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Thread: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

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    JaneSky's Avatar
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    Default Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Hi all,

    Other than Linda Mc Cartney sausages (which my kids and their friends love), and nut/bean burgers and falafels (which their friends DO NOT appreciate), pretty much all the vegan convenient 'meaty' or 'cheesy' products I can get hold of are Soya based... I'm not anti soya by any means, but with the convenience of soya milk, soya yogurts, soya ice cream, soya sandwich 'meats', tofu and TVP taking over our diet, I'm really keen NOT to become over-reliant on one type of food! My kids will have lentil, bean and nut based meals fairly often too, but these do not go down well with their friends who will be coming for tea at least two nights a week. Quorn used to be my usual fall back, but now I'm looking for inspiration! I want the boys' vegan diet to seem appealing not bland and weird to their friends, and for their parents to be able to recognise it as nutritionally adequate, because that's the best advert isn't it!

    What do your kids/picky eaters/omni friends enjoy?

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Hello Jane,

    maybe off-topic, but I recall reading in some other threads that quorn is not vegan, using eggs.

    My kids to love Heinz Baked Beans, especially when I offer them as one topping to go into fajitas/tacos/burritos/pancakes.
    Other than that, spaghetti with fresh produce also always works for me.

    Best regards,
    Andy

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    i saw in tesco that cauldron now make a tofu mince, but it's pretty expensive and comes in a small pack so i'd only save it for special occasions. do they not eat things like chilli con carne and spaghetti bolognese if the "meat" part is made of lentils and beans?

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    Draíochta Blueberries's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    You could order vital wheat gluten online and make your own soya-free veggie meat.

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    JaneSky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Quote Andy_T View Post

    maybe off-topic, but I recall reading in some other threads that quorn is not vegan, using eggs.
    Quorn was my pre-vegan fallback, my kids were ovo-lactarian vegetarian from birth, but are currently transitioning to vegan!


    Baked beans will work for one friend, but the other won't touch them
    My kids like lentil bolognese/shepherd's pie etc etc, but their friends politely pick off the potato/spaggetti and sit there looking suspiciously at the lentil part.
    I made seitan once years ago, I remember feeling like it was a lot of work, and I didn't really know how to make it taste good, might be worth revisiting - I could make up a few small batches of things in advance and freeze them, though I don't have a lot of freezer space...

    I did discover that I can order from Redwood online, (yay!) so I've ordered some of their soya-free 'cheese' (so a sprinkle of that grated, and a dollop of hummous in tomato pasta sauce should work well), and they do a southern-style 'chicken' thing, which looks like a potential candidate to replace the much coveted quorn nugget... And I ordered a few other things... Expensive, but if I ration it shouldn't be too bad!

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    JaneSky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Just looked up vital wheat gluten - seems like it would be well worth finding - when I made seitan, I did it by washing strong bread flour for ages and ages in cold water until I was left with a bland lump... I think it would be a lot easier to flavour using vital wheat gluten!

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    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Tortilla wraps? Fried onion, peppers, spices etc. in a tortilla with avocado, lettuce, salsa, refried beans....

    Vegetable fingers

    Baked beans

    Mushy peas

    a dollop of hummous in tomato pasta sauce should work well
    That doesn't sound good.

    I'm nearly an adult and I don't eat seitan, horrible stuff.

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Just to say- seitan can often be found at Chinese shops/ supermarkets quite cheaply, usually in tins labelled 'vegetarian duck' or similar.

    What about homemade soup, or a mix of 'snacky' things like navhos, salsa, guacamole, soya free cheezly, and a plate of crudités for them to pick from like carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, with hummus or a bean dip... Or noodles with shredded veg, seitan and soy sauce alongside vegs spring rolls.

    Or veg pie with mash and peas.

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    tomato rice soup.

    tin of chopped toms, handful of rice, bit of extra water & extra flavouring if you like eg dried herbs.
    let it all simmer gently in a pan till rice is cooked - yummy!


    or portobello mushroom burgers.
    toast muffins. grill bake or fry big mushroom with garlic or lemon etc. place in muffin with grilled or fresh toms, pickle, vegan cheeze etc, ketchup ....... with fries.

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    I like to make filled tomatos ... core them, keep some of the juice and mix it with cooked rice and spices (and possibly grated vegan cheese), fill it into the cored tomatos and put it on a baking plate to go into the oven.

    And, of course, vegan lasagna, canneloni and similars...

    My kids (7&8) also love vegan curries, as long as they are not too spicy.

    Best regards,
    Andy

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    bean burgers?

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Quote veganosie View Post
    bean burgers?
    Yeah, if you haven't tried them already it's worth a shot, I love all the variants of breaded and tortilla-chip coated beanburgers you can get in the major supermarkets. They might not notice they contain beans if you don't tell them (they're also pretty easy to make as a big batch to freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days).

    Why are you having to feed other people's kids so often, if that's not a nosy question?

