Crudites and Pumpernickel Bread with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.
Gardein Vegetarian Turk'y Cutlets
Boxed Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Candied Pears
Yule Log Cake
with Cinnamon Icing Filling
Gingerbread House
Simran has been asking for a gingerbread house she can eat, so we're making one from scratch. It might not hold up that well with basic buttercream frosting, but at least it'll be fresh.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Meal Planning
Last week of school before winter break. Here is what I have that needs to be used up: a whole container of idli after I've finished off the sambar (I should probably cut the idli recipe in half next time), half a pint of grape tomatoes, a couple pounds of russet potatoes (still can't remember why Sameer asked me to buy them), celery, about half a cup of queso dip we made last night, half a can of black beans, an open jar of marinara and an open jar of pizza sauce in the fridge, fresh asparagus, fresh shaved brussels sprouts, a few tiny slices of pumpernickel bread, about half a container of vegan (plain, unsweetened) almond yogurt, and a couple open jars each of capers and kalamata olives (the fridge it too full when such things can effectively hide in the back until I open another jar). Here is what I'm planning to make:
Tonight we'll have random leftovers. We should be able to finish off the queso dip and black beans. There are also several Morningstar buffalo wings wrapped in foil in the fridge we can eat tonight. I'll probably steam the asparagus this afternoon to eat chilled for the next couple days. We still have lemon-caper mayo in the fridge, but I should be able to finish it off this week with the new bunch of asparagus.
Sambar
I'm going to make another pot of sambar to eat for lunches with the leftover idli and vegan yogurt. It'll use up another container of frozen diced bell pepper, a couple potatoes, the remainder of the onion in the fridge, and a stalk of the celery. I don't think I'll need to buy anything to make this. Maybe I'll do it today after using the big pot to steam the asparagus so I only have to wash it all once. I can also dump my all the cilantro currently in my vegetable crisper into the finished soup.
Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani and Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan
I bought paneer at Patel Bros. last week, and I have prepared garlic naan in the freezer and basmati rice in the pantry. I'll have to see what I need to buy for the dal makhani, but I should have most things on hand.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies
I'm hoping this will use up some of the kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and vegan pesto in the fridge. It's also easy to serve with soup or random sides. I just need to buy a baguette, zucchini, tomato, and red bell pepper. That'll be most of my grocery list for the week.
Tofu Pot Pie
I keep putting this off because it involves making and rolling out the pie dough, but it'll use up a couple different ingredients.
We're going out for Middle Eastern food on Friday night.
Spaghetti & Meatless Balls and Veggie Sides
This should use up the open jars of marinara and pizza sauce in the fridge, as well as the small amount of tomato sauce that will be leftover from the dal makhani. It should be an easy Saturday night dinner after our afternoon at the theater.
Tonight we'll have random leftovers. We should be able to finish off the queso dip and black beans. There are also several Morningstar buffalo wings wrapped in foil in the fridge we can eat tonight. I'll probably steam the asparagus this afternoon to eat chilled for the next couple days. We still have lemon-caper mayo in the fridge, but I should be able to finish it off this week with the new bunch of asparagus.
Sambar
I'm going to make another pot of sambar to eat for lunches with the leftover idli and vegan yogurt. It'll use up another container of frozen diced bell pepper, a couple potatoes, the remainder of the onion in the fridge, and a stalk of the celery. I don't think I'll need to buy anything to make this. Maybe I'll do it today after using the big pot to steam the asparagus so I only have to wash it all once. I can also dump my all the cilantro currently in my vegetable crisper into the finished soup.
Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani and Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan
I bought paneer at Patel Bros. last week, and I have prepared garlic naan in the freezer and basmati rice in the pantry. I'll have to see what I need to buy for the dal makhani, but I should have most things on hand.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies
I'm hoping this will use up some of the kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and vegan pesto in the fridge. It's also easy to serve with soup or random sides. I just need to buy a baguette, zucchini, tomato, and red bell pepper. That'll be most of my grocery list for the week.
Tofu Pot Pie
I keep putting this off because it involves making and rolling out the pie dough, but it'll use up a couple different ingredients.
We're going out for Middle Eastern food on Friday night.
Spaghetti & Meatless Balls and Veggie Sides
This should use up the open jars of marinara and pizza sauce in the fridge, as well as the small amount of tomato sauce that will be leftover from the dal makhani. It should be an easy Saturday night dinner after our afternoon at the theater.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Meal Planning
It's Tuesday. I made the veggie tacos last night and finished off the broccoli sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and most of the mushroom in a salad for lunch. We still have a fair amount of bread (mostly the pumpernickel), so I think I might pick up some more tomatoes, lettuce, and vegetarian turkey slices and Simran and I can have club sandwiches for dinner (we already have Vegannaise and a couple varieties of veggie bacon) alongside the last of the asparagus I just steamed yesterday. Here is the rest of the meal plan for the week:
Idli-Sambar with Coconut Chutney
I just started soaking the rice and dal (and methi) for the idli. I will blend it into a batter after dinner tonight and pop it in a barely warm oven overnight. I'm using the correct amounts of ingredients this time, so the batter might be too thick to blend easily, or it might just ferment in less time. We'll see. I'm making the coconut chutney even though we have store-bought just because I have fresh ginger and still so much dried coconut flake (and it's better than the store-bought). For the sambar, I already have half a jalapeno, the better part of a diced green bell pepper, and a diced onion and a half in the freezer ready to be dumped into a soup pot. This will also use up the last of the bag of organic russet potatoes. I used up my tamarind paste the last time I made sambar, so I need to stop by Patel Bros. and buy more tomorrow.
Homemade Black Bean Burgers
I'll buy pretzel buns and heat a couple of the black bean burgers from the freezer for Sim and me on Thursday. It's easy and healthy. We can have leftover sambar or some other vegetable as a side.
Tofu Pot Pie
Friday night dinner. It'll use up the cubed tofu and peas in the freezer and some of the celery and carrots in the fridge.
Sim and I are also going to make Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones after school on Friday to eat and so I can take them to book club on Saturday morning (rather than being tempted to eat them all myself at home).
Vegetarian Spaghetti & Meatballs
Saturday night because it's easy and we have a bunch of the meatless balls from Trader Joe's in the freezer, and I always keep whole wheat spaghetti noodles and a jar of marinara sauce on hand. I'll make broccoli soup or green salad to go with it.
Idli-Sambar with Coconut Chutney
I just started soaking the rice and dal (and methi) for the idli. I will blend it into a batter after dinner tonight and pop it in a barely warm oven overnight. I'm using the correct amounts of ingredients this time, so the batter might be too thick to blend easily, or it might just ferment in less time. We'll see. I'm making the coconut chutney even though we have store-bought just because I have fresh ginger and still so much dried coconut flake (and it's better than the store-bought). For the sambar, I already have half a jalapeno, the better part of a diced green bell pepper, and a diced onion and a half in the freezer ready to be dumped into a soup pot. This will also use up the last of the bag of organic russet potatoes. I used up my tamarind paste the last time I made sambar, so I need to stop by Patel Bros. and buy more tomorrow.
Homemade Black Bean Burgers
I'll buy pretzel buns and heat a couple of the black bean burgers from the freezer for Sim and me on Thursday. It's easy and healthy. We can have leftover sambar or some other vegetable as a side.
Tofu Pot Pie
Friday night dinner. It'll use up the cubed tofu and peas in the freezer and some of the celery and carrots in the fridge.
Sim and I are also going to make Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones after school on Friday to eat and so I can take them to book club on Saturday morning (rather than being tempted to eat them all myself at home).
Vegetarian Spaghetti & Meatballs
Saturday night because it's easy and we have a bunch of the meatless balls from Trader Joe's in the freezer, and I always keep whole wheat spaghetti noodles and a jar of marinara sauce on hand. I'll make broccoli soup or green salad to go with it.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Meal Planning
I keep running across things I'll need to use up soon, so I'm doing a preliminary meal plan for next week when I actually need to grocery shop. First, the broccoli seeds I'm sprouting won't be proper sprouts by tomorrow, so the Fresh Veggie Tacos will have to be moved to next week, either Monday or Wednesday. I'm making the Tofu Pot Pie tonight.
I just finished off three containers of leftovers for lunch (lettuce, onion, tomato became a massive salad), but there is more stuff in the fridge (and elsewhere) that has to go. Here is what else I need to use up: the last of the steamed asparagus, another bunch of raw asparagus I got on a whim because it was cheap again, a few last fresh broccoli florets, the last of the homemade ranch dressing (maybe a cup), shaved Brussels sprouts, a whole mess of russet potatoes, half a can of evaporated milk, a little half and half leftover from Thanksgiving, a few eggs, fresh celery, about four avocados, a loaf of sourdough and a loaf of pumpernickel because I bought way too much delicious bread, a whole bunch of diced or sliced bell peppers (green and red) that I've stashed in the freezer, the last of the homemade black bean burgers in the freezer, two containers full of homemade vegan chorizo in the freezer, and containers of frozen kesar mango and frozen garlic naan that won't spoil anytime soon but are among the things taking up undue amounts of space in the freezer. Here is what I'll be making to use up these foods:
Macaroni & Cheese
I got a stomach ache the last time I made this from all the cheese, but I have the exact right amount of evaporated milk and macaroni noodles, plus I can use up two eggs on it. Sim will eat most of it anyway. This will be the last time I make this for awhile.
Idli-Sambar
This will use up some or all of the bell pepper and at least one of the russet potatoes. I want to blend up the frozen kesar mango and make it into a sorbet for dessert.
Taco Night!
On corn tortillas with vegan chorizo and a bunch of fresh vegetables like lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro, and guacamole. This might be a good plan for tomorrow night if I do the prep work in advance.
