Meal Planning

I made the Creole red beans & rice last night, and I'll be eating some of the leftovers for lunch today. Here's what I've got left to use up: a green bell pepper, some celery, a collection of open cheeses that probably have to go soon, a pound of baby spinach, a container and a half of unsweetened cashew yogurt with a best buy date of next week, and two bulbs of roasted garlic (they'll keep in the fridge for quite awhile though).  Here is what I'm making:

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 

I'm going to use up some of my cheese collection (I've got sharp white cheddar, mozzarella, and an open package of cream cheese that need to go) and my current loaf of marble rye on this. Maybe some of the roasted garlic in the soup. I'm making this tonight as it's just Sim and me.

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese

I still have everything to make this one whenever I want. Might get put off for awhile since I have so many other things I want to make this week.

Black Bean Quesaritos

At Sim's request. We'll do this junk food dinner over the weekend. Probably Saturday since I can prep all the components in advance and avoid doing any real cooking that day.

Pizza and Green Salad

Another request from Sim. I already have two more pizza doughs stashed in the freezer from the last time I made pizza, so I figured why not. Probably Friday night. I can use up part of the green bell pepper on this.

 

Tofu Pot Pie

It's going to be cold for a few days, and I've got a container of cubed tofu in the freezer in addition to plenty of veggies to put in this (such as the celery that needs to go). This one isn't urgent since I can stash all of the components in the freezer, but I do want to make it before it gets too warm outside.

Spiced Spinach Tofu Stir-Fry and Brown Basmati Rice

This will use up the spinach and part of the yogurt. I can also include in the greens any cilantro in the fridge that still looks good since there is no such thing as too much cilantro. Might do this one Wednesday since the clock is running out on the spinach and yogurt. I've been making mango sorbet weekly for awhile, so I'll probably make that too. Or mango smoothies with the yogurt.  I'll serve garlic naan too if I have some in the freezer. Otherwise, we'll do without.

Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread

The chilli will use up the remaining green bell pepper (I plan to halve the recipe to avoid too many leftovers), and the cornbread will use up some more of the cashew yogurt. I might do this one as late as next Monday. It's not supposed to be too cold by then, but it is supposed to be rainy.

Cinnamon Rolls

Sameer's favorite cinnamon roll recipe for his future reference.

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q0FYoCl4Cs&feature=youtu.be

Bloom Yeast

2 cups warm milk

0.5 cups white sugar

0.5 cups melted butter

2.25 TSP yeast

Bloom for 10 mins

4 cups flour

Rise for an hour

Sugar Spread

0.75 cups light brown sugar

0.75 cups  softened butter

2 TBSP cinnamon 

Add 1 cup of flour to dough

add 1 TSP baking powder

Add 2 TSP salt

Dough hook dough

Roll into sheet

Add cinnamon mix

Roll

Cut into cinnamon rolls

Put on buttered cookie sheet and let rise 45 mins

Bake 350 for 27 mins

Icing:

4 oz cream cheese

2 TBSP melted butter

4 TBSP milk 

1 TSP vanilla

Combine above and gradually add

1 cup powdered sugar

Pretzel Dough

Sameer asked me to upload this so he has it for reference later. I don't fully understand the directions, so it's just a copy/paste of what he sent me.

2 TBSP yeast

2 TBSP white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup of warm water 

---mix into warm bowl let sit 10 mins

4 cups flour

--- bread hook

oil the dough ball and put in bread proofing oven for IDK 1,2, or 3 hours

Instant Pot Brown Rice

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice

1.25 cups water

Directions

1) Add rinsed rice and water to Instant Pot. Seal lid and cook for 22 minutes, natural release.

Instant Pot Quinoa

 Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups broth or water

Directions

1) Rinse quinoa and put quinoa and water or broth in Instant Pot. 

2) Seal lid and cook for 1 minute, natural release.

Meal Planning

I have to buy more bread to make Simran lunch tomorrow, so I'm going grocery shopping a little early this week.  Here is what we're having:

Pav Bhaji

Didn't make this yet, so this is tonight. 

 

Spaghetti & Meatless Balls (Disney Loves Delish magazine) and Garlic Spinach

I just need 12 oz. of cremini mushrooms to make the main course.

 

Baked Potato Skins and  Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce and Various Veggie Sides

 

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese    

I can make this whenever. 

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice 

This could be as late as next Monday. 

 

It's a cold day today, to be followed by warm days later this week, so I'm roasting garlic (for the Korean mac 'n cheese) and baking the last of the russet potatoes (for potato skins) this afternoon. They cook at the same oven temperature, so I'm doing it all simultaneously.

 

 

Meal Planning

None of the fried stuff ended up in the freezer. We ate it all within 48 hours. 

