Make-ahead vegetarian recipes?

shaff1rm

Hey guys! I'm a pretty busy person, with full-time work and full-time grad school, so I usually have to cook an entire week's worth of food on Sunday, distribute it into Tupperware containers, and grab-and-go every day during the week.

Anyone have any good vegetarian make-ahead recipes they'd like to share, if anyone else has the same kind of eating routine? Right now I'm pretty into steamed vegetables, stuffed peppers and baked potatoes with Greek yogurt and green onions, but I'd really like to add some new recipes to my collection.

Athijade

I do not have an exact recipe for you, but do you have the cookbook "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"? It is AMAZING and has a ton of options for meals in general. Including ones that could be made ahead.

shaff1rm

I do not have an exact recipe for you, but do you have the cookbook "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"? It is AMAZING and has a ton of options for meals in general. Including ones that could be made ahead.

I have not, but I just looked it up on Amazon- definitely worth looking into! I was hooked by the "simplicity" bit. I will have to order it ASAP, thanks!

nygrl4evr

bump...would love some new recipes

whatjesseats

This veggie lasagna is so good! I made it last night with broccoli, mushrooms, and red peppers.

http://pinchofyum.com/skinny-veggie-lasagna

fromnebraska

I put this lasagna together and then freeze it. When I want it for dinner, I put it into the oven. It needs about 10-15 extra minutes to heat through.

http://www.dailygarnish.com/recipes?recipe_id=6003486

dk1010

My fiance and I are vegetarians too, and we like to make a lot of our meals with "Light Life" brand "meat". We use 'Smart Ground' to make vegetarian tacos. Simmer the 'meat' with some taco seasons (or you can buy the kind with the seasoning in it). Then you can store it in the fridge and re-heat it later (put a little water on it) with soft taco shells, cheese and veggies. (I lLOVE mine with avocado). They also have 'chicken' cutlets that you can just put in the microwave.

And, Lean cusine and some other brands are featuring vegetarian microwavable lunches that have vegetarian meats and are usually under 350 calories (and pretty good and filling!). They have them at Jewel and Target.


I hope this helps a bit!

Sweet_Potato

Wow, that does sound hectic. I thought part-time grad school was bad enough! Homemade soups are wonderfully filling and nutritious, and they'll be just fine sitting in the fridge for a week. They usually freeze pretty well also. You can make a batch on the weekend and save it for later in the week.

As for earlier in the week, I'd prep ingredients on the weekend (chop vegetables, cube tofu, cook beans and grains), and store them in containers to make quick stir fries, salads, tacos, frittatas, etc. You might also want some frozen and precut vegetables on hand for shortcuts.

Bubble105

Bump.

Angimom

I cut up broc, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, caulifl, etc, and place in quart size baggies with a little olive oil and Everglades seasonings. I don't necessarily mix all these veggies. then as soon as I get home turn oven on, roast for 45 min on 350 and while that is happening I throw a veggie burger on the George foreman. It is awesome.

bellinghamster27

As someone who is also a vegetarian, in grad school full time, and working full time, I totally understand your situation! I also use sundays as my "cook day." I do do soups, as other have mentioned, and a lot of vegetarian chili (last month's Cooks Illustrated has an amazing veg chili using walnuts and barley - great for on top of veggie chili dogs, too), but I also do burritos. They freeze really well and are great to grab on the go. I like sweet potato/black bean because the consistency is pretty good when you defrost/reheat it. Just make an assembly line, wrap the burritos individually in tin foil and pop them in the freezer.

Making quesadilla filling ahead of time is good, too. Just put in an airtight container and keep it at the back of your fridge. It will last a few days and then all you need to do is heat up a skillet, put filling on half the tortilla, fold over the other half, flip it, and done. I do it this way to use only 1 large (whole grain, from Trader Joe's) tortilla instead of two tortillas.


Black Bean Zucchini Quesadillas
1 lb zucchini (two small-ish), grated
3 tsp salt
1 can black beans - I use low sodium
6oz pepper jack, grated - I use less. vegan cheese melts well, too
2 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
6 tortillas (or 3 large)

Grate the zuch, sprinkle with salt and toss in colander, then press extra water out with a paper towel. Usually I do this, then prep other veggies, so the zuch has time to dry out a bit

Mix all the ingredients

Spoon mix into tortillas and cook until tortillas are golden brown, about 2-3 min per side in an oiled skillet.
Usually I top it with a good heap of my favorite salsa, and sometimes gelatin-free sour cream


Good luck and hang in there - grad school is a test of many strengths!

djcon

bump

Miss_Meliss86

I'm in the exact same boat as you OP! Throw in the fact that I have lactose and gluten intolerance's and making food can be a bit of a chore. I have some great go-to recipes on my computer at home that I'll post later this evening, posting this now so I don't forget!

westgrl

CURRIED CARROT, SWEET POTATO, and GINGER SOUP

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes ( 1/2 inch cubes)
1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots (1/4 inch slices)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Dash cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in large wok over medium high heat. Add shallots, sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add sweet potato, carrots, ginger, and curry, sauté together stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Add broth, bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 min or until vegetables are tender, stir in salt (optional) stir in cayenne pepper/ red flakes (optional)

Pour half of soup mixture into blender or food processor, pulse until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup.

mrsfoster102613

One suggestion I haven’t seen anyone make yet is to make vegetarian spaghetti sauce ahead of time. It freezes well if you want to make a really big batch, too. You can serve the sauce over real pasta or vegetable noodles made from zucchini, squash, carrots etc., make mini pizzas using tortillas or pita bread, eat it by itself (which is totally satisfying if you fill it with enough hearty vegetables) etc.

Last night I made a batch of sauce that will provide me with enough for dinner for four nights (maybe even a little more). I included veggies I had on hand, like onion, carrots, bell pepper, spinach and used a little vegetable stock, organic crushed tomatoes, fresh garlic, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper etc. I was craving a little bit of creaminess, so I added a few tablespoons of organic Greek yogurt. I served it over half of a package of kelp noodles and was super full and satisfied. I’ll probably have it every night this week until I run out. You can always change it up a little bit here and there, not to mention you can change what you serve it over/with so you won’t get bored with it.

Best of luck!

emilychisek

I do the same thing, except that I eat vegan. Appetite for Reduction is a great cookbook, it has good recipes (pasta de los Angelos is amazing), plus it gives the nutritional information.

shaff1rm

These are all such great ideas! Thank you all.

Miss_Meliss86

Took a little longer to get to this than intended. My bad!!

Chili: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/ - looooove this recipe

Quinoa Salad - 2 kinds

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca/2010/10/quinoa-salad-with-pears-and-baby.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/warm_quinoa_salad_with_edamame_tarragon.html

Make Ahead Steel Cut Oatmeal (great for breakfast or dinner!): http://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/20/make-ahead-steel-cut-oatmeal-4-new-oatmeal-recipes/

Vegan Sloppy Joes (make a big batch and freeze): http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/

Three Bean Salad: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/23/speedy-three-bean-salad/

Other suggestions:
- Hard boiled eggs for snacks (make a big batch on the weekend)
- Chop up a bunch of carrots and other veggies ahead of time and prepack some hummus so its ready to go
- Go to a bulk food store and stock up on nuts, seeds, etc. Prepack these so its ready to go
- Buy some tempeh "bacon" to have in the freezer to throw together a quick eggs and "bacon" dinner

As I think of more I'll post them! I'm also off gluten and dairy so my suggestions might be a little limited, but I'm more than happy to help when I can!