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My teen-aged daughter is vegetarian and while I am not, we are the only two in the house and I just find it easier to cook with her in mind (doesn't bother me not to eat meat, I just don't care. If anything, I like that my grocery bill is low because I don't buy it, haha).
Anyway, with the current pandemic and runs on the stores, I am finding it hard to follow recipes. I will make a list, go to the store, and I won't be able to get everything. So I've kind of fallen into "easy to substitute" recipes. For example, a good one is make your own personal pizza night... all I need are crusts but I can substitute bagels. Then we can put any toppings we might have or things I might find at the store. No cheese? We made vegan pizzas. No pizza sauce? We used pesto one time (that was really good).
We have recipes that we like and are out main staples, but sometimes it can be hard to find all the ingredients. For example bean burritos are a favorite, but one week there were no onions or peppers. Then the next week there were, but there were not burrito shells. I finally was able to get everything last week for that recipe. But last week there was no pasta at all to make squash stuffed shells. The week before that there was pasta, but no eggs. I never know what I am going to walk into and I am trying to limit my grocery shopping to one day a week. So I am trying to come up with some flexible ideas like those pizzas.
I have recipe books that I usually use in normal times, but even then there were always a few ingredients I just couldn't find. So the books are pretty much useless. I need simple recipes with few ingredients that we can switch out. Right now, sometimes finding basics can be an issue let alone more complex recipes. And it's never the same thing each time I go to the store.
Anyone have any ideas for simple recipes where it's easy to make substitutions?
Last edited by WalkingLiberty1919D; 03-29-2020 at 11:20 AM..
It sounds like you live in an area where even in normal times, your grocery selection is rather limited. I don't have specific recipe suggestions, but if I were you, I'd make it a point to buy nonperishable items when I saw them, even if I didn't plan to use them that week. I am not advocating hoarding or stockpiling, but if you see pasta shells where there previously were none, buy a box. If you see tortillas, buy a package and put it in the freezer for another time. Just keep one of each nonperishable thing on hand all the time. For pizza crust, why not look up a simple recipe (most use nothing but flour, oil, salt & water) so you never have to worry about not finding any.
We do have so much in common! I guess your daughter is around more since I assume band practice has been canceled.
For the base of the personal pizza, you can also use English Muffins (in fact English Muffin pizza was a staple recipe even before all of this) or Italian bread.
How about some sort of stuffed vegetable? For example, stuffed peppers, or mushrooms or cabbage? For the cabbage you'd need to blanch the leaves first. Vegetarian fillings could consist of some combination of rice or bread crumbs or orzo or couscous or quinoa. Use some sort of tomato sauce or tomato paste or a jar of spaghetti sauce or pesto. Add chopped onions or olives or carrots or celery or kale or mushrooms or any other vegetable that you can conjure that you think will combine with whatever you have on hand. You can prepare this either in your oven, stove top in a large pot, or an instant pot if you have one of those.
I make stuffed peppers fairly regularly. I used to cut off the tops of the pepper and then stuff them and cook them on the stove. I found an easier recipe where you cut the peppers in half and only fill each half. Then put them in the oven for 350-375 using some of the suggested fillings and tomato paste added on the top. I think I got this recipe from some weight watchers book a long time ago. My mother used to use tomato juice (while dieting) as a substitute for tomato sauce and mix it in with chopped meat.
Sorry for the poorly written post. I am rushing while writing this.
Yep, no band. And her big summer concert tour was cancelled.
Believe it or not, pizza crusts are easy to find. Tortilla's are hit and miss. I could make my own pizza crust I suppose. But I rather save my flour for other things (flour is hard to find right now too).
I've started doing what was suggested and buying things for my regular recipes if I see them. Eventually I will collected all the pieces to build a meal. haha. Don't get me wrong, we are eating. Sometimes I come up with weird combinations though. Tonight we are having vegetarian sloppy joes and hash browns (because they are the closest thing to tater tots I could find). Personally, that meal isn't one of my favorites, but my daughter loves it and it's comfort food for her. I'm making vegetarian chili later this week (she doesn't care for it, but I do since it's actually home made). There is give and take.
I forgot about stuffed cabbage! I haven't made that in years. I used to make it with meat, so I will have to use couscous (I have that right now). Thanks!
maybe not telling you anything you don't already know but they make a sort of crumbled 'hamburger' out of soy and veggie stuff. It's in the frozen section in a bag-just pour out what you want. A little salty for my taste but most things are.
and you can also buy frozen chopped onion. Not a 1st choice but they'll do in a pinch.
Now that I think about it, you might want to check the frozen veggie section. They have all kinds of mixtures you might be able to use.
Stir dry whatever vegetables you can find with some sort of canned or dried bean and rice/couscous/quinoa.
Make a layered casserole in the general style of shepherd's/cottage pie. The "meat" can be any sort of bean or lentil or crumbled soy / faux meat. For the vegetable layer, there are tons of options - frozen peas or mixed veg, canned corn or french-cut green beans, leftovers from the stir-fry, etc.... Top with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes or cauliflower, or the tater tots if you find those. If not using creamed corn, you'll want to add some sort of sauce. I like salsa, or you could do spaghetti sauce or a simple roux or vegetarian gravy or vegetarian worcestershire or barbecue sauce or peanut sauce or cream of ___ soup - just something to add flavor and keep it from completely crumbling apart when served.
Soup. You can substitute anything and everything in a soup recipe.
Tacos. If you can't find hard shells, get tortillas or lettuce. If you can't get black beans, use pintos or Beyond. No onions? Oh well, include peppers and tomatoes with taco sauce or salsa.
It sounds like you're trying to adhere strictly to exact recipes and struggling to adapt while at the store. Look at a recipe with your daughter, before going, and jot down at least one substitute for each major ingredient on the shopping list. For example, an item on the list might be "oats (or flax/wheat bran/almond meal)". It's okay to experiment a little and use the recipe as a jumping off point rather than a precise prescription!
Italian "frittata" or Spanish "tortilla" is a versatile recipe for vegetarians. Depending on what you have on hand, you could use cubed potatoes, spaghetti squash, red bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, spinach, onions, etc. I use my Le Crueset cast iron au gratin pan on the stovetop to wilt the veggies in butter, then pour whisked eggs/milk with S/P over the top, sprinkle with grated cheese (gruyere, sharp cheddar, asiago, emmentaler, havarti, etc.) and finish baking in the oven. This keeps really well in the fridge too, just cover with Saran Wrap. I love to accent the flavor of this dish with herbs, like chopped fresh dill or chives. Because you can use a variety of combinations of vegetables and/or starches, the recipe can be different each time you make it.
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