My daughter has decided to become veggie

[REignbow]

Hi,

My 12 year old daughter, has decided to become vegetarian. I am not happy feeding her quorn/impossible meat substitutes all the time.

So can anyone recommend any good kid friendly recipes please?

Just as a side note, she is quite texture adverse so is not keen on mushrooms (although will eat if cut very very small like breadcrumbs), aubergine, courgette etc. She is also not so keen on soups.

Some ideas I have had are

bean burgers
veggie bites
bean and cheese quesadillas
cauliflower curry

thanks in advance

But what works here is:

tortillas or fajitas with meat and veg fillings (to suit everyone)
Tortilla
Risotto with green peas and broccoli
Pastas - cheese and tomato sauce
Flatbreads with fillings
Veg curries - new potato, spinach and butternut squash
Tray bakes - new posts, chickpeas, tons, peppers, halloumi
Past with feta and tomato sauce
Pizzas or naan bread pizzas
Egg fried rice
Veggie fry-ups
Cauliflower steaks
Cauli cheese

Oh and green lentil bolognaise is a favourite

This may help,

vegsoc.org/product/veggie-kids-kitchen/

This one also -

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegetarian-kids-recipes

That's right. If you choose to eat differently from everyone else, you surely don't expect other people to do all the work of cooking twice? My DC became vegetarian at the same age. She doesn't expect me to cook separately for her (of course we often all eat vegetarian food, or something that is easily adapted, but not all the time). She's happy to make quick pasta and Mexican dishes for herself. She's also not a purist. For example, she'll eat a meat paella, simply taking the meat out.

So many great replies op. Back later with some ideas as I have a 15 vegetarian dd.

Wow this post has really inspired me! I was going to say nut roast too. Sometimes have it at Christmas. DM used to make a lentil & pineapple curry which sounds odd but was delicious. Also 3 layer terrine & vegetable crumble with a nutty topping. Does your DD still eat fish? DM had a recipe for seafood lasagne & it was one of my favourite meals ever!

I’ve been a vegetarian for about 18 years, as is my DH.
TBH he does most of the cooking.
Here are some of the things we eat:
Omelette (any filling) and baby potatoes
Pasta with homemade sauce and halloumi fried, side salad.
Vegetarian pie (from Delia Smith, it’s called a “midweek pie) - full of vegetables and topped with mash.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s pie - either with Quorn mince or lentils.
Curry - again so many options. DH makes a “base gravy” and then turns it into say a garlic paneer curry, a madras with paneer or quorn pieces (the chicken pieces).
Linda McCartney Mozarella burgers (very meaty) .
Soups - potato and leek is my favourite. Roasted Tomato another good one.
Scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta with sliced tomatoes with a dressing.
Chilli - can be made with Quorn mince (I think that’s the best version) or lentils.
Pizza (he has a pizza oven).
Pasta in numerous variations- he did a pasta with chickpeas last night.
There are “bacon” bits that can be used for a carbonara.
Rice or couscous with a spicy bunch of vegetables (chickpeas and/or lots of firm vegetables eg peppers) with halloumi.

Simon Rimmer does a lot of great vegetarian recipes.

When DD went veggie I made the same food but just removed the elements of meat, eg a stir fry bit hers in another pan, a roast without the meat, pasta bake with a smaller one in another pot.

Wow thanks everyone some great ideas!

I should of added that she will only eat eggs if it’s in a pancake/fritta/waffle

Tbh if she has issues with food texture and is limited to what she is eating (see the no aubergine, soup etc…) the pan you need a chat with her on how she is going to meet her nutritional needs.
Im thinking iron, protein etc….

A vegetarian diet can be really great if it’s balanced. It’s harder when you start putting some restrictions.

Is she happy with pulses in general? What sort of vegetables is she happy to eat?

Xpost.

If she also has issues with eggs, then you really need to have a look at her protein and iron intake, esp as a girl who, I imagine, has started if will soon start menstruating.

