We are a Italian family that eats way to much pasta, if we aren't eating pasta then we are meat and potatoes type of people. I am looking for some recipes for one dish meals. Plus I am trying to get more veggie friendly and beans. I would like to start eliminating meat to some point without my family missing it. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE Disclaimer~ My family has very sensitive palates. LOL So, please help.
Have you tried spaghetti squash in place of pasta? It is very mild and takes the flavor of whatever sauce you put with it.
how about pureed/mashed cauliflower and garlic instead of mashed potatoes??? also you can mash carrots like potatoes and it makes a fun color on the plate! One of our favorite meatless meals is lasagna, with spinach, black beans, and squash (along with the cheeses of course, and sauce)
Look up a recipe for Esau's Pottage. It's a lentil stew that's pretty good. Tradition has it as the stew Jacob made for Esau when he stole his birthright.
I'm a vegetarian, though the rest of the family are not. A good standby is 3-bean chili. 3 cans of beans (black, kidney, pinto, whatever you like) 1 can diced tomatoes 1-2c water depending on how liquidy you want it 1-2 boullion cubes 2T chili powder 2t cumin minced garlic 1/2 onion minced 1/2 green pepper, chopped salt & pepper to taste olive oil Saute onion, green pepper, and garlic until soft. Stir in chili powder and cumin, heat for a minute or two. Add everything but the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a half hour or so. Longer if you want softer beans. Season to taste. I don't like spicy food, but you could easily add red pepper or hot chili powder. I've added corn sometimes. I like to make corn bread to go with it. I made zucchini lasagna once and it was delicious. You use thinly sliced zucchini instead of the lasagna noodles. Here's one recipe for it: http://www.meatlessmama.com/2009/07/vegetarian-zucchini-lasagna.html Tons of soups can be made vegetarian just by leaving out the meat. There is a ground beef substitute in the frozen section called morning star crumbles. It's more expensive than real meat and doesn't really taste the same, but it's a decent substitute in tacos and sloppy joes. My favorites are the Morningstar black bean burgers and the veggie corn dogs.
We're addicted to Mashed Cauliflower in this house!!!! ooooohhh, adding garlic sounds yummy!!!! I only add milk & Smart Balance....I'm tempted to add parmesan cheese, too!!! Agreed on the veggie lasagna....I would even do it with zucchini as the noodles instead, I have a recipe on my blog....it has meat, but you could easily eliminate it and use more of the cheese layer.
Krista, I forgot to add that I roast my garlic first! Just wrap the whole thing in foil and toss it in the oven, then cut off the top and add the soft roasted cloves to the dish!
Well its breakfast time right now and I am eating the best waffles, I have a belgin waffle maker and I put in a few choclate chips and chopped raspberries....... serve with fruit juice to drink or additional mixed fruit. If not waffles, make some pancakes with fruit, or those puff pancakes in the oven with apples.......
OTHER IDEAS: Omlets with cheese and vegetables stir fry with lots af vegetables and less meat Soup, with lots of vegetables, a little beef (I make this when we have left over roast beef) and a few hand fulls of small pasta---it really doesn't take much. PIZZA
I have some beans soaking for red beans and rice for dinner tonight. This is something that I have made before so I am starting out gently. My poor son, he is begging me to make him something else. tee hee hee..... Let's see how the days goes and if I give in to the pressure.
Okay, red beans and rice was a flop tonight. I don't have any idea what happened. We have made it before but ick.... didn't work tonight.
I haven't had much success cooking with dried beans. I don't think I cook them long enough because they always come out kinda grainy. Here's a recipe for beans & rice. Serves 2-3 depending on portion size. 1 can red beans, drained & rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes (plain or with chili peppers) 1c water 1 bouillion cube 1c minute rice (you can use slow cooking rice, but I think you need a bit more water) garlic powder, maybe a teaspoon or so salt & pepper to taste cayenne pepper if you like it spicy I bring everything but the rice to a boil. Then add the rice and cook it according to the directions (I think it's 5 minutes). Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Then I top individual servings with cheddar cheese. Quick, easy, and tastes good to me.
I make a VERY simple red beans and rice dish. Cook white rice, add a can of chili beans and some tomatoes with green chilis. The seasoning is already in there and they are delish!
You know, my kids MIGHT actually eat that without too much fuss! And I'm pretty sure Carl would like it.
We're vegetarians. Here are some meals we've had in the past week: Stir-fry with veggies (carrots, onions, peppers, broccoli, celery) and chickpeas over brown basmati rice Vegetable soup (zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, kale, tomatoes, chickpeas) with sweet potato and carrot fries (chop them into fry size, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and cumin and bake... so yummy!) Spanish rice with lots of black beans Stir-fry (same as above) with tofu over rice Stew made with fake meat served with corncakes Naan with punjabi style chickpeas and potatoes For lunches we usually have peanut butter and banana sandwiches on Ezekiel bread (lots of protein) or hummus sandwiches with sprouts, spinach, and tomatoes. When we have pasta, we'll use veggie crumbles.
We're mostly vegetarians here. One thing I do is when making tacos, instead of using ground meat, I cook one cup of lentils. After an hour I drain the water keeping the lentils slightly damp and use one package of taco seasoning. If you already eat tacos, it's an easy way to transition the family to something meatless.