Homemade Black Bean Burgers
We could eat veggie sides such as asparagus, celery, or Brussels sprouts with this. This would probably mean buying pretzel rolls, which shouldn't yield leftovers beyond something to put in Simran's lunch.
Dal Makhani and Saag Paneer and Garlic Naan and Basmati Rice
This is partly to use up the naan from the freezer and partly because it's hard to find good saag paneer in local restaurants at all anymore so I'd like to figure out how to make it.
Baked Potato Skins
This is an easy way to consume the last of the russet potatoes because each of us ends up eating anywhere between one and three potatoes in a sitting. It will also use up the last of the ranch dressing.
Change of Plans. I'm not making tofu pot pie for dinner when none of the ingredients will spoil if I delay it. Tonight will be a junk food dinner with the macaroni, baked potato skins, broccoli, asparagus, celery and Brussels sprouts. It will also use up the last of the ranch dip. Should create a reasonable number of leftovers for lunches over the weekend. Maybe tomorrow will be a taco night with the vegan chorizo. It would use up the remaining avocados.
I just finished off three containers of leftovers for lunch (lettuce, onion, tomato became a massive salad), but there is more stuff in the fridge (and elsewhere) that has to go. Here is what else I need to use up: the last of the steamed asparagus, another bunch of raw asparagus I got on a whim because it was cheap again, a few last fresh broccoli florets, the last of the homemade ranch dressing (maybe a cup), shaved Brussels sprouts, a whole mess of russet potatoes, half a can of evaporated milk, a little half and half leftover from Thanksgiving, a few eggs, fresh celery, about four avocados, a loaf of sourdough and a loaf of pumpernickel because I bought way too much delicious bread, a whole bunch of diced or sliced bell peppers (green and red) that I've stashed in the freezer, the last of the homemade black bean burgers in the freezer, two containers full of homemade vegan chorizo in the freezer, and containers of frozen kesar mango and frozen garlic naan that won't spoil anytime soon but are among the things taking up undue amounts of space in the freezer. Here is what I'll be making to use up these foods:
Macaroni & Cheese
I got a stomach ache the last time I made this from all the cheese, but I have the exact right amount of evaporated milk and macaroni noodles, plus I can use up two eggs on it. Sim will eat most of it anyway. This will be the last time I make this for awhile.
Idli-Sambar
This will use up some or all of the bell pepper and at least one of the russet potatoes. I want to blend up the frozen kesar mango and make it into a sorbet for dessert.
Taco Night!
On corn tortillas with vegan chorizo and a bunch of fresh vegetables like lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro, and guacamole. This might be a good plan for tomorrow night if I do the prep work in advance.
Homemade Black Bean Burgers
We could eat veggie sides such as asparagus, celery, or Brussels sprouts with this. This would probably mean buying pretzel rolls, which shouldn't yield leftovers beyond something to put in Simran's lunch.
Dal Makhani and Saag Paneer and Garlic Naan and Basmati Rice
This is partly to use up the naan from the freezer and partly because it's hard to find good saag paneer in local restaurants at all anymore so I'd like to figure out how to make it.
Baked Potato Skins
This is an easy way to consume the last of the russet potatoes because each of us ends up eating anywhere between one and three potatoes in a sitting. It will also use up the last of the ranch dressing.
Change of Plans. I'm not making tofu pot pie for dinner when none of the ingredients will spoil if I delay it. Tonight will be a junk food dinner with the macaroni, baked potato skins, broccoli, asparagus, celery and Brussels sprouts. It will also use up the last of the ranch dip. Should create a reasonable number of leftovers for lunches over the weekend. Maybe tomorrow will be a taco night with the vegan chorizo. It would use up the remaining avocados.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
This is one of my favorite vegetable side dishes. It's from finecooking.com, which recently started saying it's going to require me to have a subscription to access it, so I'm copying it here with my minor alterations.
Ingredients
Directions
1) Steam asparagus until it's a bright green color. When in doubt, err on the side of not cooking it long enough. You can eat it warm, room temperature, or chilled. After steaming, I put keep it in a container in the fridge to snack on cold.
2) Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Vegannaise to make it vegan)
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 2 Tbs. drained (not rinsed) capers
- 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1) Steam asparagus until it's a bright green color. When in doubt, err on the side of not cooking it long enough. You can eat it warm, room temperature, or chilled. After steaming, I put keep it in a container in the fridge to snack on cold.
2) Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Meal Planning
We finished off our Thanksgiving leftovers on Friday and Saturday. I didn't end up making the tofu pot pie last week (realized I needed the pie dish for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie instead), so we still have ingredients for that. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas I traditionally try to clean out my fridge, freezer, and pantry to the best of my ability, so here's is what I'm aiming to use up: some celery, two veggie dogs, a bunch of asparagus I got on sale a few days ago and promptly forgot about, a couple pounds of organic russet potatoes, some cubed tofu and chopped red bell pepper that have been in the freezer for ages, a homemade whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer because I accidentally used too much water the last time I made pizza dough and ended up having to nearly double the flour to make up for it (I was delighted by how much this WASN'T a catastrophe), some frozen homemade black bean burgers, about eight corn tortillas, and a variety of random frozen vegetables. Here is what I'm planning to make:
Chilaquiles Casserole
I'm going to make this tonight to use up the corn tortillas in the fridge as well as some of the frozen corn. We also have sour cream leftover from Thanksgiving cookery that we can use on this.
Veggie Dogs and Black-Eyed Pea & Roasted Red Pepper Dip with crudites and crackers and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
Sim and I will finish off the veggie dogs in the fridge on Tuesday. I went ahead and trimmed off the parts of the asparagus that were starting to look sad and lightly steamed the rest this morning since it tastes best chilled anyway IMO. The dip is a How Not to Die Cookbook recipe I've been meaning to try for the last year, and I have two jars of roasted red bell pepper just taking up space anyway. I don't recall if I have canned black-eyed peas or dry, but I feel like I have one or the other. I just need to dig through the pantry to find them and soak them tonight if they're dry. This will be an easy meal to prep in advance and have ready to eat as soon as Sim gets home from her extracurriculars on Tuesday evening. I might get long pretzel rolls for the hot dogs if they're available since they're easier to use up on sandwiches and Sim's lunches than a full 8-pack of hot dog buns.
Tofu Pot Pie
I'm making this Wednesday to use up some of the frozen tofu and vegetables in the freezer, as well as some of the celery in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza
I'll make this Friday night. Or possibly switch it with the tofu pot pie so that I can put leftover pizza in Simran's lunches on Thursday and possibly Friday.
Fresh Veggie Tacos and Black Beans
Sameer requested we have this on Friday or Saturday (I choose Saturday), so I started soaking broccoli seeds today to make sprouts. I'll need to go to Whole Foods later in the week in case I need to buy sprouts (mine might not be ready yet) and to get guacamole, fresh mushrooms, and whole wheat flour tortillas. None of these things are easy to find at a store in my town.
Chilaquiles Casserole
I'm going to make this tonight to use up the corn tortillas in the fridge as well as some of the frozen corn. We also have sour cream leftover from Thanksgiving cookery that we can use on this.
Veggie Dogs and Black-Eyed Pea & Roasted Red Pepper Dip with crudites and crackers and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
Sim and I will finish off the veggie dogs in the fridge on Tuesday. I went ahead and trimmed off the parts of the asparagus that were starting to look sad and lightly steamed the rest this morning since it tastes best chilled anyway IMO. The dip is a How Not to Die Cookbook recipe I've been meaning to try for the last year, and I have two jars of roasted red bell pepper just taking up space anyway. I don't recall if I have canned black-eyed peas or dry, but I feel like I have one or the other. I just need to dig through the pantry to find them and soak them tonight if they're dry. This will be an easy meal to prep in advance and have ready to eat as soon as Sim gets home from her extracurriculars on Tuesday evening. I might get long pretzel rolls for the hot dogs if they're available since they're easier to use up on sandwiches and Sim's lunches than a full 8-pack of hot dog buns.
Tofu Pot Pie
I'm making this Wednesday to use up some of the frozen tofu and vegetables in the freezer, as well as some of the celery in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza
I'll make this Friday night. Or possibly switch it with the tofu pot pie so that I can put leftover pizza in Simran's lunches on Thursday and possibly Friday.
Fresh Veggie Tacos and Black Beans
Sameer requested we have this on Friday or Saturday (I choose Saturday), so I started soaking broccoli seeds today to make sprouts. I'll need to go to Whole Foods later in the week in case I need to buy sprouts (mine might not be ready yet) and to get guacamole, fresh mushrooms, and whole wheat flour tortillas. None of these things are easy to find at a store in my town.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Meal Planning
It's Fall Break from school, so this is meal planning through Thanksgiving. Friday will inevitably be Thanksgiving leftovers, and I'll figure out next weekend after that. I want to keep it reasonably quick and easy since Sim is at home and I don't want a stockpile of leftovers when we're coming up to Thanksgiving. Here is what I have to use up: about three cups of homemade vegetable broth, an avocado, some green lettuce, about a quarter of a red bell pepper sliced, about a cup of diced onion. Here is what I'll make:
Curried Pumpkin Soup and Vegetarian Club Sandwiches
This will use up the broth on the soup, and the sandwiches will use up some of the lettuce as well as some of the vegetarian turkey slices in the fridge. This can be Sunday night so I use the broth before it goes bad.
Avocado Grilled Enchilada with Red Chile Pesto
I'll make this Monday night. It'll use up the avocado and red bell pepper as well as the large flour tortillas in the fridge.
Curried Tofu Pot Pie
Because I have some cubed tofu in the freezer, as well as frozen vegetables I'd like to pare down. Thinking I'll make this Wednesday. I can finish off the leftovers within a day or two. Not sure if it's a bad idea to make so close to Thanksgiving, but I want to make the grilled enchiladas before the ingredients already in the fridge can go bad.
