Getting tired of cooking (so many restrictions!) JAWM but kind suggestions are welcome too

[YaelAldrich]

I'm getting kind of frustrated with cooking dinner for the family. 

I have an extremely fit (works out over an hour every day, lost weight/gained muscle during COVID 🙄 ) husband who has congenital high cholesterol and wants to try dietary means to control his numbers without medicine (I'm not convinced he can).  He's gone cold turkey from sweets (he has a mild sweet tooth) and anything fatty (we were a family who ate full fat dairy, but we aren't big dairy eaters, so a little yogurt a day, a cup of milk post workout and cheese once or twice a week at dinner, cheesecake as a treat when it's in the house). 

I have a son, a new vegan, who also eats nothing with sugar added and little to no alternative sweeteners (not that I like them) and works out so he needs protein.  He's a little picky but not terribly so. 

I also have a kid who likes chicken but not beef (mostly) and another child who likes beef but not chicken (mostly). 

We also keep kosher so we don't eat pork or shellfish. Beef/lamb is expensive so roasts are out except special occasions. Only some people will eat fish.  Some people will eat vegan meat alternatives, some will not (and I don't like them being the main protein anyways).  Beans are liked by most but we are used to putting a little bit of beef sausage in them; vegan alternatives are not as pleasing.

I used to do taco night with ground beef AND shredded chicken in addition to all the vegetarian fixings, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, veggie pizza (with or without vegan pepperoni/sausage), spanokopita (spinach and feta pie/phyllo hand pies), bean and cheese enchiladas, chicken shnitzel, roasted chicken, hamburgers, General Tso's tofu, beef chili with beans, roasted salmon and the like.  Mostly easy foods, things I could make a bunch of and freeze some or make in the crockpot or sheet pan cooking or things that take not such a long time to make after a day of homeschooling/tutoring. 

So many of my meals are out for one reason or another OR I have to make two or three different pots/pans of food for everyone to eat.

I don't mind cooking, but I do mind all the extra brain power I am now forced to make to make dinner work for the greatest number of people.

The one meal that everyone has eaten recently is roast chickpeas, hummus, techina, pita, israeli salad, french fries.  But I don't feel my best when I have gone vegan for longer periods (due to lack of kosher meat) and everyone else doesn't want to go vegan.  

I'll welcome other suggestions but please be nice.  My brain hurts.

[Arcadia]

Since it is not a food allergy issue, can your children cook their own meals? My brother’s wife did lower her cholesterol and high blood pressure through diet changes. 

[Moonhawk]

{{{}}} That's a lot to try and organize into a menu.

Can you do more meals where people pick/choose make their own? Like, you mentioned tacos, where people can pick and choose from a spread of what they will or won't eat. Or a stir fry where you have ingredients prepped, people can choose what they're going to put into their dish and then they can cook it themselves (vegan can go first).

And if someone doesn't like what's on offer, well, maybe each person should have an emergency meal in the fridge or freezer they can heat up themselves. Maybe have a week where everyone gets a day in the kitchen to make themselves these backups.

[*Jessica*]

No suggestions, but I feel for you!  I think everything revolving around food is the most difficult part of having a family.  The mental load is exhausting, even when you don’t have to deal with multiple restrictions.  

[YaelAldrich]

17 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Since it is not a food allergy issue, can your children cook their own meals? My brother’s wife did lower her cholesterol and high blood pressure through diet changes. 

They can.  But it is extra dishes (we all do dishes on a rotation).  In keeping kosher, we only use the dishwasher for foods served on meaty plates (meaning chicken. meat, and even fish or vegetarian, BUT those foods cannot have any dairy in them, so the dishwasher could be used for last night's dinner of roasted salmon, rice, and two side dishes of okra and cauliflower, But can't be for bean (and cheese) enchiladas), so I try to cook foods that can go in the meaty dishwasher for dinner even if they don't actually have meat/chicken in them.  So everyone complains when the washing up sink is full at the end of the day (and I don't blame them!).

He already eats very healthily (treats excepted) and he is much more grumpy without said treats.  Makes things more fun!

[fraidycat]

I think if you're over the ago of 12 and CHOOSE a restrictive diet in any way, you are in charge of food prep and feeding yourself or at the very least, providing recipes to the cook, that the whole family can eat that meets your restrictions. It is very unfair of them to make demands on your time, energy, creativity, and mental energy.

If you want to provide two vegan dinners per week and two cholesterol meals per week to be nice, they can fend for themselves the other 5 days, either with components of the regular meal you're making for the rest of the family (side veggies) or by making themselves a salad with their own protein topping of choice.

[kbutton]

I agree that spreading out responsibility for meal planning might be part of a good solution.

I am the limiting factor in my home, not by choice, and I rarely ever cook a whole meal by myself. It's just too weird. The kids don't necessarily complain about being restricted to what I can eat, but they needed to learn how to cook a variety of foods anyway. We make some things we share, and then I make side things, and they make side things.

