Vegetarians, what do you do when you don't have time to cook?

[Quiver0f10]

My newest favorite thing to eat is black beans, corn, a can of rotell and chopped avocado. Eat alone, with corn chips, in a tortilla...Yumm!

[kalanamak]

Garden burger's veggie medley patty, on 100% WW Orowheat bun toasted, with a slice of bell pepper or tomato, a leaf of lettuce, +/- slice of onion, pickle or dill mustard, mayo and ketchup. You can put cheese on it, too. Less pretty but less messy is to heat up a slice of cream cheese with the ket/must for a flash in the microwave and smear it on both buns.

 

I put the slice of bell and the onion on the frozen patty before nuking. You can do this all in under 5 minutes.

[kalanamak]

 

I'll probably start this weekend making a couple big pots of different rices and a variety of beans to have on hand.

 

Lentil soup is easy and cheap to make, keeps well, heats easily, has a meaty taste, and is good for you. I think the best ones have good carrot chunks in them, and a little cooked green: romaine, Italian parsley, bok choy, or spinach, etc.

[Loudwater School]

I grab/serve hummus and pita or pb with apples when I'm up against the clock. Also pizza bagels come together super quickly and satisfy in the way that burgers do. Forced to eat fast food, I would have chosen Wendy's salad and french fries or a bean and cheese burrito from Taco Bell. (McDonald's french fries are made with beef.)

[Loudwater School]

I think this is something I'll have to work on this summer then again during Christmas break. Stuff like that will keep roughly six months, won't it?

 

Yes. You sound like a perfect candidate for once a month cooking.

[LibraryLover]

When we were macrobiotic/vegan it was a pain, as my kids all have high protein needs. I always prayed the avocados in the bowl were not under or over-ripe. It was hard to hand vegan finger food to a toddler (no nuts etc). Breastfeeding was great, but not so easy when I was the driver. ;)

 

When the kids were older and we stopped being vegan. It was easier for me (compared to our old ways) to have hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cheese chunks, almond butter sandwiches, cheese or bean quesidillas etc to give on the go to a hungry/crabby child. Apples & bananas can take travel abuse as well.

 

Being on the go is an issue at times, and I agree it's not always a simple thing to be totally prepared. I can't tell you how many times I've thrown a sack of Matthew's Bread and a jar of nut butter, a container of yogurt, a bag of baby carrots, a commercial container of hummus, a hunk of cheddar cheese etc into my bag as we've rushed off. Nobody wants it to be that way, in general, but some days do go that way.

 

I admit. I've stopped at McD's for a soda or coffee ;) for me, just to get plastic spoons and knives for the kids. I always try to have some utensils in the car, but the guards at the Air & Space Museum in DC took my best nut butter knife and threw it in the bin.

 

I still have not recoverd. Bastarsd.

 

In a real pinch, I have done bagel shops and Subway.

Edited May 5, 2012 by LibraryLover

[SewingMom2many]

I think you'll find it's vegetarianism/veganism much easier than eating meat once you get used to it.

 

We are vegan and if I don't feel like cooking we'll usually do:

- jarred sauce with ww pasta.

- beans from the freezer on top of corn tortillas warmed in a dry skillet with vegan cheese sauce on top

- oatmeal

- stir fry with frozen veggies

- rice (pre-made) with frozen veggies in the microwave with my favorite teriyaki sauce mixed in <-- this one is super easy and the kids love it

- if I know ahead of time I won't have time to cook in the afternoon then I'll make the Honey Baked Lentils recipe I found on here and set my oven to do a time-delay bake so it's ready when we are.

- DH will stop by Taco Bell and get a bunch of bean burritos fresco style (no cheese)

 

I keep on hand:

- prepared rice (always keep this on hand in the fridge, we go through the stuff like water)

- many types of beans (I soak the dried beans in the crockpot and then freeze in can-size servings so when a recipe calls for a can it's easy to grab)

- vegan cheese sauce (home made)

- bags of frozen veggie mix (especially the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix)

- my fake meat mixes (I make ahead of time bags full of hot dog mix, rib mix, and black bean burger mix so all I have to do is add the liquid, mix, and cook)

- I've tried to keep prepared, homemade veggie burgers on hand but they disappear quickly so I generally need to make them

[Denisemomof4]

I always have Olivias organics salad makings in the refrigerator, along with either a bowl of baked potatoes or sourdough bread. In a pinch I can make a huge salad then throw some cOconut oil in a pan and heat bread or potato and..... Done. Nice and fast. I also have cooked legumes on hand to toss on salad in place of other starches.

[Sun]

After being an omnivore for over 40 years changing is difficult. Everything I know how to cook revolves around the meat. When we ate meat the day started with "What is for dinner. I have to take meat out." Now it is "What is for dinner?" and a slight panic sets in because I don't know how/not comfortable with veggie meal planning. That is hard.

 

Do you think it would help to start a vegetarian "what's for dinner?" thread here? I'd love to read such a thread for ideas and share my own dinner plans for the day.