Thanksgiving 2019
Thursday, obviously.
Curried Pumpkin Soup and Vegetarian Club Sandwiches
This will use up the broth on the soup, and the sandwiches will use up some of the lettuce as well as some of the vegetarian turkey slices in the fridge. This can be Sunday night so I use the broth before it goes bad.
Avocado Grilled Enchilada with Red Chile Pesto
I'll make this Monday night. It'll use up the avocado and red bell pepper as well as the large flour tortillas in the fridge.
Curried Tofu Pot Pie
Because I have some cubed tofu in the freezer, as well as frozen vegetables I'd like to pare down. Thinking I'll make this Wednesday. I can finish off the leftovers within a day or two. Not sure if it's a bad idea to make so close to Thanksgiving, but I want to make the grilled enchiladas before the ingredients already in the fridge can go bad.
Thanksgiving 2019
Thursday, obviously.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Thanksgiving 2019
This will be almost identical to last year. I've honed Thanksgiving menu down to exclusively things I love to eat. The only difference is this year I'm making the pumpkin pie exactly to the recipe. I think there might've been something else Sameer wanted to add (since I'm the only one who likes the stuffed mushrooms) but if so, I can add it on later.
Crudites and Pumpernickel Bread with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.
Gardein Vegetarian Turk'y Cutlets
Boxed Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Candied Pears
Pumpkin Pie
Crudites and Pumpernickel Bread with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.
Gardein Vegetarian Turk'y Cutlets
Boxed Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Candied Pears
Pumpkin Pie
Monday, November 18, 2019
Meal Planning
I'm aiming to clean out the fridge and freezer as much as possible before I start cooking for Thanksgiving next week. Here is what I'm making:
Vegetable Tagine (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 124)
This is healthy and vegan, and it'll use up some of the vegetables already in my fridge, including a container of sliced mushrooms from Friday night's veggie tacos. I'm making this tonight.
Pinto Bean & Greens Enchilada Casserole (The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 97)
Also healthy and vegan. I'm making this predominantly to use up the corn tortillas and at least one of the avocados currently in my fridge. Planning this one for Thursday, when Sameer gets home from out of town.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I still have leftover cucumber, tomato, red bell pepper, and pesto in the fridge from the last time I made these sandwiches, so I'm making them again tomorrow. It's an easy meal to have ready to go on Tuesday nights.
Vegan Pizza
Because I have some vegan cheese to use up and maybe I can use some of the basil leaves from our little basil plant too. This will be Friday night.
Wednesday night will just be a tostada for Sim (veg refried beans and cheese and olive slices on top of a corn tortilla that's been through the air fryer) and a veggie side, and I'll have whatever leftovers are on hand. Alternately, a "taco bowl" of veg refried beans, chipotle salsa, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. It's healthy, vegan, and filling.
Vegetable Tagine (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 124)
This is healthy and vegan, and it'll use up some of the vegetables already in my fridge, including a container of sliced mushrooms from Friday night's veggie tacos. I'm making this tonight.
Pinto Bean & Greens Enchilada Casserole (The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 97)
Also healthy and vegan. I'm making this predominantly to use up the corn tortillas and at least one of the avocados currently in my fridge. Planning this one for Thursday, when Sameer gets home from out of town.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I still have leftover cucumber, tomato, red bell pepper, and pesto in the fridge from the last time I made these sandwiches, so I'm making them again tomorrow. It's an easy meal to have ready to go on Tuesday nights.
Vegan Pizza
Because I have some vegan cheese to use up and maybe I can use some of the basil leaves from our little basil plant too. This will be Friday night.
Wednesday night will just be a tostada for Sim (veg refried beans and cheese and olive slices on top of a corn tortilla that's been through the air fryer) and a veggie side, and I'll have whatever leftovers are on hand. Alternately, a "taco bowl" of veg refried beans, chipotle salsa, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. It's healthy, vegan, and filling.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Meal Planning
Sameer is traveling again this week. I'm mostly making the same things I made last week just to use up the remaining cucumber slices and brie. Here is what I'm making:
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Brie/Arugula/Tomato Baguette Sandwiches
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Homemade Pizza
This is my plan for Friday night.
For Wednesday and Thursday, I'll make Sim a club sandwich or air-fried chimichanga. I'm also getting more chik'n tenders, fresh broccoli florets, and we still have veggie dogs on hand. So easy stuff plus veggie sides will be the focal point this week.
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Brie/Arugula/Tomato Baguette Sandwiches
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Homemade Pizza
This is my plan for Friday night.
For Wednesday and Thursday, I'll make Sim a club sandwich or air-fried chimichanga. I'm also getting more chik'n tenders, fresh broccoli florets, and we still have veggie dogs on hand. So easy stuff plus veggie sides will be the focal point this week.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies
I love this sandwich recipe from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook so I'm copying it down here so I don't have to keep getting the cookbook out every time I make a grocery list. I think my only change is that I don't salt or season any of the veggies in advance; I just put it all together.
Ingredients
One 12 oz. sourdough or whole grain baguette (I usually buy a whole wheat half baguette from the bakery at Whole Foods)
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 cup canned or frozen and thawed artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (I prefer the marinated artichoke heart quarters in little jars for this. Drain but do not rinse.)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs pesto (I usually buy a vegan pesto -- very oily but delicious -- from Whole Foods)
Balsamic vinegar
Directions
1) Slice the baguette in half horizontally (into two shorter segments), then slice off the top third from each half. Scoop out some of the insides of the bottom portion, reserving them for another use (such as bread crumbs).
2) Toast lightly
3) Layer tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, artichokes, and olives. Spread pesto across the inside of the other side of the baguette. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the vegetables, and close baguette.
4) Wrap tightly in parchment paper, then aluminum foil. For best flavor, let sit (I put it in the refrigerator) for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. Slice and serve.
Ingredients
One 12 oz. sourdough or whole grain baguette (I usually buy a whole wheat half baguette from the bakery at Whole Foods)
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 cup canned or frozen and thawed artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (I prefer the marinated artichoke heart quarters in little jars for this. Drain but do not rinse.)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs pesto (I usually buy a vegan pesto -- very oily but delicious -- from Whole Foods)
Balsamic vinegar
Directions
1) Slice the baguette in half horizontally (into two shorter segments), then slice off the top third from each half. Scoop out some of the insides of the bottom portion, reserving them for another use (such as bread crumbs).
2) Toast lightly
3) Layer tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, artichokes, and olives. Spread pesto across the inside of the other side of the baguette. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the vegetables, and close baguette.
4) Wrap tightly in parchment paper, then aluminum foil. For best flavor, let sit (I put it in the refrigerator) for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. Slice and serve.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Meal Planning
We didn't end up having the penne alla vodka last week, so I'm moving that to this upcoming Saturday. Sameer will be out of town most of the week, so we're doing easy dinners in the style of his fast days most of the week. Here is what I have to use up: five organic russet potatoes, two eggs, and a whole mess of apples and pears. I have no idea how I'll eat that many apples and pears essentially on my own, but I also don't know any recipes I want to make from them. Here's what I'm making this week:
Baked Potato Skins and Brussel Sprouts and some manner of Gardein frozen chik'n tenders or veg turkey cutlets
This will use up the potatoes, which are baking as I type this. I'm going to make ranch dressing to go with them because it's tastier and slightly healthier than sour cream. We also have a small amount of sour cream in the fridge that Sameer or Sim might finish off tonight.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
This one is going to irritate Sim, but the sandwich can be made well in advance and it's good and it's healthy. This way I'll be able to pick her up from her extracurricular at school and give her a shower without it interfering with my ability to have dinner ready at the right time.
I determined last week -- the week of sambar and broccoli soup -- that I should only make one soup or stew-type dish per week since it yields such plentiful leftovers for both my lunches and vegetable sides for Sim at dinners. So this will be our soup this week, as it is so many weeks of the year.
Brie/Arugula/Tomato Baguette Sandwiches and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Macaroni and Cheese
Since it's just the two of us eating the veggie hoagies, we'll have bread leftover from the whole wheat half-baguette I'm buying for it, so we'll have these sandwiches the next day and hope it's still soft enough to eat. We'll have leftover soup from Tuesday. I'm making mac 'n cheese just to use up the two eggs before they go bad and because I don't want to deal with the repercussions of eating an entire batch of cookies or a cake, which are the other things I can think of to make from them.
Arugula-Feta Pita Pizzas and Yet More Leftover Soup
Sim used to love these little pita pizzas, and maybe she'll be happy enough that it resembles pizza, but I have a feeling she'll feel cheated that there are vegetables on it. I think it sounds really good though, and it's quick and easy and reasonably healthy, so I'm going with it.
Stuffed Pita Pockets and Random Leftover Sides
I figure we can use the last of the arugula or some green lettuce, tomatoes, veggie bacon, leftover feta from the day before, and whatever else we have on hand to stuff the pita pockets.
Penne alla Vodka
Saturday night.
Baked Potato Skins and Brussel Sprouts and some manner of Gardein frozen chik'n tenders or veg turkey cutlets
This will use up the potatoes, which are baking as I type this. I'm going to make ranch dressing to go with them because it's tastier and slightly healthier than sour cream. We also have a small amount of sour cream in the fridge that Sameer or Sim might finish off tonight.
Hearty Veggie Hoagies and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
This one is going to irritate Sim, but the sandwich can be made well in advance and it's good and it's healthy. This way I'll be able to pick her up from her extracurricular at school and give her a shower without it interfering with my ability to have dinner ready at the right time.
I determined last week -- the week of sambar and broccoli soup -- that I should only make one soup or stew-type dish per week since it yields such plentiful leftovers for both my lunches and vegetable sides for Sim at dinners. So this will be our soup this week, as it is so many weeks of the year.
