Eating vegetarian once a week for the whole family? Your best recipes?

I'm not vegetarian, but I'm trying to encourage my family to eat one veg meal a week (you know do our small bit for the environment etc). My dad agreed since he is pretty open, but now I need some help with some good recipes that my dad and my little brother would enjoy (and that would also fill them up). I want them to really enjoy the meal and not hate it, and think of it as a chore! They are both avid meat fans, so if you have any suggestions on veg foods that you have given to non-vegetarians that would be really helpful! My dad and I also LOVE tofu (not so much my brother but he will deal with it!)





Even though I'm only 15 I do most of the cooking so not much is too hard for me to do.





If you can help me out that'd be great!Eating vegetarian once a week for the whole family? Your best recipes?
Buy yourself a vegetarian cookbook. There are tons of vegetarian recopies on the internet, but if you don't have experience it is hard to tell the bad ones from the good ones. I recommend staying away from tofu, beans and other veggie food are easier to work with.Eating vegetarian once a week for the whole family? Your best recipes?
Well, if you are up for it, try to eat local on your veggie night.





I suggest vegetarian tacos and/or chili. You can get veggie ground round if you want, but if you have lovely tasty beans you probably don't need any. Italian is also a good choice, as it is usually quite substantial and people won't ';miss the meat'; if you have a good primavera or cheese lasagna.
Not eating meat does not help the environment.





Maybe you should start recycling, that actually does something to help. Humans have been eating meat for millions of years, it's not something new.
i can't see how anyone can not like tofu.


you can't even taste it..?





and ignore that rude person above me, if you don't like the veg lifestyle, don't hang out in the veg boards.
Eggplants and any type of mushrooms are a great substitute in place of meat because of it's hearty texture.
only once a week?





need more veggies!!








don't they care about their health?? saving money? nutrition? colon cancer from eating meat?
In general stay away from trying to replace meat with soy meat, as it's not usually tasty except in spaghetti.





Tofu is good if you fry it with some sort of sauce. However, it takes some practice. To make a stir fry with tofu, fry the tofu first, and only once its cooked should you add veggies. Otherwise the tofu often ends up flavourless. I like tofu and veggies stir fried over rice with either of the following sauces:





honey garlic sauce: crush garlic into a small bowl, then add equal portions honey and soy sauce.





peanut sauce: mix peanut butter and vegetarian hoisin sauce in a warm pan to taste.











ALSO - Vegetarian spaghetti is pretty good and easy to make





Recipe:


1 package of soy ground beef (Yves brand is best)


1 package of mushrooms (chopped)


1 onion (chopped)


2 garlic cloves (minced)


olive oil


1 TBSP each of oregano, basil, and thyme


Pasta sauce (like store bought jar of spaghetti sauce)





Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the onions are transluscent, then add the spices. Next add the tomato sauce and the soy meat (crumbled). Cook until it's hot. If the sauce is acidic add a bit of sugar if you like.


Serve over pasta.
Country Chili





1 cup tvp flakes or chunks


1 cup hot water


1 tbsp ketchup





Combine TVP, water and ketchup. Let stand 10 minutes





陆 large onion, chopped


陆 green pepper, chopped


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)





Heat a large Dutch oven, Add:





1 tbsp olive oil





Over medium heat, saut茅 onions, pepper and garlic a few minutes. Sprinkle over the TVP and stir with a fork:





1 tbsp chili powder*


1 tsp cumin


1 tsp oregano


录 tsp cayenne





Add the TVP to the pan and cook a few minutes. Stir in:


1 14-oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped


1 14-oz can your favorite beans, drained and rinsed


1 cup water or vegetable broth





Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to one hour. Taste and add salt. If desired, add a 16-oz package of frozen corn during the last 15 minutes.








* Yes, that is one tablespoon. Mild chili powder gives a lot of flavor without heat.





If you don't have tvp, use 2 cups veggie crumbles instead.