Vegetarian Freezable Recipes?

[Nigel]

If you have any vegetarian freezable recipes, please share them here.

I have a list of things I can freeze, but no specific recipes for anything.

[Nigel]

Nobody freezes any recipes here?

[MargD]

On the contrary, I freeze everything. Well, I'm not sure I've every frozen anything with tofu (doesn't last long enough), but everything else. I can't recall it ever being a problem.

Maybe if you're more specific about what you want to freeze? I currently have a freezerful of recipes I've made from recipes on this website.

I believe Linda Sue always makes a note of whether something can be frozen.

[Nigel]

I guess mostly I was trying to get some more resonses on this forum.
It's been really slow lately and hopefully it will stay open.

I don't freeze many things as I haven't had a lot of luck with the taste of them when I thaw them and reheat them. Or maybe it's just me--I'm not liking the texture and taste of them after being frozen.

When I used to eat meat, I made lots of dishes that worked well frozen.

I tried freezing a vegetarian stir-fry and the veggies were all yuk when I thawed it out. Rice and noodles and beans seem to freeze just fine, but not veggies except for bell peppers and tomatoes, for me so far.

I tried freezing vegetarian lasagne and I just didn't like it after. The same with squash.

Any advice appreciated here. I don't have to freeze things, but it's nice to have something fast on "tired" nights.

I do freeze a lot of soups that seem to work fine.

[MargD]

I mainly freeze casserole-type stuff. For example, the White Castle Cheeseburger Pie on Linda Sue's site (made with MSF "beef", of course). I've also frozen some of the different lasagna recipes on the site (some vegetarian, some made with MSF "beef") that worked well. I also have some Sloppy Joe Casserole (a Pauline recipe in this area of the site) in the freezer right now. I can see where a stir fry might not freeze well and I'm not sure I've attempted anything like that.

Maybe I'm just not as picky about the texture and taste of defrosted food?

[Nigel]

lol, it's probably just me.

I made a great chili with boca crumbles and it was really good, but after I froze it, I didn't care for it at all. I don't know what went wrong wtih that cuz chili with beef in it freezes excellently. The faux meat should freeze as well, but I haven't tried freezing anything else with faux meat in a while.

I will probably experiment more this winter and post my results, good or not so good. Thanks for your input here.

[Madge17]

I freeze all kinds of foods and/or meals, but rarely casseroles! The exception would have been mostacholi or lasagna, and even then I always made a meat and meatless version. I don't make either now since I'm not eating noodles, and hubby much prefers pasta with meatballs to the other two. So I make and freeze his meatballs for his spaghetti meal, and I have Nate's frozen meatless-meatballs using only sauce and veggies for mine.

I prefer having individual foods frozen, and then pull out whatever I need when I'm ready to cook - or thaw and reheat if it's a previously cooked entree (which I like to do). Having a vacuum sealer helps a lot here.

Yesterday I made cream of cauliflower soup and I *want* to freeze some, but I have a feeling I will eat it all over the next couple days - it's quite satisfying and I'm enjoying it too much!

[MargD]

Originally Posted by Madge17

Yesterday I made cream of cauliflower soup and I *want* to freeze some, but I have a feeling I will eat it all over the next couple days - it's quite satisfying and I'm enjoying it too much!

Kind of OT, but I have been making a very high-fat broccoli/cauliflower soup and probably eating way too much of it. I did finally add a couple single servings to the freezer. I know exactly what you mean about enjoying too much.

I know lots of people on this site talk about appetite suppression and not wanting to eat, but I still look forward to eating my next meal shortly after my previous meal.

[wendysmiling]

The main thing I freeze is ripe banana chunks for ice cream. Just bananas and water in a food processor. Add carob or cocoa powder, no need for sweetner. Blend stawberries with it or blend berries and dater sryup, agave or honey together and have a fruit sauce.

! also make sherbet in the the food processor with frozen bag or strawberry/mango/pineapple/peach fruit mix and add fresh OJ or oj/pineapple to it.

You could propbably freeze any soups. I make butternut squash soup often.

[Madge17]

I know lots of people on this site talk about appetite suppression and not wanting to eat, but I still look forward to eating my next meal shortly after my previous meal

MargD - I'm a lot like you. The only time when my appetite was suppressed was when I became quite dehydrated this summer - and from what my Doc, said, that suppression was caused by the dehydration.

I never did freeze any of that cauliflower soup.

