Please give me some ideas for things me and DH can eat together.

[KitKat1985]

Hi all. So me and DH have been together about 5 years. I'm veggie and DH is most definitely not. This is not that unusual I know and I don't have a problem with cooking meat per se. However where we also differ is that whilst I love cheese, DH HATES it. And yes, it is every type of cheese he hates. This means I can't therefore just do the occasional macaroni cheese or pizza etc so as that we can share the same thing. So generally I end up doing two different versions of things every night - so for example I might do two spag bols (one with beef mince, one with quorn) and then some side dishes (garlic bread etc) that we can share; or meat and a veggie curry with side dishes to share. It's fine, but there are times when we are pushed for time when it would be so much easier to just have something we could both eat to cut down on the cooking and washing up. The only things I've really come up with are pasta in tomato sauce, or omelettes; and neither of those are particularly exciting. Unfortunately I don't think DH will entertain the idea of lentils or chickpeas as a replacement for the meat in his meal either. Anyone have some reasonably cheap, straight-forward ideas for meals we could share?

Stir Fry? Cook meat separate, dish up your veggies & noodles and then check the meat in with the remainder and dish his up?

My Dp is a cheese hater too!

Chuck*

Fajitas are a good one, loads of veggies, cook chicken strips on the side and he can add it in to his

My DP was a cheesehater and I've worn him down now - even had parmesan on his spag bol last night.

How about some batch cooking of things so you can just take out a meat and non meat portion and heat up at the same time (he could even cook his own!).

I eat a lot of beany and pulsey things and they look tasty and nice and DH happily eats them now (especially if its that or cook his own). I think you'll have to get him on board a bit and explain why its awkward always cooking 2 different meals. I'll quite often do some roasted veg, a beany stew, some potatoes and something else like a dahl or a coleslaw at the beginning of the week and we have that as sides through the week. I might have it with goats cheese and DH will cook a bit of fish and have it with that. Sometimes we'll just have the sides if we are both feeling like a veggie night.

Does he cook at all, OP?

Pizza is easy to do. Make two separate bases and the tomato sauce and then put on your own favourite toppings on the separate pizzas. One of my dc won't eat cheese, but likes pepperoni, ham, green peppers, onion etc on his pizza

Paella is also easy to do. Make a veg paella then add chicken and/or seafood onto his portion

I feel your pain. This is why I gave up being veggie several years ago. All those separate saucepans and trying to keep everyone happy. I can usually get away with a vegetable curry or chilli without being asked where the meat is. And tofu based stirfry. There are lots of great pasta sauces you can make that are not just tomato. You can base it on mushrooms or aubergines for example. You can add cheese to yours and he could throw in some bacon or chicken to his. A frittata is basically a more substantial omelette and you can pretty much use anything in it. You could of course, just cook what you want and let him worry about his meat. He could have a chicken breast or whatever on the side if he must.

Have a look at Hugh FW Veg every day - there's some lovely stuff in there and he could have a grilled bit of meat on the side.

I have a similar problem. DS and I are veggie but DH and DD are not. We have a lot of curries too as you can do a few dishes to share.

I make lasagne by doing a big tomato sauce and then fry mince separately. Half sauce goes into mince, puy lentils in the other half then layer as usual. You could do white sauce instead of cheese sauce. I do the same cheat with chilli - just add fried mince later.

Not done fajitas for ages but that's also a good one. Refried beans for us and chicken strips for them. Also one toad in the hole batter with veggie sausages in one dish and meat ones in the other.

It is a complete faff though and has made me hat cooking so I tend to make each one to serve 4 and freeze half of each.!

Thank you - some good suggestions. I do fajitas and stir fry fairly regularly (but again currently a meat and veggie version). I like the idea of batch cooking so I could maybe cook him up some chicken breasts etc at the start of the week, and then he can have some chicken on pasta, in curry etc without me having to cook the chicken up every night. Would be a good time saver.

I like the idea of a cheese-free pizza as well. I think he would eat that as he has told he before about a friend of his that used to do a good cheese-free pizza that he liked.

And no, DH doesn't really cook. If he cooks (and it's a rare occasion) it's usually something frozen (like veggie burgers and chicken grills) with a side of oven chips. He doesn't really 'get' cooking. At all. When he has tried to actually cook something he usually comes to me about every 30 seconds saying things like "is that chopped up enough", "is the heat right", when should I add this" etc; until after about the 20th time of asking some inane question I usually just end up sighing and saying 'for gawds sakes man you're driving me crazy, shall I just do it"? When we first started dating and he offered to cook something for me he came and found me shortly afterwards to ask me how you cook carrots. He had no idea they could be boiled in a pan of water. He was 29.

Marinate a chicken breast in either tandoori paste (and yogurt) or soy/ginger/garlic/honey and then roast in the oven.

Compliment the above with a veggie curry or veggie stir fry serve with rice/noodles/roti.