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    There's some great ideas there thanks guys!

    My main problem is finding something all four of my kids and their various friends will be willing to eat together as I don't want to end up cooking something different for everyone... Two of mine strongly dislike anything resembling curry(indian or thai)/or mexican (basically anything spicy, even if mild), two are slightly anti - bean, and one of their friends won't touch beans, one of mine dislikes vegetable fingers/burgers, none of their friends are happy with anything lentil based or nutty, and I suspect that omnis won't take to undisguised fake cheese (or f'eese as we have dubbed it for short; along with f'eat (fake meat), f'icken (fake chicken - careful saying it in a hurry!), etc etc)... I think I will need to experiment a bit, maybe get them to try new things in small quantities while making the bulk of the meal stuff I know they like.

    Risker
    "a dollop of hummous in tomato pasta sauce should work well"

    That doesn't sound good."




    Lol, the soya based medium 'cheddar' grated and mixed with a garlicy tomato sauce and a dollop of hummous is really really tasty in pasta! - Even my very picky cheese-aholic 4y/o and omni husband thought so despite reservations about trying it!

    And Twinkle, I think it just adds up because four kids = a lot of friends, who don't live close enough just to send them home for tea, and most of them have siblings who are friends with my other kids so if I have one I have to invite the others, and then when I invite them another friend hears about it and desperately wants to come, so I get guilt tripped by puppy dog eyes at the school gate - It's flattering really, at least they're not avoiding the weirdy veg household! Plus just at the moment while my kids are transitioning from vegetarian to vegan, it's probably easier to mostly feed them at home rather than letting them go to their friends, so I know they're getting variety and good nutrition, and I'm not having to give other parents long lists of what they may or may not feed my kids... One step at a time!

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    fortified twinkle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Oh I see.

    This isn't really convenience food but risotto seems to be a good option for picky eaters (at least it's what I feed my friend who is very fussy when she comes to visit).

    If you're doing freezer food you could give up on trying to feed everyone the same thing and offer a choice including beanburgers, veg fingers, pakoras, samosas, spring rolls and veg/potatoes on the side? It doesn't seem to be any more work to put a choice of things into the oven than one or two.

    How do you and they feel about seitan? I've been making Vegan Dad's veggie slicing sausage with variants ever since I found a source of wheat gluten flour in the UK and it's very quick and easy to prepare, just the cooking time is a bit long, but then you can freeze them and they keep for a good while in the fridge.

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    or how about things like pasta with tomato sauce, then you don't have to think about a meat substitute.

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Have you had much luck with feeding your various guests, JaneSky?

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    JaneSky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    F'icken (Fake-chicken) nuggets with chips and salad (and ketchup and f'ayonnaise) went down exceedingly well (I wasn't keen personally, they were too 'meaty'!) - But they are a bit expensive, so they'll have to be a once in a while thing... Linda McCartney pies with roast veg etc well received, pasta with tomato sauce mixed with a dollop of hummous and a sprinkle of soy-free f'eese (fake-cheese) also well received... Managed to get some nutritional yeast flakes (woop!) so made a 'cheesy' sauce with pasta the other night, sprinkled with toasted cashew nuts and pieces of fried 'facon' (not soy-free, but it was more of a condiment than a main part of the meal) served with a nice leafy green salad - that tasted very rich and decadent - even though I've never fancied f'acon not 'missed' bacon ever before in my life! lol... (will try lasagne next time methinks!) Also quinoa cooked in veg stock, mixed up with grilled mediterranean veg, a spoonfull of vegan pesto and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes proved quick and very tasty and popular with my kids, so I will try that on their friends, who will no doubt poke at it suspiciously before tasting it, but probably like it once they give it a go! Also made a point of giving them some little tasters of vegan deserts and sweets (sweedish glace ice-cream soda, vegan jelly sweets, swizzed up frozen banana sprinkled with crushed ginger nut biscuits, vegan chocolate covered raisins and a dollop of alpro vanilla desert, so that they don't think 'deprivation' is an issue! - So long as they don't start expecting too many puddings and sweets! I have some redwood melty (soy based) f'eese to try making pizzas this weekend - my family's favourite pre-vegan treat was a pizza/movie night, so if I can perfect a replacement for that they'll be very happy!

    My (very omniverous) friend has also promised to try a couple of vegan recipes for when my kids go over to hers

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    Default Re: Non-soya based quick kids meals - to share with omni friends? (UK)

    Jane Sky,

    have you ever tried "vegan pigs in a blanket" ... some filled puff pastry things?
    I like to to these for my kids, I prepare different fillings - one tomato-based, one spinach/feta (the feta of course being tofu with spices) and so on... So if there are a number of different tastes, chances are good that everybody will find something.

    Also, when doing burgers, there's different fillings possible, some with fake meat, some with fake chicken and so on.

    Best regards,
    Andy

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