It can be difficult to get your family to eat more vegetables. It’s another fight altogether to get them to give up meat and only eat vegetable, even just on a Meatless Monday basis. If you’re hoping for an easier way to get them to eat more greens, the answer is right at your fingertips; sneak them into the family favorites. Go back to your family cookbook and see how you could make those recipes meat-free. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Meatless Bolognese
There are a number of ways you could make a meat-free spaghetti bolognese; you can use meat-substitute mince, lentils, or all the vegetables you currently have in your fridge. In fact, this is an excellent way to use up all your veggies before they go off.
Chilli Sin Carne
The best part about a meatless chilli is that you barely have to alter your recipe at all. Just leave out the beef and add some extra beans. A five bean medley from a can will do just fine, or lentils are also famous for having a taste and texture not too different from beef. Have fun experimenting with this new meat-free chilli recipe.
Vegetable Lasagna
There are two ways to prepare the vegetables for this lasagna recipe; you could thinly slice them and arrange them into layers along with the pasta sheets and the sauce, or you could mince them well until they resemble mince from a meat lasagna. Either way, you’re going to need some good chef’s knives. Depending on which vegetables are in season, you could have a variety of combinations to keep your lasagna exciting. Sweet potato, pumpkin, and butternut squash make a delicious lasagne in winter, whereas Mediterranean vegetables are probably more suited for a summer lasagne.
Halloumi Fajitas
If you loved the Vegetarian Mexican Skillet, wait until you try other vegetarian Mexican food. A good substitution for fajitas is to switch out the chicken for halloumi cheese. Halloumi has a similar texture to chicken, so once it’s seasoned and cooked the same way, you will barely notice the difference.
Homemade Veggie Pizzas
There’s something about knowing they’ve made it themselves that will make kids eat anything on a homemade pizza. Set up a pizza station with vegetable toppings and watch as they pile on the veggies. You can be extra sneaky and prepare a dough made entirely of cauliflower. If the kids kick up a fuss about the lack of meat, you can give in and use some tuna for a topping, but you will know that the crust is mostly vegetable.
Sneak in meat substitute products
While there have been some meat substitute products in the past, there have been vast improvements as a meat-free lifestyle has grown in popularity. Once a week, make a traditional favorite, such as spaghetti and meatballs, using a meat-replacement product, and see if anyone notices the difference.
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