Need Recipes for Vegan-reluctant family

[zimmpr]

I have been vegetarian-wanna be vegan-for about 6 months now. I need some easy dinners for my kids, age 12 and 14, who are somewhat resistant to the idea of no meat and dairy. They like limited vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, peas, most beans (black beans my daughter loves, my sons gags on them!), iceberg lettuce, and tomato sauce (but not fresh tomatoes). They will eat brown rice, and oats (sometimes). So, if ya got kids that grew up with the SAD and now you want to change them so they can be healthier what are some ideas of how to make the transition easier and less traumatic. I need help. We cant eat spaghetti with marinara sauce (pureed, of course. If my daughter finds a tomato chunk, she freaks!) every night! Thanks!

[mtraezme]

You could make Enchiladas Mineras. Those are enchiladas with red sauce that are stuffed with cooked and diced potatoes and carrots. That's the first thing I made for my parents when they didn't want to try vegan food. Now they've converted to eating vegan meals, so it must have worked!

Good luck!

[zimmpr]

Thanks, mtraezme! They would love that. I forgot to add that they actually love broccoli as well, so I could always add that. We seem to have that at almost every dinner because it's one of the especially healthy vegetables that they really like alot. I am wondering...are there any brands of flour tortillas that are on the plan? I notice that many of them have hydrogenated oils in them. Thanks!

[Letha.]

Lots of kids who won’t eat salads actually like to drink green smoothies

Sliced fresh fruit like kiwi and banana or just half a personal watermelon and a big spoon make a nice dessert.

Also, oven fries with ketchup and mashed potatoes with gravy served with veggies.

Best wishes.
Letha

[mtraezme]

I think there are flour tortillas that are ok, but I can't have gluten, so I can't really help with that one. Enchiladas are usually made with corn tortillas. The sauce softens them. You can make a big pan of them and bake them in the oven. The tortillas soften up a lot.

You should check your local library for cookbooks. A lot of them have McDougall cookbooks.

I'm making baked french fries in the oven right now. I'm sure your kids would love to eat them.

[txveggie]

I have a meat eater in the family to cook for so I fix a vegan meal for my husband and I and put a chicken breast on the George Forman grill or boil some sausage or whatever for my son a few times a week. That seems to work out well for us. He will also add cheese to his bean chalupas and things like that.

Some vegan meals that everyone likes are:

bean burritoes
baked potato soup
"fried" rice
asian noodles
french onion soup
pancakes

[potatolicious]

Just a quick link, 'cuz I'm running out the door:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Maple-Mustard-Glazed-Potatoes-and-StringGreen-Beans-315147

These are amazing (leave out the oil) and kids love them!

Good luck!

[Letha.]

Just a quick link, 'cuz I'm running out the door:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Maple-Mustard-Glazed-Potatoes-and-StringGreen-Beans-315147

These are amazing (leave out the oil) and kids love them!

Good luck!

This looks really good. Similar to the 3-2-1 dressing recipe I love so much. Thanks for posting Potatolicious.
Letha

[zimmpr]

Thanks everybody. Cant wait to get home to try some of the ideas you all have given me. We are on vaca right now at a YMCA Lodge in Missouri and the food is kinda school cafeteria stuff. They have veg options, but they're not the best. What they did to the poor innoccent broccoli down there should be outlawed!! I look forward breakfast becuase they always have bananas and oranges---they cant screw those up! I was really excited at dinner. They had some green linguini noodles that were pretty tasteless, but I ran across a lonely bottle of peanut sauce. I had never tried the stuff before. It was so good!!! Made those noodles edible! YUM! i realized it is one of the tastes I have been trying to get since I went veg.
I am wondering about a couple of things. Have any of you found a veg sub for parmesan cheese that tastes good? and have any of you had setain, or have any good ways to spice it up? I am going to Whole Foods tomorrow or Friday when we get home and a friend told me you can buy pre-packaged setain. Thought I might see what my family thinks of it. Let me know what you all think.

[ncyg46]

Bryanna Clark Grogan has a recipe in Nona's Italian Kitchen that is fantastic.

http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/s ... 20parmesan

this is an okara recipe but in the other she uses almonds and it is delicious!

[potatolicious]

Now that I have a little more time, I can give you a few more resources. You may want to take what I say with a grain of salt, however, since I have 3 children at home who are not vegan (although 1 is vegetarian at least through Lent) I tend to do things like txveggie, cooking McD for DH and I and adding meat/cheese for the kiddos occasionally. That said, here are a few resources for kid-friendly McD food:

FatFree Vegan's Kid Friendly Recipes

Pass the Potatoes - a great blog of kid friendly recipes by a McDougalling mom

Vegan Dad - not McD, but some things can be McDougallized. Lots of meat substitutes.

No-beef stew - a favorite in our house

To switch up the pasta routine, you may want to try this:

Pasta al Forno

1 red or yellow pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 pkg (10 oz.) fresh spinach, stemmed & coarsely chopped
1 pkg (10 oz) sliced mushrooms (baby bellas are best)
1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
1 jar fat free spaghetti sauce
3-4 cups water

Preheat oven to 400F.
Water saute peppers and mushrooms, about 5 minutes.
Add spinach and stir on low until wilted.
Combine vegetables and all remaining ingredients to 13x9 baking dish (pasta should be covered by liquid).
Cover and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until pasta is tender. Note: you can sprinkle with breadcrumbs for last 5 minutes, if desired.

The original recipe called for 8 oz skim milk mozzarella cheese, cubed, as well. I have very successfully used Follow Your Heart brand non-dairy mozarella or Monterey Jack - omnis love it and beg for the recipe. Neither are McD, unfortunately. I'd like to try an Uncheese in this recipe some day.

Also, if you do a search of hope101's posts, she has successfully converted her children and her posts offer a lot of insight.

Best of luck, and let us know how it's going.

[potatolicious]

This looks really good. Similar to the 3-2-1 dressing recipe I love so much. Thanks for posting Potatolicious.
Letha

You're welcome. I just made these again the other day, and my 15yo DD was even willing to bring a container to school so she could have them for lunch - LOL!

[Bambie113]

Definitly try Mcdougall's french toast from their recipe book! They are sooo good! I can't have them right now because i'm on MWL but your kids would love them! French toast used to be my favorite breakfast when I was on a SAD, and I LOVED these even then. Good luck!