Simran said it was good and instructed me to write down the recipe. She also just added that it needs to be thinner, so I guess add water to this. Maybe a cup of water to start. The version I made tonight had no added water.
Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
most of a bulb of roasted garlic
28 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
a couple fresh tomatoes
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar of some kind to cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
fistful fresh basil
Directions
1) Heat the oil in a large pot and cook onion. Add the garlic (I used almost an entire bulb of roasted garlic because I made it a few days ago for a different recipe and had it leftover).
2) Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to get mushy. This is probably where you should add some water. Add basil.
3) Season with agave, salt, pepper, and coconut milk. Puree smooth in a high speed blender. Serve hot.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Monday, February 17, 2020
Meal Planning
Time for weekly meal planning. I want to buy a cabbage, so there is a lot of planning around that. Here is what I'm making:
Potstickers
I think I need to come up with something else to make this a full meal. Or maybe I'll just make them and toss them in the freezer for lunches since Sim is leery of anything resembling stir-fry ever since that one store-bought sauce made her sick. I'm really just making these because I like them and they will use up the last of the cabbage.
Chilli-Garlic Noodles
Vegan Irish Sausages and Colcannon (The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 164)
Saag Paneer and Vegan Methi Chicken Curry and Naan and Basmati Rice and Carrot Halwa
Friday night dinner. Or maybe Thursday. It'll use up the last of the paneer in the freezer. I normally do a dal, but the methi chicken is also a protein and sounded good, and I just saw soy curls at our local grocery store for the first time and had been wondering what they could be used to make, so it seemed like kismet. The carrot halwa is a recipe from a vegan kickstart app, and I'll already be using my salad shooter to grate a bunch of carrots and cabbage anyway, so I might as well use it for these cups of carrots too.
Vegan Grilled Cheese with Pesto and Tomato Basil Soup
I don't foresee using fresh tomatoes on the soup unless I just have some to use up. I'm going to get a large can of fire-roasted tomatoes and a tiny can of tomato paste and just figure it out from there. My basil plant also needs pruning, so this will be a good way to use some of its leaves. As long as the lite coconut milk in the fridge is still good, I'll dump it in there too. I prefer a smooth bisque to a rustic tomato soup, so I'm only using the recipe as a jumping off point.
For the grilled cheese, I can't find a recipe that looks like what I want (a plant-based sort of homemade cheesy spread made from beans, veg, and nutritional yeast), so I'll use the vegan cheese sauce I like, maybe with some hummus or pureed white beans stirred in to thicken it so it doesn't just pour out of the sandwich. I'll use the vegan pesto already in my fridge, some arugula for crunch, tomato for texture, and maybe avocado for added creaminess. My plan is to dry toast it in my nonstick skillet it so it's more like a panini than a buttery grilled cheese.
We also have more veg hot dogs and ravioli in the fridge. Those will work well for weekend meals. My weekday meal plan feels overly ambitious, between the amount of prep work and the number of new dishes. It'll take some forethought and a whole lot of chopping one day while Sim is at school.
Potstickers
I think I need to come up with something else to make this a full meal. Or maybe I'll just make them and toss them in the freezer for lunches since Sim is leery of anything resembling stir-fry ever since that one store-bought sauce made her sick. I'm really just making these because I like them and they will use up the last of the cabbage.
Chilli-Garlic Noodles
Vegan Irish Sausages and Colcannon (The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 164)
Saag Paneer and Vegan Methi Chicken Curry and Naan and Basmati Rice and Carrot Halwa
Friday night dinner. Or maybe Thursday. It'll use up the last of the paneer in the freezer. I normally do a dal, but the methi chicken is also a protein and sounded good, and I just saw soy curls at our local grocery store for the first time and had been wondering what they could be used to make, so it seemed like kismet. The carrot halwa is a recipe from a vegan kickstart app, and I'll already be using my salad shooter to grate a bunch of carrots and cabbage anyway, so I might as well use it for these cups of carrots too.
