I need some ideas for easy, kid-friendly vegetarian meals.?!
I need some ideas for easy, kid-friendly vegetarian meals.?
Hi!
I was wondering if anyone has any easy vegetarian meal ideas that would be suitable for a three-year-old and a husband! We usually do the "stand-bys" --macaroni and cheese, stir-fry veggies and tofu etc. and I am in need of some new ideas that are not too complicated!
Answers:
Kids that age love to dunk things. How about a mini fondue pot, (no flame of course) You can get them at most thrift stores for a couple of dollars. They come with forks to put the dunkers on. You can make a sauce of alfredo, spagetti, or cheese, and give him chunks of bread, boiled tiny potato, cooked or raw carrots, cheese tortelini or ravioli, brocoli and other veggies to dunk. My veggie daughter loves when she has her own personal fondue, or when we do it family style in a bigger pot. You could also add cous cous to his diet. I am sure you already do soups and veggie stews. Stuffed or twice baked potatoes are fun. I also find that kids that age like to "help" fix their own meals. You could let him stand on a stool and arrange some veggies on a plate while you whip him up some hummus or cocktail sauce to dip them in. My daughter likes breaded mushroom "nuggets", or breaded okra and potatoes. She also likes peanut butter on a stalk of celery with raisins (ants on a log) I hollow out a whole cucumber, and stuff the center with seasoned cream cheese, let it chill, and cut into slices for a fun appetiser. Oriental rice wrappers are easy to fill with veggies and roll up for a quick snack. They can be served as is, or deep fried. Great with homemade bean sprouts. You can also wrap diced veggies and sprouts up in a lettuce leaf. Stuff zuchini, bell peppers, or tomatoes with rice or cornbread stuffing. Hope this gives you a few ideas
fresh fruit salad
Cook veggie for you and your husband, if you like, but your three year old should not be only vegetarian. See his pediatrician to get the proper information about why he needs to eat meat.
However, if you mean just sometimes feeding a veggie meal, as we do once or twice a week when we have meatless meals, that's okay. I make pyrohy (perogies), spaghetti and sauce, soup and sandwiches, etc.
Get some of those premade pizza crusts and have a make your own pizza party. I've done that with day old french bread too. Kids like the idea of participating and so long as you keep them away from the oven its healthy and safe. Enjoy.
i saw a recipe for split-pea burgers on 'good eats'. i usually like alton brown's recipes for must stuff. easy to make and still pretty tasty. link below.
Make a veggie lasagna.
homemade veg burgers with mushy peas and homemade chips
A Classic Italian Soup
Soup with pasta & chick peas (Minestra pasta e ceci)
200 g (7 oz) dried chick peas
4 tablespoons puréed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
200 g (7 oz) long pasta
Salt
Grated Parmesan cheese, if you like
Soak chick peas in cold water overnight. Drain and wash under running water; put in a large saucepan and add 2 l (8 C) cold water. Cook over a gentle flame for about 3 hours or until chick peas are tender. Season to taste with salt only when cooked.
Fry lightly garlic cloves together with rosemary in olive oil in an another little saucepan and then add puréed tomatoes, diluted in half a glass of warm water. Season to taste with salt and cook over a gentle flame, half-covered, for about 10 minutes.
When chick peas are cooked, take a ladle of them and strain through a vegetable mill. Put again chick peas, puréed, in the same saucepan with other chick peas and add the sauce too. Add warm water, if necessary that is if it isn't enough for boiling pasta, bring to the boil and cook pasta until "al dente" stage. This is a soup and so you must get pasta in stock with chick peas and sauce.
Serve warm with grated Parmesan cheese, if you like.
My Dietitian is Vegan and her 2 teenagers have been vegan since birth and are healthy, high achievers in school and sport. As long as your child is getting a rounded diet he will be fine.My 5 yr old Grandson loves to help make vegan pizzas. We use a thick tomato base and just go with whatever veges he wants, amazing what they will eat when they help make it. What about jacket potatoes with the center taken out and mashed with avocado, or baked beans, with extra toppings of your choice, different for child and adults. Homemade vege pasties,etc
pizza is a great idea.
Burritos (bean of course) or tacos are quick and yummy!
You can make veggie beans for meaican food by
-fry and onion in a little oil
add capsicum, mushrooms, if you have them
add a can of kidney beans (drained) or if you don't have any you can use baked beans (add the baked bean sauce, don't add can of tomatoes, but maybe a bit of fresh tom.)
add a can of tomatoes
add some taco seasoning.
READY!
You can put it on burritos with salad, cheese and avocado
You can have it on tacos with salad and sour cream
Or you have make nachos
Or just have it on rice... the possibilities are endless!
Spaghetti and Tomato sauce is a good one.
Cook and onion in oil.
add garlic,
throw in some chopped veggies
add a can of chopped tomatoes
add some mixed herbs, a little salt n paper
1 tsp sugar
YUM.
Wraps could be nice. salad, some roast veggies, falafels... whatever you can find really...
~happy eating!~
Marinated grilled veggies over brown rice, Baked ziti, Vegetable stew, Rice and beans.
These are helpful websites for kid friedly Veggie recipe ideas:
http://vegkitchen.com/kid-friendly-recip...
http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/re...
This is an easy recipe kids and adults love:
Crescent Veggie dogs
8 Veggie dogs
4slices (3/4 oz each) Vegetarian cheddar/soy cheese cut in strips
1can (8 oz) Pillsbury? refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 . Heat oven to 375°F. Slit veggie dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.
2 . Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.
3 . Bake at 375°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
My culture (Asian) is traditionally vegetarian. Many people in my country spend their whole lives as vegetarians--and people have been doing so for thousands of years. So it is possible and healthy and easy to raise vegetarian kids. Indian food is a great option to learn to cook. Rice or flatbreads provide the bulk of the meal--added bonus, they are very simple to make (rice = rice + water, flatbreads = flour + water + hot pan). On top of the rice or flatbreads, serve a fragrant curry or dal. Learn to make Indian food, Mexican food, and Chinese food and you will never be hungry again :)
Pasta and tomato sauce is really easy, also you could just buy a ready made one and maybe add some peppers and mushrooms.
Also falafel with pittas and hummus and salad veg (all of which you can buy ready made and heat up in the case of the pittas and falafel) would be quite fun for kids, if they don't mind different flavours.
http://www.chooseveg.com/recipes_overvie...
http://cgi.fatfree.com/cgi-bin/fatfree/r...
best site ever