Meal Planning

My goal today is meal planning through New Years weekend.  My meal planning goal around the holidays tends to be a combination of holiday feasts and using up leftovers the rest of the time.  After the new year, I want to eat healthier (which for me mostly means more whole food plant-based and less cheese and oil), so I don't want to have a lot of leftovers after Friday.  Here is what I have to use up:  8 egg whites + 3 eggs, about a pint of whole milk, and about a pint of vegetable broth.

Here is what I'm making this week:

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw

We didn't end up making this yet.

 

Classic Vegan Fish Tacos with Pico de Gallo 

Because I love this and it's easy when we already have the red cabbage slaw prepared.

Lasagna

We didn't end up making this yet either.  It should use up a few containers of random shredded cheese taking up space in my fridge, so that'll be nice.

Loaded Nachos

I'm thinking of this for New Years Eve because it's delicious junk food that generates no leftovers.  We have tons of avocados I could make into guacamole, and there is some sour cream leftover in the fridge too.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup

Terribly unhealthy, but I love it so much. And I have lots of bread and cheese on hand at the moment. This meal is a "maybe."

French Onion Soup and Omelets and leftover Green Beans with Bagna Cauda

Sameer is making this tonight because he's been wanting to try a vegetarian French Onion soup recipe he found.  The eggs and whites will become the omelets.

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

From the NYTimes cooking section.

 

Ingredients

8 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes

 

Directions

1) In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until pale yellow. While whisking, slowly add the cream and the milk. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes.

 

2) Transfer the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to cool at room temperature. Stir in the peppermint extract. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Set a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan in the freezer to chill.

 

3) Churn ice cream in ice cream machine.  During last few minutes of processing, add the candy cane pieces. Transfer the ice cream to the prepared loaf pan, cover well with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Meal Planning

 This week's meal plan is courtesy of Sameer.  This week we're having:

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

Because I still didn't make this last week. We'll have to do this one today.

Lasagna

I've got a bag of frozen kale and assorted dark leafy greens in the freezer that I'd like to get rid of.  I'm going to food process it and mix it in with some Beyond Meat and dried herbs to hide it in this lasagna.

 

Scrambled Eggs & Toast & Roasted Tomatoes

 

Beyond Burgers with Crudites or something

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas

 

Homemade Pizza

 

Christmas Dinner

 

[Edited 12/28/2021: Every meal since Christmas has become about finishing off leftovers.  I had sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, and brussel sprouts I didn't get around to making on Christmas, so I prepared them on the 26th and served them with Christmas leftovers and the last bag of Gardein vegetarian turkey cutlets in my freezer.  That yielded even more veggie side leftovers, so yesterday I served those with a lentil loaf I threw together, which I don't normally enjoy but this was easily the best lentil loaf any of us had ever had.  I'm eating leftovers of all that again for lunch right now.  Hoping to finish off the last of the leftovers today.]

Christmas 2021

 

Crudites with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.

 

Cheese Herb Rolls 

Gardein Turkey Cutlets

 

Boxed Mashed Potatoes

 

Green Bean Casserole

 

Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Cream Sauce

 

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

 

Possibly another veggie side depending on what looks good at the store

 

Candied Pears

 

Peppermint Ice Cream

Selected by Simran because of how much she liked it last year.

Gingerbread Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

We're baking these this week.

Meal Planning

Time to go grocery shopping again. Here is what I'm making this week:

 

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

Because I didn't make this last week. 

Vegetarian Roast and Roasted Potatoes with Baby Carrots and green veg

The green veg will depend on what looks good at the store.  Either green beans, kale, spinach, or brussel sprouts.  The roast is a prepared food from the vegan section. 

Tofu Provencal and Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf  and green veg

 

Spinach and Feta Pita Bake

 

Red Beans & Rice  

 

Tofu & Veggie Stirfry with Brown Rice

Meal Planning

Still cleaning out the freezer and delving into the pantry.  The fridge is mostly cleared.  Here is what I have left to use up around the kitchen:  bread, burger buns, container of unidentified frozen puree of some kind in the freezer (smells like Dole Whip -- I've put it in the fridge to thaw and we'll confirm later), leftover vegetable manchow soup in the freezer, one more serving of vegetarian French onion soup from Trader's Joe's, part of a jar of pesto, just under a pint of heavy whipping cream, part of a jar of marinara, part of a jar of pizza sauce, a bag of mixed snacking olives, garlic hummus.  Here is what I'm making:

 

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup

I'm making this tonight because I want to eat grilled cheese and it'll use up the last of the bread before I go grocery shopping tomorrow. I'm going to serve the snacking olives and the hummus with baby carrots alongside this.

