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No cook vegetarian meal ideas


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Or very little cooking. It is hot here with no AC so I need something that is more of a meal than a large snack (had that last night) with very little heating of the kitchen.

 

I have pretty much every veggie available either fresh or frozen (no eggplant), pasta in various forms and couscous. I'm leaning toward something with couscous since that is quick and I can heat the water in my electric kettle.

 

Any ideas?

 

TIA

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I like tabbouleh with couscous. Though...if it is vegetarian quinoa might be better since it has protein.

 

When it is unbearable and I don't want to heat the kitchen I serve summer rolls. It is just chopping veggies, jarred sauce of some sort, I get peel and eat shrimp for them at whole foods but one doesn't need to serve shrimp, and the rice paper and water. I just set out the ingredients and we make our own.

 

Chef salad/cobb salad. You could do it sans meat or with tofu. Dd and I like veggie salads with hard boiled eggs and you can make hard boiled eggs in your kettle, maybe add sunflower seeds for more protein. I like greek salad and probably serve it more than any other kind. One could add tofu to it to make it more hearty.

 

Gazpacho with grilled cheese.

 

Pasta salad.

Edited by Sis
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One thing we like to do with couscous is roast vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, onion, garlic, sprinkled with Italian seasoning and then mixed with a can of diced tomatoes) and serve that on the couscous. If you don't want to use your oven, you can always roast the veggies in a crock pot.

 

Other summer meals we like:

 

-Seven layer bean dip (though that could be considered more of a large snack, I guess)

- pasta salad

-tortellini salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, mushrooms, and a basic vinegrette (you could totally do this with couscous instead of tortellini--yum!)

-black bean salad with chips (black beans, corn, olives, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, cilantro, lime juice)

-baked potato bar--again, you could crock pot the potatoes instead of baking them. We do broccoli, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chili, olives, and green onions as our topping choices.

-We LOVE this quick and easy black bean soup. I add juice of one lime and a handful of cilantro. We also serve diced avocados on top and cheese quesadillas on the side. Super easy, super tasty, and almost no cooking.

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You can make a "pasta" from just slicing zucchini very thin. You don't even really need to cook it. Some people don't like raw zucchini but my family does.

 

You can marinate big mushroom caps in lemon juice, olive oil and spices rather than cook them. Dh doesn't like veggies as main dishes and dd doesn't like mushrooms at all so I don't do it very often but it is hearty (IMO anyways, dh is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud :lol:) I serve a salad over the mushrooms.

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How about a bean salad?

 

I like to make bean salad with a mix of the following ingredients:

 

canned black beans

diced red & green peppers

chopped tomatoes

corn (either fresh, or thawed frozen corn - Trader Joe's is the BEST!)

rice or couscous

a dressing - usually Cumin-Lime Vinagrette

 

Serve with corn chips & diced avocado.

 

Oh ... you can serve the salad over a bed of spinach or romaine too.

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Our two favorite summer pasta dishes:

 

Chopped tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes sliced in half), lots of garlic, torn basil, and olive oil. Best if you let these hang out in a bowl on the counter for 2-4 hours to marry the flavors. Freshly cooked whole wheat pasta dumped on top when you are ready to serve. We also love this with brie or mozzerella (~ 8 oz to a lb of pasta) if I have any on hand.

 

Spinach Pesto Pasta

 

1 – 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed well (you can also use fresh regular or baby spinach - but you need a lot!)

1 c. fresh parsley or basil leaves, chopped

2/3 c. Parmesan cheese

½ c. walnut pieces

2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste

1 t. salt

¼ t. fennel seeds

1 c. olive oil

 

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, blend all ingredients except oil. Slowly add the oil while the motor is running.

 

Sauce keeps for about 1 week, covered and chilled. It may also be frozen.

 

I toss the pesto with hot pasta, cherry tomatoes, and a package of frozen peas. Can be served warm, cold, or room temperature. (Non vegetarians - diced chicken or a can of tuna is also a good addition)

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One of our favorite garden recipes (super easy):

 

Tomatoes (either big ones chopped or small ones sliced in half)

Cucumbers (sliced or chopped, thick or thin, peeled or unpeeled)

Mozzarella Cheese (pearls or diced)

Cooked cold Tri Color Pasta (or other type of salad pasta or omitted)

Dressing (Italian, Balsamic, or other type of vinaigrette, bottled or homemade)

 

I usually make a gigantic stock pot halfway full of this salad, I don't measure I just throw whatever I have into the pot and mix. I like to chill it for at least an hour, the longer it is in the fridge the better it tastes (makes excellent leftovers). Even with the massive amount that I make, this salad goes fast, my husband and my kids gobble it up like crazy.

 

You can serve it with bread or crackers for a pretty filling meal.

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Do pita fillings count? If so, then I'd say don't forget about hummus sandwiches! We make an ultra-simple hummus (we multiply several times) with chickpeas (15 oz), some garlic (1 clove), lemon juice (6T), and tahini (3T). Puree and put it in a pita or on bread and top with some combination of olives, cucumber, tomato, and feta cheese.

 

Another favorite for us in a pita is Oriental Bean Pitas:

1 can Great Northern beans (15 oz)

1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained

1/3 C diced red bell pepper

1/3 C chopped snow peas

1/4 C chopped celery

1T soy sauce

1T toasted sesame seeds

1t sesame oil

1/8 ground ginger

 

Mix, chill, and serve in pitas. Add tomato if desired.

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Quesadillas -- tortillas, canned refried beans, cheese. Add salsa, sour cream, guacamole, whatever you like.

 

You can microwave them if you don't want a burner heating up the kitchen.

 

Add a big green salad and a bowl of cut-up fruit, and ta-da, dinner!

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