So I got this girl coming over whos vegetarian and i want to make her a really good meal thats relatively easy. Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

Something like pasta with a nice flavourful sauce could be nice ..

yeah thats what i was thinking, any suggestions/favorites?

Maybe try copying Noodles & Co.'s penne rosa (http://noodles.com/home/food/mediterranean.aspx?EntityId=9&showhtml=true)? Just leave out the chicken breast and don't forget the parmesan and feta cheeses.

Or, better yet, ask her what her favorite vegetarian dish is, and suggest that the two of you make it together. It'll be a lot of fun for you both and you'll get a good culinary experience out of it before the 'tang.

my sister is a vegetarian an i used to be one as well. here is what i would make.


chickpea an tomato salad:
2 cans of chick peas
one tub cherry tomatoes
half red onion
one chili pepper
one bunch mint
one bunch basil
2 lemons
salt an pepper
olive oil
feta(optional)

to make drain your beans an add 1/3 of them to a hot pan with some oil in it. with the back of your spatula smash these beans into a past then add them to a bowl. this is for texture. next add the rest of your beans. take yer tomatoes an cut them in half an add them to the bowl.cube yer feta if you are using it an add this to the bowl. cut your onion into little cubes an add them raw to the bowl with yer peas an tomatoes. next mince yer chili an yer mint an basil an add them to the bowl. next zest an juice yer lemons an add this to yer bowl. mix this all up an season to taste with salt an pepper. finish with a drizel of olive oil an serve with crusty bread

for a main i would have roasted veggies with tofu an couscous

for the couscous make as directed on the package, i think it is one part cous to two parts hot water. to this i add orange juice salt an pepper. set this aside when done. before serving add in some chopped parsley for color an flavor.

for the veggies
zuchini
yellow squash
onions
portebello mushrooms
peppers
carrots. ( you dont have to use all these)
olive oil
cumin
coriander
cinnamon
salt an pepper

cut yer veggies into uniform pieces an coat in a bit of oil some salt, pepper, cumin, ground coriander, an a pinch of cinnimon. put this all under yer broiler until they turn into caramelized goodness.

for the tofu.
tofu
one half red onion
couple cloves garlic
chili
olive oil
bit of brown sugar
salt an pepper

cut into cubes an press between a towel to drain the moisture. toss these cubes into a hot pan with some oil an some diced onion, garlic, an chili. cook until you get some color then add some sugar. when the are colored simply salt an pepper them.

to serve put a scoop of couscous on yer plate. then add a scoop of tofu an a scoop of veggies on top. if you have any of that lemon or parsley left use that as a garnish.

for desert, soak some berries in some dark rum an simple syrup. serve them to each other

do a middle eastern type thing

lots of little plates of grilled veggies (eggplant, capsicum, zucchini etc) and olives, fetta, plenty of pitta bread, falafel, fried cauliflower, tabouli, hommus/baba ganoush/tahini, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves).

the good thing is that you can buy most of these things pre prepared, and they're generally of good quality (assuming you have a good deli). it's super impressive, it'll look like you've done heaps when for the most part you've just taken things out of jars/tubs.

you really don't feel like you're not including meat in this, it's a complete meal as is.

Make some stuffed peppers. They're ace.

Make some stuffed peppers. They're ace.
I think I'm gonna do that. Sounds pretty tasty, haven't had any in a good long while.

Stuffed peppers = win!

I like stuffing them with couscous and black olives, with little lumps of feta cheese.

make 2 capreses

The possibilities are really endless. If you really wanna impress her, don't do some cliche veggie dish she's probably had a million times.

If you wanna make something together and have fun, do a pizza.

Pre-make the dough and set out a bunch of toppings and have fun.

For a vegetarian, I recommend doing a white pizza. Basil pesto instead of sauce, and really good mozza and feta for the cheese. Then you can put pretty much anything on it, I like spinach, asparagus, and artichoke hearts. Mix it up.

Unfortunately she got here before anyone posted recipes, but just for your knowledge it turned out fuckin' sweet. Went to the grocery store and picked up some tortellini, garden salad mix, olive mix, roasted red peppers, humus, tzatziki (sp), tuscan tomato basil soup and pita bread. Thinking I was going to make it all while she was here, she shows up and tells me shes a cook. Anyways, had an awesome time with her making everything, making random combinations of food (even made some perogies at one point) then finished off with a really nice bottle of red wine. Funny side about the wine, I purchased some bullshit corkscrew that didnt do shit and ended up having to break the top of the bottle off with a hammer (hah!). She loved it, but appreciate all the advice - good for next time.

