Menu Plan

Keep in mind that even though I am Veg for a Year, my family is not. :) So, I'm only posting the veg recipes here. And they are linked, but if I change them up at all, I will post the newish recipe here. I'm not promising much though, as this is the first week of school and who knows what will happen!

This week in our Bountiful Basket, we have broccoli, celery, sweet potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, champagne grapes, oranges, plums, nectarines, mangoes, and bananas. I also got the italian pack which has basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini.

Sunday: Whitney's having roasted veggies :)

Monday: Herbed Eggplant Souffle with Sauteed Green Beans

Tuesday: Cream of Celery Soup with Grilled (Ham &) Cheese Sandwiches

Wednesday: Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Thursday: Broccoli & Zucchini Pasta with a Green Salad

Friday: Meatloaf, Steamed Carrots, Mashed Potatoes

Saturday: Fish Tacos with Corn Salad

Hopefully it will be a tasty week. :)

Peach and Tomato Pasta

Ok, before you freak out at the weird combination...just trust me. Trust me. I have to tell you I thought it was weird too, but I am always willing to take a gamble and try out new flavor combinations. That and the fact that I still have a zillion peaches from the case I ordered a week ago...

But really, trust me. The acidity of the tomatoes cuts the sweetness of the peaches. The sweetness of the peaches cuts the acidity of the tomatoes. It is seriously a match made in heaven. And something that should only be enjoyed in summer...because peaches are a summer fruit, and you shouldn't be eating peaches that have been trucked to you from another country during the dead of your local winter...

Peach and Tomato Pasta

• 1 pkg of spaghetti (16 oz)
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 7 peaches, pitted and chopped
• 4 oz sliced olives
• 2 tbsp dried basil (or a handful of fresh if you have it--I didn't)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
2. In a large skillet, cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Add peaches and cook until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Add mixture to cook spaghetti along with pasta water. Toss to combine.Serve warm or room temp. Yum!

Peach and Corn Salad + Bonus: Roasted Peaches

This uses produce from my Bountiful Basket, although the corn is from a couple of weeks ago. I got some in my basket, but at the same time, it was on sale at the grocery store, so I had a LOT. I cut it off the cobs, blanched it, and froze it in quart sized bags. And it's white corn--YUM!  Anyway, in this week's basket I had peaches and limes, and I had green onions on hand, so I didn't have to go to the store for anything (always a plus!).

Peach and Corn Salad

• kernels from 2 cobs of corn (or about 2 cups), cooked
• 2 peaches, pitted and chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Mix together corn, peaches,  and green onions. In a small seperate bowl, whisk together lime juice and olive oil. Drizzle over salad. Devour. Yum!

Roasted peaches are so easy and so yummy. And since I have an abundance of peaches, there will probably be a fair amount of peach recipes. :)

Roasted Peaches

• 1 peach per person, halved and pitted
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt OR ricotta
• honey to taste
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place peach halves, skin side down, in an oiled baking pan. Roast in oven 20 minutes, or until peaches are cooked through but still retain their shape.

Mix yogurt or ricotta with almond extract and honey to taste. Serve with roasted peaches.

Variation: serve with a scoop of your favorite flavor ice cream (vanilla is yummy, and it starts to melt over the peaches. Sooooo yummy!)

I'm a slacker - Pineapple Black Bean Salad

I know, I know. I've been MIA for a while. I attribute it to a new-veg funk. Being veg and trying to figure out what to eat got very overwhelming. So I was cooking normal for my family and eating very blah for me. It's not easy. :)

I've been trying to change that though. Lots more searching on the internet. I spent a week with my daughter in Cedar City, where she did the cooking for a change (she's veg too).

I also joined a fruit and veggie co-op called Bountiful Baskets. The basic premise is this: At the beginning of the week (Monday - Tuesday OR Tuesday - Wednesday depending on what state you are in) you go to the website to make a contribution. On Saturday you drive to your pick-up site and pick up your produce. The produce is sorted into two laundry baskets--one for fruit and one for veggies. You need to bring your own container to bring the produce home in, as the baskets stay at the site.

When we first started this, the closest site was a 45 minute drive away, and that site was every other week. The next closest site was Las Vegas, which is a 60+ minute drive. I was hooked after the first time, though, and decided that this was something that needed to be in my neighborhood, so I contacted BB to figure out how to get a site started closer.

The fruits and veggies have pretty much saved me this summer. As a veg with almost no inspiration on veggie meals, it's no big deal to roast up some veggies or throw together a salad. And that funk is starting to pass, and I'm starting to get inspired by the produce I'm getting--some of which I don't normally buy because of expense (example: pineapple), and some which I've never even had the opportunity to buy (example: white asparagus).

Anyway, we've had pineapple enough in our baskets that I decided to buy a pineapple slicer. This recipe is on the back of the package (although, you know me--I've made some change-ups!).

