the liquid is absorbed. If you blend this with some sun-dried tomatoes in oil and a bit of salt and pepper, it makes a good pate for sandwiches (also nice on oatcakes). This freezes quite well too. Then if you mix the pate with breadcrumbs, form into patties and fry, they are good child-friendly veggie-burgers.

Pasta (could sub any starch you like) and canellini beans: chop onions roughly, fry in olive oil, add two tins of chopped toms and 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic (ie - not frying the garlic) plus 1 big tsp of dried mixed herbs/oregano OR two level tsp of smoked paprika.
Add about 500g cooked cannellini beans or butter beans and simmer for 20 mins till it's nice and thick. Salt and pepper, then serve on pasta.

Tomato and coconut daal: fry onions and cumin in oil, then add lots of garlic and about 300g red lentils. Fry for a bit then add two tins chopped toms, a can of coconut milk, and some curry powder or paste. Top up with water so that the lentils etc are covered by about 1cm, then simmer for 30 mins till tender. You may need to top up with more water during, and make sure to stir it regularly. Salt at the end to taste and serve with rice and chappatis.

I bung lentils into lots of tomato based pasta sauces, including lasagne. Works a treat and the kids don't notice.

Cauliflour and chickpeas (not kid friendly in our house but yours might go for it). Steam cauliflour in small florets, warm can of chickpeas in pan, combine with lots of olive oil plus a generous pile of chopped coriander (or you can get it minced in a jar these days) and lemon juice to taste. Way more than the sum of its parts, honestly. Serve with warm rolls and tons of garlic butter. Very quick & easy.

Chickpea curry - any tomato-based recipe would do, with a combo of turmeric & cumin & you can leave out hot spices if you don't like 'em. Served with rice, naan or both. And yoghurt.

tofu fingers (use as fish fingers)

honeyed lentils (basically lentils cooked in 2ce volume in stock with onions, carrots, tin tomatoes and honey) served with rice or bread

lentil and potato curry

Spicy chick peas: fry a couple of onions with some chilli powder, cumin and garlic, add tinned tomatoes and zest of a lemon and cook for a few minutes. Add chick peas and lemon juice and heat through. Serve with rice.

Mediterranean beans: onions, celery, tomatoes, peppers, med herbs, lemon juice, white beans. Serve with rice.

sheperdess pie, use either lentils or aduki beans.

spinach and soft cheese lasagne

lentil sloppy joes: onion, pepper, chilli powder, 2 tins green lentils, tin condensed tomato soup, splash vinegar, mustard. Serve inside rolls.

Veg sausage risotto: rice, onions, tomatoes, garlic, chopped veg sausages, stock.