Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  Today I'm making black bean burgers for dinner with sides of kale in walnut sauce and sweet potato fries.  Simran was decidedly underwhelmed by last week's Catalan Polenta with Spinach and Butter Beans (something I thought she'd love), so I want to make some easy dishes I know she likes to avoid that happening again this week.  Here is what I have to use up from the refrigerator:  half a green bell pepper, a package of cubed extra-firm tofu, two beefsteak tomatoes (one of which I'll probably use on tonight's black bean burgers), a crown of broccoli, and a few corn tortillas.  I also want to clear out a lot of the freezer since it's pretty packed with frozen fruits and vegetables to the extent that I'm not even sure what all is in there.  I noticed we have at least a couple packages of corn and spinach and peas in there, so I'll aim to use up some of those.  Here is what I plan to make this week:

Chilaquiles Casserole
I don't think Simran has eaten this before.  I might replace some of the enchilada sauce with tomato sauce or a milder homemade enchilada sauce so it isn't too spicy.  It will use up the corn tortillas in the fridge and some of the corn in the freezer.

Thai Green Curry
This will use up the broccoli, the bell pepper, and the cubed tofu.  I already have Thai green curry paste and coconut milk on hand.

Spinach Lasagna
I don't think Simran has had this before either, but I think she'll like it.  It will use up the mozzarella and marinara in the fridge, a container of seitans and a bag of spinach from the freezer.  Sameer and I can also take this opportunity to eat the last of the garlic bread in the freezer, which should clear up a lot of space.  I'll come up with some sort of vegetable side dish to serve with it too.  Maybe something with carrots or something else orange since the lasagna already has a pound of spinach in it.  I'd like to try whipping together carrots and parsnips and see how that turns out. 

Spaghetti and Kale with Walnut Sauce

Tofu Scramble and Swiss Chard with Walnut Sauce (and maybe Trader Joe's French Toast from the freezer)

Black Bean Nacho Pizza and Kale with Walnut Sauce