Vegetarian Meals - Columbus,OH

I agree with lots of the options other folks shared and would like to add one other frozen option - A.'s frozen foods. They have tons of frozen dinner options - all vegetarian and pretty tasty. You could ask her what meals she'd like to try and stock up. My personal favorite is the pesto cheese tortellini. I think the portions are generous and often can get two meals out of one package. Good luck!

try Morning star farm products, they are available in most grocery stores and Walmart. they are in the freezer and are in green packages, they have quite a variety to choose from. If you need recipes, you can e-mail me @ ____@____.com I have lots of them, or you can google vegetarian recipes. If you know any SDA's they are usually a good sorce for vegetarian recipes too!!
good luck
L.

You know she is 14.....why not let her help with what she wants.......if she isn't learning to cook, this is the perfect time.....I was already making full meals at her age for my parents.......

So, take all the great suggestions and let her help plan and cook the meals with your help....

Have fun and good luck.

I am vegetarian, and am raising vegetarian children, so here are my suggestions.
1. Burritos--you can keep tortillas in the freezer, the defrost easily and quickly. We buy Amy's Organic refried beans, which you can buy at Whole Foods, but I think there may be other vegetarian refried beans. Then you just need any of the following: shredded cheddar, can of olives, frozen corn, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cooked rice, etc. (I just re-read your post and it says she won't eat any kind of beans. You could leave out the beans and make quessadillas instead with some of the same stuff inside.)
2. Morningstar farms makes a lot of great faux meat items, such as chicken nuggets, burgers, etc. We keep a stock in the freezer at all times. We pair it with other freezer items such as french fries and frozen veggies. One of my kids' favorite meals is chicken nuggets and marcaroni and cheese.
3. We make homemade pizza once a week. You can also buy pizza dough at Trader Joes and pre-baked crusts at most grocery stores.
4. Tofurky makes really believable deli slices, so if everyone else is having a meat sandwhich for lunch, you could make her a Tofurky sandwhich.
5. Omelets, even for dinner.
6. We make these wraps that are similar to Philly Cheese Steaks (from what I hear). This involves buying veggies, but maybe it's something you can do when you know she's coming. Buy: portabella mushrooms, a yellow pepper, a sweet onion, some mozzarella cheese, and some pita break. Thinly slice the veggies and sautee until tender. Season with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Melt some cheese inside each pita pocket, then stuff veggie mixture inside pocket.

I hope this helps. Very tricky without the marinara--we eat a lot of pasta! Would she eat pasta with something else, like alfredo or pesto?
There is a group called Vegetarian Resource Group who do a lot of stuff for parents raising vegetarian children. Check out this website, see if there are more ideas here: http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htm

Good luck!

Being a vegetarian is of course all about finding the protein. Does you niece drink protein shakes? I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't like a lot of meat. Sometimes I will have a protein shake at dinner while my family has meat. I still eat the salads, vegetables and bread, but I feel healthy and satisfied because I add in the protein shake.

For lunch I love Greek yogurt and fruit and rice cakes. At breakfast I have a healthy meal shake.

Let me know if I can send you a link to what I drink.

My neice is the same way. I keep some veggie burgers and fettucini alfredo in the freezer for when she comes over. She also loves PB & J, carrots and ranch dip, grilled cheese and tomato soup, salsa & chips, mixed nuts for protein, and general tso's tofu (she says it tastes just like the real thing)

Our family is a bunch of die hard carnivores, so we have meat in everything, but she seems to like the selections we keep around for her.

Morning Star makes a FFFFFFABULOUS Chipotle Black Bean burger. I know you said she doesn't like beans, but this is a BURGER. I grill them, crumble on a salad w/ avacado, red pepper, cheese, etc., or just melt a little light Provolone, Munster or Pepper Jack if you like an extra kick. FABULOUS!!!

Also Bocca burgers (veggie) are pretty darn good, too. What about fish? Will she eat that? LOTS of options here.

There is also something called VEGGIE STRAWS that have no trans fats, no preservatives and VERY low calorie. They are french fry type crunchies that are made from spinach, potato and tomato. We like these, too.

Where will she get her protein? Nuts, cheese, protein shakes? Nuts and fruit are ALWAYS a good snack combo. She NEEDS to get the protein from SOMEWHERE if she's not eating beans or meat.

What about cottage cheese? It has about 15g protein/serving on average. Low fat is best.

Morning star has several faux meat products that you can find in the frozen section. You can substitute these for anything you are normally cooking. I have often passed these off on unsuspecting house guest as the real thing. I make fajitas with them, chicken alfredo, burritos, burgers, ect.

I love to substitute the veggie crumbles for anything that calls for ground beef. My husband is a die hard carnivore, but he likes everything I make with the crumbles -you get them where you get frozen veggie burgers in the store. Tacos, dirty rice, hamburger helper type casseroles, actual veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs are good too. You can even do "meat" loaf with the crumbles!

Have you tried Vegetarian"chicken patties" or nuggets, veggie burgers, Veggie "steak strips" or "chicken strips", they are frozen,also veggie hotdogs or bratwurst. Frozen cheese pizza, soy bologne, mac n cheese.

Pesto sauce for pasta(they have little packages, or alfredo sauce packages).
Hummus, pita pockets.
You can make mashed potatoes(boxed if necessary), baked potatoes, rice pilaf,vegetarian sloppy joe mix(fantastic brand) make sure to buy can of tomato paste,
coucous prepackaged mix(garlic and olive oil one our kids like), frozen indian dinners, or amy brand meals in the frozen department are usually pretty good.
for veggies, just buy frozen veggie packages, frozen brocolli, beans or whatever she likes, and canned fruit with no syrup. If she is really the only one eating the frozen veggies they will last a long time.