Hey mate, next time get yourself one of these for opening the wine:

http://winenthings.com/catalog/images/Opener%20Wing%20Chrome.jpg

You just screw the corkscrew into the ... uh, cork, and then push on the handles. It levers the thing out perfectly easy, and with a nice "pop!" sound to boot.

humus,

Fuck Yeah!!!

Ahh well, good to hear it went well. Pick up anything tips or recipies you'll be using again?

I went to a vegan restaurant in Soho a while ago and I have to admit that being a keen meat eater I was a little prejudiced, but I had a vegan burrito in there that was just amazing, it had a sort of bean paste instead of beef, still really good.

depends on the occasion.
if its informal, go with felafel or pizza

if its a sit down thing, i would do a mushroom or pumpkin soup, then a pasta dish or cous cous, then for dessert, well thats usually vegetarian anyway


warning about hummus. beware of garlic

warning about hummus. beware of garlic

:rolleyes:.

If they're both eating it, it's fine :p.

I went to a vegan restaurant in Soho a while ago and I have to admit that being a keen meat eater I was a little prejudiced, but I had a vegan burrito in there that was just amazing, it had a sort of bean paste instead of beef, still really good.

Being a vegan is fucking awesome if you know how to cook. Meat in every meal is just overkill (haha). I wish I would've seen this thread earlier since I cook vegan food for myself on a daily basis.

I was going to suggest broccoli and green peppers with a white wine sauce over whole wheat angel hair pasta with whole wheat garlic bread (olive oil instead of butter, and fresh garlic). Served with a fresh spinach side salad with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil for dressing. Vegetarians dig healthy food. None of that processed bullshit white flour.

I'll second beergoggles here, quorn really isn't that tasty, pretty much every single veggie that I've ever met would always prefer some vegetables to *insert meat shaped quorn item here*

LuKaZz420, just down the road a bit from Euston station, there's an amazing veggie chinese eat as much as you like, its run by some asian Buddhist people, but theres always a couple of slightly hippyish types in there, they do amazing veggie stuff that is made from beans and various other wierd stuff - its amazing, and makes a change for me from only being able to eat 4 or 5 things at a chinese buffet :D

Stuffed peppers with couscous, olives and feta sounds fucking amazing, I am going to have to try that, very soon.

Goats cheese and caramelised onion tart / quiche is another good one, its really, really tasty, and not overly difficult to make.

Stirfrys are another dead easy way of making a healthy, really tasty veggie meal without just feeding them substitutes... get a nice load of fresh veg in lots of colours (baby corn, different colour peppers, carrots, baby leaf spinach, beansprouts, water chestnuts, cashew nuts, mangetout....) is really nice, and I've yet to meet a single person who managed to go majorly wrong with a stirfry :P :D

for a turkish feel, roast some vegetables (courgettes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, etc), put on some slices of halloumi cheese, and finish it for a couple of minutes under the grill to finish it off. You could serve it with pretty much anything... pitta breads, couscous, etc. You could start with mezes (humus, olives, raw veg, that kinda thing) of various sorts for a fun starter, too.

another fun one would be tortillas, get a can of mixed beans in mild chilli sauce, cook it up, add extra chilli sauce if you want, then serve with other stuff to put inside the tortillas (sweetcorn, lettuce, salsa, slices of mild fresh green chillis, cheese, etc)

now I need someone to cook for :(

another fun one would be tortillas, get a can of mixed beans in mild chilli sauce, cook it up, add extra chilli sauce if you want, then serve with other stuff to put inside the tortillas (sweetcorn, lettuce, salsa, slices of mild fresh green chillis, cheese, etc)

now I need someone to cook for :(

I prefer to make chili all myself ie; (all approx values here)
half an onion
clove of garlic
half a chilli to a whole one depending on spiciness
Half a red pepper
Can of tomatoes
Can of beans
And whatever else you want to put in .. basically just fry all the vegetables in oil then add the beans, then the tomatoes ... then simmer for a good while.
Brilliant tasting .. just put it on some bread and it's great :)

Good idea, veggie chilli is ace. Very tasty and low fat too.