Cooking veggies for the main in large quantities

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amother

Sat, Nov 02 2024, 11:51 pm

I would like to start trying to eat veggies as the main part of my meal in the evenings. I'm thinking like cauliflower steaks, stuffed eggplant halves, spaghetti squash, etc.

I'm totally OK to include dairy, eggs, soy products, chicken, meat, etc, but I would really like the main to be as veggie based as possible most of the time

At the same time, I realistically don't have a lot of time for food prep and I have a large family knh. I would love to be able to prepare either in advance or in large quantities at a time so that I can use for a few days in a row or so that there is enough for my family to eat the same thing as me.

Any ideas/tips?

DrMom

Sun, Nov 03 2024, 12:03 am

Large pans of roasted vegetables can be made in the oven and don't need much attention. This can be made while you are preparing other components of your dinner on the stovetop.

abbie

Yesterday at 1:56 am

I buy ready peeled and cut veggies (sweet potato, zuccini, butternut, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, eggplant...) and oven roast them in large batches. They last well in the fridge for a couple days and can be reheated as needed.

You can make lasanges and substitute the pasta for eggplant/ zuccini.

You can make protein-added vegetable soups. Butternut soup with added lentils, onion soup with shredded mozarella...

amother

Cream ↓

Yesterday at 2:33 am

Roasted spaghetti squash is good for both dairy and meat meals. It goes especially well with tomato based things like meat sauce or chicken with a tomatoey sauce or you can add more veggies and cheese for a filling dairy meal.

A couple of the dairy cafes in my location serve a spaghetti squash dish that I tried to replicate for Pesach. It was a hit with everyone except the little kids. I roasted a couple of spaghetti squashes, removed the seeds, and scooped out the squash into a casserole dish. I sauteed onion, pepper, and tomatoes with spices, and probably added some tomato sauce (sorry, I can't remember exactly), then mixed that with the squash and some feta. I added shredded mozzarella cheese on top before I heated it up.

I also make a chicken with olives and tomatoes that I serve with spaghetti sauce. I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.

amother

Wisteria

Yesterday at 2:40 am

Soup is great, always works and freezes well.
I personally find that roasted veg tastes good fresh. I also buy already peeked so it's quick to roast.

futuredoctor

Yesterday at 3:27 am

If you can afford it, Dr Praegers makes great healthy veggie burgers in all flavors. My personal fave is the mushroom risotto and super greens mix. You keep them in freezer and bake for 15 minutes, I find 2 of them makes a good meal. But they don’t come cheap, maybe 6-7 dollars for box of 4

amother

Maize

Yesterday at 5:50 am

amother Cream wrote:

I also make a chicken with olives and tomatoes that I serve with spaghetti sauce. I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.

yes please
thank you

not op but appreciate all ideas

wanttobehappy

Yesterday at 7:10 am

I dice an onion in the Betty and add spinach broccoli squash eggplants sweet potatoes mushrooms diff ones every day with tomatoes sauce and a drop of cheese

imasinger

Yesterday at 7:26 am

A few thoughts:

-Almost everything with cooked veggies freezes well.

-You can make and freeze some basics that get added to lots of stuff, like sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms. And, of course, soups.

- Mushroom umami is a healthier alternative for soups, sauces, and spicing than most processed soup bases. And fresh shitake mushroom adds depth of flavor to many things.

- In place of rice, you can use cooked cauliflower, or shiritake (look it up, it's seaweed based, looks like noodles, no taste to speak of, can be pricey, though)

-Some of our favorites:

Soups - minestrone, bean, lentil, split pea, mushroom, roasted squash

Stir fry (each listing is a base to which I add more) - tofu, broccoli, green beans

Roasting - cauliflower, mixed veggies (onion, zucchini, pepper, and mushroom is our go-to), eggplant

Frying (not healthy, but a nice treat, and you can fry in nut flours if you're avoiding carbs) - eggplant slices, mushroom, fresh cauliflower

Tofu veggie crumbles or beyond burgers are vegetable based, and you can add lots of the above list to your tacos, pizza, stews, etc.

mushkamothers

Yesterday at 7:40 am

Veggies can also be prepped, dressed and kept in fridge for a few days then roasted fresh

amother

↑ Cream

Yesterday at 9:52 am

amother Maize wrote:

yes please
thank you

not op but appreciate all ideas

Tuscan Chicken (I adapted this from some Jewish website, but it was years ago and I don't remember which one)

Ingredients:

Family pack of chicken cutlets
Olive oil
1 can pitted and sliced black olives, drained
1 cup dry white wine (I use Kedem Chablis, which has a screw cap and keeps in my fridge for ages as a cooking wine)
1 cup chicken broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp garlic, minced (I just use a couple of frozen cubes)
3 Tblsp fresh parsley or 1 Tblsp dried
2 Tblsp fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried
2 tsp fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
(I use dried herbs and don't actually measure them.)
Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and brown chicken on both sides. (I've skipped this step if I'm pressed for time, but it definitely makes the dish better ) Remove the chicken to a baking dish. In the same pan, saute the olives and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil (this removes the alcohol content). Add the tomatoes and herbs and then the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and then pour it over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.

Important note. Do NOT add salt to this dish. The olives are salty enough on their own and adding salt does not improve it. BTDT.

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