Time for meal planning. I didn't end up making the bok choy, so I still have that.  Here is what I have to use up: the previously mentioned bok choy, a couple cups of baby spinach, green cabbage, a few hamburger buns and hot dog buns, at least half a pound of spring greens, some homemade refried black beans, and all the other things necessary to make chilli-garlic noodles because I didn't make that yet either. Here is what I'm making:

 

Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Tamari and Chinese Mustard Sauce (Vedge, pg. 83) and  Garlic Sauteed Spinach and Random Sandwiches

Tuesday is usually a fast day for Sameer, so Sim and I will eat the veg (the spinach will presumably wilt to nothing) and either a black bean and cheese quesadilla for her (to use up the homemade refried black beans) or sandwiches for the main course (maybe cream cheese and cucumber tea sandwiches).  I'm planning to get some good sourdough bread while I'm out today.

Chilli-Garlic Noodles

 

Pav Bhaji

I can use the leftover hamburger/hot dog buns as the pav.

 

Vegan Irish Sausages and Colcannon (The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 164)

To utilize the remaining cabbage from the chilli-garlic noodles and extra potatoes from the pav bhaji. 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

I think I've got an extra green bell pepper in the fridge, so I could make this with what I've already got on hand. Maybe Saturday night.

Super Salad with Garlic Caesar Dressing & Hemp Hearts (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 83) 

I'm going to make this dressing and see if I can use up the remaining spring greens having this salad for lunches.

All the Frying

I have a package of vegan wonton wrappers on the verge of expiration, so I told Sim I would make the cherry pie wontons she's been ask for since I made them last Thanksgiving and also the vegetarian pepperoni pizza spring rolls from the Delish Loves Disney magazine that she loves so much. Today I remembered I actually need the much larger egg roll wrappers to make the pizza rolls, so that leaves me with a whole bunch more wonton wrappers to use up than I realized and quite a bit more cooking than I had planned on.  Today I'm prepping and frying all day, and the house will undoubtedly smell like fry oil for the rest of the weekend.  A lot of what I make will cool and then go into ziploc bags in the freezer for later.  Here is what I'm making today:

Cherry Pie Wontons

I just bought a large can of cherry pie filling for this rather than make my own this time. I'll make these first because they're the easiest and I don't want to cook them in the oil after the savory stuff with garlic has cooked in it. [Edited 4/13/2022: Canned cherry pie filling is not as flavorful as fresh. I had no idea because I hadn't eaten it in years. I bought a can with basic ingredients like cherries and sugar, but it didn't have that brightness my homemade batch made from sour cherries had. Canned version was blander.]

Cream Cheese and Green Onion Wontons 

Because they are delicious and I already had cream cheese in the fridge.

Potstickers

In case I still have too many wonton wrappers.  I have like 50 that need to be used up today.  I can use any leftover vegetable matter from these to make chilli-garlic noodles next week.

Vegetarian Pepperoni Pizza Spring Rolls (Delish Loves Disney, pg. 12)

If I have too many egg roll wrappers for the amount of filling this makes, I can also make veggie pizza ones with onion, green bell pepper, and cheese because Sameer likes that version even better (neither Sim nor I agree, but they are fine).  I bought an extra bell pepper just in case.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Tamari and Chinese Mustard Sauce (Vedge, pg. 83)

I also bought a few bunches of baby bok choy to make this as a vegetable side because the bok choy was there and cheap and I like this dish a lot when I chop and lightly stirfry it instead of bothering to grill (it makes it both easier and more consistently cooked). There will also presumably be some garlicky spinach and green salad to eat too tonight, or something like that.

Meal Planning

Time for meal planning.  I ate a lot of salads and also junk food in Alabama.  My stomach is feeling a lot better than the previous weeks -- I get the impression leafy greens are something I can eat a lot of without over-stuffing myself -- so I want to eat more leafy greens and less junk food this week.  Here is what I'm making, at least until my next grocery store trip next week:

 

Super Salad with Garlic Caesar Dressing & Hemp Hearts (The How Not to Die Cookbook, pg. 83) 

For lunches and maybe pre-dinner salads.

Vegan Baked Chana Pulao

 

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

This isn't a meal but could go with other meals or those black bean burgers I've got stashed in the freezer.

 

Avocado Grilled Enchilada with Red Chile Pesto  

Sameer said he would make this tonight. 

Baja Bowl

Sameer said he would make this tomorrow.  

[This one is quinoa, brown rice, black beans, spring greens, feta, grape tomatoes, avocado, and some chipotle aioli I made from canned chipotle salsa, garlic powder, and Vegannaise and thinned with lime juice.]

 

Mediterranean Bowl

This might be mostly lunches for me, but it could be a dinner.

[What you can see is a mix of spring greens, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, roasted garlic hummus, and unsweetened cashew yogurt. Underneath all that is about a cup of quinoa, brown rice, and black beans and some vegan feta.

 

Spiced Spinach Tofu Stir-fry and Masoor Dal Tadka and Brown Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan

  

[This is a shake I made because I wanted chocolate but also wanted it to have some nutritional value. I put a cup of unsweetened soy milk, 1.5-2 frozen bananas, 1 heaping tbs of peanut butter, and 2 tbs of cocoa powder in a blender and blended it smooth. That's all it is.]