It has made it so that we eat fewer one-dish dinners or fancy recipes. We most eat a meat, 2-3 veggies, and starches for the people whose bodies aren't insistent on slouching toward diabetes no matter how careful they are. 

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are on each individual, and they need to update the grocery list as well. 

[YaelAldrich]

7 minutes ago, Moonhawk said:

{{{}}} That's a lot to try and organize into a menu.

Can you do more meals where people pick/choose make their own? Like, you mentioned tacos, where people can pick and choose from a spread of what they will or won't eat. Or a stir fry where you have ingredients prepped, people can choose what they're going to put into their dish and then they can cook it themselves (vegan can go first).

And if someone doesn't like what's on offer, well, maybe each person should have an emergency meal in the fridge or freezer they can heat up themselves. Maybe have a week where everyone gets a day in the kitchen to make themselves these backups.

I can do more meals like that.  I plan on having tacos three ways Thursday evening: black bean, ground beef, and chicken.  Honestly that is the easiest one to imagine.  Stir fries aren't super popular here.

Said vegan is already making food they want (healthy), but I would like to show my love through cooking, so I'm really trying to figure out more meals. Thanks!

[YaelAldrich]

5 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

I think if you're over the ago of 12 and CHOOSE a restrictive diet in any way, you are in charge of food prep and feeding yourself or at the very least, providing recipes to the cook, that the whole family can eat that meets your restrictions. It is very unfair of them to make demands on your time, energy, creativity, and mental energy.

If you want to provide two vegan dinners per week and two cholesterol meals per week to be nice, they can fend for themselves the other 5 days, either with components of the regular meal you're making for the rest of the family (side veggies) or by making themselves a salad with their own protein topping of choice.

The vegan is cooking for himself a bunch and is grateful when I make him something especially for him (after we learned how to be grateful to the person doing all the work, ahem!)

The DH, bless his heart, can't cook.  I've enabled it, I admit.  He does most of the household cleaning that isn't parceled out to the kids, so I don't feel like giving him a new skill set to learn.  I just am grumbling that he changed his diet (even though ours was well rounded) knowing he is more cranky and I doubt the numbers will go down that much.

Salad night doesn't go over well here - people expect more food than that, even with a protein.  Thanks though!!

[Arcadia]

6 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

If you want to provide two vegan dinners per week and two cholesterol meals per week to be nice, they can fend for themselves the other 5 days, either with components of the regular meal you're making for the rest of the family (side veggies) or by making themselves a salad with their own protein topping of choice.

 

2 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Said vegan is already making food they want (healthy), but I would like to show my love through cooking, so I'm really trying to figure out more meals. 

How about like those poke bowl fast food concepts. You do the food prep in bulk to store in the refrigerator and they assemble their own version of poke bowl.

[Moonhawk]

Oh, can you do theme weeks? Where you have Mexican Week: and at the beginning of the week you make a TON of Spanish rice and Beans for the sides, then the days of the week are tacos, then fajitas, then enchiladas, etc. So the everyone-can-eat sides stay the same through the week and you have less work on the day, but the main dish and options change so people are getting variety? Another bonus being that if the vegan really loves fajitas on Tuesday but doesn't care for enchiladas on Wednesday, they have leftovers that are still in theme with the rest of the spread being offered. (eta: and same bonus with the chicken/beef people, you can have beef tacos one day, chicken fajitas the next, so the beef from the tacos can be used in the fajitas but you have less to make on day 2 to satisfy both prefs)

I can understand showing love with cooking, the fact you're willing to try and balance so many preferences definitely shows a lot of love ❤️ 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Moonhawk

[regentrude]

Modular meals. Starch, veggies, meat, all separate. Everyone chooses the components they want to eat. Alternate chicken and beef; the one who doesn't like it can eat the sides. Nobody needs meat every day.

I have hosted vegans and meat lovers together and this works wll.and it's how I handled super picky eater for 18 years.

Edited April 27, 2021 by regentrude

[YaelAldrich]

9 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I agree that spreading out responsibility for meal planning might be part of a good solution.

I am the limiting factor in my home, not by choice, and I rarely ever cook a whole meal by myself. It's just too weird. The kids don't necessarily complain about being restricted to what I can eat, but they needed to learn how to cook a variety of foods anyway. We make some things we share, and then I make side things, and they make side things.

It has made it so that we eat fewer one-dish dinners or fancy recipes. We most eat a meat, 2-3 veggies, and starches for the people whose bodies aren't insistent on slouching toward diabetes no matter how careful they are. 

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are on each individual, and they need to update the grocery list as well. 

I would kill to be able to do a meat (or alternative) 2-3 veggies and a starch.  I need to grab some cookbooks for inspiration....