Vegan Grilled Cheese with Pesto and Tomato Basil Soup
I don't foresee using fresh tomatoes on the soup unless I just have some to use up. I'm going to get a large can of fire-roasted tomatoes and a tiny can of tomato paste and just figure it out from there. My basil plant also needs pruning, so this will be a good way to use some of its leaves. As long as the lite coconut milk in the fridge is still good, I'll dump it in there too. I prefer a smooth bisque to a rustic tomato soup, so I'm only using the recipe as a jumping off point.
For the grilled cheese, I can't find a recipe that looks like what I want (a plant-based sort of homemade cheesy spread made from beans, veg, and nutritional yeast), so I'll use the vegan cheese sauce I like, maybe with some hummus or pureed white beans stirred in to thicken it so it doesn't just pour out of the sandwich. I'll use the vegan pesto already in my fridge, some arugula for crunch, tomato for texture, and maybe avocado for added creaminess. My plan is to dry toast it in my nonstick skillet it so it's more like a panini than a buttery grilled cheese.
We also have more veg hot dogs and ravioli in the fridge. Those will work well for weekend meals. My weekday meal plan feels overly ambitious, between the amount of prep work and the number of new dishes. It'll take some forethought and a whole lot of chopping one day while Sim is at school.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Meal Planning
I just returned from a trip to San Francisco where I ate so much rich food. I'd like to detox a bit, but mostly I want to use up what is already in the house. Here is what I have to use up: an avocado, almost an entire pack of hot dog buns, a bunch of baby arugula, a green bell pepper, and a few crowns of broccoli. We also have some leftover penne alla vodka and some leftover spaghetti & meatless balls from when I was out of town. Here is what I'm going to make:
Meatball Subs and Some Kind of Vegetable
I can use up some of the leftover meatless balls and some of the hot dog buns making them into meatball subs. I think I'll do this today. It should be pretty quick to throw together, and Sim always wants dinner right away after choir practice.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Because I keep putting this on my meal plan and then not making it.
Veggie Hot Dogs and Some Kind of Vegetable
This will use up more of the hot dog buns and the last of the hot dog's Sim likes. I'll buy a pack of the brand Sameer and I like for us to eat.
Ravioli with Arugula
I already bought all the ingredients for this because Sameer originally planned to make it while I was out of town. It sounds like they've had a lot of pasta in my absence, but this should be okay by Friday or Saturday night. It's a really easy, tasty, reasonably healthy dish, which is good criteria for a Saturday night dinner. I've also noticed the new grocery store in town has both vegan Parmesan and vegan ravioli, so I'll try making this dish non-dairy the next time I need to buy ingredients.
Meatball Subs and Some Kind of Vegetable
I can use up some of the leftover meatless balls and some of the hot dog buns making them into meatball subs. I think I'll do this today. It should be pretty quick to throw together, and Sim always wants dinner right away after choir practice.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Because I keep putting this on my meal plan and then not making it.
Veggie Hot Dogs and Some Kind of Vegetable
This will use up more of the hot dog buns and the last of the hot dog's Sim likes. I'll buy a pack of the brand Sameer and I like for us to eat.
Ravioli with Arugula
I already bought all the ingredients for this because Sameer originally planned to make it while I was out of town. It sounds like they've had a lot of pasta in my absence, but this should be okay by Friday or Saturday night. It's a really easy, tasty, reasonably healthy dish, which is good criteria for a Saturday night dinner. I've also noticed the new grocery store in town has both vegan Parmesan and vegan ravioli, so I'll try making this dish non-dairy the next time I need to buy ingredients.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Meal Planning
Time for weekly meal planning. I've been doing pretty well at using up leftover ingredients lately. I currently have some plain yogurt I'd like to make into Indian yellow rice, but I think I'll make a bigger Indian meal tomorrow with the plan of yielding leftover rice first, then make the yellow rice from the leftover rice in the fridge to go with other random stuff on Tuesday. Here's my plan for the week:
Moong dal tadka and Basmati Rice and Naan and Saag Paneer
This moong dal recipe has been on my to-make list since last fall because I have so much dry moong dal in my pantry for no apparent reason. I'm going to make some extra rice on purpose to have it to make into yellow rice (no idea what it's actually called by anyone outside our house) on Tuesday. I bought more paneer the last time I was at Patel Bros. so I'm making saag again partly for the purpose of having a green vegetable and partly because I love it so much.
