Need ideas
Posted by daughter_of_light on Dec 20, 2006 · Member since Dec 2006 · 3 posts
Hey, everybody! I'm new to this board and this is my first post. I have been experimenting with a vegetarian diet for a little over a year now, and I have decided that I really want to go completely vegetarian. I think it would be a lot easier if I had some recipes that could either be thrown together really quickly (15-30 minutes) or could be cooked ahead of time, frozen, and then reheated quickly, as those are the types of recipes I fix now. I would really appreciate any ideas or advice y'all have! Thanks! :)
Chilis and bean-based soups are really good for this type of cooking. I just doubled this chili and froze it yesterday (made about 18 1 cup servings):
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=10454.0
I always only use 2 onions (the recipe calls for 3). There are many other chili recipes on this site with less ingredients and good reviews too.
I'm sure someone else will come along with other ideas. :)
Elizabeth
I'm terrible. I eat a lot of packaged, processed crap. However, following a vegetarian diet both on a budget and on a time crunch is not that difficult (trust me, I work 50+ hours a week, go to school for massage therapy 3-5 days a week, have a two year old, and somehow find time to work in my school's clinic). Here are a couple of recommendations:
- Casseroles are usually fabulous to make and freeze. A couple of times a month, I spend a good deal of time in the kitchen cooking up casseroles and freezing them. I make a fabulous cheesy vegetarian lasagna that freezes wonderfully.
- Easy soups are quick to cook, and served with a big hunk of bread, or with some rice dumped in, make a quick and tasty meal. I do this with spinach mascarpone soup (hey, I never claimed to not be addicted to real cheese), and with potato leek carrot soup.
- If you absolutely must buy packaged foods (no judgement here, I live off of them during the week when I'm away from home for 15-17 hours a day), Linda McCartney makes some bitchin veggie meals. Amy's meals are also quite tasty ( the tofu scramble with beans meal is my fave), and if you're also on a diet, I know weight watchers/lean cuisine/healthy choice has a few (though not many) meat free entrees. it's also easy to make some toast, spread it with jam, and throw that, yogurt (soy, if you're so inclined), a piece of fruit, a handful of lettuce ripped from a head and a couple of whole raw veggies (think carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, etc.), and a frozen meal into a bag for lunch.
I have a cookbook I love, though it is not vegan. I do vegan, but I adapt things rather easily. It is:
Nava Atlas / Lilian Kayte , Vegetarian Express. It is still in print and you should be able to pick up a used copy on amazon.com.
This book has a lot of fresh stuff in it. They rely on canned beans to cut down on time. They include tofu, tempeh and seitan too. While not quite as budget friendly as cooking it all from scratch, few people have the time to do it that way 100% of time. This book has burgers, salads, pizza, desserts, family favorites, lots of good things. There is a pantry staple list and a fresh shopping list for every recipe which makes for less thinking time when you make a grocery list.
It should be noted that I am fond of all Nava's cookbooks and we have emailed off and on for the last few years. I even helped her test a new cookbook at one point. I think her website is vegkitchen.com. There are recipes there and most of them are vegan. Nava and her family went vegan over the past couple of years and she has changed many of her older recipes to vegan ones now.
Oohhh and there is also the 5-ingredient vegetarian or something about like that. HUNDREDS of recipes with only 5 ingredients. You might like that one too. My fav out of this book is a baked risotto. I mix up Dragonfly's Uncheese sauce to pour over the top of it. I often add ribbons of kale while it is cooking. Comfort in the cold winter!
A bag of frozen veggies, some tofu/seitan/tempeh, garlic, a little canola/olive/peanut oil, and any kind of sauce you want is a quick and easy meal. Served over rice (preferrably brown) and/or pasta (adding some pasta sauce makes for a great quick easy primavera).
Thanks for taking the time to reply, y'all! All your suggestions are really helpful. I found several recipes on this site that I want to try, that would probably freeze well. So, I am off to the grocery store this afternoon!
Thanks again! Peace
Tried cereal? Being a poor student, I live off of cereal. MMMmm, cereal is so good! There are a million müsli/granola type cereals out there that are packed full of protein and other goodies, and there are a million more sugary nutrionless choices. I have yet to eat a cereal I dont like. (my favs: Millville Red Berry cereal, random cheap branflakes, Optium Bueberry Flax stuff, puffed rice cereal with a ton of flax powder dumped on top and eaten with a thick chocolate soy protein drink)
I'm also a poor student, and I love cereal too. Any kind. :)
And don't forget the lowly sandwich. There are a lot of things that by themselves aren't enough, but tucked in bread, a pita or a wrap with maybe a little lettuce etc. are satisfyinig and easy to carry along. I was amazed to discover how gooood an Eggplant Parmesan sandwich actually is! Look under "Eggplant" in the recipes here, and try the Pomodoro, or my own recipe for "Dressed Up Eggplant" (yeah, I know, shameless plug...but I wish someone else would make it and review it and tell me what they think.) esp. if you don't make it too deep in the pan.
Tofu gan (smoked pressed tofu) makes a lovely sandwich too..personally I like it as it comes from the package, cold in thin slices, with some lettuce etc. A very satisfying, hearty munch and not expensive if you buy it in the Asian supermarket. (We have 2, and they are *much* cheaper than the health-food store, our only other tofu distributor.) You can experiment with marinading and frying it for a different taste. Personally I like it with sweet chili sauce.