[Madge17]

Wendysmiling Hi,
I've recently started adding bananas back into my diet and have also been freezing them for some of my breakfast protein drinks. It works much like the frozen strawberries and I don't need to add the ice cubs now, which always slightly ruined my morning "soupy frozen custard". lol I prefer my protein drinks thick and eaten with a spoon - it's more satisfying and my breakfast lasts longer than way. If I drink it from a glass, it's like a beverage and not a meal, and soon I'm looking for something to eat. .

Has anyone tried "slightly" freezing protein drinks? I might try it and if so, I'll report back. It won't happen for the breakfast drink, but sometimes I make a protein blender drink to use as an ice cream substitute in the evening. That might be an excellent time to test.

[Madge17]

Nigel, where you freezing summer squash in your stir-fry? That freezes poorly, even after blanching and draining. It turns into a watery mush and collapses if used in layering (I tried it in lasagne - once). lol When I had a garden I used to freeze summer squash in slices to add to soups and tomato sauces. They were always too wet for stir frys (though I did use them that way too). Mushrooms can also get watery after thawing if you haven't cooked all the liquid from them.

If you are freezing recipes with sauces, anything made with flour will fair worse after thawing than something made with cornstarch or arrowroot, etc. I like to cook down my sauces to thicken them naturally when I can, they come out much better after freezing and thawing.

I made 2 meatloaves this weekend for family (slices freeze well). In all these years I have yet to find a veggieloaf recipe for myself. I used to purchase Amy's Organic Veggieloaf frozen dinners - really liked them too. If I could find a LC recipe that tasted like that veggie loaf did, I'd love to make and freeze slices for myself!

I tend to cook more in the winter months than the summer, so I'll experiment this winter. Everyone's tastes are different, so an actual recipe may be of little help, but I can test some basic combinations and see what comes out decent. Since most of the veggies I use are frozen, I'm not inclined to refreeze them in something after cooking, so this should prove to be interesting.

[BrusselsSprouts]

Good question, I just registered so I could join in Like MargD I never freeze tofu, it never lasts long enough here either. It also changes texture from freezing, the water in it crystallizes and it becomes open and spongey or honeycomb in structure. It's interesting for braising with a marinade.

I freeze an easy bean soup made in the slow cooker: aduki beans and some quinoa cooked with sautéed onions, carrots, and celery + veg bouillon with just enough water to make it a thick stew. I'm not positive it's really low-carb though. My toddlers and meat-eating husband will eat it, so it's a hit.

[BrusselsSprouts]

I just found this list with detailed instructions and shopping plan for vegetarian OAMC freezable menus to serve 10(!), but they would need adjusting for low carb. I'm soaking black soy beans for the black bean sloppy joes now, but will put in medium size TVP for part of the black beans and increase the seasoning to have more flavour.

[Mrs S]

I make homemade veggie burgers from ground nuts, cheese, eggs and other goodies and they freeze beautifully. If that's the kind of thing you're looking for, I'll be happy to post the recipe. The same recipe also makes meatless balls and meatless loaf.

[Nigel]

The recipe would be great. I have made a lot of different veggie burgers over the years, but I don't have a favorite one yet. I'd be happy to try yours.

Welcome to the club gals.

[MargD]

Originally Posted by Mrs S

I make homemade veggie burgers from ground nuts, cheese, eggs and other goodies and they freeze beautifully. If that's the kind of thing you're looking for, I'll be happy to post the recipe. The same recipe also makes meatless balls and meatless loaf.

I would love to see the recipe.

[MargD]

Originally Posted by BrusselsSprouts

I just found this list with detailed instructions and shopping plan for vegetarian OAMC freezable menus to serve 10(!), but they would need adjusting for low carb. I'm soaking black soy beans for the black bean sloppy joes now, but will put in medium size TVP for part of the black beans and increase the seasoning to have more flavour.

Thanks for posting this! I will check it out when I have more time.

[Sherril]

BrusselSprouts, where did you find dried black soybeans? I hate to buy food on-line so if it's available in a store, I live in a Los Angeles suburb so I might be able to find it.

[BrusselsSprouts]

Originally Posted by Sherril

BrusselSprouts, where did you find dried black soybeans? I hate to buy food on-line so if it's available in a store, I live in a Los Angeles suburb so I might be able to find it.