Yellow Rice and Sandwiches and Leftovers and Peas
We have the better part of a loaf of sourdough and will undoubtedly have leftovers from Monday night, hence this being a random and easy meal. I have no idea what sort of peas recipe I might make. I just have more peas in my freezer than I would like. I'll flip through my cookbooks and see if there is a recipe that looks pea-heavy and easy.
Vegan Pad Thai
This will use up the rice noodles in the pantry and some vegetables I have on hand. I also wanted something with tofu in it again this week.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
I skip the Yukon gold potatoes and all that now and just make the topping from boxed mashed potatoes with unsweetened soy milk and vegan cultured butter. It cuts down prep time by a lot. This will also use up some vegetables from the freezer and some lentils from the pantry.
Friday night will probably be a junk food dinner. There is a bit of buttermilk in my fridge that could be used up with the box of macaroni and cheese I found when I cleaned out the pantry last. We might also have leftovers from throughout the week. We could also feasibly make Taco Bell copycat foods (e.g., spicy quesadillas with vegetarian chik'n) and vegetable sides like the Brussels sprouts.
Moong dal tadka and Basmati Rice and Naan and Saag Paneer
This moong dal recipe has been on my to-make list since last fall because I have so much dry moong dal in my pantry for no apparent reason. I'm going to make some extra rice on purpose to have it to make into yellow rice (no idea what it's actually called by anyone outside our house) on Tuesday. I bought more paneer the last time I was at Patel Bros. so I'm making saag again partly for the purpose of having a green vegetable and partly because I love it so much.
Yellow Rice and Sandwiches and Leftovers and Peas
We have the better part of a loaf of sourdough and will undoubtedly have leftovers from Monday night, hence this being a random and easy meal. I have no idea what sort of peas recipe I might make. I just have more peas in my freezer than I would like. I'll flip through my cookbooks and see if there is a recipe that looks pea-heavy and easy.
Vegan Pad Thai
This will use up the rice noodles in the pantry and some vegetables I have on hand. I also wanted something with tofu in it again this week.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
I skip the Yukon gold potatoes and all that now and just make the topping from boxed mashed potatoes with unsweetened soy milk and vegan cultured butter. It cuts down prep time by a lot. This will also use up some vegetables from the freezer and some lentils from the pantry.
Friday night will probably be a junk food dinner. There is a bit of buttermilk in my fridge that could be used up with the box of macaroni and cheese I found when I cleaned out the pantry last. We might also have leftovers from throughout the week. We could also feasibly make Taco Bell copycat foods (e.g., spicy quesadillas with vegetarian chik'n) and vegetable sides like the Brussels sprouts.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Buffalo Tofu Salad
Ingredients
Buffalo tofu, a couple fistfuls (can be made without the oil in the recipe -- I cube up the tofu and make a big batch so I can have it on hand in the fridge)
Spring greens, big bowlful
Pecans, 2 tbs (can be spicy, roasted, or toasted -- I've been just lightly toasting whatever raw pecan pieces I have on hand in a skillet)
Blue cheese crumbles, 2 tbs (I like a gorgonzola or something even milder)
Ranch dressing
Directions
1) If you prepared the buffalo tofu in advance, heat it in the microwave.
2) Toss salad greens with dressing. Throw everything else on top. Eat.
Meal Planning
Time for weekly meal planning! I'm doing Tuesday (today) through Friday and then figuring it out after that later, like I did this past weekend. That seems to be working pretty well to cut down on having too many groceries. At the moment I'm making buffalo tofu because it goes really well in the salad I've been enjoying. I also didn't bother spicing the pecans and just lightly pan toasted some pecan pieces and included them in the salad for texture. It's great.
Here is what I'm making this week:
Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo
I have some fancy noodles that I received as a gift that I'd like to use in this, plus there is an entire container of non-vegan pesto in my fridge (the new local grocery store has finally started carrying the vegan sort by Gotham Greens) and some leftover heavy cream that need to be used up within the next week or two. If I can find vegetarian chik'n strips, I'll include those too. This will also use up the last of the sliced and julienned vegetables leftover in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza
Sameer's birthday is next weekend, so we're starting festivities on Friday night with pizza, mango sorbet, and cake.
