Help! I need healthy vegetarian recipes that are easy.

[Superhansrantowindsor]

I haven’t the time to cook two different meals and as dd is vegetarian we just eat veggie meals but we have way too much pasta and way too much quorn. I really want to stop buying and using quorn. It doesn’t help that dd is picky!
can anyone recommend a book or website that can help me plan a weeks menu for the family which is healthy and fairly easy to cook. Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

Dhal
Chickpea curry
Tofu stir-fry
Five bean chilli
Enchiladas
Vegetable pie
Spaghetti Bolognese with lentils
Falafel
Quiche

I'm drawing a blank on books/websites to recommend for some reason- I'd probably head to my usual favourites (recipe tin eats, taming twins etc) and filter by veggie and see how that goes?

If you want some suggestions, maybe tell us more about what DD does/doesn't eat? When I'm meal planning, I try to think about a "focus" then build around, or even a cuisine. So for veggie I'd think eggs, cheese, beans, tofu, lentils, specific vegetables like cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms etc. Then work meals out from there?

If DD is veggie, perhaps she should cook her own meals & the rest of the family can have omnivore food.

I’ve tried this and she just eats utter crap. There have been some health issues because of this so for the moment I’d rather cook.

She likes mushrooms, spinach, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, pasta, rice (reluctantly)
she won’t eat courgette, aubergine, bell peppers, hummus, cous cous, bulgar wheat, wraps.

Thanks very much for suggestions offered.

Green roasting tin.

Pasta is great but if you want to cut down use spuds, cous cous, rice, bread.
For me the issue would be what protein to use as that can also become repetitive. Eggs, cheese, tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, grains.

If you have overdosed on pasta eat more Asian food; it becomes vegetarian so easily and all the Asian styles have a plant based protein that can be integrated into their dishes seamlessly.
Then you can come back around to pasta, bread, eggs and cheese once you have explored further afield!

Omelettes
Halloumi fajitas
Vege burgers (get one out the freezer when you all have burgers)
Paneer curry
Jacket potato with beans/cheese

I would be tempted to make your vege bolognese, chiili, pasta bakes and portion them individually for the freezer. Then she can pick if she doesn't like what you are having. Can add fresh veg that you cook with your meals.

What veggie sources of protein will she eat? Eggs, cheese, tofu, beans, pulses etc

Portobello mushrooms stuffed with rice, fried onion, sweetcorn, (add bacon for any meat eaters), and topped with cheddar cheese. You can also stuff peppers or tomatoes with the same mixture so there's a variety for everyone.

BBC good food five vegetable tagine is great. She can pick the pepper out (or she might not even notice it!). I'd have it with cous cous, but it would be fine with flatbreads or rice. You can have grilled halloumi/tofu/turkey with it if you want more protein. Easy to cater for both meat eaters and vegetarians.

I also do a nice veggie sausage casserole in the slow cooker, with carrot, celery, little potatoes (the tinned ones, sounds weird but works brilliantly), tin of tomatoes and vegetable stock and some sage, thyme and oregano. Serve with broccoli. Admittedly, it's TVP in the sausages, but I always cut the sausage into rings and one sausage per portion is actually plenty. Maybe not for hungry teens actually, but it's fine for me!

Omelettes, French or Spanish.

The roasting tin series, tray bakes, just swap any meat for tofu/halloumi or fish or just leave it out, or eggs

Baked eggs, shakshuka, very easy

Ottolenghi's tandoori chickpeas, shove it in a casserole dish and it cooks itself.

The Vegetarian Society website has loads of free recipes.You can filter by how easy/difficult the recipe is, or by meal or cuisine. Similarly the vegan society has plenty of recipes. I would agree with trying to get her involved in cooking with you as I learned young and can rustle up a decent nutrition meal with few ingredients, I was vegetarian from 14 and my Mum just left the meat off my plate so I was motivated to learn to cook myself! There weren't many ready made options, so I haven't fallen down the upf/ meat replacement hole.

*nutritious!

Periperi tofu
Chickpea "choona"
Any veg curry ( Chinese Indian etc soooooo many options)
Rice noodles (as a side or a base to soupy meals
Rice salad
Orzo
Jacket potatoes /baby jacket potatoes ( new pots on a skewer to cook so tasty)
Ground/ grated tofu (kebab wrap style but lettuce not wrap)
Homemade bread/pizza
Veg mice cottage pie
Red dragon pie
Quiche
Root veg /chickpea tray bake with sumac and or tahini dressing
There are hundreds of options!

Roasted med veg lasagne
Halloumi and ratatouille bake

Veg curry or chilli

If you want ideas specifically around different types of produce I'd recommend How to Eat Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. The whole book is structured around it quite systematically- a whole chapter on legumes for example - and also gives tons of possible variations for each dish.

Delia Smith’s Complete Vegetarian is also very simple and easy to follow, with lots of “family meal” recipes.

Does she like paneer www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/paneer-korma www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/paneer-korma]]]]

or halloumi burgers are great. Boil a block of halloumi gently for 10 minutes. Then cut in half horizontally. Flatten/ roll out each half until a bit thinner. Coat with breadcrumbs and fry. Maybe not the healthiest but quick and delicious. And the boiling stops the cheese being squeaky/ rubbery

My daughter likes homemade pot noodle

Cook 1 noodle nest at the same time fry a a few lumps of vege 'chicken'. She like 'what the cluck' brand. Once it's soft cut into smaller chunks. Add a handful of frozen veg. Drain the noodles and add. Make a sauce with a good slosh of soy sauce, about a tsp cornflour and around half a cup of water (might need a bit more if thickens too much) .. add mixture to noodles and stir until it thickens.

She also likes which sounds weird but is actually quite nice..
Puff pastry sheet. Mix together- Sage & onion Stuffing (made up as per packet) grated carrot and grated cheese. Make little parcels use fork to press edges closed and bake. She used to have them at primary school on roast dinner day. I freeze them.

She loves Richmond meat free sausages - either on their own or toad in the hole.

Pizza is handy to keep as a fall back.

Thanks all. Lots for me to work through here.

The green roasting tin, east by Meera Sodha are both great! There's a new weekly recipe thread on here that is good for suggestions as well, lots of them are veggie or easily adapted!

Another vote for the Green Roasting Tin. I've just bought Dinner by Meera Sodha and it has loads of great easy looking recipes. I haven't had a chance to cook any yet but her previous books are excellent

I have this book which I really like https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegetarian-Kids-Cookbook-Roz-Denny/dp/0754822583/
It has meal weekly meal plans in it too.