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.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
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.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Christmas 2019
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.
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.
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.
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