Brie/Arugula/Tomato Baguette Sandwiches and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Macaroni and Cheese
Since it's just the two of us eating the veggie hoagies, we'll have bread leftover from the whole wheat half-baguette I'm buying for it, so we'll have these sandwiches the next day and hope it's still soft enough to eat. We'll have leftover soup from Tuesday. I'm making mac 'n cheese just to use up the two eggs before they go bad and because I don't want to deal with the repercussions of eating an entire batch of cookies or a cake, which are the other things I can think of to make from them.
Arugula-Feta Pita Pizzas and Yet More Leftover Soup
Sim used to love these little pita pizzas, and maybe she'll be happy enough that it resembles pizza, but I have a feeling she'll feel cheated that there are vegetables on it. I think it sounds really good though, and it's quick and easy and reasonably healthy, so I'm going with it.
Stuffed Pita Pockets and Random Leftover Sides
I figure we can use the last of the arugula or some green lettuce, tomatoes, veggie bacon, leftover feta from the day before, and whatever else we have on hand to stuff the pita pockets.
Penne alla Vodka
Saturday night.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Instant Pot Idli
I've amended my recipe now that I've made this successfully a few times. The water and dry ingredient amounts and cook times seem reliable now. I use more water than the recipes I've seen that involve a wet grinder, but it works. I don't have a wet grinder, and when I tried to make a thick paste in my Vitamix, the blender always overheated and the fermentation never really came out right. The amounts noted below are the amounts I always use now.
Ingredients
1/2 cup urad dal (the whitish colored skinned and split urad dal, not the whole black kind)
1 cup idli rice (parboiled short grain rice that says "idli" or "idly" on the bag)
1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
1/2 tsp non-iodized salt (I use fine sea salt)
cold water
Directions
1) Put urad dal and methi seeds in one bowl and cover with water. Put idli rice in another bowl and cover with water. Let soak at least 6 hours.
2) Rinse urad dal and methi seeds thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup cold water to a high speed blender and top with urad dal and methi seeds. Blend into a fine paste. Put dal paste into a bowl.
3) Rinse idli rice thoroughly. Add 1.5 cups cold water to same high speed blender and top with the idli rice. Blend. It will be a lot thinner than the dal paste. Don't worry about that. Add to the same bowl as the dal and combine thoroughly. It should now be about the thickness of a smoothie.
4) Preheat oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (this is important because it's usually too cold in my house to ferment things at room temperature). When oven is preheated, turn it off. Cover bowl of batter with an oven-safe plate and put it in the warm, off oven with only the oven light on and leave it to ferment over night.
5) Check on the batter the next day. It won't be ready yet, but that's okay. Heat the oven back up to 180, turn it off, cover the bowl and put it back in the off oven, and turn the oven light back on. I end up leaving mine in the oven for about 18 hours total. Basically I leave it until I'm ready to make dinner. By then it's foamed up into nearly twice its previous size and smells like idli. Now add 1/2 tsp of salt and stir it in.
6) Put 1.5 cups water into Instant Pot and set to "saute" until you can see steam coming off the water. While waiting for the water to heat (it happens quickly), lightly oil idli molds (I spray them lightly with Pam) and add batter. I fill the molds so they are each about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
7) Place stack of idli molds into Instant Pot. I only use four out of the five of my idli mold trays because when I stacked all five, the idli on the top layer clogged up the vent on my Instant Pot. I just don't take that chance now. Close lid leaving "venting" on. Set to "steam" and let cook for 12 minutes (you'll have to set a separate timer for this because the Instant Pot one does not start counting until it reaches high pressure). Turn off Instant Pot and leave sealed for 10 more minutes (my idli had been a little too wet and not quite done when I opened it as soon as the pressure went down).
8) Open Instant Pot and remove stack of idli molds. Remove idli with a rubber spatula. Serve warm with sambar and coconut chutney. Simran and I also like yogurt with this. If you use the unsweetened plain cashew yogurt by Forager, the entire meal remains vegan.
Ingredients
1/2 cup urad dal (the whitish colored skinned and split urad dal, not the whole black kind)
1 cup idli rice (parboiled short grain rice that says "idli" or "idly" on the bag)
1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
1/2 tsp non-iodized salt (I use fine sea salt)
cold water
Directions
1) Put urad dal and methi seeds in one bowl and cover with water. Put idli rice in another bowl and cover with water. Let soak at least 6 hours.
2) Rinse urad dal and methi seeds thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup cold water to a high speed blender and top with urad dal and methi seeds. Blend into a fine paste. Put dal paste into a bowl.
3) Rinse idli rice thoroughly. Add 1.5 cups cold water to same high speed blender and top with the idli rice. Blend. It will be a lot thinner than the dal paste. Don't worry about that. Add to the same bowl as the dal and combine thoroughly. It should now be about the thickness of a smoothie.
4) Preheat oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (this is important because it's usually too cold in my house to ferment things at room temperature). When oven is preheated, turn it off. Cover bowl of batter with an oven-safe plate and put it in the warm, off oven with only the oven light on and leave it to ferment over night.
5) Check on the batter the next day. It won't be ready yet, but that's okay. Heat the oven back up to 180, turn it off, cover the bowl and put it back in the off oven, and turn the oven light back on. I end up leaving mine in the oven for about 18 hours total. Basically I leave it until I'm ready to make dinner. By then it's foamed up into nearly twice its previous size and smells like idli. Now add 1/2 tsp of salt and stir it in.
6) Put 1.5 cups water into Instant Pot and set to "saute" until you can see steam coming off the water. While waiting for the water to heat (it happens quickly), lightly oil idli molds (I spray them lightly with Pam) and add batter. I fill the molds so they are each about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
7) Place stack of idli molds into Instant Pot. I only use four out of the five of my idli mold trays because when I stacked all five, the idli on the top layer clogged up the vent on my Instant Pot. I just don't take that chance now. Close lid leaving "venting" on. Set to "steam" and let cook for 12 minutes (you'll have to set a separate timer for this because the Instant Pot one does not start counting until it reaches high pressure). Turn off Instant Pot and leave sealed for 10 more minutes (my idli had been a little too wet and not quite done when I opened it as soon as the pressure went down).
8) Open Instant Pot and remove stack of idli molds. Remove idli with a rubber spatula. Serve warm with sambar and coconut chutney. Simran and I also like yogurt with this. If you use the unsweetened plain cashew yogurt by Forager, the entire meal remains vegan.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Meal Planning
This will be a week of using up and clearing out. Here is what I have on hand to use up: diced onion and garlic ready to be made into broccoli soup, about a quarter of a red onion, one tomato, a pint of grape tomatoes, three and a half avocados, lettuce, about one serving of leftover black beans, about one serving of leftover grilled enchilada innards, the cream sauce that goes on the corn dish I made, a few slices of bacon-style tempeh, fresh broccoli, plain non-fat yogurt, about a cup of whole milk, a tablespoon or two of heavy cream, and four eggs. Here is what I plan to make:
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Enchiladas/Quesadillas
I already have all the soup ingredients on hand and ready to throw into a pot. I'll make the corn by roasting a pan of frozen corn in the oven and topping it with the leftover green chile cream from Friday night. I'll make myself a grilled enchilada to use up the last of the ingredients from Friday night, and I'll give Sim the last of the black beans and a cheese quesadilla. This will be our thrown together, slap dash dinner tonight while Sameer is fasting.
Dum Aloo and Dal Makhani and Brown Basmati Rice
This might create an uncomfortable number of leftovers this week, but I chose this meal mostly to use up the potatoes I have to buy for Wednesday's sambar.
Vegetarian Club Sandwiches and Leftover Soup
We won't have much time Tuesday between Simran's after school sport club and the evening event at the library, so this will be a quick and easy dinner. I'll buy a loaf of pumpernickel, and this will use up the tempeh bacon, tomato, some of the lettuce, and some of the vegetarian turkey slices in the fridge.
Idli-Sambar with Coconut Chutney
The idli is still not easy for me yet, but I have sundry sambar ingredients chopped and ready to go in the freezer that I'd love to clear out. I've been chopping vegetables and stashing them in the freezer whenever I don't think I'll use them up on anything else, just like I'd planned, and we'll see how this method of sambar making goes. The only thing I think I need to buy for it is some potatoes. I'm making this Wednesday so we'll have three days to consume the broccoli soup before more soup happens.
I'm going to stop by Patel Bros. and pick up some idli rice to see if I can improve the texture and density of our idli, plus maybe make it easier. I will use these instructions and use cold water so the batter doesn't heat up too much in the Vitamix and also because I never know how much water to start with when making the batter. This recipe suggests starting with half a cup of cold water to mix the dal and 1.5 cups cold water to mix the rice. I think knowing this in advance and putting enough water down first in the Vitamix should help. The Vitamix has always overheated in the past trying to grind up the rice and dal, which probably affected the fermentation and might be (part of) what made our idli turn out denser than we want. I also want to try using poha this time, but maybe I should stick to methi seeds for now and make just one recipe change at a time so I can see what makes a difference and how.
Macaroni & Cheese and Leftover Soup and Veggie Sides
Mac 'n cheese seems to have become a Halloween tradition at our house. It's a warm, easy meal for post-trick-or-treating. This year I plan to prep in advance and make it from scratch since it's not that much more work than Kraft boxed mix and it will use up the cream and milk (the recipe calls for evaporated milk, but I bet I could make do by adding powdered dry milk to the leftover milk in the fridge), two eggs, and I already have a brick of good Irish cheddar in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza and Garden Salad
I will make this Friday night. Mostly to use up the pizza sauce in the fridge. Not sure if I have enough sauce or need to buy more.
