Veggie meals for meat eaters

[zozzle]

We are meat eaters who eat meat 6 days a week and fish once a week.

As we are generally trying to beome healthier (hence the pasta post earlier!), I feel that having meat 6 times a week is rather extravagent and possibly not very good for our guts! I'd like to introduce a veggie meal 1 day a week.

Does anyone have any nice easy veggie meals that are also loved by meat-eating families (ie that my 4 and 7 yr olds are likely to eat)? Can be slow cooker meals or non-slow cooker meals.

Vegetable and lentil curry with coconut and cream and ground almonds. Nann bread. Yum. Cheese, tomato onion quiche or savoury pancakes with salad. Baked potatoes. Warm Falefel with salad and taziki/humous in pitta bread?

Your best friends are pulses.... chickpeas, lentils, beans.... you can do lots with those replacing minced or diced meat with various combinations. Shepherd's pie made with a green lentil, tomato and diced vegetable base is lovely, for example. Bolognaise sauce substituting red lentils and black puy lentils for the minced beef.... and adding a little more water so they have something to absorb. For casseroles like Chilli Non Carne the bigger pulses work very well ... kidney beans, haricot beans... and the spicy flavour is perfect. Can recommend 'The Bean Book' by Rose Elliot.

Eggs are another great base for meals. Google 'Frittata' or 'baked omelette' recipes. Very quick. Serve in wedges with a salad.

And finally... my beanburger recipe. This serves about 2 so you have to increase the quantities accordingly

4oz cooked beans or chickpeas. Drained if you're using canned ones
1 tablespoon rolled (porridge) oats
some grated carrot
1 tablespoon sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Herbs to taste
Chilli powder to taste
1 egg, beaten

• Either crush the beans well with the back of a fork or whizz in a small food processor
• Stir in the rest of the ingredients and then set aside for about 30 minutes so that the mixture can soak up the egg and firm up a little
• Using either a big spoon or wet hands, form into patties about 3" across.
• Fry in a little oil in a non-stick pan for a few minutes each side until the burgers have firmed up and are a nice colour.
• Serve with relishes, ketchup, salad, burger buns... anything really.

Simple pasta dish... Pasta e Fagioli.... Make a basic tomato sauce as normal and, instead of adding meat or fish, add a drained can or two of cannellini beans. Finish with some fresh basil, stir into your cooked pasta and sprinkle with parmesan and black pepper. Lovely.

Or just cut down on meat by adding a bit of bacon, not a lot (probably a couple of rashers cut into 1cm square bits). I find that vegatarian meals leave me feeling hungry, but this token bit of meat improves vegetarian recipes no end and makes all the difference! When I say a couple of rashers, I mean BETWEEN the 4 of you, not each!

If you choose lovely tasty dishes, veggie food can be perfectly appealing for meat eaters. I'm really off meat at the moment due to pregnancy so these are some of the weekday meals I make which have to be quick as well as I can't face cooking most days...

Veggie tacos/tortillas. If using tortillas, you can fill these with a bean and vegetable or quorn mince filling, roll up, line up in a baking dish, cover in a spicy tomato sauce and cheese and bake to finish the dish. Quorn mince is actually a great substitute for making things like lasagne and shepherds pie.

Pasta with homemade pasta sauce whether tomato or creamy sauce with mushrooms (our current favourite) or blue cheese and spinach
Spanakopita - I think there's a recipe on mumsnet for this or just search spinach and feta/spinach and filo pie. Great served with rice or new potatoes and tomato salad.
Stir fry with tofu instead of chicken or meat - best to buy marinated or marinade yourself (DH not a tofu fan but will eat if it's really tasty)
Fritata or quiche (depending on whether you want to make/roll out a quiche pastry) filled with veggies of your choice. Great for picnics too
Make your own pizza night - I have a friend who makes her own dough and I get the impression it's pretty simple, otherwise buy the ready made scone bases and get a load of toppings etc.
Risotto with peas, asparagus and leeks -perfect for this time of year.
Chinesey 'chicken' soup with noodles, greens, mushrooms and tofu or chicken, which as 4merlyknownas suggests you could just cut down instead of replacing
Mushrooms stuffed with nuts and cheese and an egg to bind
Also agree with other posters on curry - great for veggie food!

Roasted vegetables eg carrots,parsnips, leeks, squash, courgette, onion, mushrooms etc served in a plate-sized Yorkshire pudding (each) (made in a cake tin) with gravy or cheesy sauce.
Or macaroni cheese with bits in - mushroom, peppers, sweetcorn etc. And bacon. Bacon is vegetarian, right?

We only eat fish or vegetarian meals.
Veggie sausages and mash, with broccoli and carrots are one of my kids' favourite meals. All their meat-eating friends love them, too.
Quorn or Linda McCartney sausages are ones to try, or Sosmix are slightly more economical but you have to mix with water and egg and fashion into sauasge shapes yourself.

The meat or fish meals I do during the week are more complex meals, so we have these 3 or 4 days. the other 3 or 4 days, we have simple meals, eg:

• Dippy egg and soldiers w raw veg
• Cheese omelettes with bread rolls and veg
• Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese
• Pasta with creme fraiche and spinach or broccoli

I grew up with "on toast" meals, and these are worth remembering. eg

• Baked beans on toast
• Sardines on toast
• Poached egg on toast

etc.

I think its mad to have shepherds pie/toad in the hole/spag bol etc every day. Too much.

Thank you everyone - these sound scrummy! Will give them a go ...