My grandfather might be suffering from dementia, and forgets to cook for himself. Looking for decent vegetarian/vegan recipes that he could easily microwave. He's an old school quebecois, recently gone off meats and isn't a fan of spicy foods. It'd be greatly appreciated if you folks could give me some ideas.

  • Phillipkdink [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    If he's Quebecois make him big batches of split pea soup.

    My mom went through this and that's what I'd do every week, drop off a bunch of single-serving Tupperwares in the freezer she could just nuke.

    Very cheap to make. Extra oil in there to make sure he's getting the calories. Split peas are one of the most protein-dense legumes you could live off hearty split pea soup.

    Ask me if you want a more specific recipe.

      • machiabelly [she/her]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Just season it extra to compensate for the salt being lost. If you really want to you could add some "meaty" vegetables, sauted mushrooms, whatevs. Also plenty of olive oil to replace the fat.

      • DirtbagVegan [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Smoked paprika adds a nice Smokey bite, and just add a little extra oil to compensate for the lack of fat. If you have the extra money, some veggie bacon can be good here.

      • crime [she/her, any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        MSG, butter or cream, smoked paprika, and a splash of apple cider vinegar

    • JoesFrackinJack [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Yeah good recommendation, I was going to say that there is quite a few great vegan/vegetarian Indian foods. You can use chickpeas or potatoes or even tofu for a protein and it will taste just as good as anything.

      Also @PaulSmackage fried eggplant or squash can be solid to add if you get tired of the other 3 I listed for most things and it will turn out good

  • Nagarjuna [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Black beans with

    -fresh (!) garlic, chile powder (not the hot stuff, the stuff you can get in a jar at krogers), red wine vinegar, margerin, a tiny bit of cumin, salt, pepper, and Oregano

    Served over brown rice or in a whole wheat tortilla.

    • JoesFrackinJack [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      One of my favorites! I think you and I have had this conversation before lol but loaded black beans like that is one of my comfort foods. I'd also recommend topping it with some pico de gallo too sometimes.

  • Weedian [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    veggie fried rice. easy to make lots at a time and pack into individual meals

  • crime [she/her, any]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    Ratatouille is pretty easy, just baked eggplant and summer vegetables with some spices

    Eggplant parm too

    Quiche is easy and you can skip the crust to make it easier

    Tortilla de España is just eggs and potatoes and onions, also p good

    Split pea soup

    Some Ethiopian recipes like gomen .

    Jamaican cabbage is delicious too

    Shakshuka but you'll need to adjust the spice (still good tho)

    Baked potato soup. Really all soups

  • an_engel_on_earth [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    ive been enjoying making squash fritters. Grate a medium sized squash or zucchini, add two eggs and about four or five tablespoons of flour, mix until you get a somewhat doughy consistency and then put the blobs onto a sheet and into the oven at 200 C for about 15 mins. You could also grate in some potatoes if you wish

    • PaulSmackage [he/him, comrade/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      I'm not exactly sure anymore. All i know is that he mostly eats french fries because he knows theres no meat in them, which is what got me to start thinking of meals to prep for him.

      • SolidaritySplodarity [they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I would guess that means he ate a lot of meat.

        You might have success with some vegan meat substitutes, in that case. Some are expensive while others aren't. Soy curls soaked in broth are a good chicken substitute, could be made into pot pies. And they're cheap. Beyond/impossible meat can be the same price as ground beef and substituted for it perfectly. Meat pies, cottage pie, burgers, meatloaf, etc. A side of veggies to have some balance. If you want to make life easy on yourself at some point, there are "chik'n" tenders and similar and if you get a big bag they can be very cheap. Combine that with a starch and vegetables and you've got basically what a lot of North Americans eat on a regular basis.

        Some ideas outside of the meat-starch-veg paradigm:

        • Chili

        • Mild Indian food, like a mild versions of dal makhani or dal tadka or channa masala. Add a spinach dish and rice.

        • Burritos / tacos

        • Breakfast sandwiches

        • Stir fry (mild). A big batch of fried rice or fried noodles with veggies. Soy curls will also be good here.

        • Most Italian foods. Pasta, casserole-style dishes, soups.

        • Frijoles negros. The Cuban style is not spicy.

  • DirtbagVegan [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Any pasta dish with some veggies added to the sauce will reheat well.

    Soups always scale well so you can make a big pot and portion it out. Minestrone is healthy with a lot of nutritional value.

    Ratatouille sounds great for an old school French-ish guy.

    If you want to do meal prep style, any cooked grain with some roasted squash or root vegetable and some greens is never a bad way to go. I do stuff like that all the time and dress it up with some nuts and a salad type dressing.