Penne alla Vodka
This would be good for Saturday night. It's quick and easy, and I think I only need to buy a yellow squash or zucchini since I already have vegetarian Italian sausages, vodka sauce, whole wheat penne (or similar), carrots, frozen chopped bell peppers, and red onion. I could also use up some of the pumpernickel bread loaf I'm going to buy by making it into garlic bread. Leftover soup and/or salad as a side.
I'm also going to make myself a dessert of Cherry Chocolate Chia Pudding as I already have all the ingredients and it'll use up the avocado half and date syrup currently in the fridge. It's a good dessert to have on hand for weaning myself off other sugary treats, and it seems wise to have such things at hand on Halloween.
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Enchiladas/Quesadillas
I already have all the soup ingredients on hand and ready to throw into a pot. I'll make the corn by roasting a pan of frozen corn in the oven and topping it with the leftover green chile cream from Friday night. I'll make myself a grilled enchilada to use up the last of the ingredients from Friday night, and I'll give Sim the last of the black beans and a cheese quesadilla. This will be our thrown together, slap dash dinner tonight while Sameer is fasting.
Dum Aloo and Dal Makhani and Brown Basmati Rice
This might create an uncomfortable number of leftovers this week, but I chose this meal mostly to use up the potatoes I have to buy for Wednesday's sambar.
Vegetarian Club Sandwiches and Leftover Soup
We won't have much time Tuesday between Simran's after school sport club and the evening event at the library, so this will be a quick and easy dinner. I'll buy a loaf of pumpernickel, and this will use up the tempeh bacon, tomato, some of the lettuce, and some of the vegetarian turkey slices in the fridge.
Idli-Sambar with Coconut Chutney
The idli is still not easy for me yet, but I have sundry sambar ingredients chopped and ready to go in the freezer that I'd love to clear out. I've been chopping vegetables and stashing them in the freezer whenever I don't think I'll use them up on anything else, just like I'd planned, and we'll see how this method of sambar making goes. The only thing I think I need to buy for it is some potatoes. I'm making this Wednesday so we'll have three days to consume the broccoli soup before more soup happens.
I'm going to stop by Patel Bros. and pick up some idli rice to see if I can improve the texture and density of our idli, plus maybe make it easier. I will use these instructions and use cold water so the batter doesn't heat up too much in the Vitamix and also because I never know how much water to start with when making the batter. This recipe suggests starting with half a cup of cold water to mix the dal and 1.5 cups cold water to mix the rice. I think knowing this in advance and putting enough water down first in the Vitamix should help. The Vitamix has always overheated in the past trying to grind up the rice and dal, which probably affected the fermentation and might be (part of) what made our idli turn out denser than we want. I also want to try using poha this time, but maybe I should stick to methi seeds for now and make just one recipe change at a time so I can see what makes a difference and how.
Macaroni & Cheese and Leftover Soup and Veggie Sides
Mac 'n cheese seems to have become a Halloween tradition at our house. It's a warm, easy meal for post-trick-or-treating. This year I plan to prep in advance and make it from scratch since it's not that much more work than Kraft boxed mix and it will use up the cream and milk (the recipe calls for evaporated milk, but I bet I could make do by adding powdered dry milk to the leftover milk in the fridge), two eggs, and I already have a brick of good Irish cheddar in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza and Garden Salad
I will make this Friday night. Mostly to use up the pizza sauce in the fridge. Not sure if I have enough sauce or need to buy more.
Penne alla Vodka
This would be good for Saturday night. It's quick and easy, and I think I only need to buy a yellow squash or zucchini since I already have vegetarian Italian sausages, vodka sauce, whole wheat penne (or similar), carrots, frozen chopped bell peppers, and red onion. I could also use up some of the pumpernickel bread loaf I'm going to buy by making it into garlic bread. Leftover soup and/or salad as a side.
I'm also going to make myself a dessert of Cherry Chocolate Chia Pudding as I already have all the ingredients and it'll use up the avocado half and date syrup currently in the fridge. It's a good dessert to have on hand for weaning myself off other sugary treats, and it seems wise to have such things at hand on Halloween.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Meal Planning
We ate restaurant food for four days in a row last week because we were having new windows and doors installed, including in the kitchen, and the entire house was pretty much taken over for those four days. So I still have some ingredients I meant to use last week and we'll do those meals this week instead. We currently have the following to use up: a pound of fresh spinach, three hot dog buns, lettuce, and a package of bacon-style tempeh. My BFF, Jackie, is also coming to visit this upcoming weekend, so I have to plan those meals and dessert, but I think I will do that later in the week. Here is what I'm making through Thursday:
Gnocchi with Spinach & White Beans
Tonight's dinner. Already have all the ingredients. This will use up most, if not all, of the fresh spinach.
Vegan Meatball Subs and Veggie Sides
To use up the last of the hot dog buns. I already have all the ingredients. I'll make a salad to use the lettuce.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This will be Wednesday. It requires a bit of work, but it'll use up some of the vegetables from the freezer. It's also less work now than I use potato flake from a box to make the topping.
Vegan Club Sandwiches and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I'll make this Thursday to use up the tempeh bacon and any remaining lettuce. I think I already have a bag of broccoli in the freezer and plenty of cans of white beans in the pantry for the soup.
While looking for what to make Wednesday, I ran across meals I think would work well for Friday (when Jackie arrives but I'm not sure what time) and Saturday (when we'll spend most of the afternoon out and I either need a meal that can be prepared in advance or ordered from a restaurant). I'm thinking Grilled Enchiladas for Friday night and Black Bean Burgers (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 88) on pretzel rolls with chipotle mayo. I'm considering rolling the burgers in Panko and lightly sauteeing them like they do at Cooper's Hawk Winery restaurant because I think it might make them even tastier since this is a "for company" meal I'm planning now. I just need to come up with good sides that meet the same easy-to-prep-in-advance criteria. Maybe Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo with the burgers. Maybe the corn dish from Vedge to go with the enchiladas, but made from a bag of frozen corn instead of corn on the cob since it'll be quicker and easier and corn is going out of season. Maybe I'll make homemade ranch dip and crudites since I know she likes that. It's also easy to make in advance. I'm also planning to make for dessert Bourbon Pecan Pie and fresh Vanilla Ice Cream (some other vanilla ice cream recipes online have more positive reviews, but I want a recipe that has the rich custardy quality of the chocolate and cinnamon ice creams I make, and those both incorporate a ton of egg yolks like this one and involve cooking the base).
Gnocchi with Spinach & White Beans
Tonight's dinner. Already have all the ingredients. This will use up most, if not all, of the fresh spinach.
Vegan Meatball Subs and Veggie Sides
To use up the last of the hot dog buns. I already have all the ingredients. I'll make a salad to use the lettuce.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This will be Wednesday. It requires a bit of work, but it'll use up some of the vegetables from the freezer. It's also less work now than I use potato flake from a box to make the topping.
Vegan Club Sandwiches and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I'll make this Thursday to use up the tempeh bacon and any remaining lettuce. I think I already have a bag of broccoli in the freezer and plenty of cans of white beans in the pantry for the soup.
While looking for what to make Wednesday, I ran across meals I think would work well for Friday (when Jackie arrives but I'm not sure what time) and Saturday (when we'll spend most of the afternoon out and I either need a meal that can be prepared in advance or ordered from a restaurant). I'm thinking Grilled Enchiladas for Friday night and Black Bean Burgers (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 88) on pretzel rolls with chipotle mayo. I'm considering rolling the burgers in Panko and lightly sauteeing them like they do at Cooper's Hawk Winery restaurant because I think it might make them even tastier since this is a "for company" meal I'm planning now. I just need to come up with good sides that meet the same easy-to-prep-in-advance criteria. Maybe Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo with the burgers. Maybe the corn dish from Vedge to go with the enchiladas, but made from a bag of frozen corn instead of corn on the cob since it'll be quicker and easier and corn is going out of season. Maybe I'll make homemade ranch dip and crudites since I know she likes that. It's also easy to make in advance. I'm also planning to make for dessert Bourbon Pecan Pie and fresh Vanilla Ice Cream (some other vanilla ice cream recipes online have more positive reviews, but I want a recipe that has the rich custardy quality of the chocolate and cinnamon ice creams I make, and those both incorporate a ton of egg yolks like this one and involve cooking the base).
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Meal Planning
We're having new windows installed this week, so I'm trying to minimize time spent cooking since I'm not sure when or how long they'll be working in the kitchen. Here is what I'm making:
Veggie Dogs and Baked Beans and Leftover Pumpkin Soup and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
Asparagus isn't cheap right now, but I have a container of lemon-caper mayo in the fridge right now, and I love it. Making this tonight because Sameer is fasting and won't miss it. Sim and I might be able to finish off the soup currently in the fridge.
Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino Romano
I made this yesterday, but I still have half a package of cheese ravioli in the fridge and everyone liked it, so I'm making this again tomorrow. I can slice the shallot and grate the cheese today, and I won't even have any prep work to do tomorrow when the window installation people are here.
Vegan Meatball Subs and Veggie Sides
Because it's easy and Sim likes it and we'll have hot dog buns leftover from tonight's dinner anyway.
Gnocchi with Spinach & White Beans
Another easy pasta dish heavy on the vegetables and low on prep work, in case the window installation people are still here on Friday.
Veggie Dogs and Baked Beans and Leftover Pumpkin Soup and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
Asparagus isn't cheap right now, but I have a container of lemon-caper mayo in the fridge right now, and I love it. Making this tonight because Sameer is fasting and won't miss it. Sim and I might be able to finish off the soup currently in the fridge.
Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino Romano
I made this yesterday, but I still have half a package of cheese ravioli in the fridge and everyone liked it, so I'm making this again tomorrow. I can slice the shallot and grate the cheese today, and I won't even have any prep work to do tomorrow when the window installation people are here.
