Meal Planning

Time for meal planning again. Sameer and Simran are going out of town starting next Sunday, so I'm planning until then. It's hot this week, so I'm avoiding the stove as much as possible. Here is what I have to use up: fresh green beans, nonfat plain yogurt, a tomato, a few red potatoes, most of one red onion, and some leftover homemade ranch dressing and about half the buffalo sauce from when I made buffalo cauliflower. Here is what I'm making:

Veggie Summer Rolls

This meal might be Tuesday, so I can prep it before Sim goes to voice and we can eat as soon as we get home.

California Wrap

This meal is just handy for using up the julienned vegetables from the spring rolls, and it's quick and easy to make. The cucumber dill sauce will use up some of the yogurt.

Fresh Veggie Tacos with Fresh Guacamole

Broccoli Salad and Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower with Ranch Dip and Seared French Beans with Caper Bagna Cauda

I'll make this early in the week, maybe tonight, because it requires the stove and will also probably yield a decent amount of leftovers. The green beans I'm only making because I have the better part of a bagful leftover from a meal last week. 

Breakfast Burrito and Pancakes

This will use up the potatoes. I've also been wanting pancakes with strawberry compote, so I'll make some more of that from a bag of frozen strawberries. If I make a new batch of pancakes, that will use up the last of the nonfat yogurt.

Meal Planning

Time for meal planning. It's July and hot outside, but we're supposed to get a couple cooler days this week. Here is what I have to use up: some little red potatoes, veggie hot dogs, four eggs, a head of cauliflower, and some sliced bell peppers. Here is what I'm making: 

Nicoise Salad 

This will use up the red potatoes and eggs.

Tofu Salad Sandwiches

If I can get fresh sourdough bread and microgreens from the farmer's marker Tuesday, this would be a good Tuesday night dinner.

Garden Pretzel Sandwiches

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Veggie Dogs

Zucchini Noodles with Haloumi and Pesto

Red Beans & Rice 

To use up the bell pepper in my fridge and freezer.

Meal Planning

We've basically finished last week's meal plan, but we've got lots of random leftovers, so I think it's going to be leftover night for dinner. Last week's meal plan did use up a lot of random ingredients though. Here is what I'm planning to cook this week:

Red Curry Tempeh Summer Rolls with Manchurian Sauce

July 3rd/4th: Hot dogs, deviled eggs, Easy Bean Salad, Patatas con Alioli, Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce 

This is too many dishes for three people in one day, but maybe we'll do some on the 3rd (when our town is having their Independence Day Extravaganza and fireworks) and their leftovers plus the rest on the 4th (actual holiday), maybe with homemade black bean burgers or Beyond burgers on the non-hot dog day.

Tofu Salad Sandwiches

I haven't found baked tofu in the "savory" flavor I normally use, but I did find a truffle and sea salt variety, so I'm going to try it here and see how it turns out.

Zucchini Noodles with Haloumi and Pesto

I bought haloumi on a whim after we were served it so often in London, so I need to actually make it into something. Plus, I haven't used my vegetable spiralizer in a while.

Vegan Pasta Salad

I might not make this dish this week, but I'm putting it here so it stays on my radar.

Meal Planning

I've got a lot of random little things in the fridge to use up: arugula, spinach, sliced white mushrooms, an heirloom tomato, pesto mayo, spicy red sauce for falafels, a mixture of radicchio and iceberg lettuce, mozzarella pearls, a package of feta, microgreens, nonfat Greek yogurt, a cucumber, cooked chickpeas and an avocado. It's not going to be quite as hot this week (mostly highs in the 80s, some lower, one or two days higher), so I won't be concentrating as hard to avoiding using the stove. Sameer is planning to implement alternate day fasting this week, so I'm not sure how exactly this will go since cooking on nights when he doesn't eat can yield way too many leftovers. Here is what I'm making:

Falafel (plus Red Sauce and Hummus) and Greek Salad

The yogurt sauce will use up the nonfat Greek yogurt and cucumber. We can use up the last of the red sauce I made last time. I can make hummus from the already cooked chickpeas in the fridge and Greek salad from the feta. I just need to cook more chickpeas and buy more cucumbers, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, pita bread, and parsley. I air-fried the falafel in the Breville last time and it turned out really well.

