Vegetarian Lockdown Meals

[katelynfudgex]

My daughter has been a proud vegetarian for over a year now and I've always been able to provide to her needs for meat-free meals, but now that we're in lockdown and everyone's been going mad, I can't seem to find many things to cook for her. At the shops, I can only seem to find things such as microwavable burgers and stews. Do you know anywhere I can get some good-quality vegetarian meals for my daughter? xx

If you can't find tofu for her at your supermarket, you should be able to find it at the Chinese supermarkets if you have one nearby.
The same with lentils and chickpeas, if you can't find them, the Asian- Indian supermarkets stock them dry.
Many health shops have a fridge section you should be able to find tempeh and seitan there. Not sure if these are open in Uk

Is it ready made things you are looking for or are you happy to cook?
Eggs seem to be available round here again now, so lots of options there, fritata, shakshuka, quiche etc.
Nuts keep well and are a good source of protein, a nut loaf could be baked and sliced then frozen so you can just take a slice out as required. Cashews are great in stir fries and toasted pine-nuts make a nice topping for pasta dishes and salad.
Maybe some stuffed mushrooms with a rice red onion and blue cheese filling.

Do you mean there are no vegetables in the supermarket? I’m a bit confused by your post.

But easy meals without tonnes of ingredients

West African Peanut stew

Lentil dahl

Falafel, hummus salad wraps

Spanakopita is easier than it looks

Pasta with mushroom mince Bolognese

Gnocchi with home made pesto

Virtually every Indian dish ever can easily be made veggie

Veggie pad Thai

There’s a vegetable Singapore noodles recipe on good food that is completely idiot proof

Have a look at websites like the simple veganista or minimalist baker for really simple veggie recipes that don’t need loads of ingredients

We eat vegetarian a fair bit. Here are our current favourites:

Roasted cauliflower served with jazzed up rice

Butternut curry - we make a vaguely thai one and add mange tout/green beans/long-stemmed brocolli as well as fresh tomatoes.

Chickpea and pepper curry

Roasted tomatoes with garlic, balsamic and olive oil with spaghetti, burrata and avocado.

Risotto - pea and butternut are our favourites. Mushroom risotto is an obvious choice (I love mushrooms, hate mushroom risotto so don't do it).

Carrot, chickpea and sesame burgers from BBC Good Food are nice but a bit of a faff to make. But they freeze well when made in batches.

Stuffed peppers (less popular with DS).

My favourite vegetarian food as a child was macaroni and cheese - we used to make it with sliced tomatoes under the breadcrumbs and cheese on top. But my kids won't eat it so don't bother. If I made it now I think I'd mix cauliflower and macaroni together rather than just the macaroni.

Aubergine "stew" (made with onions and tomatoes) and served with butter bean mash.

Cheese and onion quiche

Bolognese stuffed peppers using quorn mince & veg stock cube.

Sainsbury’s does good choices of vegan food. Their frozen section is quite good. My dd also has become vegetarian and she doesn’t eat dairy either so it s even harder for me, at least she still eat free range or organic eggs, not caged eggs. I sometimes stir fry noodles with vegetables. Beans are one of her favourites. Yesterday I fried some tofu and vegetables. I always have tinned soups in the cupboard so she can have soup with bread anytime.

If you have Asda near you, try the vegetarian frozen section. They have a good selection of veggie mince, protein alternatives and stuff like Linda McCartney sausage rolls, and Quorn meat replacement type ready meals.

My DD has been staunchly vegetarian for the last 5 years, I find her the easiest to cook for (although she does most of her own meal prep) her menu consists of; pasta, risotto, stir fry, jacket potatoes, pizza, veggie chilli, veggie lasagne, quorn cottage pie (with potato, swede, sweet potato topping - whatever we have in stock), veggie korma, veggie toad in the hole, roasted veg and feta wraps, quorn nuggets and chips, beans and cheese toasties, omelettes/Frittata, boiled eggs with asparagus, soup honestly it's a very long list and lots of meal ideas online.

Are you struggling with cooking a meal that everyone can enjoy?
We have quite a lot of potato bake, and meat / fish for those who want it.
Couscous burgers made with cheese and herbs served with salad... you can freeze them for a quick fix. Rest of family can have meat burger...

I too am confused. Are you wanting veggie ready meals or just vegetarian recipe ideas?

• veggie putanesca pasta
• pumpkin, pinenut pasta or salad
• beetroot, feta, pinenut salad
• veggie stir-fry
• veggie satay and rice
• Vietnamese summer rolls. I'm not veggie or vegan, but these are always a crowd pleasure at functions, because the ones I make are vegan, dairy & gluten free. Lots of youtube videos on how to roll them to. Sainsburys sell the kids, otherwise a Chinese or Vietnamese grocery store sell the wraps.

Roast mixed vegetables are quite nice and simple. I seasoned them with garlic salt and olive oil for at least 1/2 hr before cooking, but very easy.