5 Quick & Tasty Vegetarian Family Favourite Meals

***RECIPES***

It's back to school this week and I'm trying to be organised around meal times. The boys have packed lunches which I plan, if not prepare, in advance, and I always have some sort of meal plan in my head when I go food shopping,  but have nothing set out for the week. 

So I've started to think about our favourite family meals. Ones that are quick and easy to make as well as tasty that we can enjoy after school. So here are our five quick & tasty vegetarian family favourite meals.They are also perfect for lunches over a weekend and in the holidays too.

My boys aren’t always vegetarian. They do eat, and currently like eating some meat, and we’ve decided they can decide in their own time what they choose to eat. However, we often eat as a family and the boys often eat vegetarian dishes, most of the time not even realising it. Some evenings it’s not possible because of all of the after school, activities they enjoy but when we can here are some of the quick, easy and tasty vegetarian meals we do enjoy as a family.

5 Quick and Tasty Vegetarian Family Favourites

1. Homemade ‘pot noodle’ with Quorn pieces, sweetcorn, and peas
2. Chilli con Carne with Quorn Mince
3. Lentil and Tomato Soup with Soda Bread
4. Full English or a Veggie Grill
5. Pitta Bread Pizza

All recipes are based on a family of four – 2 adults and 2 children

1. Homemade ‘pot noodle’ with Quorn pieces, sweetcorn and peas

This is a very simple noodle dish based on the ‘pot noodle’.

 

Ingredients: 

3 nests of noodles (1 per adult, half a nest per child); frozen or tinned sweetcorn; frozen peas or any other vegetable, we sometimes use edamame beans, and half a bag of Quorn pieces, plus a stock cube. Or Soy Sauce and curry powder too.

Method:

1. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water as per instructions. 
2. Cook the sweetcorn, peas and Quorn in a pan until soft.
3. Drain and coat with flour (to help thicken the sauce). 
4. Add to the noodles as well as a stock cube, add water and stir until the desired consistency is achieved. 
5. Serve. 
6. Soy sauce is an optional extra.

An alternative version is to use curry sauce powder to make the sauce instead of a stock cube. 

2. Chilli con Carne

Using Quorn mince we regularly eat a mild Chilli con Carne as a family, accompanied by rice and garlic bread.

Ingredients:

Onion, red, yellow and green peppers, 1 clove of garlic, chilli powder, 1 bag Quorn mince, 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tin of red kidney beans, 1 stock cube, 1 tbsp cocoa

Method:

1. Chop one onion and fry until lightly cooked in a pan on the hob.
2. Chop ½ red pepper, yellow pepper and green pepper and add to onions
3. Add chopped garlic and chilli powder and stir.
4. Add the Quorn mince, chopped tomatoes and red kidney beans and simmer.
5. Add water if necessary. Flavour with a stock cube or gravy powder and my special ingredient of a spoonful of cocoa powder.
6. Continue to simmer for 15 – 20 mins. Taste to check heat add more chilli powder if required.

3. Lentil and Tomato Soup with Soda Bread

As we head into Autumn we’ll be eating lots more soups. My boys always wanted tomato soup, so I created a tomato soup recipe that also had carrots, onion, peppers, and lentils in too, making it full of goodness. Eaten with freshly baked soda bread it's delicious.

Ingredients:

Soup: 

1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 carrots, 100g red lentils, 1 stock cube, 1 red pepper, 1 litre of water

Bread:

12oz plain flour – any sort and quantities can be swapped for oats; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 250ml of hot milk with lemon juice added or buttermilk; additional cheese, seeds, garlic, chopped onion (handful of each)

Method:

Soup:

1. Chop all of the vegetables and garlic and gently saute in oil in in a pan.
2. Add the stock cube and water.
3. Add the lentils.
4. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Blend carefully, I use a hand blender, and serve. Add seasoning to your taste.

Bread:

1. If using Buttermilk just add as it is. To make you own gently heat the milk and add lemon juice.
2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Kneaded very gently to form a round. 
4. Place on a greased baking tray, cut a cross across the top and baked in an oven at 400F/200C/Gas 6 for 25-30mins

4. Full English or a Veggie Grill

A favourite at any time of day we sometimes enjoy a full English or a grill using Linda McCartney Sausages, potato waffles, onion rings, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and beans. You can also add an egg too.

Ingredients:

6 Linda McCartney Sausages, 4 large tomatoes, 1 tin of baked beans, 4 Hash Browns, 6 Potato Waffles, 6 Onion Rings, 100g Mushrooms

Method:

1. Heat over to 200 Degrees.
2. Place waffles, hash browns, onion rings and sausages on baking trays and put in the oven for 20 mins.
3. Halve the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven for 10 mins
4. Chop the mushrooms and gently fry until soft.
5. Heat the beans in a pan on the hob.
6. Serve

5. Pitta Bread Pizza

A Friday night treat is making homemade pitta bread and topping our own individually for the perfect pizza.

Ingredients

Pitta Bread: 500 g flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 Tsp baking powder, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 300 ml water

Toppings: You can choose whatever you like. The boys especially like to pick their own toppings. We had: Onion, Sweetcorn, Tomato, Cheese, Basil, Garlic, tomato sauce and homemade BBQ sauce.

Method:

1. In a big bowl combine flour and salt. Mix in olive oil and water.
2. Knead into a soft and sturdy dough - It should be smooth. 
3. Divide into 8 equal portions then flatten out with your hand - the boys liked helping with this bit 
4. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 40 minutes at room temperature.
5. Place on a paper-lined baking sheet - we use the washable and reusable ones
6. Choose your toppings and place in oven
7. Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for approx. 15 minutes.

All of these meals can be ready within an hour – many in far less time. They are meals that the boys always love, and full of nutrition and tasty too.

What is your favourite family meal for after school?

Deb x

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