Ideas for Vegetarian meal please

[HarkTheTragicalyHipHeraldAngel]

Wednesday is veggie night for us and I'm a bit stuck for ideas today.

I normally make risotto, stir fry, pasta arabiata (sp?) or curry so something a bit different would be great.

I have most store cupboard things, pots, veg and every spice known to man!

So any ideas for me please!

Ta Muchly

Ooh, make a lovely veg stew with dumplings (lovely in this weather). Or a shortcrust pastry or puff pastry top.

Some or all of: carrots, shallots, mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes. Other veg as per your fridge!

Garlic, cider (if you've got it) or wine, stock, little bit of paprika or similar.

Fry off the veg. Add stock and wine / cider. Let bubble. Add some flour or cornflour to thicken up. Simmer.

Do you have a dumplings recipe? If not, easy to google (you don't need suet necessarily).

I love Cranks Fast Food for quick weekday interesting vegetarian meals (which meat eaters are happy with).

Potato rosti, spinach, fried mushrooms and a poached (or boiled) egg.

(what we are having tonight)

Veg lasagne - butternut, mushrooms and spinach are lovely. Add lots of flavour, like a bit of soy sauce, creme fraiche / cream, nutmeg on the spinach.

Frittata - lots of potato for your evening meal, and other veg you have around.

Oh, forgot that you could put some kind of canned bean or pulse in your stew - eg chickpeas, cannelini beans, whatever you've got in the cupboard.

Oh wow thankyou Wigeon!

That veg stew sounds yummy and I just love dumplings! I have veg suet in the cupboard so no probs there.

Would you use fresh lasagne sheets or would dry be ok?

I need a bit more practise with my frittata's!

Thanks again

Wigeon - I love the sound of the pie. Do you have a more precise recipe please? I've been on the hunt for a good veggie pie recipe for years!

Hark - no problem! We are meat eaters in this household but probably have "Meat Wednesday" and vegetarian most of the rest of the time, rather than the other way round! And I hate hate hate bland veg food, or veg food which is pretending to be meat (eg bean burgers - give me some proper mince!).

I always use dry lasagne sheets for meat or veg lasange. But do partially cook them in water beforehand.

Belligerent - would be happy to. Actually, have made two veg stew type things recently - one with dumplings and one with a kind of cobbler topping (basically dumplings). Afraid I have an urgent need at this immediate moment for a bath then bed (18 weeks pregnant) but will post tomorrow.

Hark - what did you make in the end?

Thank you - and congrats on pregnancy. I also have an urgent need for bath and bed - and I don't have your excuse! :)

opposites then

Made veg stew, started off as a bit of a hash but come good in the end!
I started off by cooking onion, garlic, carrots, swede, potato and courgette. Threw in some cabbage, red wine and stock and cooked for a few mins. Added some paprika and ground mace.
Tasted it and realised Mace was a bad idea so had to counteract it by bunging in tom puree, Worcester sauce, red wine vinegar, red currant jelly and fresh rosemary.

Forgot about adding cornflour and in blind panic put to much in!

Then went to make dumplings and didn't have alot of suet left so only 1 dumpling each

Anyway after all that it was delish!

I think next time tho I'll use white wine or beer, red was probably a bit too rich.

Thanks again and I'll be giving the lasagne ago next week

Here's the veg stew and dumplings:

I haven't put quantities (although the recipe does have them) because frankly I reckon it's up to you.

Parsnips
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Shallots
Garlic cloves
Carrots
Turnips (we used cannelini beans instead)
button mushrooms (didn't have any)
Stock
Cider
Bay leaf
corn flour (or normal flour).

Roast parsnips in olive oil and seasoning.
Fry off shallots and garlic for 2 mins.
Add carrots and turnips for a further 4 mins
Add mushrooms

Make dumplings (this recipe suggests 4oz self-raising, cheddar, 4tbsp parsley and 1.5oz butter - lightly mix all togther, add a little water and form into small balls).

Add veg stock to the vegetables, along with 6fl oz of the cider and bay leaf. Simmer. Add cornflour / flour and boil to thicken. Add dumplings so they are about 3/4 immersed. Cover with lid, simmer slowly for about 15 mins until dumplings are risen. Scatter parsnips ontop.

DH added a few other things like paprika, and you could of course make all sorts of tweaks.

Mmmm...

There is an absolutely lovely Vegetable Cobbler in The Cranks Bible, with a delicious sauce that is a white sauce but with wine and soy sauce to add depth - really yum - and slightly spicy veg, and then polenta cobblers on top so you get a crunch. But afraid the recipe takes up a page and a half of the book so not going to type it all out - you might have to buy the book!

And finally, the Butternut Lasagne: quick instructions. The main difference with the way I make meat lasagne is that you don't make up a cheesy white sauce.

Roast butternut in slices. Stir in a tbsp of basil pesto and seasoning.

Make a mixture of mushrooms (could be normal, wild, including some dried if you want), fried with garlic, a bit of soy sauce, add creme fraiche.

Make a mix of spinach, parmesan, garlic, nutmeg, seasoning and more creme fraiche (be generous).

Alternate layers of each veg and the lasagne pasta sheets (I always use dried sheets and pre-cook them a bit in some boiling water).

Put a bit more creme fraiche on top, and grate over the cheese of your choice.

Really delicious.