Recipes, Meals, and Whatnot

We're detoxing nutritionally and financially after spring break (meaning I'm cooking vegetable-forward meals at home after a week of barely cooking at home and way too much cheese). Things to use up: red bell pepper, some baby spinach, about half a package of corn tortillas, shaved brussels sprouts. Here is what I'm making:

Vegan Beef with Broccoli and Brown Rice

Tonight because it's easy, healthy, and we like it okay. I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand, so I can save grocery shopping for tomorrow.

Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread

Because it's an easy Tuesday night dinner that can cook in the Instant Pot while we're at voice lessons, and it uses up a cup of dried beans. I think this will use up the bell pepper.

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon and Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

I put flageolet beans in the bourguignon last time, and it was a good addition. This will finish off the spinach.

Red Chile Enchiladas and Bagged Salad

To finish off the corn tortillas.

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese

I keep including this on the meal plan to use up the roasted garlic, but I keep not making it because I don't have to buy anything to make it so nothing is going to waste.

[Edited 4/10/2025: I've made the first three meals listed above, and we still have some amount of leftovers from each, so I'm making tonight a leftover night, plus serving the brussels sprouts, which I didn't end up making last night. Tomorrow night I'll use up the cauliflower and potatoes leftover from last night's bourguignon by making Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites with Homemade Ranch Dip (already have the ranch in the fridge) and Baked Potato Skins, served with bagged salad -- a lovely Friday night junk food dinner we'll all enjoy. I'm moving the enchiladas to Saturday because I can prep them a day in advance to avoid Saturday cooking (the pinto beans are already soaking), and we'll do Chili Miso Pasta Sunday night to use up the mushroom surplus from the bourguignon and tofu in the fridge. Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese is moved to Monday.]

Monday, March 24, 2025

Meal Planning

Chili Miso Pasta

Red Chile Enchiladas and Bagged Salad

Black Bean Burgers

Spinach & Feta Pita Bake

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese

Monday, March 17, 2025

Meal Planning

I have way too many beans and soy curls still, in addition to wanting to clean out the freezer, so I'm making meals that use up at least some of my surplus and involve buying as little as possible. I was doing this last week too.

Vegan Fried Chicken and Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites with Homemade Ranch Dip and Baked Beans and Cucumber Salad

Labor intensive, so I'll probably do this Wednesday while Sim is at yoga club. It'll use up some of my beans and soy curls though, as well as the cauliflower florets I didn't finish off last week and the non-fat yogurt in the fridge.

Tofu Pot Pie

Uses up the cubed tofu from the freezer. I don't think I need to buy anything to make this. Extra pie crust will be baked into flaky cookies and served with preserves from my Bonne Maman advent calendar.

Red Beans & Rice

Because it uses up some of my red beans and a container worth of diced bell peppers from the freezer.

Vegetarian Lasagna

To finish off the spinach in my fridge and freezer and some of the lasagna noodles in my pantry. I'm going to make it with Beyond Meat since I haven't made that style of lasagna in a long time.

Spaghetti & Meatless Balls and Green Salad and Garlic Bread

Because the largest container taking up space in my freezer is holding meatless balls leftover from the last time I made them.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Meal Planning

Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread

Tonight because I can have it ready in the Instant Pot when we get home from voice lessons.

Vegan Lentil Quinoa Loaf and Whipped Sweet Potatoes

To finish off the sweet potatoes in the pantry.

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

To finish off the russet potatoes in the pantry. I want to try including some flageolet beans or similar in the bourguinon, partly for the protein and partly just because I have so many interesting beans at the moment.

Seven-Layer Tortilla Pie

To finish off the flour tortillas in the fridge.

Veg Burgers and Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites with Ranch Dip

To finish off the cauliflower from the bourguinon.

Garlicky Korean Mac 'n Cheese with Gochujang and Green Salad

To use up the roasted garlic in the fridge.