I don't recommend quorn (nasty stuff that causes bad reactions in some people) or jackfruit as a substitute for meat. Jackfruit is extremely low in protein so doesn't constitute a protein source. For protein, use pulses (lentils, beans) served with whole grains (anything from bread, rice, or quinoa etc), dairy, eggs, hummus, or nuts. Make sure you include enough healthy fats (olive oil, butter, ghee, coconut oil) to help DD feel full and satisfied; they are also excellent brain food. And of course lots of veg and some fruit every day.

Fine to 'hide' eggs in a frittata--this is what I do as I don't like eating 'neat' eggs (have been veggie for many decades now).

Omelettes / quiche ( feta cheese makes a nice addition when no bacon )

Mam?

I had the same conversation with my mum and did the same as your daughter - took the extra vegetables I was going to have to eat as part of the deal. It helped me widen my range of foods a lot because - basically - if you're already veggie you've already been fussy and can't then list a load of things you won't eat.

Most veggies I know only have one or max two things they HATE e.g. mushrooms. Otherwise they'll cope with choking it down!

I missed the egg post form op

Hello fresh have excellent veggie recipes. Get boxes for a few weeks. Try stuff out. Keep the recipe cards for those you like and then cook them yourself.

Recipes are very easy to follow if 12 year old wants to try cooking.

I’ve been vegetarian for 55 years, there wasn’t much mock meat around when I went veggie and I hate it! It’s ok occasionally but very processed. For protein I eat tofu, tempeh (minimally processed), nuts, seeds, lentils, beans etc. Greek yogurt has good protein as does cheese but go easy. Eggs are a superb source of protein. I think a healthy vegetarian diet requires you to think about food in a different way. Your daughter is old enough to make a significant input into her food prep.

I went veggie at the age of 12. This was back in 1990 though, so pretty much the only place I could get food that wasn't lentils was Holland and Barrett. My Mum despaired of what to do with me as well, so I did my own cooking. I'm not a fussy eater, however am intolerant to mushrooms, so Quorn is an absolute no go. Please do not let anyone try to force 1970's abhorrences such as nut roast or vegetable lasagne on them. Also don't assume that following a vegetarian diet is automatically healthy, as chips, chocolate and cheese are all veggie. Frittata's can be made using aquafaba, as can cakes, so avoiding eggs is easy enough. Let her follow her own path. At 12 a child is likely to be mature enough to be accountable for their own actions, so their decision should have the right to be respected and if it doesn't work out, then the responsibility for that lies on their shoulders.

This.
Also, tell her she needs to be coming up with ideas and researching recipes, even if she isn't going to doing the cooking. You can discuss what needs to be included in meals so that she gets a good variety of appropriate nutrition, and get her to read up on it, but if she wants to eat differently from the rest of the family, it's not unreasonable to expect her to do some of the donkey work when it comes to planning food .

I love veggie lasagna- spinach and walnut especially, it's not an abhorrence !

I tend to do a lot of one pot stuff. Multi bean chilli; vegetable curries and stews; stir fry; sweet and sour/teriyaki style veg with egg fried rice; salads with lentils, halloumi, kidney beans; veggie fajitas (peppers, sweetcorn, black beans, halloumi, onion); couscous or rice stuffed peppers; baked potatoes...

Omelette, wedges and veg always good on a lazy day. As is pizza or pasta.

Richmond veggie sausages are delicious. I could live on those...

I have a 12 yr old DD who is veggie. She understands it can be a pain for me or her dad having to cook 2 meals every day so she will do super noodles for herself sometimes but most of the time we do end up cooking two things. Fajitas with the Quorn chicken pieces work well for her - just put those in a separate pan with peppers, onion and spice mix. She loves cheese omelette with pasta salad and jacket potato. I often make lentil bolognaise and lentil Dahl for her too. I said when she went veggie she would need to learn to like lentils!!

@REignbow
hi OP well done for your DD going veggie - I find some fabulous recipes on Cookie and Kate all the time - the salads are particularly Lovely in summer and the recipes are easy
cookieandkate.com/recipes/
sorry if already posted