[Katy]

I think I’d provide two proteins (a meat and a legume) each night, two starches (a bread and whole grain or grain mix), 2-3 vegetables and a fruit.  If you alternate the meats so at least 2/3 nights it is beef or chicken the child that prefers that could have leftovers. 

The beans and grains are easy enough in an instant pot. The dishes for that many options would be the most obnoxious part. 

You could provide bottled sauces too if you wished. 

[kbutton]

4 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

The DH, bless his heart, can't cook.  I've enabled it, I admit.  He does most of the household cleaning that isn't parceled out to the kids, so I don't feel like giving him a new skill set to learn.  I just am grumbling that he changed his diet (even though ours was well rounded) knowing he is more cranky and I doubt the numbers will go down that much.

I would struggle with that more than any other part, TBH. You have my sympathy.

2 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

I would kill to be able to do a meat (or alternative) 2-3 veggies and a starch.  I need to grab some cookbooks for inspiration....

Yes, come over to the dark side. 🙂 It can be plain, but it doesn't have to be. I have some limitations that include spices (can't do tomatoes or peppers, and many, many mixes include spices made from peppers), but my DH got a Mayo Clinic/Williams-Sonoma cookbook a million years ago that has lots of reasonably easy but tasty veggie sides. Some of the veggie dishes are vegan, and most would probably be easy to make vegan with the plethora of products out there to sub for dairy. 

I make a lot of roasted veggies for me and DH, though the kids prefer steamed. Cheesy cauliflower is a hit here, and it's easy. 

 

[kbutton]

I think this is the cookbook we have: https://www.abebooks.com/Mayo-Clinic-Williams-Sonoma-Cookbook-Carroll-John/30821634502/bd?cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade-_-naa-_-naa&gclid=CjwKCAjw7J6EBhBDEiwA5UUM2tsQWUYhYMWR3bYcVUjShwvqQ2vXuVwGGXfbW-AIbMY9sZ_N4W1B_xoCVTsQAvD_BwE

I wish I could use it more. I think it might have options that could work for you and be more appetizing than plain sides, which is what I am stuck with unless I want to do a lot of research.

[HeartString]

We’re not vegan, or even vegetarian but I make this lentil taco recipe and it’s a huge hit.  It freezes and warns back up in a skillet really well too, and my family usually won’t things that have been frozen and reheated.  I make it and  freeze half. I bet it would work in enchiladas too.  
 

https://www.acouplecooks.com/instant-pot-tacos-smoky-lentils/

 

 

You’re more restricted than I am but I understand the feeling off feeding picky eaters.  My husband is very picky and the kids have been flip flopping tastes lately. I hate food at this point.  

Edited April 27, 2021 by HeartString
can't spell

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, YaelAldrich said:

I'm getting kind of frustrated with cooking dinner for the family. 

I have an extremely fit (works out over an hour every day, lost weight/gained muscle during COVID 🙄 ) husband who has congenital high cholesterol and wants to try dietary means to control his numbers without medicine (I'm not convinced he can).  He's gone cold turkey from sweets (he has a mild sweet tooth) and anything fatty (we were a family who ate full fat dairy, but we aren't big dairy eaters, so a little yogurt a day, a cup of milk post workout and cheese once or twice a week at dinner, cheesecake as a treat when it's in the house). 

I have a son, a new vegan, who also eats nothing with sugar added and little to no alternative sweeteners (not that I like them) and works out so he needs protein.  He's a little picky but not terribly so. 

I also have a kid who likes chicken but not beef (mostly) and another child who likes beef but not chicken (mostly). 

We also keep kosher so we don't eat pork or shellfish. Beef/lamb is expensive so roasts are out except special occasions. Only some people will eat fish.  Some people will eat vegan meat alternatives, some will not (and I don't like them being the main protein anyways).  Beans are liked by most but we are used to putting a little bit of beef sausage in them; vegan alternatives are not as pleasing.

I used to do taco night with ground beef AND shredded chicken in addition to all the vegetarian fixings, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, veggie pizza (with or without vegan pepperoni/sausage), spanokopita (spinach and feta pie/phyllo hand pies), bean and cheese enchiladas, chicken shnitzel, roasted chicken, hamburgers, General Tso's tofu, beef chili with beans, roasted salmon and the like.  Mostly easy foods, things I could make a bunch of and freeze some or make in the crockpot or sheet pan cooking or things that take not such a long time to make after a day of homeschooling/tutoring. 

So many of my meals are out for one reason or another OR I have to make two or three different pots/pans of food for everyone to eat.

I don't mind cooking, but I do mind all the extra brain power I am now forced to make to make dinner work for the greatest number of people.

The one meal that everyone has eaten recently is roast chickpeas, hummus, techina, pita, israeli salad, french fries.  But I don't feel my best when I have gone vegan for longer periods (due to lack of kosher meat) and everyone else doesn't want to go vegan.  

