Dd wants to be vegetarian. Help needed please.

[Posey]

Just need some general advice or recommendations for a good book/website to look at.
Dd's 9 and has been on about being a vegetarian for ages. Thought it was just a whim but it would appear not.
We are meat eaters but not "meat and veg at all meals" types. Not really sure where to begin, don't particularly want to have to always cook seperate meals for us all. Don't ovviously want her to become deficient in certain foodstuffs. We are big pasta eaters and also like "stews" if that helps!

Any help/advice gratefully received.

OK, my ds (9yo) was veggie until quite recently.

When he was a baby I cooked a lot from Carol Timperely's baby and child vegetarian book, here .

Will paste 2 recipes from it in a minute, which are stew type things but other quick things ds eats/ate

omelettes
boiled eggs and dippies
eggy bread (french toast)
scrambled egg
and all of the above with vit c of some kind for iron absorption, important if you're veggie.
pasta with a tomato sauce
So iron and vit b are the big ones but there;s more on the vegetarian society site, here

Beefless bolognase: the recipe says lentils but I've always done it with red kidney beans, mainly because I've always got them in the house

"I've yet to come across a child who isn't enthusiastic about this tasty sauce, whether it is served with pasta, or in shepherd's pie or as a filling for baked potatoes. The quantity is rather generous because it makes an excellent freezer standby. Makes 8 adult portions

60 ml/4 tablespoons olive oil
175 g/6 oz button mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
30 ml/2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, crushed
150 ml/5 fl oz red wine
1 tablespoon chopped basil
15 ml/1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
scant teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
225 g/8 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 x 400 g/l4 oz cans brown lentils, drained
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

Heat the oil, add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano and bay leaf and fry until the onions are transparent. Add the carrot, celery and red pepper, cook for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to wilt, stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for approximately 40 minutes. Allow to cool. Transfer to a food processor and blend coarsely (if you prefer a chunkier texture blend only half the mixture). Before serving, reheat and check seasoning."

Also lentil hotpot, use more liquid than she says or it sticks. We've had this tonight and added Tabasco and Worcester sauce to spice it up a bit.

"In our house this dish is irreverently known as 'bottom of the fridge stew', because it invariably appears when I have put off going shopping and am left with a few store-cupboard standbys. Despite the frugal ingredients, it tastes quite sumptuous. Makes 10 portions.

15 ml /1 tablespoon vegetable oil
225 g/8 oz red lentils, washed and picked over
1 onion, peeled and chopped
400g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
10 ml/2 teaspoons tomato puree
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, peeled and diced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 celery sticks, washed and chopped
600 ml/1 pint vegetable stock

Heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until softened but not browned. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and lentils, and stir to coat the vegetables with the oil. Now add the tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs and the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are very tender. Remove the bay leaf. Mash the lentils and vegetables using a fork before serving. "

you can always use Quorn chunks and mince if you want to keep to the same textures as meat. There was a lentil bolognaise recipe round here a couple of days ago which might be a start. Also, you can use beans, chickpeas etc in most stews and casseroles (canned ones are easy to use)

This might help too Vegetarian Society

try looking under recipes on the MN archives as well.

Good luck!

I'm too slow

And I make lentil and feta salad a lot,

cook some puy lentils until soft. Make a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and fresh thyme if you have it and dress the lentils with it. Crumble small cubes of feta over before serving

Roast veg are also lovely. Carrots and so on are very sweet done this way. And sweet potatoes are great baked.

Oh I have a veg biryani recipe too, hang on

A biryani is an Indian rice dish made with either meat or vegetables, or a combination of both. This method of cooking rice is sure to be rewarded with success every time. Serves 4

250 g/8 oz basmati rice, rinsed
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 large onions, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh root ginger
250 g/8 oz sweet potato, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 tablespoon curry paste
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chilli powder
300 ml/ ½ pint Vegetable Stock
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced
175 g/6 oz cauliflower florets
125 g/4 oz frozen peas, thawed
50 g/2 oz cashew nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
salt and pepper
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered, to serve

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil, add the basmati rice and return to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again. Spread the rice out on a large baking sheet and set aside to dry. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, add half the onion and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes until very crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve for garnishing. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the remaining onion with the garlic and ginger for 5 minutes. Add the potato, carrots and spices and continue to fry for a further 10 minutes until light golden. Add the vegetable stock and tomatoes, bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the cauliflower and peas and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Stir in the rice, cashew nuts, coriander and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then cover and remove from the heat. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with the crispy onions and egg quarters.