Vegan Meatball Subs and Veggie Sides
Because it's easy and Sim likes it and we'll have hot dog buns leftover from tonight's dinner anyway.
Gnocchi with Spinach & White Beans
Another easy pasta dish heavy on the vegetables and low on prep work, in case the window installation people are still here on Friday.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Meal Planning
Most of this week's meals were suggestions from Simran. Here is what we're having:
Veggie Dogs and Baked Beans and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
We have two more of the good Beyond Meat hotdogs taking up space in the freezer, so I bought the (Field Roast brand) ones Simran prefers and we'll eat veggie dogs tonight. This corn recipe is delicious, so I'm hoping to find corn on the cob at the store, and I already bought asparagus. I'm not sure if the veggie dogs and the vegetarian baked beans I buy are vegan, but if they are, this entire meal is vegan.
Vegan Meatball Subs
We need a way to finish off the hot dog buns, so this will use a couple more of them.
Vegan Homemade Pizza
Sim has requested pizza again, but I'm making it vegan this week. She doesn't like it as much, but she'll still happily finish off the leftovers. I'm pretty sure we ate dairy cheese at every dinner last week. The only good thing was we haven't had a meal from a restaurant of any kind in a couple of weeks.
Curried Tofu Pot Pie
It's supposed to take a turn for the much colder Friday, so I'm making one of my favorite warm and cozy meals. Also I have tofu, homemade broth, and a couple tiny baby Yukon gold potatoes that need using up. The only animal product I use in this recipe is butter in the pie crust. I might try making it with vegan butter just to see how it goes, but if it doesn't work out, it would ruin the entire meal.
Veggie Dogs and Baked Beans and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo
We have two more of the good Beyond Meat hotdogs taking up space in the freezer, so I bought the (Field Roast brand) ones Simran prefers and we'll eat veggie dogs tonight. This corn recipe is delicious, so I'm hoping to find corn on the cob at the store, and I already bought asparagus. I'm not sure if the veggie dogs and the vegetarian baked beans I buy are vegan, but if they are, this entire meal is vegan.
Vegan Meatball Subs
We need a way to finish off the hot dog buns, so this will use a couple more of them.
Vegan Homemade Pizza
Sim has requested pizza again, but I'm making it vegan this week. She doesn't like it as much, but she'll still happily finish off the leftovers. I'm pretty sure we ate dairy cheese at every dinner last week. The only good thing was we haven't had a meal from a restaurant of any kind in a couple of weeks.
Curried Tofu Pot Pie
It's supposed to take a turn for the much colder Friday, so I'm making one of my favorite warm and cozy meals. Also I have tofu, homemade broth, and a couple tiny baby Yukon gold potatoes that need using up. The only animal product I use in this recipe is butter in the pie crust. I might try making it with vegan butter just to see how it goes, but if it doesn't work out, it would ruin the entire meal.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Meal Planning
This is what I have to use up this week: about 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1 cup watercress, 2 cups butter lettuce, 2 cups fresh broccoli sprouts (most of which I just finished sprouting myself from seeds -- took about a week), 1.5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms left over from Friday's veggie tacos, 1 avocado, 1 Roma tomato, and half a pint of grape tomatoes. We'll have a good mix of hot (80+ degree Fahrenheit) and cooler fall weather this week. Here is what I'm going to make:
Veggie Tacos (Again) and Black Beans
Monday. I don't know how else to use up the fresh mushrooms and broccoli sprouts, but this will do it. It'll also use up the lettuce. I just need to buy guacamole, more tomatoes, and more taco size flour or whole wheat flour tortillas. Tomorrow is one of the hot days this week, so this will be a good no-cook meal.
Catalan Sauteed Polenta & Butter Beans and Green Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Wednesday. I still have champagne vinaigrette I made last week, so this seems like a good use for it. I can also include broccoli sprouts and the last of the watercress in the salad. Simran has been asking when she can eat lima beans because of that Bad Case of the Stripes book, and this is one recipe that came to mind that features them. It'll use up the vegetable broth currently in the fridge. It'll also use up some of my coarse grits currently in the pantry when I make the polenta.
More Sambar
I want to eat the last of the idli and the coconut chutney I made rather than let them go to waste, so I'm making another batch of easy sambar to have for lunches and maybe Tuesday night. This will use up the Roma tomato and potentially the grape tomatoes too. There is also a small container of diced red bell pepper in the freezer that I can include. I'm going to make some more vegetable broth for the polenta dish, so I can use the remains of that in the sambar too.
Homemade Pizza
Thursday. Sameer has work in the city so he won't be fasting that day, and this way Sim can take leftovers in her lunch Friday.
Macaroni & Cheese and Vegetable Sides
Friday. I'm not sure yet what vegetable sides we'll have with this, but this is what I made for dinner this past Saturday (with shaved Brussels sprouts in a mustard sauce and asparagus and artichokes hearts in a vermouth brown butter sauce), and I've still got eggs, good cheddar, and the exact amounts necessary of evaporated milk and elbow macaroni.
Veggie Tacos (Again) and Black Beans
Monday. I don't know how else to use up the fresh mushrooms and broccoli sprouts, but this will do it. It'll also use up the lettuce. I just need to buy guacamole, more tomatoes, and more taco size flour or whole wheat flour tortillas. Tomorrow is one of the hot days this week, so this will be a good no-cook meal.
Catalan Sauteed Polenta & Butter Beans and Green Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Wednesday. I still have champagne vinaigrette I made last week, so this seems like a good use for it. I can also include broccoli sprouts and the last of the watercress in the salad. Simran has been asking when she can eat lima beans because of that Bad Case of the Stripes book, and this is one recipe that came to mind that features them. It'll use up the vegetable broth currently in the fridge. It'll also use up some of my coarse grits currently in the pantry when I make the polenta.
More Sambar
I want to eat the last of the idli and the coconut chutney I made rather than let them go to waste, so I'm making another batch of easy sambar to have for lunches and maybe Tuesday night. This will use up the Roma tomato and potentially the grape tomatoes too. There is also a small container of diced red bell pepper in the freezer that I can include. I'm going to make some more vegetable broth for the polenta dish, so I can use the remains of that in the sambar too.
Homemade Pizza
Thursday. Sameer has work in the city so he won't be fasting that day, and this way Sim can take leftovers in her lunch Friday.
Macaroni & Cheese and Vegetable Sides
Friday. I'm not sure yet what vegetable sides we'll have with this, but this is what I made for dinner this past Saturday (with shaved Brussels sprouts in a mustard sauce and asparagus and artichokes hearts in a vermouth brown butter sauce), and I've still got eggs, good cheddar, and the exact amounts necessary of evaporated milk and elbow macaroni.
Herbed Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
This is a best-of-both-worlds pizza dough recipe. It's basically Neal Barnard's whole wheat pizza dough recipe with herbs in it for flavor, kneaded and cooked thin like NY style pizza.
Ingredients
2 tsp agave nectar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
Directions
1. In a measuring cup, dissolve the agave nectar and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water (100 - 110 degrees F). Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flours, dried herbs, and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry, add tiny amounts of water; if it's too sticky, add tiny amounts of flour. Pinch off a small piece of dough and work it into a thin sheet through which you can see light. You'll know it's ready when you can do this without tearing a hole in it.
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat the top. Cover plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes (or do it for a couple hours like me). If making in advance, put the dough in a ziploc bag and refrigerate until a couple hours before you plan to use it. If making farther in advance, freeze until the day before you plan to use it.
3. Place pizza stone in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit an hour in advance so pizza stone can heat through.
4. Punch down the dough and roll into a 10- or 11-inch circle (or divide the dough by however many people you're feeding and do small personal pizzas) on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle pizza peel thoroughly with corn meal to prevent sticking, place pizza dough on top of corn meal, and arrange sauce and toppings. Sprinkle pizza stone thoroughly with corn meal, slide pizza from pizza peel onto pizza stone in the oven, and cook pizza for about 13 minutes.
5. Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
2 tsp agave nectar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
Directions
1. In a measuring cup, dissolve the agave nectar and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water (100 - 110 degrees F). Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flours, dried herbs, and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry, add tiny amounts of water; if it's too sticky, add tiny amounts of flour. Pinch off a small piece of dough and work it into a thin sheet through which you can see light. You'll know it's ready when you can do this without tearing a hole in it.
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat the top. Cover plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes (or do it for a couple hours like me). If making in advance, put the dough in a ziploc bag and refrigerate until a couple hours before you plan to use it. If making farther in advance, freeze until the day before you plan to use it.
3. Place pizza stone in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit an hour in advance so pizza stone can heat through.
4. Punch down the dough and roll into a 10- or 11-inch circle (or divide the dough by however many people you're feeding and do small personal pizzas) on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle pizza peel thoroughly with corn meal to prevent sticking, place pizza dough on top of corn meal, and arrange sauce and toppings. Sprinkle pizza stone thoroughly with corn meal, slide pizza from pizza peel onto pizza stone in the oven, and cook pizza for about 13 minutes.
5. Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Cheap & Lazy Sambar
I never wrote down the sambar ingredients I used before, so I snapped a picture of the ingredients once I had them in the pot so I wouldn't forget later. This recipe is so quick and easy and healthy, but I still love the taste and how filling it is, especially now that the cold months are coming.
Ingredients
1) 1 cup red lentils, rinsed (I like red lentils for this because lots of dals require longer cooking and then smashing up whereas red lentils just explode into a mushy stew texture in ten minutes)
2) 1-2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced (or 5-6 baby potatoes, quartered)
3) 1 jalapeno, seeded and split
4) 2 tomatoes, diced
5) 1-2 carrots, diced
6) 1-2 shallots OR 1/2 medium onion, diced
7) Any other vegetables you want to use up. I used half a diced green bell pepper in the picture. My next batch will include whatever color bell pepper I have on hand as well as half a cup of cut green beans. If I have to buy celery for something else this week, I'll include some chopped celery too.