I'll welcome other suggestions but please be nice.  My brain hurts.

Have you ever explored Sephardic/Mizrahi/Yemenite cuisines in depth?

So many great dishes beyond the familiar ones. 

Bill

[cjzimmer1]

Do you have a good selection of vegan recipes?  And do they meet your DH's needs as well?  If so I would start with those meals as your basis and then 2 nights a week make something with beef not a whole meal just the protein, like a roast or hamburgers or meatballs but make extra so the beef eaters could add it to those meals where you aren't making beef.  Then 2 nights a week make chicken, a roast, chicken breast, drumsticks whatever manner is appealing to the chicken people.  Again make extras so the chicken eaters can eat it the nights you serve beef or no protein.  And since the needs of the various member is so diverse I wouldn't even worry if things "go" together.  So what if you are serving a Mediterranean meal with bbq chicken what matters is they get fed.

[hippymamato3]

You might want to get a "Forks Over Knives" cookbook for some vegan (but all-friendly) recipes! They have some online too. 

[YaelAldrich]

Thanks everyone for your sympathy/empathy and suggestions.  I'll chime in here to address most of y'all's commentary:

 

I feel I used to do a piece of roasted chicken, two veggies and rice/potatoes (some don't like pasta, some don't like quinoa) once a week.  I guess I could keep doing that.  Usually my meals are a protein, a starch, and one or two veggies (often roasted cuz I'm lazy) or in the winter crockpot baked sweet potatoes.  I try to keep roasted tofu in the house (from our multi course Sabbath meals, one of the kids favorite appetizers) now that I have the vegan.

I usually did a bean dish or two a week, but almost always accented (meaning 2lb beans with 10oz sausage) with meat.  I can try to move away from the sausage (which I bought in bulk right before my vegan went vegan 🙄) 

Lentil tacos were a hit a long time ago, I'm going to try them again.

Sephardi food is lovely and I make it a lot for our Sabbath.  I make it for then because it is a LOT of work. 🙂 And no one but the DH and I like eggplant, okra, and zucchini. LOL  My goal is to be actively working in the kitchen for 20-30  minutes maximum for weekday dinner! Because I spend the whole of Friday in the kitchen for the Sabbath meals*!

I do have a good selection of vegan recipes but I can always use more.  I keep dried and canned beans of various types in the house all the time.  Tofu and soy meats too.  For all of us to eat. As well as the ground beef, chicken legs, boneless/skinless chicken breast, whole chicken, eggs, cheese.

I think I'm just mourning six months ago I had six relatively hearty eaters who ate the variety of food I made and now I have so many conflicting needs.

*Sabbath Meals (very vegan friendly!)

Friday Night

homemade challah bread

8-12 salads and dips (homemade) like hummus, guac, roasted tofu, Moroccan beets, Moroccan carrot salad, vegetarian chopped liver, cabbage salad, fennel salad, tomato salad, roasted eggplant, etc

Soup (usually vegan carrot or pepper-potato soup, winter sometimes chicken soup with matzo balls, summer fruit soup - basically thinned out smoothie)

Two veggie sides (roasted veggie or Sephardi style veggie)

Roast chicken

Rice or potatoes

1-2 desserts

Saturday lunch

challah

salads above

baked shnitzel or grilled chicken breast

(winter) lima bean soup with (a little) beef 

same sides

same desserts

 

Saturday night dinner

salads

challah

tuna fish salad or lox

egg salad

dessert

[athena1277]

I want to say that I can totally sympathize!  My dh and ds are picky eaters, oldest dd has celiac disease, so eats gluten-free, and little dd has sensory food aversion.  Cooking a meal that everyone can and will eat is nearly impossible.  I wish I had some great solution for you.  Just try to make sure everyone is getting a variety of healthy foods within their dietary restrictions.  

[YaelAldrich]

And that I can have leftovers when I don't want them (because no one wants them).  At most  I have 2-3 people who will eat said protein of the day.  If I make more because someone might be hungry and then they aren't I'm stuck with an expensive bit of meat/chicken.  Or I don't make the extra piece and some one IS hungry, then they are hungry.  This might be worse than when we never knew if how many hungry teens will show up?!?

[jrichstad]

I also just want to say that I totally sympathize. My DH is very fit and sticks to a fairly strict macro diet. DD10 has been vegetarian for 6 years. DS5 basically lives on rice, peanut butter, fruit, and the occasional carrot stick. I really do not care what I eat and mostly want it to be prepared and consumed using as few dishes as possible.

Cooking used to be relaxing and enjoyable for me. Now, I make rice and shredded chicken (separately) in the instant pot a couple times a week, roast a pan or two of vegetables a night, and open a can of beans for DD. Sometimes I really mix it up with some ground turkey or pasta!!!  

[JennyD]

Oh dear, that sounds exhausting.