Vegan Quiche

Upon Sim's request for a quiche because she said it sounds good and she can't remember the last time I made one.  Also because I have a small amount of spinach I could use up on this.

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

This will use up the jar of pesto and the heavy cream.  

 

Vegan Penne alla Vodka

Seems redundant after the other pasta, but it'll use up any extra cut vegetables as well as the various open jars of tomato-based sauces in the fridge. 

Pizza

Because I have mozzarella and parmesan and I haven't made pizza in a long time.

Black Bean Quesaritos

Because we all want to eat this.  

 

I need to look through my Vedge cookbook and see what favorites I haven't made in awhile.  Maybe the Korean eggplant tacos with kimchi mayo. ]

I also have everything necessary to make red beans & rice.

After I buy a green cabbage:

 

Veggie Spring Rolls Fried Rice

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

 

Gochujang Noodle Stirfry 

 

[Edited 12/10/2021: The frozen cylinder was indeed leftover homemade Dole Whip. We ate it.]

Cleaning Out the Fridge

Yesterday I got bored and made a couple things to use up leftovers in the fridge/freezer.  Clearing out leftovers is the goal that brings me joy between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yesterday I made:

 

Cherry Pie Wontons

 

I made these from leftover wonton wrappers, about 1.5 cups frozen tart cherries (which I only ever buy because it's hard to find a bag of all sweet cherries anymore), some sugar and a tiny bit of corn starch. I basically just made a scaled down amount of cherry pie filling, put it in the wontons, sealed them with a mixture of equal parts water and flour, and fried them in a shallow amount of oil.

 

Cream Cheese and Green Onion Wontons 

 

I didn't have enough cherries to use up all the wonton wrappers on cherry pie wontons, so I used package of cream cheese, a little garlic powder, and a couple extra green onions I had on hand for making one pot peanut sauce noodles next week. Successfully finished off the wonton wrappers.

Meal Planning

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw

 

Classic Vegan Fish Tacos with Pico de Gallo

 

Beyond Burgers and Crudites with Ranch Dip  

 

Spaghetti & Plant-Based Meatballs from Delish Loves Disney

 

Thanksgiving

 

Tofu Pot Pie  

 

French Onion Skillet Lasagna 

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles

 

Thanksgiving 2021

 

This was Sim's plate, so there is no vegan gravy on it at her request. Clockwise from top: Seared French Beans with Bagna Cauda (added to the menu because it's Sim's favorite vegetable side and I saw some really nice looking green beans on sale at the store Wednesday), whipped sweet potatoes, boxed mashed potatoes, Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce, Green Bean Casserole, with a Gardein vegetarian turkey cutlet in the middle.  I didn't snap a pic of the candied pears. And I just bought a pumpkin pie from the store because I didn't care enough to make it myself this year and no on in my house but me cares at all.  We also ate most of the cream cheese wontons and cherry pie wontons shown in another post.  Drink of the night was a spiced sparkling cider I found at the store.  Again, no pics.

Crudites and Pumpernickel Bread with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.

Gardein Turkey Cutlets (I already secured some from Jewel-Osco after weeks of looking.)

 

Boxed Mashed Potatoes

 

Green Bean Casserole

 

Seared French Beans with Bagna Cauda

 

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

 

Candied Pears

 

Pumpkin Pie

 

 

 

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning and grocery shopping today.  Here is what we're making:

Dal Makhani

Fried Stuff Night featuring Pizza Spring Rolls and Dahi Vada with Tamarind Chutney and Cream Cheese/Green Onion Wontons 

Red Beans & Rice

Curried Tofu Pot Pie

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup

Meal Planning

Meal planning time.  We're busy for the next few days, so we're trying to keep it easy.

Cucumber/Potato/Tomato/Chutney Sandwiches

 

Beyond Burgers and Crudites with Ranch Dip

  

Vegetable Lasagna

 

Urad Dal and Lebanese Mountain Bread and Potatoes

 

Mac 'n Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables

 

 

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning because I need to hit up the grocery store today to make dinner.  We didn't do the breakfast burritos yet, so they're still on the plan.

Potato/Cucumber/Tomato Sandwiches with fresh homemade Coriander Chutney and Curry Pumpkin Soup  

 

Breakfast Burrito with sausage 

 

Pudla and Potato Shaak and Urad Dal

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw

 

Idli-Sambar with homemade coconut chutney

 

 

 

 

Meal Planning

Sameer's mom is coming to stay for awhile, so he made this week's meal plan.  Here is what we're having:

Jalapeno Popper Melts 

 

Breakfast Burrito with sausage 

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas with Red Chile Pesto and Red Cabbage Slaw

 

Korean BBQ Soy Curls Crunchwrap 

 

Curry Pumpkin Soup   

 

Pizza 

 

Catalan Sauteed Polenta with Spinach and Butter Beans  

 

Classic Enchiladas (Canned sauce, cheese, tortillas)  

 

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches (because Simran wants to have a tea party lunch one day) 

Creole Red Beans & Brown Rice

I'm finally writing up how I make this with brown rice so Sameer can cook it.  Liquid amounts and cooking times vary based on the instructions on my bag of brown rice.  My current bag calls for a 2:1 ratio of water to rice, cooked for 22-30 minutes.  Maybe it's parboiled because brown rice cooking time is usually longer than that.  Original recipe comes from "Vegetarian Times."

