Turkish food for vegetarian teenagers - finger licking success

This year Santa surprised me with a visit by my 13 year old niece from Sydney. I couldn't hold in my excitement. There was one thing i really needed to know though. She had become a vegetarian.

The stereotype of 13 year old girls can be a bit daunting and my mind began to wonder of what could go wrong. Thankfully, my 13 year old niece is a true delight.

13. Its a funny age really. No longer a kid, but not yet an adult. They no longer eat off the kids menu in a cafe but are not quite at the stage of decrypting cafe menus with fancy meal descriptions such as:
Turkish Anatolian Lamb: Succulent lamb, slow cooked for 16 hours, with char grilled vegetables, pearl cous cous and a fig and date jus.

So what do you cook for these "in between" teens with the added vegetarian twist. As all people including teens are different, let me share with you what this teen loved as the only thing she didnt want after her first day was the Special K cereal out of the box.

Breakfast: Home made jams with fresh fat free Turkish bread - Apple, pear and cinnamon jam was the favorite. So much so, I had to make a fresh batch and send her back to Sydney with a jar full to eat at home. She even requested the recipe to have her mum make it for her. My poor sis, I've created work for her.

Salads: Turkish Cokelek cheese salad. Cokelek is a salty cheese and I wasn't quite sure if she would like it. This salad was another she requested the recipe for so she could have her mum make it. :) One day at the supermarket we were thinking about dinner when she said to me, "can you make the salad you made 2 days ago".. Bingo! So we had Cokelek again that night and I had a satisfied teen.

Kisir - Turkish tabouli

Kisir - Turkish Tabouli. The kisir I make is my mother in laws recipe and is quite spicy. Its filled with pimento, all spice, isot (Turkish black pepper with kick) and turkish pepper paste which also has kick. I warned her it was spicy and if she didn't like it, I'd make her an omelet. I never made the omelet. :) Bingo again.

Lentil kofte & pomegranate salad

Borek: She ate a lot of borek. Feta and leek triangles, ricotta and spinach cigars and pumpkin and cinnamon rolls. Add salad and you have lunch or dinner. Also a great order when out in a cafe that is a healthier option than a burger and chips.


Kofte: We all think of kofte as meat. Try the red lentil version with a pomegranate and parsley salad... Lentils are a high source of protein for vegetarians and can often be used in place of meat. Its also a quick easy dish to make. Serve the kofte with a green salad for a healthy, quick and easy meal with a gourmet feel that will keep your whole family happy.


So next time your teen asks "whats for dinner?" try some of the Turkish recipes that were a hit with my niece.