This week’s vegetarian meal was an experiment. Since I don’t have a lot of vegetarian recipes my family likes, I have to experiment.
I made quinoa with vegetables. Really simple, just cook 1 cup of quinoa in two cups of water about 20-25 minutes. Rather like cooking rice, and in fact I used my rice cooker so I didn’t have to pay much attention to the process. It worked.
Cooked up some veggies, put them together with some spices and olive oil, and that was the main dish for dinner tonight.
The baby loved it, but then she loves anything she can fit into her mouth, even dirt.
My son didn’t like it.
My oldest daughter didn’t like it either. I honestly didn’t think she would, as the taste is rather nutty and she loathes all nuts. Except once in a while when she admits to liking cashews or filberts, but in between she loathes all nuts, including those two. But I didn’t warn her about the flavor beforehand.
My husband liked it. He felt the taste was rather like cashews.
But he also made his usual comments in the vein that comes out every time I make a new vegetarian dish. He thinks quinoa could be really interesting in meatloaf. Or perhaps with lamb.
You know. With meat.
He does that every time I make a new vegetarian meal. It’s gotten so that I expect it. But at least he eats them when that’s what I serve for dinner.
I’m determined to keep experimenting with meatless meals once a week for my family, no matter the resistance. There has to be more than one that suits everybody!
I try to make more low-meat meals than completely meatless. For example, I might put half a pound of ground turkey in the quinoa. Thinking of meat more as a flavoring than the main substance of the meal keeps my meat lovers happy while still reducing our meat consumption. I also try to make sure the meal has plenty of protein. Often I think we’re so used to thinking of meat as our main protein source that our bodies tell us we want meat, when we really just want more protein. In spaghetti, I use about 3/4 cooked beans and 1/4 ground meat, where I previously used all meat. In a stir fry, marinate meat and tofu cubes together the give the tofu some meat flavor.
Keep trying, change can be slow! After 30 years of marriage, my mom finally has my dad enjoying many vegetarian meals.
Diana
That’s what I’m working on too. It’s tricky. Neither of my two older kids currently like beans, although my son adored them for a time. Lentils seem fairly acceptable, at least in chicken soup, so I think that’s where I’ll try next.
LOL – too funny 🙂 We experimented last month (or so) with grains too and dh did not like Quinoa either. Your dh sounds alot like mine with the meat thing – though I am not sure mine would ever eat a meatless meal. He might rather starve hehehe. Anyway, good for you!
Oh – and we tried couscous and our kids like that and also Kamut Khorasan Wheat whic is an ancient grain. It is really yummy and healthy 🙂
Thanks for starting my day off with a little giggle, cute post!