 

As for your original question, I do a lot of what I've already read on here. We keep a lot of staples in the freezer - bags of cooked rice (when I make it, I purposely make extra and then freeze it in about 2-cup bags), cooked beans, pizza/pasta sauce, and a few containers of leftover casseroles. We generally turn to these when we're too tired to cook but want to eat at home. I hate spending the $$ to order pizza, so I try to keep that to just a couple times a year. We often will have a frozen pizza in the freezer for emergencies like that too.

[6packofun]

My mom likes to bake (or nuke) several potatoes at once and keep them in the fridge. She can dice and fry them up with eggs or just reheat and top with cheese, broccoli, sour cream, etc.

 

Black bean burritos made with refried black beans (from a can) are another top choice.

 

Keeping a big batch of pasta salad with lots of veggies is another good one.

[Saille]

Do you have a Burger King? They have Morningstar Farms veggie burgers.

No, I have very few quick meals even as meat eaters. That is what fast food is for. :tongue_smilie::D

[Barbara H]

One thing I'd keep in mind is that picking up fast food takes time too. Even if it is "fast" it isn't instant and the amount of the time it takes to drive two blocks out of the way and drive through is as much time as a lot of the dinner suggestions on this thread will take.

 

A few other ideas:

1. Some precooking on the weekend can help particularly if you have hungry teens. Pot of black beans. Hard boiled eggs. Carrot, peppers, celery sticks cup up in water. Pot of brown rice. Potatoes that have been boiled - ready to throw into a frittata or cook up in a pan.

2. Some prechopped frozen veggies can be good in a pinch. The bag of onions and mixed peppers can be a quick beginning for soup or chili.

3. A rice cooker with a timer makes life really easy. It takes two minutes to start rice. For the last five minutes you can toss in different ingredients and make a filling one dish meal. Mexican add rinses black beans, frozen Mexican veggies, salsa, serve topped with cheese. Indian - lentils and curry, Italian - bag of frozen spinach, Parmesan, basil, white beans, etc.

[Parrothead]

I bought 3 cookbooks. One for 5 ingredient meals, one on vegetarian slow cooker meals, and the last is for lunches. We have been eating a lot of grilled cheese and PB&Js.

[kalanamak]

I bought 3 cookbooks. One for 5 ingredient meals, one on vegetarian slow cooker meals, and the last is for lunches. We have been eating a lot of grilled cheese and PB&Js.

 

For basic USian just getting started Nava Atlas's books are good. Check the library. Her veggy holidays books have helped me, especially, but I think she has a kid friendly one, a fast one, a soups one.

[Parrothead]

For basic USian just getting started Nava Atlas's books are good. Check the library. Her veggy holidays books have helped me, especially, but I think she has a kid friendly one, a fast one, a soups one.

USian? US/Asian fusion food?

 

 

(My library is a joke. I'll check them at Amazon.)

[Julie Smith]

I didn't read the whole thread.

 

But I'm vegetarian, my boys are vegetarian, and I am not much of a cook.

 

When you have no energy some options are:

 

Fast food. Some places do have vege-burgers. There are also a few restaurants like subway, tim hortons... that do have vege options that are filling.

 

Eat raw fruit and vegetables with if you are willing to take the time cheese and crackers or peanut butter sandwiches. We keep on hand broccoli, baby carrots, peppers, oranges, bananas, apples, and when possible other seasonal foods.

 

We eat mostly raw fruit and vegetables here. Just because I don't like to cook. I'm also a picky eater and usually prefer food as simple as possible.

[kalanamak]

USian? US/Asian fusion food?

 

 

(My library is a joke. I'll check them at Amazon.)

 

USian is short for American (but not the continent).

 

She has a website:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/

[Parrothead]

USian is short for American (but not the continent).

 

She has a website:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/

Okay, thanks!

[pilesofbooks]

Do you think it would help to start a vegetarian "what's for dinner?" thread here? I'd love to read such a thread for ideas and share my own dinner plans for the day.

 

Oooooh, I like this idea :001_smile:. It would be great to know what other vegetarians are preparing.

[Tammyla]

I haven't read the thread, but there is plenty you can do to make a salad night easier.

 

Chop, cut, dice everything when you buy them. Then ready to eat. I keep a veggie tray in the fridge ready to go.

 

Have cheese, fresh bread, cooked or canned beans on hand to beef up the meal.

 

We eat a lot of veg meals here with two vegetarians in the house. I'm not a fan of cooking tw meals at a time, so many fall into both categories. I find prep and pre-cooking my best bet to get a meal on the table.

[Guest garyhughes857]

Just drink milk.. lol,, but i think we must have a patience in preparing our food we can do soup which is very easy to prepare.

such like 5 MINUTE CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP

[Parrothead]

Just drink milk.. lol,, but i think we must have a patience in preparing our food we can do soup which is very easy to prepare.

such like 5 MINUTE CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP

I think you may have hit on something with the patience thing, Gary. Welcome to the boards.

[BrookValley.]