We only eat meat on Shabbat, and one of my kids is pretty seriously lactose-intolerant so most of our meals are vegan or (more commonly) parve.  We eat a lot of eggs and a fair amount of fish.   

Agree with the suggestions to create 'bowl' meals, with rice, beans/tofu, veggies, and sauces available for people to combine.  I make a lot of tofu+vegetables+sauce meals, with double the rice needed so I can make veggie fried rice the next day.   This method for oven-frying tofu is pure gold.    I also make curries with tofu or just vegetables, served over rice and --if protein is needed -- alongside a dal dish.  

I don't know what the current medical thinking is on eggs and cholesterol levels, and of course it won't help you with the vegans, but egg-based dishes like frittatas are a wonderful quick dinner option.   I would make them much more often if my family didn't eat eggs for breakfast so often.  

As I mentioned on another thread, I'm currently cooking my way through Meera Sodha's latest vegetarian/vegan cookbook (East) and finding lots of keeper weeknight recipes.  (I also just got Chanie Apfelbaum's Millennial Kosher but haven't really read it thoroughly yet.)  

[Moonhawk]

23 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

And that I can have leftovers when I don't want them (because no one wants them).  At most  I have 2-3 people who will eat said protein of the day.  If I make more because someone might be hungry and then they aren't I'm stuck with an expensive bit of meat/chicken.  Or I don't make the extra piece and some one IS hungry, then they are hungry.  This might be worse than when we never knew if how many hungry teens will show up?!?

😱 Hold the phone, you are doing all of this without being able to serve leftovers?! 

Mush. Cold mush for everyone. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. LOL. (Joking aside, you're awesome and they are very lucky to have you cooking for them.)

[JennyD]

1 hour ago, YaelAldrich said:

Sephardi food is lovely and I make it a lot for our Sabbath.  I make it for then because it is a LOT of work.

Yes, I love Sephardic (and Mizrahi) food too, but in general those cuisines are seriously labor-intensive.  

Edited April 27, 2021 by JennyD

[PrairieSong]

I hear you! We have frequent Sunday dinners with our grown kids, their spouses, and grandkids. One is vegetarian with a dairy allergy. Another doesn't like very spicy foods and one of the grandkids doesn't eat rice. I've edged into the pre-diabetic category and am supposed to be low carb but I'm balking at the idea.

A few things I've come up with:

1. Breakfast bar with scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, toast or biscuits.

2. Taco bar with beans and meat separate. Taco shells, flour tortillas (you could get low carb), avocado, salsa, cheese, shredded lettuce.

3. Pasta with meat sauce, salad. I put lots of veggies in the sauce and keep some without meat for the vegetarian.

I'll be following along for more ideas!

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by PrairieSong
Typo

[Spryte]

No specific suggestions, but lots of sympathy coming your way.  It’s so hard to handle all the different needs and preferences!  

We have 9 different anaphylactic allergies plus celiac in the house and everyone has different needs.  It’s crazy-making. 

[Jaybee]

5 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

You are an amazing, wonderful human being.

I cook if I am stressed, find kneading dough by hand therapeutic and we all eat the same things, DH and the kids cook now, but I would go mad with what you describe.

If you do not have an instant pot get it now.

Your kids can cook delicious, easy vegan Indian meals with enough variety and it is so much easier than the stovetop. 

https://www.veganricha.com/30-instant-pot-vegan-indian-recipes/

https://www.indianveggiedelight.com/instant-pot-indian-curry-recipes/

Make this flatbread

I promise it is easy once you get the hang of it and you can pretty much dump any vegetable in it.

Sheet pan meals are a lifesaver. 

 

Ok, I'm thinking I'ma gonna' need ta get an Instant Pot...

[bibiche]

If I’m lacking inspiration and too lazy to think about what’s for dinner, I encourage family members to go browse menus online and then tell me what they’ve chosen. Then I make it. Go look at the menu of a vegan restaurant. Choose some meals. Serve the vegan and your husband theirs as-is. Serve the beef eater the same meal with the addition of beef. Repeat with chicken. Repeat with whatever protein you desire.

[KungFuPanda]

I think I’d have to get my brain around doing a vegetarian main dish with a meat/dairy on the side. Do you have a wok? You can do some quick meals that way. Lo mein is my friend lately because it cooks up FAST if you get those packages of precooked noodles. Fried rice is nice too . . . just cook meat or eggs separately for those who need it. 
 

Also, if a person has time to work out for hours and hours, he has time to make dinner a couple nights a week. 

[Spy Car]

@YaelAldrich What is in vegetarian chopped liver?

Bill

[BusyMom5]

You have my sympathy! 

I was going to suggest batch cooking, so those who don't want tonight's dinner can eat last nights dinner.  My family fight over left-overs and think lunch should be left-overs, so I try to always cook extra.  Its not realistic to cook 2 or 3 meals per night, and I would just refuse.  