Another thing you could do is batch cook a combo of mince meat, onions, garlic and bacon and separate into portions and freeze. You could then make the base of a ragu, stew or chilli sauce and then separate it. In one add the lentils/beans etc that you would eat and then in the other add the frozen portion of the mince I described above. Once this has defrosted in the sauce (remember it would have been fried prior to freezing), you can then serve it.

What about risotto? If you made a pea risotto then you could fry bacon separately and add to his bowl at the end. (Just fib and tell him no cheese is involved).

OP, I think you're babying him. He needs to learn to cook or he needs to eat dishes you can both eat. Seriously, I would not cook for a grown man who refused to eat a meal without meat in it unless we shared the cooking equally.

I actually agree SuburbanRhonda but as I say, (I hold my hands up here) he gets so anxious when he does try to cook and ends up asking me questions constantly, that I just generally end up taking over again. It's something I need to work on I know.

On the 2-3 evenings a week that I am at work he makes himself pretty much the same thing every night (frozen chicken / fish with oven chips).

I hear you, OP, it's excruciating watching someone make a hash of something when you know you could do it in a quarter of the time.

I would try to get him in involved with small jobs when you cook so that it's a team effort. Maybe he can chop something, put a pan on the hob, heat some oil, put the oven on, all small things that help take the fear out of cooking, a bit like a food tech lesson.

The other alternative is to cook your delicious vegetarian dinner and throw frozen chicken and chips on a baking tray in the oven for him. Except that's a bit mean

How about some more egg based things like, potato o sweet potato rosti with fried eggs and spinach? Or roast potatoes with garlic, portobello mushrooms and fried egg?

I think if he is no good at cooking he needs to eat what is on offer and forgo meat sometimes.

Also has he tried Halloumi? I know it is cheese, but it is not very cheesy cheese and so yummy.

Soups are a good bet - and chilli is a good bet too (the veggie versions). BBC good food website has loads of lovely ones.

He can do a chicken breast on the side if he wants to

I used to be veggie and dh just ate veggie food in the evening - he had meat for lunch and sometimes for breakfast. I hate making two dinners - with a passion! We all eat the same - dcs included.
Used to make cheese free pizzas for my nephew who has a dairy allergy - I used marinated artichokes and bacon - rather than cheese.

Doesn't like cheese? (faints)

I do feel that an adult who 'doesn't cook' but has chosen to spend his life with a veggie could have a coup;e pof meals a week without meat. Tell him to have a ham sandwich at lunchtime on the meat free days if he's feeling under meated.

If you are going to try him on some veggie dishes, I would go for hearty tagines, stews or curry with lots of flavor naturally and fling with chickpeas/lentils etc.

Here are a few ideas that have all the same elements apart form the protein, and use the same sauce/marinade.

Chicken tika for him, panner tika for you. Serve wiht rice and salad and a daal if you can be bothered. Different 'protein' same marinade and everything else.

Piri piri chicken for him, butternut squash and haloumi piri piri skewers for you (or just done in a small roasting pan if you can't be bothered to skewer).

Greek lamb skewers for him, greek marinaded veg skewers for you. Rice or new pots, and greek salad (leave out the feta and put that on your salad separately).

Argentinian steak (tofu for you) with chimichuri, sweet potato wedges and greens.

Butterbean and tomato stew - with chorizo diced up and fried and added to his portion at the end. Serve with crusty bread.

Some kind of potato hash with an egg - can add in diced nad fried chorizo or bacon lardons to his portion if you must.
naturallyella.com/smoked-paprika-red-potatoes-and-egg-bake/

Baked potato with ratatouille, with cheese on top for you and chicken breast for him.

Anything with veggi/normal sausages.

Thai green veggie curry, serve with rice and with do fish or chicken for him on the side and you just have more of the veggie curry or do some tofu in the oven whilst you're doing his chicken/fish.

Some kind of meatball based meal - same sauce and carbs etc just plop on the veggie/meatballs on top (v easy if you oven bake them). Can make nice veggie ones yourself or for an easier meal buy both meat and veggie ones ready made.

I bet he wouldn't even know there wasn't meat in a good veggie chilli with quorn mince and lots of flavor.

Egg based things sound good, as does pastry tarts and kebab type things. Thank you for all of your ideas. I'm starting to feel inspired now!

Oh, and on a REALLY simmilar theme - this thai tofu satay is AMAZING and you could do 1/2 chicken and 1/2 tofu.

The marinade is delish and the satay sauce is crazy good. I now bake the skewers in the oven rather than grill, and make sure the veg isn't touching the tofu so that the tofu can get as crispy as possible. Serve with noodles/rice and some stir fried bokchoi.

There are long list of ingredients but it really is just a case of blitzing up in the food processor.

thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/Vegetarian-Thai-Satay-Vegan.htm

thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/Easy-Satay-Sauce-Recipe.htm