Wholesome but quick family meal ideas

[tigerbalm]

I'm struggling to get a decent dinner on the table for dd who is 18 m that dh and I can eat as well. I can cook and know lots of recipes but need more ideas for quick things that I can pull together in 10-15 mins with a toddler fussing round my ankles for work nights.

We are vegetarian. So far I have omlette, pasta with tomato sauce, falafel (but what goes with them?), pizza, eggy bread.

Would welcome any ideas that incorporate vegetables please.

stir fry - chop veg while DD is napping, then is a quick job to cook when ready to eat.

stir fry is a great idea. what about things like chickpea burgers with sweet potato chips and salad? there are zillions of such recipes on the blog i do, at www.babyledweaning.com. everything is pretty much finger foodable and there are some tasty things on there.

my girls love things like roasted or steamed corn on the cob, plates of chunks of salad stuff like cucumber and tomatoes with a dip, oh and try some flatbreads with either just cheese or other fillings, dry-fried in a heavy bottomed frying pan until the cheese melts

falafel is good with sald, pitta bread, salsa and natural yoghurt?
Hey, I've served it with home made potato wedges and salad before now..

Fritata? Tacos made with quorn?
Potato, leek, cheese and sweetcorn 'burgers'?

beany stirfry

Message withdrawn

thanks for the ideas

aitch I will look at your blog site for ideas

I think the only thing veg that goes in stir-fry that dd will eat is babycorn, she shuns mangetout, peppers, mushrooms

Most of the time its just so difficult to chop veg, dd fusses and cries at tea-time on work nights because I have just picked her up from CM and she is desperate for attention

fmv, are tacos the crispy shell thingies? how would you prepare the quorn?

noodles is one I hadnt thought of, great thanks

Tigerbalm - tacos are the crispy shells. ('brown' the quorn with a little tomato puree, paprikas, garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, water. Then you can romove some for dd and add some cayenne for you and dh if you like a bit of spice. Serve warmed tacos with plates of quorn, shredded lettuce, cucmber, tomato, red onion, graed cheese, sour cream etc - whatever you like and let people fill their own tacos.

Does your dd eat brocolli, carrot, or bean spouts? I stir fry these (slice the carrot into matchsticks)and baby sweetcorn in soy, orange juice, honey and sesame seeds and serve with rice and/or noodles for my boys (who will not eat many different types of veg)

thanks fmv, yes she does eat brocolli and carrot, never tried beansprouts. I will definitely try your stir fry recipe - it sounds delicious.

for the tacos, I guess I could use tofu instead of quorn? I am suspicious about quorn because I dont really understand what its made of I just know its made in a factory!

thanks for the ideas. I would have more energy for cooking if I wasnt 6wks pg and feeling nauseous even on entry to the kitchen

definitely you can use tofu, and dd also loves beansprouts so hopefully yours will too. i tend to keep stir fries quite simple, dd doesn't like mangetout or sugar snaps that much either but loves mushrooms and peppers and beansprouts (so long as they're slathered in soy sauce and rice wine...)

My suggestion would be to cook double on days you are not working and then defrost it for work nights. Then it would be just a question of warming said meal up and maybe doing some accompaniments.

So you could make quiche with lots of veg in, then serve it with new potatoes and salad or brocolli or whatever.
Or I make and freeze a mushroom and parmesan risotto which both my two eat.

Maybe you could let DD 'help' chop the vegs with a blunt knife, might even eat a few bits while she's at it? I find that if I put DD2 in her high chair AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE (not next to pans of boiling water tho obvioulsy!) to where im working in the kitchen it helps a lot, otherwise i end up at the sink with my back to her and shes on the other side of the (small) kitchen and she feels lonely. We eat falafel with a dressing made with plan yog, olive oil, lemon juice, garic and coriander, and salad, stuffed in brown pita pockets.

Thick veggie soup, could be made beforehand and warmed up?

DD has from that kind of an age stood on a chair next to me while I am cooking.

actually yes she loves standing on the step stool at the kitchen surface normally playing with dough or water (v messy that one tho).

she would need an activity like that if she was going to let me get on. will try giving her some veg to 'chop' with a blunt knife. thanks for suggestions.

today (day off) I managed spicey chickpeas with rice which will last 2 days.

has anyone got a recipe for falafel i could have please? [smile ]TIA

Anyone??????????????????????
Pretty please?????????

My fave quick meal to cook is Fritatta - I usually throw in some tomatoes, mushrooms or courgettes softened in a little butter, with parsley & cheese...serve with salad....yummmmm (just had some for lunch actually)

I have a falafel recipe from Leiths vegetarian bible if any use?

Oooooooooooh yes please

Haaaang on then while I summarise it.....

thanks you're a sweetie

225g dried chickpeas soaked overnight
1 red onion roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 slice bread roughly cubed
handful each of fresh parsley and coriander, tough stalks removed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
oil for frying

1. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Put in blender/food proc with onion, garlic, bread herbs and cumin. blend to smooth paste and season
2. Divide evenly to size required and mould between palms to form smooth discs
3. Shallow fry in large frying pan (4-5 falafel at a time) allowing them to brown evenly before turning over.

They can be transferred, once browned, to baking tray in oven at 180 deg for 10-15 mins if making lots.

Oh thankyou that's fab

do you think it would work with tinned chickpeas...or are they too mushy????

Its got to be worth a try....personally I only ever use tinned chickpeas for everything I make.

....phew!
(soaking things is so tedious)