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  
• 2/3 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups pepper and onion mix, divided
• 1 15-oz. can tomatoes with medium green chiles, divided
• 1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat, add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and heat until shimmering. Add rice and 1 cup pepper/onion mix, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened. Add 1⁄3  cup tomatoes and their juices, plus 1 cup water; season with salt, if desired. Bring to boil, and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. 
2. Heat remaining 1 tbs oil and 1/4 garlic powder in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup pepper/onion mix and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining tomatoes with their juices, beans, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Cover, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Transfer 3/4 cup bean mixture to blender and purée until smooth. Return purée to pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with hot sauce.
   

Meal Planning

I'm almost out of some key ingredients for meal making, so I'll be grocery shopping in the next two days.  I need more mushrooms to finish off last week's meal plan, so there will be some carry over.  I'm also aiming to use up the spinach, tofu, and bell peppers currently in my fridge and the sourdough bread on my table.  Here is what I'm making:

 

Vegan Spinach Cheese Melts and veggie sides

 

French Onion Skillet Lasagna

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles  

 

Jalapeno Popper Melts 

 

Breakfast Burrito with sausage and Fluffy Pancakes 

 

Tofu Provencal and Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf and Garlic Sauteed Spinach

 

 

Blueberry BROL Breakfast Bowl

 

 

This is my new go-to breakfast.  I cook the BROL in advance and keep it in the refrigerator ready to go.  One batch lasts almost a week.  Then in the morning I put one cup of BROL, 1 tbs of ground flaxseed, and half a cup of frozen wild blueberries in a bowl and stir them up and microwave them for 90 seconds.  Then cut up a banana on top for added sweetness.

Meal Planning

 Time for meal planning.  Here is what I'm making:

Hearty Veggie Hoagies

Partly just so I have picnic food to take on Sim's and my field trip Friday.

Spaghetti & Plant-Based Meatballs from Delish Loves Disney

[Finished product and pre-baking.  These are so good.  They are predominantly Beyond Beef and cremini mushrooms.]

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

I made this last week, but I have half a batch of cabbage, carrots, and chilli-garlic paste to use up, so I might as well make it again.

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas with Red Chile Pesto and Red Cabbage Slaw
and Mexican Street Corn Salad

 

Classic Vegan Fish Tacos and leftover veggie sides

[I loved these.  I can't get Sameer to try fish even when it's just vegan food masquerading as fish, but I loved these tacos and finished all the leftovers for lunch the next day.  Simran said she liked the Gardein fish fillets even better than the chik'n tenders.  This meal was also really quick and easy to make because I had made pico de gallo and red cabbage slaw the previous day to go with the tostadillas.]

 

Vegan Spicy Mushroom Pepper Tostadillas

 

Vegan Spinach Cheese Melts and veggie sides

 

French Onion Skillet Lasagna 

To use up any leftover spinach and mushrooms. 

 

Meal Planning

We've eaten pretty much everything from the last meal plan.  Tonight we're going to have Indian sandwiches and tomorrow we'll have Shakshuka made from sundry leftover veg and some red beans I'm going to cook in the InstantPot.  Here is what I'm going to make after that:

Hearty Veggie Hoagies

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

 

Gochujang Noodle Stirfry

Because I love gochujang and this looks easy.  I might buy a green cabbage and shred it and throw a bunch of that in here to add more veg. 

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

Because, if I buy a cabbage for the other noodles, I'll need to use it up on something else.

 

Pasta Salad 

 

Soup & Sandwich 

Possibly. Based on what leftovers we have. 

Meal Planning

I have enough ingredients to make a few more meals.  I'd like to put off grocery shopping again until the roofers are done replacing our roof so I can park in the garage and get the groceries in the house easily.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

 

Things I still have the ingredients to make:

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles  

 

Korean BBQ Soy Curls Crunchwrap

 

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo 

 

Vegan Thai Green Curry Noodles

 

Zucchini Cakes with Mac 'n Cheese

 

By Sameer's request:

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas with Red Chile Pesto and Red Cabbage Slaw
and Mexican Street Corn Salad

 

Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Toast and Cherry Tomatoes