Sherrill, I found them over here in Brussels... and I know you from cyberspace, we've visited one another's blogs! FWIW my local Asian/Chinese grocer sells them. It seems like you should be able to find them in LoCal. They're popular in Taiwan too so if you know a store that specializes in Taiwanese ingredients that could work. They're used there to make black soy milk that's so popular it's sold in convenience stores in single drink sizes.

[BrusselsSprouts]

I made this lentil loaf last week and froze half. It has a certain amount of brown rice in it and some ketchup too so I'm not sure it qualifies as low carb. DH said it was 'too spicy' (!) because I ran out of regular ketchup and used his bottle of spicy ketchup for the remaining 2T. Nuts! But it froze and reheated beautifully. I have two toddlers who need carbohydrates so regular non-low-carb food is fine for them.

DH wanted to try the high carb whole wheat couscous stuffed paprikas that I made but he didn't, I ended up eating them :-S

I made Tuscan white bean salad too which is billed as a replacement for a side of potato or rice. It was fine, nothing sensational, but it froze and reheated well too and was serviceable in my lunch box. The thing it wasn't is Asian food, which I'm a huge fan of but the rest of my family is not. I'm doing the OAMC recipes for them so I'm trying out Western foods.

I'm putting together mini chick'n pot pies adapting this recipe with small TVP pieces. I used a homemade whole wheat baking mix recipe and with the total amount of flour it's carb conscious and pot pies are kid-friendly but I think DH will not like it. Alas! But he liked the split pea soup I made with navy beans to give it something that smoked ham usually does and he gave it the thumbs-up. The last 1.5 cups are in my fridge ready to freeze.

What is everyone else cooking? Any luck with family-friendly low carb recipes? For my children I'd add brown rice or pasta

Do any of you really set aside one whole day to cook? I've been trying freezer cooking for a few weeks now and just cook in bulk at the weekends. I try to make a second freezeable serving to rotate back within two weeks so we cook most nights but not every night. Maybe when I get a repertoire of recipes that freeze well and suit everyone I will be more ambitious.

[Nigel]

Well, when I wasn't vegetarian, I made and froze lots of meat dishes ahead of time. Truthfully, these days, when I cook something, I try to cook just enough for one or two meals and then skip a day to eat the second meal it made.

I haven't had a lot of luck freezing things already prepared. It could just be my taste buds though--I don't like things when the texture changes.

I do freeze beans and fresh tomatoes (to use for cooking later) and I've successfully frozen brown rice and a few other things and fruits, but when it comes to casseroles and things like that, they just don't seem to taste very good when I heat them back up, so I quit doing that for now.

My wife is not vegetarian, but she will eat some things and we don't have any kids except the 4-legged kind and believe it or not, they love the vegetarian foods. They even eat fruit and olives and pickles. My dogs have strange taste buds. The one little dog will eat anything. The boy dog will eat anything except ketchup, but if it's on a veggie burger, he will even eat that too!. Funny.

[Sherril]

Hey BrusselsSprouts, nice to see you here.

[BrusselsSprouts]

Yes Sherrill, you too! Your veg low carb diet intrigued me and you sure had awesome results. I'm just delighted to see you here. Ready to tell us your secret?

Nigel, dogs are good about eating everything. They are scavengers and are generally open to trying. I also have cooked enough for two meals and refrigerated or frozen the rest to eat a couple of days later rather than a lot longer. And indeed you have a good point that reheated frozen food sometimes has a texture that is less palatable, but I'm doing this mainly to support my husband when he has to serve dinner to the kids on my long working days, or to ensure that I eat reasonably well packed lunches and dinners at work (I work 12 hours at a time).

How about frozen soups? Soups are supposed to be great for dieters too.

I kind of like freezer cooking because I can cook whatever comes to mind, whenever; as long as it freezes well--rather than in countdown mode to serve a cohesive meal. I'm making French onion soup today (to freeze) and a Korean dish to eat right away.

Who else is freezer cooking, and what are you making?

[BrusselsSprouts]

Originally Posted by Sherril

BrusselSprouts, where did you find dried black soybeans? I hate to buy food on-line so if it's available in a store, I live in a Los Angeles suburb so I might be able to find it.

I found this recommending to go to the Santa Monica farmer's market for fresh black soybeans, but I use dried--much cheaper. Amazon (NAYY) sells an organic dried version, but I bought 1lb for under $2 because I bought the regular pesticide version from an Asian shop.