I haven't read all the responses, and I'm not sure if your vegan or if you do eat dairy/eggs, but I'll chime in to say I think there's no shame with stashing a frozen pizza or two away for nights like that (we like the Amy's or the Kashi brand...even the Newman's brand ones aren't too bad as far as ingredients go). Heck, we've even been known to make a meal out of Amy's canned soups or other frozen meals. I try not to do it often--it would get expensive, and prepared food is processed food, no matter how clean the ingredient list is--but it's better than McDonald's. ;) Speaking of, I also don't think there's any shame with hitting up Chipotle on ocassion, which really isn't all that bad where fast food is concerned... (or even bean burritos at Taco Bell, if it gets that desperate).

 

As for our favorite quick but fresh meals, I like stir-fry. My go-to is whatever veggies I have on hand (typically onion, bell peper, carrot, and broccoli), a protein (tempeh, maybe tofu, though we avoid too much soy), and soy sauce, ginger, and hoison sauce. Very quick and easy. Fry up the veggies and add the sauces/seasonings at the end. Put over rice and you're done. I usually keep some cooked rice in the fridge for quick meals. You could use frozen veggies to save time; Cascadian Farms has a stir-fry blend that includes onions, carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts.

 

ETA: If you eat eggs, there's another quick meal. I like to make what I refer to as "scrambles". Basically, I throw a few eggs in a bowl and dump a bunch of veggies and cheeese in, then scramble it all together. No need to go through the trouble of perfecting an omellette! We really like eggs, spinach, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Bonus if I have some onion and/or red bell pepper to throw in, too. We might add a slice of toast or half a bagel to the side. Filling and easy.

Edited May 10, 2012 by BrookValley

[Hwin]

My quick meal is quesadillas. I just put some cheese and beans between two tortillas. It's almost as easy as just making a grilled cheese sandwich, but it feels more complete with some canned, rinsed black beans. If I have an extra ten minutes I'll saute up some other veggies to throw in with it.

 

Bean chili can be pretty quick - a big can of crushed tomatoes, two regular cans of diced, two cans of beans (not even drained) and some frozen corn, add seasoning, heat and eat. (Again, if you have the extra 5-10 minutes, saute onion and garlic in the pot before adding the crushed tomatoes.)

 

Mini pizzas on pita/tortillas/english muffins are pretty quick.

 

As you can see, a lot of my quick meals require canned beans, which is definitely a processed food. But still better than McDonalds, right? If I have to do fast food, I buy sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts or occasionally a bean burrito from Taco Bell. There are also baked potatoes at Wendy's.

[Oakblossoms]

I love to make teriyaki tofu, frozen veg, rice and coleslaw. Then I layer it in a tortilla and wrap like a burrito. These are awesome for on the go, as well. We eat ours with sirachi.

 

Tortillas don't get soggy. Coleslaw doesn't get gross like lettuce. So, if you have either in hand you can make leftovers into wraps and keep them in the fridge.

 

Chili can be made into many meals. Tamale pie, frito pie, baked potatoes and chili, chili and pasta, chili dogs, taco salad, nachos....we love chili:tongue_smilie: I make chili in the crockpot but I keep canned around as well.

[talltexan]

Do you think it would help to start a vegetarian "what's for dinner?" thread here? I'd love to read such a thread for ideas and share my own dinner plans for the day.

 

 

 

Yes!! I would love a vegetarian/vegan "what's for dinner" thread.

 

We are mostly vegan, and we end up eating a LOT of Mexican food around here--rice piled with beans, cashew "cheese", peppers, and avocado, or all of that stuffed in a tortilla, or all of that on chips.... We don't have much variety!

 

The kids eat a lot of PBJ and almond butter sandwiches. We also do breakfast for dinner and I'll make some banana pancakes.

 

Keep the ideas comin'--this is very inspirational.

 

One note, though--lots of people on here eat the Morning Star/Boca Burger stuff. Those things are pretty horrible for you and laden with MSG. Just read those labels, folks. :001_smile:

[Truscifi]

We aren't veg here, but are making an effort to eat healthier, including veg nights a couple times a week. To make salads easier, we pre chop hard veggies like carrots, celery, onion, etc...things that don't go smushy too quickly. Then when we are ready to make a salad we just add some of that mix, a handful of spinach or whatever, and chop a tomato. I also keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge. Add them and some cheese to a salad, some nuts or seeds if you have them, and it's a complete meal.

 

Oh, I also buy the microwave packs of Indian food. They take 1 minute in to cook, and I serve them with rice. Those and frozen pizzas are my go to insta-meals.

[Quiver0f10]

Yes!! I would love a vegetarian/vegan "what's for dinner" thread.

 

We are mostly vegan, and we end up eating a LOT of Mexican food around here--rice piled with beans, cashew "cheese", peppers, and avocado, or all of that stuffed in a tortilla, or all of that on chips.... We don't have much variety!

 

The kids eat a lot of PBJ and almond butter sandwiches. We also do breakfast for dinner and I'll make some banana pancakes.

 

Keep the ideas comin'--this is very inspirational.

 

One note, though--lots of people on here eat the Morning Star/Boca Burger stuff. Those things are pretty horrible for you and laden with MSG. Just read those labels, folks. :001_smile:

 

I'd be interested in a thread like that too.