Lentil mousakka, again from Carol Timperley

"It is one of the many small milestones of babyhood when you can actually look forward to sharing food with your baby. This was one of the first dishes that Krishnan and I enjoyed together. Puy lentils are small black lentils which have a superior flavour and texture to other varieties, but other lentils could be substituted. Makes enough for mum, dad and baby, or 6 portions

225 g/8 oz puy lentils
I teaspoon dried mixed herbs
I large aubergine, wiped and trimmed
50 g/2 oz sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil
15 ml/1 tablespoon olive oil. plus a little extra for brushing
350 ml/12 fl 02 passata
I small onion, peeled and finely sliced
50 g/2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
I small red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
25 g/1 oz wholemeal breadcrumbs
I clove garlic, crushed

Wash the lentils thoroughly. Place them in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Slice the aubergine into rounds and place on a grill pan. Brush lightly with olive oil, grill until golden, then turn over and repeat the process. Set the cooked aubergine aside. Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and pepper until soft. Stir in the garlic and turn off the heat. Place half the lentils in the base of an ovenproof dish, top with half the aubergines, half the onion and pepper mixture and half of both the sundried tomatoes and passata. Repeat the layers. Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle them over the top. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) Gas Mark 4, for about 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Puree coarsely before serving.

A tomato tart:

"The idea for a tomato and roast garlic tart came to me after reading a description of a tomato salad flavoured with hyssop, a blue-flowered shrub with spiky, bitter tasting leaves, and dressed with mellow balsamic vinegar. I have substituted rosemary as roughly similar to and more widely available than hyssop. The sweet roast garlic, aromatic rosemary and sweetened, tart vinegar and tomatoes all blend together in a composite flavour as the tart first bakes, then cools. Serves 4

8-10 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g (7 oz) strong white (or part white/part brown or wholemeal) flour
100 g (3½ oz) butter
40 g (1½ oz) parmesan cheese, grated
500 g (1lb) tomatoes, skinned and sliced thinly
6-8 green peppercorns, crushed
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1½ teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C/400°F. Put the garlic cloves in a small roasting tin with the olive oil and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they are soft and golden, but not brown. Turn them once to make sure they do not brown. To make the pastry, put the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter. Add the parmesan cheese and a little pepper and bind together with 2 tablespoons very cold water. Bring the mixture together to form a ball, then roll it out thinly on a lightly floured surface. Use to line a greased, 25 cm (1O-inch) flan tin or dish and line the pastry with foil or greaseproof paper weighed down with baking beans. Remove the roast garlic from the oven and bake the pastry in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until crisp. Remove the garlic from the roasting tin with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour the flavoured oil from the roasting tin into a large frying pan and arrange the tomato slices in it, keeping them as intact as possible. Sprinkle them lightly with salt, scatter the crushed green peppercorns over them and allow them to warm through over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes without disintegrating. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the paper and beans. Place the roast garlic cloves on the pastry crust and lay the sprig of rosemary among them. Carefully lift the tomato slices out of the pan with a spatula or slotted spoon and arrange them over the garlic and rosemary. Warm the sugar and balsamic vinegar together in the remaining juices in the saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, then sprinkle over the surface of the tart. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then cool a little and serve. Remove the rosemary after cutting the first slice or two."

Ooh thank you. I have the added problem of a pretty fussy 4 year old who is not good at trying new things, so if they look like stuff he's had before he's more likely to eat it too!