For the new vegan, I'd encourage them by requiring them to cook one meal each week for the family- with left-overs for nights you cook non-vegan meals.  

One other suggestion- think about how you cook, and try to find ways to work everyone's preferences in. I grill a few times a week- it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a few steaks, a few chicken breasts, and maybe a grilled veggie kabob.  Others will probably eat the grilled veggies, too, so make plenty!  

[YaelAldrich]

12 hours ago, Spy Car said:

@YaelAldrich What is in vegetarian chopped liver?

Bill

There are different variations on veggie chopped liver.  I am partial to the eggplant based ones, not the green bean or walnut based ones.  

Fried or baked (450F, Drizzled with olive oil, a little salt, and water.  About 25 minutes until browned on the bottoms) slices of peeled eggplant

Hard boiled eggs

LOTS of well sauteed onions

salt and pepper

For one largeish Italian eggplant you need 3-4 eggs and 1/3-1/2 cup sauteed onions.  Puree to the level of smoothness/chunkiness you like your liver to be.  You might need a little oil from the frying/baking to make it come nicely together. Voila!  Veggie chopped liver.  None of my family eats it but me.

[JFSinIL]

I agree - spread out meal planning.  Anyone old enough to demand a specific diet can do the research for recipes, and cook or help cook one or two main dishes a week. I'd flat out get a lot of freezer bags or containers and encourage folks to portion out and freeze their preferred dishes, so they can thaw and eat something when dinner is not what they want for whatever reason.   And keep lots of nuts, cooked beans, hummus etc on hand - protein snacks they can use to supplement as needed. 

You are not running a restaurant.

[YaelAldrich]

19 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

You are an amazing, wonderful human being.

I cook if I am stressed, find kneading dough by hand therapeutic and we all eat the same things, DH and the kids cook now, but I would go mad with what you describe.

If you do not have an instant pot get it now.

Your kids can cook delicious, easy vegan Indian meals with enough variety and it is so much easier than the stovetop. 

https://www.veganricha.com/30-instant-pot-vegan-indian-recipes/

https://www.indianveggiedelight.com/instant-pot-indian-curry-recipes/

Make this flatbread

I promise it is easy once you get the hang of it and you can pretty much dump any vegetable in it.

Sheet pan meals are a lifesaver. 

 

Most of us like some aspects of Indian.  Some of us LOVE Indian food and gave praise to the Holy One, Blessed be He, when a kosher Indian restaurant opened up in my town.  That stopped us from having to drive 3.5 hours one way for delectable vegetarian South Indian, Indo-Chinese (and some North Indian) cuisine.  Better for the wallet but worse for my waistline.  They even make pizza Indian style and we call it "crack pizza".  Curry leaf pesto made with pistachios, along with roasted eggplant and tomato would have never been on my culinary radar until my BIL ordered it when they were visiting.  Now I hate to go a week without it.

I do make Indian food, but I find if I want more than one dish for dinner I end up using every pot and bowl in my house.  I have 5lbs of paneer from Restaurant Depot in my fridge.  I should make Saag paneer and saag chana (for the vegan).  I WILL make those and dal next week!  But still order crack pizza.... 🙂

I have dithered on buying yet another thing for my counter (hello! rice cooker, food processor, blender), but maybe I am coming back around to getting one.  I just don't want to get it and it take up space.  Since it looks like I am moving away from the meat world, maybe it is worth it now?  I know all my Indian friends swear by pressure cookers.

Edited April 28, 2021 by YaelAldrich
forgot about the IP

[Spy Car]

15 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

There are different variations on veggie chopped liver.  I am partial to the eggplant based ones, not the green bean or walnut based ones.  

Fried or baked (450F, Drizzled with olive oil, a little salt, and water.  About 25 minutes until browned on the bottoms) slices of peeled eggplant

Hard boiled eggs

LOTS of well sauteed onions

salt and pepper

For one largeish Italian eggplant you need 3-4 eggs and 1/3-1/2 cup sauteed onions.  Puree to the level of smoothness/chunkiness you like your liver to be.  You might need a little oil from the frying/baking to make it come nicely together. Voila!  Veggie chopped liver.  None of my family eats it but me.

That sounds really good.

Oddly, my son (even when young) loves chopped chicken liver and I remember when he was in elementary school and he tried liverwurst (that I'd purchased for private consumption) and he loved it. Started a "kick." 

I'll remember this veggie version. 

Thanks again.

Bill

 

[YaelAldrich]

12 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

You have my sympathy! 

I was going to suggest batch cooking, so those who don't want tonight's dinner can eat last nights dinner.  My family fight over left-overs and think lunch should be left-overs, so I try to always cook extra.  Its not realistic to cook 2 or 3 meals per night, and I would just refuse.  

For the new vegan, I'd encourage them by requiring them to cook one meal each week for the family- with left-overs for nights you cook non-vegan meals.  

