Trending Vegetarian Meals For Spring 2020

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So maybe you are a vegetarian already, perhaps your curious or just want to try something new. These are some of my favourite easy vegetarian meals for you to cook at home and enjoy. They are cheap, healthy and most of them, even the kids can chow down on. Use these ideas to cook up your own meal prep or plans for the week and save time.

My kids really love the one pot, crock pot recipes that I usually batch cook for the week and freeze. I will include one of their favourites in this recipes and meal list.

Spicy Scrambled egg & feta hash

This fresh, flavoursome breakfast beauty is low in carbohydrates, high in protein and super easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 90g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 60g Feta cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp chopped chives
  • 110g spinach
  • Pinch of Chilli Flakes if you can handle it…

Method

  1. Using non-stick heat the oil on a medium heat. Add your tomatoes, spring onions and cook gently for 4 mins until softened.
  2. Add the feta and cook for around 1min to warm through. Then pour in eggs and chives beaten together. Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and keep stirring until scrambled. Chuck a handful of washed spinach on a plate and top with the eggs. Serve and enjoy!

Brilliant Bulgur & quinoa lunch bowls

These grain bowls are amazing for vegetarian meal prep. You can use one base and two deliciously varied toppings. You could have avocado, olives and rocket or chickpeas, beetroot and orange. but to be honest once you have the base you could add what ever you want.

Ingredients

For the bulgur base

  • 1 large onion, as finely chopped as you can
  • 150g bulgur and quinoa this comes ready mixed or you can do yourself
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 vegetable stock cube

The avocado topping

  • 1 avocado halved, remove the stone and chop
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 6 Kalamata olives or similar, halved
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp cider vinegar
  • 2 big handfuls of rocket or your choice of salad

The Beetroot topping

  • 210g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 160g cooked beetroot, diced and sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 6 pinches of ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 orange, cut into segments
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted

Method

  1. Tip the onion and bulgur mix into a pan, pour over 600ml water and stir in the thyme and stock. Cook, with lid on, over a low heat for 16 mins, then leave to stand for 10 mins. All the liquid should now be absorbed. When cool, remove the thyme and divide the bulgur between four bowls or prep containers.
  2. For the avocado topping, chuck all the ingredients together keeping the rocket to one side. Stack on top of two portions of the bulgur adding the rocket.
  3. For the beetroot topping, first stck the chickpeas on top, then mix the beetroot with the tomato, mint, cumin, a pinch of cinnamon, the oil and vinegar. Toss well, add the orange, stack on top of the remaining portions of bulgur, scatter the pine nuts and sprinkle with extra cinnamon. Keep in the fridge until your hungry.
  4. I like to add chilli, hummus and/or taziki to mine for a little extra flavour and punch

Garlic Mushroom fajitas with avocado hummus

Get four of your 5-a-day in one hit thanks to these tortilla wraps with spicy mushrooms, avocado hummus and grilled onions

Ingredients

  • 1 large avocado, de-stoned, peeled and chopped
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 red onion, cut into thick rounds
  • 2 large flat mushrooms thickly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp fajita spice mix
  • 4 tortillas
  • Shredded Little Gem lettuce and Tabasco sauce

Method

  1. Put the avocado, chickpeas, garlic, lemon zest and juice in a blender and blend together until it forms a chunky consistency. transfer into a bowl, season and add in the tomatoes.
  2. Drizzle the onion and mushroom with the oil adding one clove of crushed garlic and sprinkle over the fajita seasoning. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the onion for 2-3 mins each side, remove from the pan and keep warm. Now cook the mushrooms for 2-3 mins on each side until softened and turning golden in places.
  3. Spread the avocado hummus down the middle of each wrap, topping with the mushrooms and onions. Add shredded lettuce and a dash of Tabasco, if you can handle it, and get wrapping.

Vegetarian Pumpkin Soup

If comfort is what you want then this little number, simple and easy pumpkin soup as a starter or supper when you want to just curl up and Netflix – With a beautiful silky texture.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 2 onions chopped as finely as you can
  • 1 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1tsp ground Turmeric
  • 1kg pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 700ml vegetable stock
  • 150ml double cream

For the croutons

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices bakery bread, crusts removed
  • handful pumpkin seeds

Method

  1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, then slow cook 2 finely chopped onions for 6 mins, until soft and transparent.
  2. Add the pumpkin or squash, to the pan, then carry on cooking for 9-12 mins, stirring a little until it starts to soften and turn golden. Try roasting the pumpkin before adding it for extra flavour
  3. Pour the 700ml vegetable stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper, 1tsp turmeric and 1tsp cumin. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 mins until the squash is nice and soft.
  4. Pour 150ml double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For extra-velvety consistency you can pour the soup through a sieve. You can freeze this soup for up to 2 months!
  5. For making the croutons: cut 4 slices your bread into small squares.
  6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, fry the bread until it starts to become golden and crisp.
  7. Add the pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until toasted. These can be eaten seperatley as a snack too. Why not make extra and keep in an airtight container.
  8. Reheat the soup or serve straight off the heat, taste for seasoning.
  9. Serve with a scattering of croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil. Enjoy!

Banging Banana Bread

A cross between banana bread and edible rainbows, this easy banging, banana bread recipe is a quick bake that will blow your tastebuds up. It can be frozen, if there is any left, plus it uses up overripe bananas.

Ingredients

  • 140g butter, softened, plus some for greasing the tin
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 140g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bakingpowder
  • 2 nice and ripe bananas, mashed
  • 50g icing sugar
  • handful dried banana chips

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
  2. Butter a 2lb Bread Loaf Tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
  3. Cream together 140g softened butter and 140g caster sugar until light and fluffy, slowly add 2 beaten large eggs with a small amount of the 140g flour. 
  4. Fold in remaining flour, 1 tsp baking powder and the 2 mashed bananas.
  5. Pour into the tin and bake for about 30 mins until a butter knife comes out clean.
  6. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove to a wire rack.
  7. Mix the 50g icing sugar and 2-3 tsp of water to make a runny icing. 
  8. Pour the icing across the top of the cake and decorate with banana chips.

I hope you have been inspired to get in the kitchen and go and cook some of these delicious meals. You never know you may love them. If you are interested in sports and health nutrition you should check out my Home Cooked Sports Nutrition blog. I have advice on how to make money from home and become financially independent even in the lockdown here.