8) 1/2 tbs sambar powder (I use Badshah brand Madras Sambar Masala), for a moderate level of heat
9) 1/2 - 1 tsp turmeric powder
10) salt, to taste
11) Enough water (or broth) to cover all ingredients plus a couple inches (keep in mind the lentils will absorb a lot of it). Last time I used up a few cups of homemade vegetable broth with the water. I just found a carton of broth in my fridge I forget I had opened, so I'll use that up this time just to get rid of it.
12) 2 tbs tamarind paste (This is important. Sameer used to use a bit of sugar when making this, but I think the tamarind paste adds a richer depth of flavor, so I keep a jar of Swad brand tamarind concentrate in the fridge just for this.)
Directions
1) Put ingredients 1-9 in a large pot and cover with the water or broth.
2) Boil for 10 minutes. (This should be enough time to cook the potatoes and the red lentils, which are the only two ingredients you really have to check doneness on. If they don't seem done, or if you just have more cooking to do, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer up to an hour.)
3) Stir in tamarind paste and salt to taste. Serve hot with lazy coconut chutney, cilantro, idli, mendu vada, whatever you like. If you don't have idli or vada, try pouring your sambar over half a cup of cooked brown basmati rice for a filling, healthy winter lunch.
[Edited 4/20/2021: I'm making this today and thought I should update my notes. I always make the broth in the link now in place of the water. It makes an enormous difference in the flavor. And I just use the whole batch of broth in the sambar rather than eyeballing or measuring the liquid. Works well.]
New Kale-Berry Smoothie
My regular morning smoothie recipe has changed enough to warrant an update. Here is its current iteration. I make it every day now, give Simran a little 4 oz glass worth, and Sameer and I each get a 16 oz glassful.
Ingredients
1) 2 cup water
2) 1 tsp amla powder (because it's supposed to help lower cholesterol -- skip it if you want)
3) chunk of fresh or frozen ginger
4) 3 tbs ground flax seeds
4) 1/4 - 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (I buy canned pineapple in juice for this)
5) 1 banana, fresh or frozen
6) about a thumb size chunk of fresh or frozen turmeric root (because it's supposed to decrease inflammation in the body. I haven't been to Patel Bros in ages, which is the only place I've ever found frozen turmeric, so I've learned that buying a few handfuls of fresh turmeric, washing it, cutting it into large chunks and putting it in a ziploc bag in the freezer is quick and easy -- don't bother peeling it)
7) 2 cups packed frozen kale (or dark leafy green of your choice. If you wash and freeze them in advance, they have very little flavor, which is a good thing in a berry smoothie. They taste much greener fresh. It's not good. Note: Spinach has less flavor fresh, but it's high in oxalates, so I only use it when I have some that needs to be used up. You can use whatever dark leafy greens you have, but when I'm shopping for smoothie ingredients, I just get green kale.)
8) 1/2 - 1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, pitted dark sweet cherries, bags of organic mixed berries from the freezer section, whatever I've got -- wild blueberries are my favorite for flavor and antioxidants)
Directions
1) Put all ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Serve cold.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Meal Planning
Potato Cheese & Onion Pasties and Pumpkin Curry Soup and Baby Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette
I'm going to try my hand at making rough puff pastry dough for the pasties. Tomorrow is the first day of autumn, and it's supposed to be reasonably cool, so I'm making this autumnal meal that seems like something people would eat in a Harry Potter book.
Idli & Sambar with Lazy Coconut Chutney
I'm going to plan on having some extra potatoes to make into sambar. I have no idli rice, but I've seen Sameer make idli without it, so I'm going to use this recipe that just uses some cooked rice instead that may or may not be the same recipe he has used before. I need to get the hang of basic idli before I can successfully make brown rice idli since it turned out really badly the last time I tried. Between the fermenting and the pressure cooking, it features too many facets I haven't mastered yet.
Fresh Veggie Tacos and Red Cabbage Slaw
This will be Friday dinner. I'll go to Whole Foods that day to pick up things like fresh guacamole and fresh mushrooms.
Brinner
I'm going to have some eggs leftover from the pasties and there are already pancakes in the freezer from last week. Maybe I'll make the eggs into omelets or a breakfast mess with veggie sausages and cheese and the leftover green bell pepper and onion in the fridge and hashbrown potatoes in the freezer. This would work for Tuesday or Thursday when Sameer is fasting.
I'm going to try my hand at making rough puff pastry dough for the pasties. Tomorrow is the first day of autumn, and it's supposed to be reasonably cool, so I'm making this autumnal meal that seems like something people would eat in a Harry Potter book.
Idli & Sambar with Lazy Coconut Chutney
I'm going to plan on having some extra potatoes to make into sambar. I have no idli rice, but I've seen Sameer make idli without it, so I'm going to use this recipe that just uses some cooked rice instead that may or may not be the same recipe he has used before. I need to get the hang of basic idli before I can successfully make brown rice idli since it turned out really badly the last time I tried. Between the fermenting and the pressure cooking, it features too many facets I haven't mastered yet.
Fresh Veggie Tacos and Red Cabbage Slaw
This will be Friday dinner. I'll go to Whole Foods that day to pick up things like fresh guacamole and fresh mushrooms.
Brinner
I'm going to have some eggs leftover from the pasties and there are already pancakes in the freezer from last week. Maybe I'll make the eggs into omelets or a breakfast mess with veggie sausages and cheese and the leftover green bell pepper and onion in the fridge and hashbrown potatoes in the freezer. This would work for Tuesday or Thursday when Sameer is fasting.
Recipes I Want to Make This Fall
I want to clean out my freezer and pantry before the holidays. I have various flours and lentils and nuts in my pantry that I don't want to go to waste, so here are some plans to use them.
Moong Dal Tadka
Because there is an unopened bag of moong dal in my pantry and I have no idea why we even have it. I probably bought it in error when looking for something else.
Sambar
I've finally discovered a good use of plain red lentils and that is sambar. They basically explode into nothingness when boiled, which I normally hate, but that quality works really well in sambar and just thickens it into a sort of stew. I make a very easy, lazy sambar compared with the actual recipe in the link or any other recipe (I need to figure out what my precise recipe is and type it up), but it's full of lentils and vegetables and spice and I love it.
Curried Split Pea Soup
This is a tasty recipe and literally the only reason I own split peas, so I want to just use them up and never buy them again. They aren't the same kind of split peas I use when making Indian food.
Tofu Pot Pie
I love this recipe. It is an easy way to use up lots of the frozen veggies in my freezer.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This is a good way to use up some more freezer vegetables and some of the French green lentils in my pantry.
I also have Soy Flour and Spelt Flour to use. I don't see any great soy flour recipes off hand, so I might just try replacing a small amount of vital wheat gluten with it when making seitans and see what happens. The spelt I think I can sneak small amounts into quick breads or pancakes to use up.
I also have some TVP I never tried using.
TVP Sloppy Joes
This looks fine. And maybe I could use it all up at once.
Moong Dal Tadka
Because there is an unopened bag of moong dal in my pantry and I have no idea why we even have it. I probably bought it in error when looking for something else.
Sambar
I've finally discovered a good use of plain red lentils and that is sambar. They basically explode into nothingness when boiled, which I normally hate, but that quality works really well in sambar and just thickens it into a sort of stew. I make a very easy, lazy sambar compared with the actual recipe in the link or any other recipe (I need to figure out what my precise recipe is and type it up), but it's full of lentils and vegetables and spice and I love it.
Curried Split Pea Soup
This is a tasty recipe and literally the only reason I own split peas, so I want to just use them up and never buy them again. They aren't the same kind of split peas I use when making Indian food.
Tofu Pot Pie
I love this recipe. It is an easy way to use up lots of the frozen veggies in my freezer.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This is a good way to use up some more freezer vegetables and some of the French green lentils in my pantry.
I also have Soy Flour and Spelt Flour to use. I don't see any great soy flour recipes off hand, so I might just try replacing a small amount of vital wheat gluten with it when making seitans and see what happens. The spelt I think I can sneak small amounts into quick breads or pancakes to use up.
I also have some TVP I never tried using.
TVP Sloppy Joes
This looks fine. And maybe I could use it all up at once.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Meal Planning
Vegan BBQ Ribs and Cornbread and Creamy Dill Potato Salad and Baked Beans
Wednesday night dinner. I already have the baked beans and potatoes (I'm morphing the Vedge recipe for kohlrabi white bean salad into potato salad by basically replacing the kohlrabi and white beans with new potatoes and celery) and non-fat yogurt for the cornbread and BBQ sauce for the ribs, so I don't think I actually need to buy anything for this dinner. We need a green vegetable though. Maybe steamed asparagus if the price is good.
Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls and Sweet Potato Fries
Tuesday night dinner because 1) I have two black bean burgers left in my freezer, and 2) it provides pretzel rolls I can put in Simran's lunches. I also already have the sweet potatoes in my pantry. I could actually make the asparagus Tuesday night and serve the chilled leftovers with dinner Wednesday.
Summer Rolls
Friday night dinner because my basil hasn't died yet.
Wednesday night dinner. I already have the baked beans and potatoes (I'm morphing the Vedge recipe for kohlrabi white bean salad into potato salad by basically replacing the kohlrabi and white beans with new potatoes and celery) and non-fat yogurt for the cornbread and BBQ sauce for the ribs, so I don't think I actually need to buy anything for this dinner. We need a green vegetable though. Maybe steamed asparagus if the price is good.
Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls and Sweet Potato Fries
Tuesday night dinner because 1) I have two black bean burgers left in my freezer, and 2) it provides pretzel rolls I can put in Simran's lunches. I also already have the sweet potatoes in my pantry. I could actually make the asparagus Tuesday night and serve the chilled leftovers with dinner Wednesday.