One other suggestion- think about how you cook, and try to find ways to work everyone's preferences in. I grill a few times a week- it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a few steaks, a few chicken breasts, and maybe a grilled veggie kabob.  Others will probably eat the grilled veggies, too, so make plenty!  

The vegan and his older brother (who just moved out) used to be the guys who would reliably eat my leftovers.  Now no one is really interested in them unless it is specific stuff.

[YaelAldrich]

4 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

That sounds really good.

Oddly, my son (even when young) loves chopped chicken liver and I remember when he was in elementary school and he tried liverwurst (that I'd purchased for private consumption) and he loved it. Started a "kick." 

I'll remember this veggie version. 

Thanks again.

Bill

 

And strangely enough I do NOT like chopped liver in its real form, except the famous Romanian Deli/Butcher Shop in Chicago.  It is delicious in small doses.

[YaelAldrich]

12 hours ago, bibiche said:

If I’m lacking inspiration and too lazy to think about what’s for dinner, I encourage family members to go browse menus online and then tell me what they’ve chosen. Then I make it. Go look at the menu of a vegan restaurant. Choose some meals. Serve the vegan and your husband theirs as-is. Serve the beef eater the same meal with the addition of beef. Repeat with chicken. Repeat with whatever protein you desire.

This is a good idea.  I sent Mr Vegan upstairs when he decided to embark on his food choice with all my veggie/vegan cookbooks and said exactly that.  I should do the same with Rabbi Dr I Wanna Be Low Cholesterol.

12 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I think I’d have to get my brain around doing a vegetarian main dish with a meat/dairy on the side. Do you have a wok? You can do some quick meals that way. Lo mein is my friend lately because it cooks up FAST if you get those packages of precooked noodles. Fried rice is nice too . . . just cook meat or eggs separately for those who need it. 
 

Also, if a person has time to work out for hours and hours, he has time to make dinner a couple nights a week. 

We have pasta haters.  😞  Fried rice is an idea, although rice never hangs around in our house to make fried rice.  I can make a batch special for that.  As for Rabbi Dr Works Out A Lot, I really am happy making food in general and the DH does a LOT around the house and buys take out from our favorite Indian place weekly to compensate for not cooking.

12 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

You have my sympathy! 

I was going to suggest batch cooking, so those who don't want tonight's dinner can eat last nights dinner.  My family fight over left-overs and think lunch should be left-overs, so I try to always cook extra.  Its not realistic to cook 2 or 3 meals per night, and I would just refuse.  

For the new vegan, I'd encourage them by requiring them to cook one meal each week for the family- with left-overs for nights you cook non-vegan meals.  

One other suggestion- think about how you cook, and try to find ways to work everyone's preferences in. I grill a few times a week- it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a few steaks, a few chicken breasts, and maybe a grilled veggie kabob.  Others will probably eat the grilled veggies, too, so make plenty!  

The vegan will make his own food, I just like to make food for everyone - my love language if you will.  I have the idea to make a steak for myself this Shabbos, chicken breasts for those people, and grilled veggies for everyone else....

29 minutes ago, JFSinIL said:

I agree - spread out meal planning.  Anyone old enough to demand a specific diet can do the research for recipes, and cook or help cook one or two main dishes a week. I'd flat out get a lot of freezer bags or containers and encourage folks to portion out and freeze their preferred dishes, so they can thaw and eat something when dinner is not what they want for whatever reason.   And keep lots of nuts, cooked beans, hummus etc on hand - protein snacks they can use to supplement as needed. 

You are not running a restaurant.

Are you SURE I'm not running a restaurant?  My family and many other people tell me I should!  I know better, at least in this current life stage....

Edited April 28, 2021 by YaelAldrich

[Spy Car]

10 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Most of us like some aspects of Indian.  Some of us LOVE Indian food and gave praise to the Holy One, Blessed be He, when a kosher Indian restaurant opened up in my town.  That stopped us from having to drive 3.5 hours one way for delectable vegetarian South Indian, Indo-Chinese (and some North Indian) cuisine.  Better for the wallet but worse for my waistline.  They even make pizza Indian style and we call it "crack pizza".  Curry leaf pesto made with pistachios, along with roasted eggplant and tomato would have never been on my culinary radar until my BIL ordered it when they were visiting.  Now I hate to go a week without it.

I do make Indian food, but I find if I want more than one dish for dinner I end up using every pot and bowl in my house.  I have 5lbs of paneer from Restaurant Depot in my fridge.  I should make Saag paneer and saag chana (for the vegan).  I WILL make those and dal next week!  But still order crack pizza.... 🙂

I have dithered on buying yet another thing for my counter (hello! rice cooker, food processor, blender), but maybe I am coming back around to getting one.  I just don't want to get it and it take up space.  Since it looks like I am moving away from the meat world, maybe it is worth it now?  I know all my Indian friends swear by pressure cookers.

