Vegetarian Dinner?

WendyTerry420

My daughter's friend is spending the night tomorrow night, and she's a vegetarian. What can I fix? I would like to have something where the rest of us can eat some meat as normal, but that would be a nutritionally decent meal for my daughter's friend without the meat. Any suggestions?

neanderthin

Bread and water...j/k

I normally make mushroom risotto, my veg friends always look forward to it. Another good trick is to pick up one of those huge portabello mushrooms, cut off the gills and grill....looks like steak.

pwager1988

If she likes curry, a simple curry made with lentils or chickpeas is always good. Just buy one of the jarred sauces and look up a simple recipe online.

If she isn't vegan, eggs are a great meat substitute. Lots of protein and breakfast for dinner is always fun A mushroom, spinach and cheese omlette makes a great dinner!

Beans are also good. You could make a quick pot of vegetarian chili and then add meat to the leftovers for yourself if you so desire.

PaytraB

Try here:

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/kids/index.shtml

I haven't tried any of these myself but there's a lot of variety.

keem88

grill her a veggie burger, or you can make a meal that everyone will eat together. vegetable lasagna, something with black beans, meatless tacos. they also make meatless chicken nuggets and other similar products (hot dogs, ribs, etc).
you can make a pizza with lots of veggies and a form of meatless protein
a quiche would be good too, or you can have breakfast for dinner and make eggs, pancakes, things like that.
a stirfry with noodles or rice, veggies, a protein (idk if she likes tofu? or meatless chicken strips?) maybe with a peanut sauce if she is not allergic or a soy sauce
trying to think of things that kids may like (how old is she)
i have been a vegetarian for 10 years but i make things that children may be picky about.

littlemeowmaid

Tacos/burritos? You can put all the salads, meat, beans, salsa, etc on the table and let everybody build their own.

keem88

Bread and water...j/k

I normally make mushroom risotto, my veg friends always look forward to it. Another good trick is to pick up one of those huge portabello mushrooms, cut off the gills and grill....looks like steak.

i had this for dinner tonight, i seasoned with garlic and oregano then threw it on the george forman. it was so good, really juicy. you guys can have burgers or something and you can put that on a hamburger bun with burger toppings, really tasty!

keem88

Tacos/burritos? You can put all the salads, meat, beans, salsa, etc on the table and let everybody build their own.

good idea!

blytheandbonnie

Thai tofu curry. We're not vegetarians, but we love it. We have it with brown rice. I found my recipes on the internet and used Mae Ploy red curry paste. I also just used full fat coconut milk, because low-fat is not available here. I usually make this with zucchini or cauliflower added in.

Ingredients
Sauce

1 cup “lite” coconut milk, (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon red curry paste, or to taste (see Ingredient notes)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Tofu & vegetables

14 ounces extra-firm tofu, preferably water-packed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups baby spinach, (6 ounces)
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced (1 1/2 cups

Preparation

To prepare sauce: Whisk coconut milk, cilantro, curry paste, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl.
To prepare tofu: Drain and rinse tofu; pat dry. Slice the block crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Coarsely crumble each slice into smaller, uneven pieces.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add tofu and cook in a single layer, without stirring, until the pieces begin to turn golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Then gently stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Add spinach, bell pepper and the curry sauce and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just cooked, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Tips & Notes

Ingredient Notes: Look for reduced-fat coconut milk (labeled "lite") in the Asian section of your market.
Red curry paste is a convenient way to add heat and complexity to a recipe. Look for it in small jars in the Asian section of the supermarket.

Nutrition

Per serving: 179 calories; 11 g fat ( 4 g sat , 3 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; 4 g fiber; 409 mg sodium; 241 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (90% daily value), Calcium (20% dv).

WendyTerry420

These are some great suggestions! I like the pizza idea. I can't believe I didn't think of that one on my own! :laugh:

Mostly, I want something that we can all enjoy without making separate dishes. My husband won't go for the idea of a meatless dinner, unless it's "breakfast for dinner," as in pancakes and/or eggs.

CLD79

One of my favorite sleep overs growing up was a make your own pizza night. Get some personal size pizza shells or a bag of pitas and set the toppings, sauce, cheese out. Everyone can build their own and then just pop them in the oven for a few.

KauandMe

Blythe

Can't wait to try the Thai Tofu Curry!

Thanks for including the recipe.

Haikugurl

Tacos/burritos? You can put all the salads, meat, beans, salsa, etc on the table and let everybody build their own.

I second the taco/burrito bar idea.

Also pasta with marinara & veggies with garlic bread & a side salad. Optional: add meatless meatballs or crumbled veggie burgers to the sauce. Pasta would also work well alongside the pizza.