Well. the youngest managed to chop his own onion, along with three other children who also had truly appalling mothers who had not pre-cut theirs either. Apparently some people were crying. He also (hopefully) managed to deal with raw chicken without mishap and the non-vegetarians ate what he made and said (mostly) complimentary things, although I did give them quite a long talking to last week about being nice, so it might have been partly leftover from that.
You will see I have a cookery book in my pile of library books. This is in the vague hope that it will inspire me to make something (a) new and (b) nice. I really struggle with cooking these days to be honest. I used to make all sorts of delicious vegan things back in the day, but now I make the same stuff all the time and none of it is really inspiring.
Part of it is I have lost my appetite a bit and I just don't fancy many things. Part of it is the reaction of the youngest two to anything new or unusual or not from the prescribed list of Things I Will Eat. The middle child has perfected the art of saying, 'Is that [insert ingredient here]?' in a flat and doomstricken monotone, much as if one were saying, 'So that's it then, the apocalypse is here.' I sometimes think how easy it would be if I could just pour out a bowl of kibble, like I do for the dog.
Anyway, I am relying on Meera Sodha to pull me out of my culinary slump. The biggest boy, who is a vegan, is no trouble at all and will eat anything meat and dairy-free, so I might just make vegan stuff and the others can eat it or not and I shall ignore them entirely. First up, I am thinking tempeh with pak choi and tomato sambal. I absolutely love tempeh and pak choi is pretty good too. And maybe mashed potato paratha with a quick lemon pickle. Although there might be a risk of people asking what's next after that one. They do like it to look like a proper all singing all dancing meal.
One thing I would say about lots of vegan and vegetarian recipe books at the moment is that they are low in protein. Fine for most people, but the biggest boy is a bit of a weight lifter and will be asking where it is if it isn't obviously a substantial part of the meal.
If you have any winning recipes that Everyone Will Eat, I would be glad to hear of them. xx
Oh no the pitfalls of feeding teenagers. Mine would become mutinous if an aubergine appeared. According to my eldest it’s a ‘dishonest’ vegetable. Glad the school cooking session went ok. Good luck with the cookbook :) B x
ReplyDeletePleased to hear the youngest survived the Great Onion Scandal of 2021! Dissatisfaction with cooking has been strong over here too and we limped through September on pasta salads. Fed up of the usual rotation of stuff but also lacked the energy to try something new. Sodha is a good shout - I like her recipes a lot.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear the successful outcome of surviving youngster! Strong recollection of internal heart sink at thought of what to make each mealtime!! I resorted to a timetable of agreed meals everyone would like and then they all had had their chance to contribute leaving me choices to do when I was on automatic pilot (most of the time!). My vegan/vegetarians seem to tolerate, dare I say enjoy, Lentil and Buckwheat Bake (Cranks recipe) and the good old festive nut roast brings a smile. Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I could cope with vegan cooking. We have a niece and husband who are vegan, lots of vegetarians in the family but none who require me to cook for them on a regular basis! TG!
ReplyDeletePasta, pasta and more pasta was went down well when they were teenagers. Admittedly it's what I still tend to cook when they come round now in their 30s as the 2 small grandsons adore it and you can have lots of options to go with it.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that when they got too shirty about what we were making I told them it was their turn to cook one night and I'd complain. And yes I did make them cook....
My Boys aged now 32 to 42 still moan if I dare put mushrooms in anything. Whimps!
ReplyDeleteOh look at "Pick up Limes" their recipes are just amazing, beautiful and sooo good , vegetarian, many vegan, often eastern inspired, (and I make them also for non-vegetarian and they love them)
ReplyDeleteHilarious post. Ooh, I have the 'East' book and love it. Great recipes and there's a fantastic photo in one of her books - it might be East - of her bookshelves; I could stare at it for ages! I hear rumour of some very successful vegan weightlifters - maybe try Googling a few before you present supper! :O) xx
ReplyDeletehttps://www.floatingkitchen.net/roasted-cauliflower-and-chickpea-soup/
ReplyDeleteTry this soup!