I've mentioned in other threads, but the best "cheat" (shortcut) for making Indian dishes at home that are delicious and easy are the line of prepared curry pastes made by Patak. They have a whole range of heat (mild to quite hot) and flavor options.

Nothing in these that wouldn't be kosher, but (obviously) check for a certification. Getting from-scratch Indian dishes spiced authentically was one of the hardest nuts I've had to crack, but using these pastes makes that a no-brainer.

Also, Indian markets (and even Trader Joes) have what we call "boil-in-bag" Indian dishes (like saag paneer and dahls) in I think come in what are properly called aseptic packaging (foil pouches that have no need for refrigeration).  Nice to have a stash if one is short on time but hankering for Indian food. Most store brands are mild, but Indian markets sometimes carry brands spiced for the home country (hot!) so sample before buying in quantity if that's an issue. Surprisingly good.

Bill

[Spy Car]

16 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

And strangely enough I do NOT like chopped liver in its real form, except the famous Romanian Deli/Butcher Shop in Chicago.  It is delicious in small doses.

I do not know this famous Romanian Deli/Butcher Shop in Chicago. Wonder what makes theirs so special?

Bill

[YaelAldrich]

27 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I've mentioned in other threads, but the best "cheat" (shortcut) for making Indian dishes at home that are delicious and easy are the line of prepared curry pastes made by Patak. They have a whole range of heat (mild to quite hot) and flavor options.

Nothing in these that wouldn't be kosher, but (obviously) check for a certification. Getting from-scratch Indian dishes spiced authentically was one of the hardest nuts I've had to crack, but using these pastes makes that a no-brainer.

Also, Indian markets (and even Trader Joes) have what we call "boil-in-bag" Indian dishes (like saag paneer and dahls) in I think come in what are properly called aseptic packaging (foil pouches that have no need for refrigeration).  Nice to have a stash if one is short on time but hankering for Indian food. Most store brands are mild, but Indian markets sometimes carry brands spiced for the home country (hot!) so sample before buying in quantity if that's an issue. Surprisingly good.

Bill

I don't think Patak is kosher but some of Sherwood I think is as well as some of Geeta's (both from England) and there are some USA brands which are pretty good.  I've all the spices in the house and I finally have created some shortcuts for Indian but it still uses so many pots/pans.

There are reliably kosher certified Boil in a Bag Indian foods and we use them while travelling (so in other words not so much this year).  They are very yummy treats!

[YaelAldrich]

29 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I do not know this famous Romanian Deli/Butcher Shop in Chicago. Wonder what makes theirs so special?

Bill

If you appreciate good Jewish deli, this is a place to mail order their salami.  SOOO decadent, garlicky, goodness in a tube! LOL  Their pastrami is to die for.  Their garlic hot dogs are the real thing.  And their actual meat and chicken is soooo good.

Romanian Online

[Spy Car]

5 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

I don't think Patak is kosher but some of Sherwood I think is as well as some of Geeta's (both from England) and there are some USA brands which are pretty good.  I've all the spices in the house and I finally have created some shortcuts for Indian but it still uses so many pots/pans.

There are reliably kosher certified Boil in a Bag Indian foods and we use them while travelling (so in other words not so much this year).  They are very yummy treats!

Strange that Pataks wouldn't be certified. Odd. Sounds like you've found other options. 

You are already ahead of me. I was attempting to compensate for suggestions that might make the cooking more time consuming rather than less so. LOL.

Bill

[JFSinIL]

5 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

The vegan and his older brother (who just moved out) used to be the guys who would reliably eat my leftovers.  Now no one is really interested in them unless it is specific stuff.

Bet they'd get interested if the alternative was doing their own meal prep!

[JennyD]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

Yogurt is a button on the instant pot I could cry.

I had a couple of failures with yogurt in the instant pot and went back to my trusty regular-pot-wrapped-in-a-towel method. But I am very intrigued by some of those recipes you linked!   I am going to try a few of them.  

[YaelAldrich]

16 hours ago, JFSinIL said:

Bet they'd get interested if the alternative was doing their own meal prep!

The vegan cooks for himself 90% of the time.  I just wanted to not have the extra dishes and I wanna cook for EVERYONE!  Wah! LOL

[YaelAldrich]

16 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Dear God, curry leaf pesto ?? I must make it.....now. I never thought about it. Does this Indian restaurant have a website so I could look at more menu items for inspiration  ? Could you PM me please if you do not want to post it on the board.

Veggie Crust  The kosher branch doesn't make dosa nor soups and dessert which makes me a little sad.  I make rassam at times but I lost my sambar mix somehow and I'm too lazy to make more.  Although I have a Ninja now, so I need to buckle down and do it. The restaurant is good, clean South and North Indian restaurant food, nothing fancy.  But this pesto is something out of this world.

Edited April 29, 2021 by YaelAldrich