Cherry Chip Cake
Sameer asked for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cherry chip cake, so I think the frosting (or at least the frosting on top) will be plain vanilla buttercream to make it easier to color green.
Tofu Provencal and Brown Rice Pilaf and Shaved Brussels Sprouts
Here is what I'm making this week:
Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo
I have some fancy noodles that I received as a gift that I'd like to use in this, plus there is an entire container of non-vegan pesto in my fridge (the new local grocery store has finally started carrying the vegan sort by Gotham Greens) and some leftover heavy cream that need to be used up within the next week or two. If I can find vegetarian chik'n strips, I'll include those too. This will also use up the last of the sliced and julienned vegetables leftover in the fridge.
Homemade Pizza
Sameer's birthday is next weekend, so we're starting festivities on Friday night with pizza, mango sorbet, and cake.
Cherry Chip Cake
Sameer asked for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cherry chip cake, so I think the frosting (or at least the frosting on top) will be plain vanilla buttercream to make it easier to color green.
Tofu Provencal and Brown Rice Pilaf and Shaved Brussels Sprouts
Monday, January 13, 2020
Meal Planning
Time for weekly meal planning. We're all finally recovering from our holiday bout of the flu. Sameer and I aren't at 100% yet, but as of last week we've been well enough to cook regularly again and eat normal amounts.
There is some cut tofu leftover in my fridge from last week's summer rolls (which I made to take advantage of the basil that's finally flourishing in the AeroGarden). There is also half a whole wheat demi baguette leftover from last week's hearty veggie hoagies that may or may not still be good -- I have to check. There's a bunch of leftover broccoli soup in the fridge, though I finished off the potato skins, which finished off the last of the russet potatoes in the pantry. There is some plain non-fat yogurt in the fridge from when Sameer made yellow rice, so hopefully there is enough to make it into ranch dressing. Then I can marinate and fry the leftover tofu into firecracker tofu to serve with it. There is half a brick of diced paneer in the freezer which I'd like to thaw and make into saag paneer this week. It'll also utilize some of the heavy cream that was supposed to become the ganache coating for the Yule log that we weren't well enough to make or eat. We're having reasonably warm winter days today through Wednesday, but then it'll be QUITE cold, so I might make Indian food Thursday because that sounds pleasantly warming. I'm only planning today through Thursday right now because that's what I did last week and then planned Friday and Saturday based on what we had at that point and what I felt like making and eating, and I think this might lead to less food waste. I end up at the grocery store at least twice a week anyway. Here is what I'm making this week:
Leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and DIY Sandwiches
Between the half demi baguette and the few remaining slices of sourdough bread, I think we can put together enough sandwiches for tonight. There is probably still vegetarian bologna and pepperoni in the fridge, plus cheese both vegan and dairy, and some random vegetables. There might also be bacon-style tempeh, which means we have everything for a vegan BLT. I don't want the soup to go to waste, so this seems a good day to use up leftovers. Sameer says he'll have leftover enchiladas from last night.
Firecracker Tofu and Gardein Chik'n Tenders (normal and "Nashville hot") and Homemade Ranch Dressing and celery sticks and Green Salad
I'm basically hoping to emulate the buffalo shrimp salad at Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House except with tofu. I think their salad might have some kind of (candied?) nuts on it too and maybe blue cheese. I need to take a look at the menu. It is a rich, delicious salad that I bet I could make a healthier version of. I've added the Gardein prepared faux meats to our meal plan mostly for Simran's sake and because we already have them and because I'm not sure we'll have enough tofu for three people. (Okay I looked up the buffalo shrimp salad from Hugo's. It's got mixed greens, corn, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing, and "spicy pecans." I just need to make spicy pecans. I'm not going to buy pecan halves just for this. I have pecan pieces in the pantry that need to be used up that should work. May or may not skip the corn.)
Vegetarian Kielbasa with Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes and Shaved Brussels Sprouts
This barely counts as cooking since most of it is already prepared, but I want to use up the Tofurky brand kielbasa and I'm not sure I'll be able to eat it all on my own even though I bought it for myself. If Sameer and Simran hate it, we have other things like chik'n tenders in the freezer, and the mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts are neutral things we all like.
Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani and Naan and Basmati Rice and Mango Sorbet
I'm planning to make naan just to use up some of the whole wheat pastry flour in the pantry and because I already used up the prepared naan from the freezer the last time we had saag paneer (which was truly fantastic and unexpectedly easy). The mango sorbet this time will be a can of unsweetened Kesar mango pulp + fresh lime juice + 1 tsp raw agave nectar run through the blender and then ice cream maker. I've made this before with frozen thawed mango of a couple different varieties and the lime and agave and it's fantastic, so I'm just experimenting with what I can swap out and still have it work since frozen mango is becoming increasingly hard to find.
There is some cut tofu leftover in my fridge from last week's summer rolls (which I made to take advantage of the basil that's finally flourishing in the AeroGarden). There is also half a whole wheat demi baguette leftover from last week's hearty veggie hoagies that may or may not still be good -- I have to check. There's a bunch of leftover broccoli soup in the fridge, though I finished off the potato skins, which finished off the last of the russet potatoes in the pantry. There is some plain non-fat yogurt in the fridge from when Sameer made yellow rice, so hopefully there is enough to make it into ranch dressing. Then I can marinate and fry the leftover tofu into firecracker tofu to serve with it. There is half a brick of diced paneer in the freezer which I'd like to thaw and make into saag paneer this week. It'll also utilize some of the heavy cream that was supposed to become the ganache coating for the Yule log that we weren't well enough to make or eat. We're having reasonably warm winter days today through Wednesday, but then it'll be QUITE cold, so I might make Indian food Thursday because that sounds pleasantly warming. I'm only planning today through Thursday right now because that's what I did last week and then planned Friday and Saturday based on what we had at that point and what I felt like making and eating, and I think this might lead to less food waste. I end up at the grocery store at least twice a week anyway. Here is what I'm making this week:
Leftover Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup and DIY Sandwiches
Between the half demi baguette and the few remaining slices of sourdough bread, I think we can put together enough sandwiches for tonight. There is probably still vegetarian bologna and pepperoni in the fridge, plus cheese both vegan and dairy, and some random vegetables. There might also be bacon-style tempeh, which means we have everything for a vegan BLT. I don't want the soup to go to waste, so this seems a good day to use up leftovers. Sameer says he'll have leftover enchiladas from last night.
Firecracker Tofu and Gardein Chik'n Tenders (normal and "Nashville hot") and Homemade Ranch Dressing and celery sticks and Green Salad
I'm basically hoping to emulate the buffalo shrimp salad at Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House except with tofu. I think their salad might have some kind of (candied?) nuts on it too and maybe blue cheese. I need to take a look at the menu. It is a rich, delicious salad that I bet I could make a healthier version of. I've added the Gardein prepared faux meats to our meal plan mostly for Simran's sake and because we already have them and because I'm not sure we'll have enough tofu for three people. (Okay I looked up the buffalo shrimp salad from Hugo's. It's got mixed greens, corn, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing, and "spicy pecans." I just need to make spicy pecans. I'm not going to buy pecan halves just for this. I have pecan pieces in the pantry that need to be used up that should work. May or may not skip the corn.)
Vegetarian Kielbasa with Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes and Shaved Brussels Sprouts
This barely counts as cooking since most of it is already prepared, but I want to use up the Tofurky brand kielbasa and I'm not sure I'll be able to eat it all on my own even though I bought it for myself. If Sameer and Simran hate it, we have other things like chik'n tenders in the freezer, and the mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts are neutral things we all like.
Saag Paneer and Dal Makhani and Naan and Basmati Rice and Mango Sorbet
I'm planning to make naan just to use up some of the whole wheat pastry flour in the pantry and because I already used up the prepared naan from the freezer the last time we had saag paneer (which was truly fantastic and unexpectedly easy). The mango sorbet this time will be a can of unsweetened Kesar mango pulp + fresh lime juice + 1 tsp raw agave nectar run through the blender and then ice cream maker. I've made this before with frozen thawed mango of a couple different varieties and the lime and agave and it's fantastic, so I'm just experimenting with what I can swap out and still have it work since frozen mango is becoming increasingly hard to find.
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