Need a good vegetarian cookbook

[siouxi31]

I'm looking for suggestions on a good vegetarian cookbook. My 10 year old hasn't eaten meat since last summer and I'm failing at providing her with balanced meals so that she gets enough protein, iron, and fiber.
We've made some sloppy joes and tacos from meatless crumbles but I need some other ideas that are appealing to a 10 year old.

 

[Laura]

I became a vegetarian as an adult, so I have little knowledge of how to apply it to a child's diet. I looked on Amazon and found these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1550749773/102-4263658-2590523?v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...3658-2590523?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

Other online help:
http://www.vrg.org/
http://www.vegforlife.org/kids.htm

 

[siouxi31]

I became a vegetarian as an adult, so I have little knowledge of how to apply it to a child's diet. I looked on Amazon and found these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1550749773/102-4263658-2590523?v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...3658-2590523?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

Other online help:
http://www.vrg.org/
http://www.vegforlife.org/kids.htm

Thank you! I love these suggestions and will look for them today at the book store.

 

[BelleMcNally]

In college, I had one called "The Starving Student's Guide To Vegetarian Cooking", or something like that. Nothing fancy, but very good. Also, pretty easy on the wallet.

 

[siouxi31]

The biggest problem I have is that by her being a vegetarian doesn't mean that she's eating healthy. She'd rather eat a box of cookies than something balanced and her choice to eat mean doesn't fit with the rest of the family. It's not like we make dinner every night either which makes her situation worse. I'm vowing to put some real effort into making real meals to get her on the right track. I think that I need to look into a good multivitamin with some iron in it too.

 

[caitycaity]

i really like the moosewood cookbook.

 

[BelleMcNally]

i really like the moosewood cookbook.

Those are my favorites too--but some of the recipes might be too exotic for a 10 year-old...although, when I was that age, I loved to try new things, so...I guess it depends on the child!

 

[hucifer]

My absolute favorite cookbook is actually vegan:

McDougall Cookbook

But these are simple and fast recipes for after-work meals. I grab this cookbook more often than all my other vegetarian cookbooks combined. See? The dancing banana should give you a clue just how great this cookbook is.

The multivitamin is a good idea to help supplement her diet. Heck, it's good for the whole family.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

What kind of food do you normally like to eat as a family? Maybe we could also help suggest ways to help incorporate something vegie into the meal for her.

IE, if you like to eat tacos or burritos, heat up a can of vegetarian refried beans and she can use those in her tacos//burritos. You can make a marinara sauce either in place of or in addition to meat sauce for pasta.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I just bought Moosewoods Simple Suppers - haven't tried any yet, but the recipes look good.

Has anyone ever tried Rachael Rays 30 minute Veggie Meals? I have been wondering about that one?

I have a DD8 and have been looking for more recipes to add to ours....

 

[toystory1130]

I have a DS 11 who's also a veg'. Just a tip here.. we looked awhile back for a good multi and found most if not all at regular stores contain gelatin. I'm not sure if that would be a problem with your's but mine knows what it is and won't touch it. We buy him MulitBite plus minerals and calcium at GNC, they have grape & orange, I think they were $4-5 for 30 count and they are completely vegetarian. Good Luck!

 

[Melissa M]

I like "How it all Vegan" and "The Garden of Vegan". I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian -- not vegan, however the recipes in these books are wonderful!

 

[liamsaunt]

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison is a terrific vegetarian book. I would highly recommend it.

 

[Barb D]

I made DD12 responsible for her own meals when she became a veg at 10. She does eat eggs and cheese, so that helps a lot. She buys some frozen soy stuff (Gardenburger type things, too.) She grocery shops with me, and always throws a bunch of stuff in the cart.

She just had her iron level tested, BTW, and it was fine.

Her pediatrician suggested Wheaties and whole grain Cheerios as good breakfast cereals for vegetarians.

 

[barkley]

do a google search for the "abc" (adventist book center)-they do on-line orders for books. seventh day adventists have practiced vegetarianism for decades and have massive resources for vegetarian cooking, with books geared spec. to the nutritional needs of kids.

the "mcdougal" book mentioned in an earlier post is more difficult than i would be willing to start with-doctor mcdougal supports a much more strict (beyond vegan) lifestyle than the average (to follow his dietary tenants you would have to literatly toss out much of what is in the average pantry and fridge and start over with his chosen products-great products on regular supermarket shelves, but not nesc. the norm for most people to buy) without sugars and a lot of by products. it's a great book and works realy well as a diet-but most find it hard to adhere to (it's based on the eating program dr. mcdougal developed and uses at our local seventh day adventist hospital).

a couple of great (and easy) vegan books i have are the "apple a day" (lots of traditional dishes with good nutritional information). a good general book on how to implement and support a vegan diet is "being vegetarian for dummies" (it gives good advice on how to structure meals and what pitfalls to aviod).

dh grew up vegan (his family's seventh day adventist) and the one thing i've learned/observed in being married "into" a largly vegan family-you have to watch the fat/calorie content on the meat substitutes, and use moderation with the dairy products (if you're going to include them in the vegan diet)-a poorly administered vegan diet can be very unhealthy and result in high cholesterol and the associated problems it brings with it. when dd expressed interest in being vegan we spoke with her pediatrician who made it very clear to her that she had to eat the right combinations of foods and could not pick and choose or she would'nt meet her nutritional needs (we know far too many "vegan" kids who eat ONLY bean burrittos and the fruits and veggies they like-they don't come close to having a healthy balanced diet). needless to say dd was'nt vegan for very long (she found she had less control over her food choices than before ). she will be going back to summer camp this year though-and since they do a purely vegan menu she may after 2 weeks of eating that way decide to give it another go (in which case i'll be stocking up on morningstar farms vegan products again!).

good luck!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

www.vegweb.com has great recipes submitted by users...it's a pretty slick site, and you can look based on what ingredients you already know she likes & find recipes including them.

As some people have mentioned already, packaged "fake meats" might be an option if she likes them---I hate them because some are so meat-like, my sister loves them because becoming vegetarian was more of an animal-rights-motivated sacrifice for her---she kind of liked the taste of meat. The bacon is so meat-like that our cat can't tell the difference!
Flavored tofus are also nice for a slab of protein---although maybe a little adult. I forget the brand, but we like the Oriental flavor with stir fry. YUM!