Vegetarian Meal??

jess08200 · February 2012

A coworker of mine just had a baby, and I wanted to cook a meal for her. She is a vegetarian. The only meatless meals that I know aren't exactly healthy and good for a nursing mom.

Can you ladies please give me some ideas of something I can cook for her. THANKS!

carbysmom · February 2012

My mom passed this recipe on to me and my husband and I enjoyed it (and we are not vegetarians). I think it would freeze well too.

Vegetable Barley Casserole

2 tsp canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 med clove garlic, minced

2 C frozen corn, thawed and drained

1 can black beans

3 C coarsely chopped Swiss Chard

14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with chilies, drained

2 C cooked barley (quick cooking)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in very large skillet. Add onion, garlic, corn, and Swiss chard.

Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and Swiss chard is tender, about 5 min.

Stir in tomatoes, beans, barley, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, heat through.

Coat 3 qt baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon barley mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle

with cheese. Bake until cheese melts and mixture is hot, about 25 min.

kastle · February 2012

What about a hearty veggie soup (like minestrone?) with some nice bread & cheese (assuming the baby isn't having issues with her eating dairy).

Or stuffed winter squash? There are tons of recipes online...usually stuffed with some sort of rice, onions/garlic/celery & then some dried fruit and/or nuts (like pine nuts).

If you're not trying to stay away from beans (I ate them when I was nursing & sprout didn't seem to mind), then there is veggie chili, lentil soup, veggie cassoulet, etc.

MrsPhilDunphy · February 2012

If she eats cheese, you could do a veggie lasagna. Either with spinach or squash as the filling.

LindseyJW · February 2012

some of my favorites:

lasagna, skip the meat

eggplant parm (lately i've been doing eggplant casserole: layers of sliced eggplant, homemade marinara and mozz)

Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup

INGREDIENTS

? 2 quarts vegetable broth

? 1 cup uncooked barley

? 2 large carrots, chopped

? 2 stalks celery, chopped

? 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

? 1 zucchini, chopped

? 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

? 1 onion, chopped

? 3 bay leaves

? 1 teaspoon garlic powder

? 1 teaspoon white sugar

? 1 teaspoon salt

? 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

? 1 teaspoon dried parsley

? 1 teaspoon curry powder

? 1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Moroccan Stuffed Peppers (not sure where this recipe is from)

4 bell peppers

1 small onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp Moroccan seasoning blend*
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup broth
2/3 cup dry couscous
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

parsley

In nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion for about 5 minutes or until soft, then add garlic and Moroccan seasoning. Cook for about 1 minute more, then add garbanzo beans and raisins, tossing to coat. Add water and bring to a boil, then stir in couscous. Cover pan, turn off heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in pine nuts, mint, feta, S&P and parsley.

Meanwhile, slice peppers in half and remove seeds. Place in a large glass dish and cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 5 minutes. Drain any moisture and return to baking dish. Divide couscous mixture evenly among peppers. Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.

*This blend is something I happened to have on hand, but if you don't, I'd recommend using a combination of cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric as the original recipe suggests.

Serving size: two pepper halves

Spicy Quinoa with Black Beans and Tomatoes

dscn34112 Ingredients (makes 5 servings):
1 tsp canola
1 onion, chopped
1-2 bell peppers (usually about 1 red and 1/2 green, but whatever you have or is cheap), diced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 c quinoa
1/2 c veggie broth, plus a little extra
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
3/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp cajun spice mix (from this: https://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/condiments/cajun-spice-mix.html cut down to a much smaller batch)
salt & pepper
1 cup corn
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
cilantro

Directions:
1.Heat the oil, onion, peppers, and garlic in a 4-quart saucepan until the veggies are just starting to get soft
2. Stir in quinoa, broth, tomatoes, spices, a seasoning. For a little extra flavor, you can add enough bullion to make an extra cup of broth (just without the extra water), if you made the broth from bullion. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 20 mins.
3. Add corn and black beans. Cook 5 mins, or until heated through. Garnish with cilantro

JKM416 · February 2012

Just made this last night and everyone in my house gobbled it up: https://www.5dollardinners.com/2012/01/15-bean-enchiladas-recipe-cajun-hurst-beans.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+5Dinners+%28%245+Dinners%29

https://www.5dollardinners.com/2012/01/aleas-baked-zucchini-parmesan-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+5Dinners+%28%245+Dinners%29 (doubled the layers of zucchini and crushed up the croutons to make them more breadcrumb-like)

https://lesliedurso.com/2010/08/mexican-israeli-couscous/ (just use frozen corn)

https://lesliedurso.com/2011/06/moroccan-inspired-couscous/

https://tammysrecipes.com/summer_squash_casserole (substitute low-fat sour cream for most of the mayo, and can add broccoli or cauliflower)

https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/couscous-and-feta-stuffed-peppers/ (leave out fennel if you don't have it)

https://www.tammysrecipes.com/creamy_spaghetti_squash_casserole (This makes a lot of food! Leave out the meat, throw in zucchini or summer squash or other vegebales if you want, and use low-fat versions of all the dairy products)

tomandcourt · February 2012

We make this vegetarian tamale pie every week or so. It's really filling, healthy, and easy. The recipe calls for making them in individual ramekins but we just use a small casserole dish.

Hey Jellisy · February 2012

A lot of great suggestions - just want to add a few, veggie curry, vegetarian fried rice, Cuban black beans and rice, cheese and veggie enchiladas.

As a change of pace it might be nice to bring over a variety of lunch foods - pasta salad, egg salad (or tuna if they eat fish), some nice bread and fruit.

jess08200 · February 2012

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I have some reading to do this weekend to check out the recipes and decide what to make.

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