Vegetarian dairy free non-spicy main meal ideas please

[OMGitsnotgood]

We are going to have a friend staying with us for a couple of weeks while they are working in tbe area.
Friend is vegetarian, which isn’t an issue, I am used to making vegetarian meals for guests and adapting for tbe meat eaters.
However, this friend is also dairy free, doesn’t like anything spicy, and dislikes anything runny, so curries, stews and casseroles won’t go down too well.
I am googling for ideas but thought I’d just ask on here incase anyone caters for similar requirements and has some favourite tasty recipes which fit the bill.
We’re also catering some nights for one of our DCs and partner while they are having their kitchen done, so too many most nights for a stir fry although I will make a veggie stir fry one night when there are fewer of us.
Also if anyone knows of a decent dairy free cheese substitute which melts well and tastes okfor making eg pizza or a cheese sauce (made with oat milk/similar) that would be helpful too.

Thank you

Loads of ideas here: www.tinnedtomatoes.com/

Haha your friend isn’t me is she?

(don’t think so, I have no plans to stay with friends).

Pad thai
vegan sausages with mash and green beans
shakshuka (does that count as runny?)
you can get vegan pre packed ravioli now with a tomato sauce
pasta and pesto (vegan pesto) with a selection of green veg (I use broccoli and sugar snap peas)
“chicken” tagine with olives and preserved lemons
fattoush
cous cous with roasted med vegetables (put herbs and garlic on the veg as they roast)
aubergines stuffed with green lentils and olives

Don't forget that most Quorn products contain egg and/or dairy, so check the labels, and look for Vegan items.

Filled pita bread could be useful, with fillings like mixed bean salad with green salad, falafels with salad or roasted vegetables, fried onions & mushrooms, mixed green vegetables eg broad beans, green beans, peas, broccoli. You could serve dressings like hummus, salsa, tzatziki, separately.

If she doesn't eat dairy she won't want tzatziki.

There was a Hairy Bikers slot on Saturday Kitchen today where they made a layered vegetable dish called tumbet. A really nice idea at this time of year as it had tomatoes, herbs, aubergine, courgette and potatoes.

Does she eat eggs? If so veg fritters are very versatile, start with grated courgettes or carrot, add other veg like sweetcorn, mix in. 2 eggs, chopped herbs and some garlic then a couple of spoons of chickpea or regular flour to bind and pan fry in a little oil. I add chopped red chilli’s but you could skip them easily. Then serve with salad and some sort of dressing/sauce- I like Asian dipping sauce, a mustardy dressing or garlicky yoghurt.

You can breadcrumb and fry or bake slabs of extra firm tofu and serve with veg and sauce- chimmichurri or satay is nice. Bean and lentil chilli are good and can be served in a variety of of ways, including with cheese for you.

i know you said not spicy, but butter tofu is hardly spicy and delicious.

Pasta with avocado, sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and veggie parmesan
Roast mediterranean veg with pasta and salad
Vegetable risotto - mushroom and shallot or asparagus and pea

Oh, and a quickly cooked ratatouille with plenty of capers, red wine vinegar and black olives, served on toast, with or with Egg and cheese.

Have you asked her what her favourite meals are? You might be able to adapt from there.

It sounds an incredibly difficult diet to cook for, at least for any length of time. I could do any two out of vegetarian, dairy free and no spice indefinitely but the three requirements together are hard!

I think I would be leaning into things like vegan beige freezer food, stuffed peppers, vegetable pies (as someone else said, lentil cottage pies work well but I’d be concerned they count as “too runny” - if not, then lentil “spag bol” could also work

Yes they do, and they eat veggie sausages and veggie burgers. I think I will do burgers one night, with salad etc

My friend will be working very long hours on a project, will be arriving home around the time we usually eat so that isn’t an option and I am more than happy to cook for tbem. They will be very geneoua with what they bring and will shout us a meal/takeaway each week so I really don’t mind.

what do they normally eat?

If she doesn't eat dairy she won't want tzatziki.
You are quite right @Needtosoundoffandbreathe, that's why I deliberately mentioned serving the dressings separately, because other people at the table might love tzatziki, even though she won't eat it. 🥒 🥒 🥒 🥒 🥒

Nigellas lemon thyme linguine made with nutritional yeast instead of parmesan.
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/linguine-with-lemon-garlic-and-thyme-mushrooms

Choosing to be vegetarian or vegan is fine, but it’s not then reasonable to add a whole list of likes or dislikes when someone else is catering for you! As a vegetarian I would eat whatever vegetarian food had been prepared for me even if it was something I usually avoided

You sound like a lovely host who probably also doesn’t relish someone else in their kitchen domain. A bit like my DM.

There are some great suggestions on here so you’ll be fine by the looks of it.

The dairy thing isnt a choice, it’s an intolerance. The not liking anything too runny is to do with being forced to eat this sort of thing as a child in quite a cruel way. I didn’t put this in the OP as I didn’t think it was relevant. So I am more than happy to accommodate. It’s what friends do. It doesn’t make me the ‘wet doormat’ a PP suggested I am.

Good for you, OP. You sound like a great friend and host.

I’m vegan and Buddha bowls can be an easy meal that can be mixed up. Rice/quinoa/other grains as a base, different veggies (roasted sweet potatoes/grilled aubergines/roasted brocolli etc) then a protein so tofu/beans :) I love chickpeas and often sauté them with some mild spices and herbs and use them in loads of different ways!
could you try having a shopping trip and even ask to have a go at cooking together so you could learn more about the meals they enjoy and it’s also a fun activity to do together :)

Although Alpro's vegan natural yoghurt makes brilliant tzatziki.

Stuffed things? Stuffed peppers, stuffed aubergine.

I have a cheat's baba ganoush, basically roast aubergines until soft, put them in a colander and pierce with a knife to let the juices drain.

Take the aubergine flesh and mix with mayo - obviously use a vegan one for this. Add a drop of lemon if you like.

Filo parcels always look good and you can do various fillings.

Tray bakes?

Kebabs.

Years ago there was a chef on telly who did loads of vegetarian stuff - Sophie Grigson I think was her name - might be worth a Google.

also how about a lentil shepherds pie 🥧

Thank you all, my meal plan is coming along nicely! Some other things which are helpful:
I’ve just realised it’s going to be quite warm where we are this week, so I won’t be cooking too much anyway, lots of saladsand compiling type meals or maybe traybakes. I’ve spoken to my friend today, I asked her if there were any dairy free cheeses she thought ok for topping pizza/dishes like cottage pie, she said she just leaves the cheese off for her, it doesn’t bother her. She’s also very happy with any veggie burger or sausages so we will BBQ one night (we have a second small bucket type BBQ for vegetarian food). I think it will be poke bowls and wraps if it’s as hot as the forecast says it will be this week, then I’ll do more cooked meals next week.
Still happy to receive ideas and recipes though as I think she will be a frequent visitor over the next few months.

Bibiimbap is a favourite here. It’s basically fried rice with veg and gochugan. Often there is a fried egg on top. If you use ready made rice sachets it’s a 5 minute meal.

I already made suggestions up thread but for a quick, mid week meal, pastas are good and don't require the oven on.

-Pasta all norma www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pasta-alla-norma
-Puttanesca (without the anchovies)
-https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-spinach-mushroom-penne
-https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/butternut_squash_pasta_32947 Replace the cream with a vegan alternative

These all sound lovely, thank you