Summer Rolls
Friday night dinner because my basil hasn't died yet.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Meal Planning
I bought way too much produce in the last week, and some went bad before we could eat it, so my meals this week are just an attempt to use up the rest of what we have before it can spoil. The meals are getting very redundant. I'll mix things up a bit next week maybe.
Grilled Enchiladas with Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Black Beans
I had a cold all weekend and didn't end up making the grilled enchiladas we had planned for Saturday, so now I have all this food, including four ears of corn and a poblano pepper (I made the corn once the previous week and it was fantastic, so I promptly bought the ingredients to make it again) and there's and red bell pepper and part of a red onion in my fridge, and they have to go immediately. I'm making this tonight.
Vegetable Manchow Soup
I'm making this for myself alone because I wanted spicy soup this weekend when I was sick, and it's a healthy lunch. Maybe I'll freeze all but a couple servings so I have it the next time I'm sick.
Chilli-Garlic Noodles
I'm making this because I have to use up the rest of the cabbage from the Manchow soup as well as the remainder of the homemade chile-garlic paste in my fridge, and I can shred the entire cabbage and some carrots in one go for this dish as well as the soup. If I make the soup tomorrow, the chilli-garlic noodles will require very little prep work at all, so I think I throw this together for Friday's dinner.
Vegan Irish Sausages and Colcannon
I bought a couple pounds of potatoes when I was expecting to make the kohlrabi white bean potato salad again (the remaining kohlrabi and dill have since been tossed), so I'm using those as well as the last of the shredded cabbage from the soup and chilli-garlic noodles to make this dish. No one in the house likes this as much as I do, but it's healthy and I have no problem eating all the leftovers. I'll make this Wednesday.
Quesadillas and Beans
I have a little sour cream in my fridge to use up, so I'm going to make this Taco Bell-style sauce from it and make quesadillas Saturday night. This will also give me the opportunity to use up the tomatoes on my table, and I already have two bags of vegetarian chik'n strips in my freezer and two bags of large flour tortillas in the fridge for the grilled avocado enchiladas. So basically it's a junk food dinner for which I don't need to buy anything.
Things I'm also making this week include Cherry Chia Chocolate Pudding (because I need chocolate right now, and this is a way I can satisfy my sweet tooth without overeating) and Golden Chai (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 209). They will use up the homemade date syrup and half an avocado I'm clearing out of my fridge. The tea is just pleasant, especially now that the weather is turning cooler, and I have an enormous collection of black tea that I'd like to put a dent in. I usually drink about half of the chai in one day and put the rest in a mason jar in the fridge to drink chilled the following afternoon. The only ingredient I need to buy for either of these recipes is some ginger root for the chai (I can also use it in the soup).
Grilled Enchiladas with Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Black Beans
I had a cold all weekend and didn't end up making the grilled enchiladas we had planned for Saturday, so now I have all this food, including four ears of corn and a poblano pepper (I made the corn once the previous week and it was fantastic, so I promptly bought the ingredients to make it again) and there's and red bell pepper and part of a red onion in my fridge, and they have to go immediately. I'm making this tonight.
Vegetable Manchow Soup
I'm making this for myself alone because I wanted spicy soup this weekend when I was sick, and it's a healthy lunch. Maybe I'll freeze all but a couple servings so I have it the next time I'm sick.
Chilli-Garlic Noodles
I'm making this because I have to use up the rest of the cabbage from the Manchow soup as well as the remainder of the homemade chile-garlic paste in my fridge, and I can shred the entire cabbage and some carrots in one go for this dish as well as the soup. If I make the soup tomorrow, the chilli-garlic noodles will require very little prep work at all, so I think I throw this together for Friday's dinner.
Vegan Irish Sausages and Colcannon
I bought a couple pounds of potatoes when I was expecting to make the kohlrabi white bean potato salad again (the remaining kohlrabi and dill have since been tossed), so I'm using those as well as the last of the shredded cabbage from the soup and chilli-garlic noodles to make this dish. No one in the house likes this as much as I do, but it's healthy and I have no problem eating all the leftovers. I'll make this Wednesday.
Quesadillas and Beans
I have a little sour cream in my fridge to use up, so I'm going to make this Taco Bell-style sauce from it and make quesadillas Saturday night. This will also give me the opportunity to use up the tomatoes on my table, and I already have two bags of vegetarian chik'n strips in my freezer and two bags of large flour tortillas in the fridge for the grilled avocado enchiladas. So basically it's a junk food dinner for which I don't need to buy anything.
Things I'm also making this week include Cherry Chia Chocolate Pudding (because I need chocolate right now, and this is a way I can satisfy my sweet tooth without overeating) and Golden Chai (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 209). They will use up the homemade date syrup and half an avocado I'm clearing out of my fridge. The tea is just pleasant, especially now that the weather is turning cooler, and I have an enormous collection of black tea that I'd like to put a dent in. I usually drink about half of the chai in one day and put the rest in a mason jar in the fridge to drink chilled the following afternoon. The only ingredient I need to buy for either of these recipes is some ginger root for the chai (I can also use it in the soup).
Monday, August 19, 2019
Meal Planning
I have a lot of things in my fridge that need to be used up. I finally found kohlrabi, so I made that salad (it's good, reminiscent of my favorite creamy dill potato salad), but I have enough kohlrabi (and fresh dill) to make it again. I didn't make the corn, so I still have that. I have some red onion and green bell pepper diced up in a container in my vegetable crisper. I also have two watermelon radishes that I thought were kohlrabi when I bought them because they look similar and weren't labeled at the store. Also a container of cucumber slices. And some fresh tomatoes. Here is what I'm making in an attempt to use up as much as possible.
Vegan Ribs and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Garlic Broccoli and leftover Kohlrabi White Bean Potato Salad
I already have all the ingredients for this entire meal. The kohlrabi salad was a little more tart than I wanted when I made it yesterday (too much dressing), and I had about a pound of baby Yukon gold potatoes sitting in my pantry left over from something else, so I quartered the potatoes and boiled them and added them to the last of the kohlrabi salad. It's really nice this way, but now I have enough for our entire family to eat it as a side tonight.
Homemade Pizza and Leftover Veggie Sides
My goal here is just to use up the container of diced red onion and green bell pepper I found in my fridge, leftover from making pizza last week. I have a new favorite pizza dough recipe that's sort of a blend of a couple different recipes I've previously used. I need to draw that up and link it here. I plan to make pizza on Wednesday night so I can pack leftovers in Simran's lunch the next day. She didn't end up liking the vegan pepperoni I made, though I thought it was really good on the vegan pizza and Sameer has been finishing off the rest of the pepperoni from the fridge as a snack.
Black Bean Burgers (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 88) and Sweet Potato Fries and Pickled Watermelon Radish Salad
I made a double batch of black bean burgers last week, so I have plenty in my freezer, plus leftover vegan chipotle mayo I made for them last week, which everyone in the family liked, even Simran (I just left about a spoonful of the red chile pesto I was making in my food processor, added about a cup of Vegannaise, and blended -- laziness ftw). I will make the sweet potato fries in the air fryer. The pickled watermelon radish salad is basically going to be pickled watermelon radish, the leftover cucumber slices in my fridge, and any cherry tomatoes leftover after I make kebabs for Simran's lunches. Also the fresh dill leftover from making the kohlrabi salad, if it's still good by then. I might also make the kohlrabi potato salad again because I have three cups of kohlrabi shredded and ready to go.
Grilled Avocado Enchiladas and Black Beans
Sameer has requested I just make this again Saturday since he really likes it and it fits my requirements of "tasty" and "doesn't require me to do a lot of work on a Saturday" since I can do most of the prep work in advance.
Vegan Ribs and Summer Corn with Green Chile Cream (Vedge, pg. 101) and Garlic Broccoli and leftover Kohlrabi White Bean Potato Salad
I already have all the ingredients for this entire meal. The kohlrabi salad was a little more tart than I wanted when I made it yesterday (too much dressing), and I had about a pound of baby Yukon gold potatoes sitting in my pantry left over from something else, so I quartered the potatoes and boiled them and added them to the last of the kohlrabi salad. It's really nice this way, but now I have enough for our entire family to eat it as a side tonight.
Homemade Pizza and Leftover Veggie Sides
My goal here is just to use up the container of diced red onion and green bell pepper I found in my fridge, leftover from making pizza last week. I have a new favorite pizza dough recipe that's sort of a blend of a couple different recipes I've previously used. I need to draw that up and link it here. I plan to make pizza on Wednesday night so I can pack leftovers in Simran's lunch the next day. She didn't end up liking the vegan pepperoni I made, though I thought it was really good on the vegan pizza and Sameer has been finishing off the rest of the pepperoni from the fridge as a snack.
Black Bean Burgers (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 88) and Sweet Potato Fries and Pickled Watermelon Radish Salad
I made a double batch of black bean burgers last week, so I have plenty in my freezer, plus leftover vegan chipotle mayo I made for them last week, which everyone in the family liked, even Simran (I just left about a spoonful of the red chile pesto I was making in my food processor, added about a cup of Vegannaise, and blended -- laziness ftw). I will make the sweet potato fries in the air fryer. The pickled watermelon radish salad is basically going to be pickled watermelon radish, the leftover cucumber slices in my fridge, and any cherry tomatoes leftover after I make kebabs for Simran's lunches. Also the fresh dill leftover from making the kohlrabi salad, if it's still good by then. I might also make the kohlrabi potato salad again because I have three cups of kohlrabi shredded and ready to go.
Grilled Avocado Enchiladas and Black Beans
Sameer has requested I just make this again Saturday since he really likes it and it fits my requirements of "tasty" and "doesn't require me to do a lot of work on a Saturday" since I can do most of the prep work in advance.
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