Hope you can find something good. Nice of you to try to have something special for your niece.

If she will eat dairy products and eggs, serve eggs in any form (scrambled, hard-boiled, egg salad, etc), and not just for beakfast.

I'd keep some canned soup on hand, such as chowder, cream of celery, cheddar cheese, etc. but check that they don't have chicken or beef stock in them.

You can make a quick cheap tomato soup with tomato paste. Its in the Tightwad Gazette books by Amy Dacyzyn. You take one can of tomato paste and put in saucepan. Add 3 or 4 (I forget) cans of water or milk. Mix well and heat. You may need to use a whisk of egg-beater to get this blended well.

Or frozen veggies would cook up into a nice soup.

Too bad she doesn't like beans. Has she tried lentils? Lentil soup would be good.

Canned tuna for tuna salad or casserole.

Pancakes and french toast. Potato pancakes. Oatmeal or other hot cereal. Peanut butter. I seem to recall making a peanut soup once but don't remember where I got the recipe. It was good though.

If she comes over on the spur of the moment, why not take her shopping with you?

Have fun!

K. Z.

Try hummus with toasted pita wedges or cut veg like celery or red peppers. Boca burgers with veg toppings and baked potato or fries (Alexia products are awesome -they can be found in the freezer section). I was vegetarian in my early 20's it drove my mother to despair.

Pasta with/without sauce. I have been buying Ronzini that has more protein and fiber and nutrients. There are store bought sauces (not red) that can be kept in pantry or fridge. Premade pesto can be tasty and easy if she likes it or just a little butter or veg broth. I also make these easy sauces.

Green sauce
1 head broc, chopped
1 can veg broth or 2 cup veg boullion
Simmer until very tender
Blend with immersion blender until smooth
Add milk if necessary to thin a little
Add cheese(your choice, I like to mix velveeta and whatever I have) and stir until melted
Serve over pasta
I let my kids add as much or little sauce as they want and keep the pasta separate

Easy fettuccini alfredo sauce
Melt 2 Tablespoon butter/olive oil
Add 2 Tablespoon flour and stir til smooth
Add 2 cups milk or 1 cup milk and 1 cup veg broth
Stir until thickened
Add 8 oz cream cheese or neufchatel and stir until melted
Serve over pasta

Another easy one
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
2 t dijon mustard
1 box stove top stuffing
1 cup chopped broc or any veg(shredded carrot)
2 cup shredded cheese

Beat eggs, milk and mustard with whisk. Add the rest. Put in a 9x9 square greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until egg is set.

Dried mushrooms (my favorite are porcini) are really convenient. You can either use them for a creamy mushroom sauce to be served with pasta or polenta. I also use them for Risotto which is another quick and easy veggie meal.
Also Asian stir fry veggies for the freezer are good to have around for vegetarian Asian meals.
We often make Mexican food, mainly Fajitas, which is great because you can make the meat and veggies separate and everybody can choose what they like to but on theirs.

We made these:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-of-Everything-Veggie-Bu...

They freeze well & are easy to mass-produce (and cheaper than the Morning Star/Bocca Burgers). I tweaked it, based on the reviews.

You can use TVP (textured vegetable protein; it's made of soy) in place of ground beef, turkey or chicken in any recipe calling for those ingredients (like tacos, chili, etc.). TVP are granules and you soak them in water. They take on the flavor of the rest of the recipe and don't really have the flavor themselves; their texture, after soaking, is like cooked ground beef.

This can be made in advance in those disposable pans and frozen to keep on hand... And, I've made it using the stuffing straight from the box and cooking it as directed first. My family likes it both ways. :-)

Zucchini Casserole:

2 lbs zucchini (or yellow squash)
1 box Cornbread Stuffing
1 can cream of celery (or mushroom) soup
8 oz. Sour Cream
2 c. shredded cheese
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Directions:
Boil sliced zucchini until tender. Drain. Mix all the ingredients except 1 cup of stuffing and 1/2 c. cheese. Spread mixture into 13x9 pan. Top with stuffing and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 20-30 min or until warmed through.

Can you ask her parents what she usually eats, and suggestions for snacks?

The Morningstar Farms products are good, and freeze nicely so that you could keep them for the short notice visits. Also pizzas, they make some great ones without red sauce and with veggies. My son also likes a lot of dried fruit and nut mixes. Yoplait also makes a great bagged smoothie that would be great for breakfast and/or snacks that has frozen fruit, yogurt etc. and all you have to do is blend it. Peanut butter, rice and mac and cheese are other things that you can keep around for a while. Cheese sticks??

it might be a good idea to always have fresh veggies and fruits around, its not just for vegetarians. but you can share your concern with the parents and they will probably let you know exactly what non perishable items to keep around.

I make this recipe a TON. It's mostly dry ingredients that I can keep in the pantry, plus it freezes really well so I always have some on hand for a quick meal during the week. My son LOVES it.

http://www.food.com/recipe/lentil-grain-burgers-my-kids-w...

I don't usually make the burgers because I have a hard time keeping them from falling apart, but it's just as good served in a pita with a little spinach (or not).

I'll also put in a plug for Morningstar Farms burgers etc. We always have some of those in the freezer too.