Ive been vegetarian since I was 9...19 years now...sadly I still remember what a kebab tastes like and my mouth drools
If shes not that fussy, the stews can go ahead if shes prepared to dig out the meat and just have the veg/juice. Thats what I do, or if its chicken and its going to fall apart I do the veg them remove a potful for me, then put the chicken in.
In the freezer aisle there are vegetarian quorn burgers and sausage rolls etc Theres a big range of stuff but some of it is VILE.
Will she still be eating eggs?
She can still have pasta meals but with cheese instead of tuna etc.
Baked potatoes meals minus the meat.
I tend to just have what everyone else had minus the meat, or with an alternative

Blimey www you are really quick! Thanks for all those! Am going to get them printed out and look at the vegSoc website too.

www, your bottom of the fridge stew is what we call "splodge". I think your name for it is much more appetizing. However, it does taste surprisingly good.

As a veggie I would suggest that you don't make life too difficult for yourselves. Perhaps try having a couple of meat free family meals a week and then have meals where the meat part can be substituted with something veggie (a tart; veggie sausages; potato cakes; nut/bean burgers).

If you don't mind cooking you could cook a family size lasagne/cottage pie/moussaka and portion it and freeze it so dd can eat these things when the rest of the family are eating meat versions.

Thanks too CC. Will look at vege burgers and sausages etc for when we have meaty ones. Yes she still wants eggs but as I'm not a great fan at the moment they don't get offered that often.

Btw, I have all those saved in a Word document because I made my mum a customised recipe book for her 60th birthday! I'm quick but not that quick!

For a VERY quick and disgusting meal, most supermarkets do vegetarian hotdogs. They take 1 minute on high to cook and are VILE but somehow I have them in my freezer. Still, much much better than meat versions I think, at least it's just veg protein rather than nasty mrm!

Winnie - spot on! I don't want to make it too hard (I find day to day cooking a chore as it is). I already do certain things like spag bol and freeze into smaller portions for ds when he's eating when the rest of us aren't or we're having something he won't eat, so may do a big batch of something vege for dd and defrost as needed for her.
But I reckon we may end up with more vegetarian stuff for all of us.

and agree about not making life hard while you're letting her have a go at being vegetarian. I am not veggie btw and when I cooked roasts ds would have everything except the meat, so carrots, broccoli, parsnips, roast potatoes, peas, green beans.

my DSs love those hot dogs - can't bear them myself but they do the job when necessary!

Roast veg, add beans of choice & homemade tomato sauce, top with savoury crumble and sprinkle with nuts or cheese. Bake.

Oh god, Nigella's aubergines are really fab, let me see if I can find the recipe.

And peanut butter on wholemeal toast is very nutritious. As are beans, obv. And I do bits and pieces on a plate, which is cut up fruit, whatever I've got lying around, and tiny sandwiches, and this week I did peas in the middle in ramekin dishes (I have tons of them because of buying Fru lemon cheesecakes over Christmas) and dd, who is 3 and sometimes turns her nose up at peas, ate them.

Blimey with all these delicious sounding recipes she's going to be eating better than us unless we join her!

nut burgers.

Equal quantities of breadrcumbs and crushed nuts mixed with sauted onion. Pat into burgers, toss in flour and bake,fry or grill.

Here, copied and pasted from an old old thread!

"We had this tonight from Nigella's new book and it was quick, easy and gorgeous. So here it is for anyone who's interested: 2 large aubergines (but wished I'd had more) some feta cheese (I used hard goats cheese tho, v. nice) 1 red chilli finely chopped handful mint juice of 1 lemon black pepper 1. Get a griddle hot. 2. Slice the aubergines thinly lengthways 3. crumble the cheese into a bowl, add torn up mint, the chilli and juice of 1 lemon, add black pepper 4. brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and griddle for 2 mins per side 5. dollop some of the cheese mixture onto each slice of aubergine and wrap into a sausage shaped roll Eat. OK, so it's not particularly low fat but I think the whole thing took about 5 minutes and it was very moreish.

And will she eat fish do you think?

Sardines on toast are gorgeous. And dd and I made (and she ate, she's 3) mackeral pate this week:

Blitz some mackerel with creme fraiche, black pepper, a small amount of cream, lemon juice, salt and I added horseradish, it was gorgeous. Serve with toast.

ds and dd eat 3 bean soup from Seeds of Change too, it's nice. I like it. They do tomato soup too.

And noodles with stir fried veg and sesame oil and a dash of soy. Takes 5 minutes.