Brinner with Omelets and Pancakes

I have a bunch of pancakes and some veggie sausages in the freezer. I just need to buy some eggs for this dinner, and the omelets will use up some cheese and random veg from the fridge. This one involves turning the stovetop on for a few minutes, so I'll do it on a cooler night.

Garden Pretzel Sandwiches and Easy Bean Salad

Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino and Italian Chopped Salad

I already have a shallot and arugula, and I can also throw my fresh spinach in here. I just need the cheese ravioli.

California Wrap

Because we all like it and it finishes off the yogurt sauce from the falafel.

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa and Black Beans

Meal Planning

 It's hot here this week, so I'm trying out some no-cook meals. Here is what I'm planning to make:

California Wrap and Easy Bean Salad

Vegan Fried Chicken with Ranch Dip and Sweet Potatoes and Crudites

Because I have homemade ranch dip in the fridge and sweet potatoes in the pantry that I can steam in the Instant Pot.

Veggie Summer Rolls

Vegan Seafood Salad and Hummus with Crudites

Italian Chopped Salad with Cheese Herb Bread

I'm going to make the bread as a loaf in the bread maker (to avoid heating up the house) and we'll see how it goes.

Fresh Veggie Tacos with Fresh Guacamole and Red Cabbage Slaw

Vegetable Sushi

I want to master the basics of this and then make different recipes (e.g., a vegan spicy California roll I saw online). I just need to find my sushi mat among all my currently-not-in-use kitchen supplies.

No Cook Meals for Hot Summer Nights

I'm compiling a list of things I can make when it's hot outside so I don't heat up the house even more. Right now it's only June and we're looking at highs in the 80s and 90s for the foreseeable future, according to the weather app. Our first summer here, it only got that hot for one week. Here are some things I already make and like:

Veggie Summer Rolls

Garden Pretzel Sandwiches

Fresh Veggie Tacos with Fresh Guacamole

California Wrap

Vegan Seafood Salad

Greek Salad

Hearty Veggie Hoagies    

Tofu Salad Sandwiches

Indian Potato/Tomato/Cucumber Sandwiches

I can steam the potatoes in the Instant Pot, which keeps its heat pretty well contained and also keeps them from getting dried out like microwaving them does.

Here are some recipes I haven't tried yet but would like to:

Red Curry Tempeh Summer Rolls

Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Tofu Mango Summer Rolls with Makhani Sauce

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

If I use rice noodles, they can cook in standing boiling water from the tea kettle. No stove needed at all.

Vegetable Sushi

Kachumber Salad

This seems good to serve alongside curries.

Easy Bean Salad

I like that I could theoretically use any of my random Rancho Gordo Beans.

Big Italian Salad

Epic Summer Salad

51 Salad Recipes

A lot of these look good.

Meal Planning

It's nice and cool outside today, but it's going to get HOT later this week, so I want to do some cooking today that heats up the house and do no-cook meals later in the week. Here is what I'm planning to make:

French Onion Skillet Fettuccine and Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce 

Tonight so I can use up the mushrooms leftover from veggie tacos. I changed the skillet lasagna to skillet fettuccine based on what I currently have in the pantry.

Pasta Salad and Bagged Salad

Because tomorrow is going to be very busy, and I need something I can have ready to eat when Sim comes home from her voice lesson. If I prep the soy curls (veg chik'n) and pasta today, it will be fully no-cook tomorrow.

Falafel (plus Red Sauce and Hummus) and Greek Salad

Because I still haven't made this yet. I'll make it in the air fryer to avoid heating up the house much. I already have everything I need.

Veggie Summer Rolls

Friday night dinner. It's a fair amount of work, but it's no-cook and we all like it. Sim can help make the rolls.

Garden Pretzel Sandwiches

Saturday night because it's no-cook, it's easy, and everyone in the house likes it.