Meat & 2 Veg style veggie meals

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Struggling to think what I could do for the ‘meat’ portion other than eggs or quorn/other fake meat which I’m not keen on anyway (although been having way too many quorn nuggets lately but they don’t agree with me!)

Frittata/omelette/eggs is all I can think of but any other suggestions? Maybe something with pulses? Just need quick easy freezer meals sometimes!

Are you looking for something to feel like the centre of the meal (maybe like stuffed portobello mushrooms/stuffed pepper/vegetable wellington) or something to be the protein (like nut roast/lentil ‘meat’balls/tofu).

One of the things I love about veggie cooking is the impetus to deviate from this format.

But when I stick to it...

Slices of haloumi or paneer coated in sesame seeds and fried.

Falafel

Peppers (or anything else) stuffed with tomatoey lentils

Big wedges of spicy pumpkin with crunchy seeds

Sweet corn and mint fritters.

A new favourite is this apricot and chestnut stuffing, cooked in a nut roast format.
www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/christmas/apricot-and-chestnut-stuffing

When I want a no prep something and two veg style meal, I get a pieminister mushroom pie. Yum.

If I’m feeling like doing a bit of prep I might make a puff pastry tart.

But I don’t eat a lot of something and two veg type meals- I’m a one pot veg medley type cook mostly!

Nut loaf and lentil loaf are easy but take a while to cook. Cauliflower steaks are lush. Rub in some seasoning and once coked sprinkle with lemon

Mmmmmmm omg absolutely all of these sounds delish! Thanks! Stuck in a rut for sure so this is fab. My eldest (3yo) HATES one-pot/saucy stuff so it’s tricky! But I’m working on mealtimes and he’ll come round soon I’m sure.

Cut cauldron tofu into steaks or nuggets. Marinade in bbq sauce
Oven bake
Delish

Ooo ooo buffalo baked cauliflower

Nut cutlets
Lentil loaf
Bean burgers
Chickpea tagine
Baked ricotta

filo pastry is amazing for making quick and easy "focus" items in a meal. loads of different fillings, just get two sheets of filo (lightly oil in between the 2 sheets) and what a dollop of not-too-runny filling in the middle then scrunch into a rough parcel and bake.

possible fillings include:
stack of veg (starting with a large portobello mushroom & either a slice of cheese or sprinkle of chopped nuts & a tsp of olive tapenade.

sautéed mushrooms butternut squash & kale with a jar of truffle pesto and a tbsp of cream cheese

for a non-quorn mince-like filling, finely chop an onion & pepper, grate mushrooms, carrots, courgettes (whatever combo you like). saute all together and add some veggie Worcester sauce (Biona do a good one. need to check other brands for anchovies) and a tin of lentils. I use as a filling topped with cubes of blue cheese & whole walnuts.

• or just let your imagination loose. any dish you like that's nor a "meat & two veg" type, there's a way to extract the main non-carb, non-liquid components and put it into a filo parcel

My toddler feels the same, I think it’s from nursery! All of their meals come with a side of frozen veg so that’s what he expects now.

I’ve found that just adding some veg on the side tricks him. So a portion of spinach and ricotta lasagne with peas and sweetcorn on the side. Veggie shepherds pie with peas and broccoli. Macaroni cheese with peas and carrots. Pasta, pesto and peas (look he likes peas ok ).

He also adores Ikea veggie meatballs, so we have them with mash and veg. Cheese and onion pasty with mash and veggies. Any pasta bake with veggies. Just add sides of veggies and he’s happy.

Is it for the whole family, or just for you, or for the little one?

For me, when feeling lazy - new potatoes and vege/salad with:
Sainsbury's nut cutlets (frozen aisle)
M&S cheese & onion croquette things (with the fishcakes)
Another vote for a Pieminister pie (Kevin is vegan, and they did a brilliant parsnip one over Christmas)
A big roasted mushroom, just with butter and garlic, or stuffed with Stilton and walnuts
Jar of Greek giant beans

For the whole family -
Quiche - I make cheese & onion, but lots of variations possible
Some sort of lentil bake maybe - Rose Elliot has some simple ones
I used to make baby quiches in jam tart tins which went down well when the dc were little - also little pasties (like mince pies but with a filling of fried up onion, carrots and spices, with a tin of green lentils of chickpeas)

roasted veggie stacks.with or without cheese in the layers.veggie lasagne
tomatoeee lentil or pealr barley
or stew but instead of beef use lentil sweetpotao mushrroms etc.
red onion and peppers tartlets.
mixed veggies pies
www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/spiced-potatoes-and-peas/ had last night and loved.

Just all the lovely veggies with something like cauliflower/broccoli cheese, dauphinois potatoes, pasta bake, frittata, veggies au gratin, baked bean stew (fry onions and peppers, throw in a tub of beans and a chopped tomato). I also make veggie cutlets. Mmmmmm. Also veggie haggis, oh yes.