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Tasty, easy vegetarian meals!

Like many other people, we have become “flexitarian”. So, we eat vegetarian (sometimes vegan!) during the week but if out to dinner or have friends over, we eat anything in front of us. Eating less meat is beneficial in so many ways: Better for the environment, better for you and it’s more cost effective.

Sometimes it’s hard to think of good recipes. The thought of only having roast veggies doesn’t really appeal, especially when we are used to having a meatier dinner. I tend to freestyle most of my recipes. So use the recipes below as a guide. Meat-free meals can be really filling, once you get over the fact you aren’t having meat. 

Cooking and eating vegetarian is a mindset. I remember trying to convince Tim to have “meat free Mondays”. It took a while to cook mostly vegetarian but now it’s really easy. Eating more veggies is better for you. Yoga and nutrition are a great mix! Healthier eating plus practicing yoga can improve your mental health greatly!

I have more recipes in mind and want to improve this layout, so please visit this page again 🙂 

Protein packed quinoa and veggies

This is a meal that is very filling. Use the ingredients below or find your own that you like. Quinoa, any beans/pulses and broccoli are rich in protein. This is more of a freestyling dish.

  • Quinoa
  • Cannellini beans
  • Broccoli
  • Peas
  • Leeks
  • Onions

Cook the quinoa for 20 mins (it’s even quicker with couscous but not as protein rich). Sautee the veg with olive oil and garlic powder. Then combine everything! I added some fresh tomatoes because I love them.

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Meatless meatballs in pasta sauce (or try them as burgers!)

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This recipe inspiration is from Nourish and Flow. Izzy is an accomplished yoga teacher, nutritionist and coach and does delicious recipes on Instagram. I loved following her as she has a very resourceful site.

Balls

  • Mushrooms – any type – 250 g
  • Lentils – 1 cup or can
  • Onions/garlic – to taste
  • Oats – 1/2 cup
  • Spices (oregano, chilis, fennel seeds – whatever you like)

Pasta sauce

  • Tomatoes (fresh or tinned) 1 can
  • Onions -1 
  • Garlic powder
  • Spices – as much as you’d like
  • If you want to keep it vegan, use nutritional yeast flakes. For vegetarian, add some grated cheese.

Start by cooking the lentils (if dry) in a even amount of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 mins. Sautee mushrooms and onions, adding spices. Then combine with oats and lentils, rolling into balls.

For the sauce, you can either use any pasta sauce or make your own from scratch. I find it easy to saute onions and add in canned chopped tomatoes. Garlic powder is a delicious way to flavour sauces. Add any spice you like. It’s so easy.

Stuffed Portobello mushrooms

I have a conditional relationship with mushrooms. I love them sauteed in butter/garlic but they can’t be slimey as they do in pasta sauces. Portabello mushrooms almost shouldn’t be called a mushroom, as when cooked it’s really meaty and not slimy. This is my own creation

  • Portobello mushroom (the big one) – they shrink down so I’d advise 2 each
  • Butter (or coconut oil)
  • Chopped garlic
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Passata sauce
  • Italian herbs
  • Grated cheddar cheese (I have also done crumbled blue cheese but Max doesn’t like that strong flavour)


First, chop garlic and mix with butter. Flip the Portobello over, so it’s upside down and brush the garlic/butter mixture. Then bake for 10 mins. Pull it out and add the other ingredients, then bake for another 5 mins.

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Veggie chili nachos

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When all else fails, add tortilla chips and cheese. Chili can be made exactly the same without beef mince. I tend to do the following:

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion
  • Carrots, diced
  • 2 cans chopped tomatoes
  • Cauliflower, diced (small to look like mince)
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and washed
  • Chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder


Instructions:

  • Saute the onion
  • Add the carrots
  • Add the chopped tomatoes and cauliflower (cauliflower last so it still has texture)
  • Add the kidney beans
  • Add spices
  • Let it simmer for 20 minutes
  • Get out plain tortilla chips and grated cheddar
  • To be extra healthy, you can add it to a bed of shredded lettuce, but that isn’t required 🙂

Cheesy spinach parcels (or make as a pie)

This was definitely an experiment for me. I never use filo dough but I felt inspired by my friend Claire Wright’s delicious pie.  Seriously, it’s a meal as a pie.

  • Boil down a bag of spinach, squeeze out excess liquid
  • Sautee a chopped garlic clove
  • 1 cup of ricotta
  • Grate a handful of cheddar
  • Sprinkle in some dill (or other green herb)
  • Mix it all together
  • Cut filo dough in 4 inch squares and use 2 squares
  • Put a rounded teaspoon in each square and twist
  • Or if making a pie, line the pie tin with buttered filo and cover the top.
  • Bake for 20 mins. I made 12 but as you can see, they are a bit overstuffed.
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Sweet potato quiche

This is probably the best quiche dish in the world. It’s a bold statement but it’s true (if you love sweet potato like I do). I got this from Helen from Little Cooks Co. I have altered the recipe slightly but if you’d like to see her original recipe, click here.

SweetPotatoQuiche

Quiche crust

  • 400g sweet potato
  • 50g cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper


Quiche filling

  • 150g spinach (I prefer broccoli)
  • Chopped sundried potatoes
  • Chopped olives
  • 6 medium eggs
  • 100g cheddar cheese grated
  • 100g milk (you can add less if you’d like)
Instructions:
  • Preheat your oven to 170c (180c if not fan assisted)
  • Grate sweet potato on top of a clean tea towel (you can leave skin on or not). Use the tea towel to squeeze the juice out of the sweet potato
  • Grate 50g of cheese and mix it together in a mixing bowl with the squeezed sweet potato and 1 egg
  • Next grease your quiche/cake tin and then use your hands to push the sweet potato mix into it until there are no gaps (save a little of the mix to patch up any holes that appear after it’s been baked)
  • Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. 
  • Chop spinach or broccoli into small bits
  • Whisk the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl. Add veggies/sun dried tomatoes/olives in, along with the 100ml of grated cheese
  • Pour your filling into the sweet potato crust and bake for 30-40 minutes (until golden on top). 

If all else fails, roast all the (roastable) veggies in your fridge and grill some halloumi cheese. Believe it or not, vegetables will fill you up.

One recipe book that we like is called “The Dirty Vegan”. It has so many cool ideas, you don’t even realise it’s vegan. Thanks to Sukhbir and Amarpreet for telling us about this great book!

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Here is my attempt to make the lentil casserole with sweet potato slices. It was delicious though I cooked it a bit too long. Or perhaps I could have Photoshopped my sweet potatoes to look like the book!

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All photos except the quiche are originals from my Samsung Galaxy S7. Taking commissions for those interested in my fine photography skills. I can’t help but giggle when comparing this page to professional foodie sites!!

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