Pineapple Black Bean Salad

Dressing

• Juice from 1 lime (at least 3 tbsp--4 is better though)
• 3 tbsp no sugar added apricot preserves
• reserved pineapple juice (from below)

 Salad

• 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium pineapple, sliced and chunked (tidbit size is good), juice reserved or 1 large can of pineapple tidbits plus juice
• 2 medium ears of corn, cooked and kernels cut from cob (or about 2 cups of frozen corn, thawed)
• 3/4 cup diced roasted red peppers (about 3 small)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

For dressing, mix together lime juice, pineapple juice, and apricot preserves.

In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Add dressing and toss well. Chill 2-3 hours before serving to blend flavors.

Sorry about the pic--my good camera is floating around somewhere 

between here and New Orleans and I haven't tracked it down yet.

Day 90 - Sigh...

I'm still a vegetarian. But I've been in a slump. Baseball has started and I am struggling with coming up with quick meals to feed my family before we head to the ball fields.

I've been eating lots of salads and roasted veggies. This needs to change. So, I'm hoping to regroup and come up with something to get us through the next couple of months.

In the meantime...salad...

Day 75 - Hmmm....

Well, I don't have a recipe for you, even though I have two to share (just not today). I wanted to drop in, though, and say hi, and to let you know that I'm still out there and I'm still vegetarian. :)

On Friday the hubby and I stopped by Whole Foods in Vegas and picked up some IZZE (Sparkling Fruit Juice) for the kiddo (as we've banned High Fructose Corn Syrup in our house), and some Gardenburgers for me. We cooked burgers Sunday night (some sirloin burgers for the meat eaters, a salmon burger for hubby, and a sun-dried tomato Gardenburger for me). We picked up some Earth Grains hamburger buns (skinny, skinny buns), sprouts, avocados, and tomatoes for the fixins', and ate those burgers right up. I was not thrilled with the Gardenburgers--they were just ok.

However...

For lunch today I cooked up the other flavor we got: Black Bean and Chipotle. Same toppings (sans avocado--that was gone Sunday) as before. This Gardenburger is a WINNER!! It was soooooo yummy. Quite happy with it...

Anyway, in the next couple of days I will be posting my French Toast Casserole Recipe as well as a Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe. Until then...

Day 70 - Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

Have I mentioned that I am always changing up recipes? Well, it's true. This time I changed up my own recipe...the one for Black Bean Enchiladas. It was yummy, though.

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 of a (16 oz) bag of frozen sweet corn
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry
• 2 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
• 24 corn tortillas

1. Spray 2-11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cumin; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in corn, salsa, beans, and spinach. Remove from heat.
2. On microwaveable plate, stack tortillas and cover with paper towel. Microwave on high 1 minute to soften. Place 1/4 cup bean mixture along center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in baking dish; spoon remaining bean mixture on top. Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas, spreading to coat all tortillas.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly around edges. Garnish with toppings of your choice (olives, avocado, tomato). OR Freeze now. Do not thaw and then cook. Cover with foil and freeze. Bake from frozen in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until sauce is bubbly around edges, 10-15 minutes.

*This actually makes enough for 2 pans of enchiladas. Cook one now and freeze the other one for later. You will be thankful when life is crazy and you need something for dinner ASAP.

Day 70 - Weigh In

187.6

Sigh...

Day 67 - Mushroom, Leek, & Cauliflower Pot Pie

I may have mentioned that I checked Veganomicon out from the library. This is definitely a book that I want to own, however, so it is now on my wishlist. I've cooked (my version of) two recipes from it, and I love it. Great inspiration! I am sure the recipes are fine just as they are--I just can't seem to cook that way. It is very unusual for me to follow a recipe precisely (except when baking--that is imperative, although there are places there as well for creativity).

Anyway, this is my version of Isa's Cauliflower and Mushroom Pot Pie with Black Olive (Biscuit) Crust.

Mushroom, Leek, & Cauliflower Pot Pie

     Roux

• 3 tbsp butter or margarine (depends on what you like and if you are vegan)
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk (dairy, unsweetened almond, soy)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in small pot over medium heat. Add flour and whisk around until it is completely coated. It will be thick. Slowly add the milk, whisking the mixture as you add. Season with salt and pepper. Keep cooking over medium heat until the sauce is thick (and coats the back of a spoon). Remove from heat.

     The Rest

• 1 small head cauliflower, stem removed, cut into small florets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 leeks, sliced and washed really well (leeks tend to hold on to sand!)
• 12 baby carrots, diced
• 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
• pie crust (see note below)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and saute until crisp-tender. Add the mushrooms and cauliflower, and cook until mushrooms release their liquid and it mostly evaporates. Remove from heat and pour in sauce, stirring to coat vegetables well.
2. Prepare pie crust. Place one pie crust in bottom of a deep dish pie plate. Add vegetables and sauce. Top with remaining pie crust. Crimp edges.
3. Bake in a 350° oven for 35-45 minutes (until top is golden brown). Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes (this will help keep the pot pie together when you cut it).

*Note: Pillsbury pie crusts, and most likely your store brand purchased pie crusts are made with lard. Unfortunately that means that the easiest way--purchasing a prepared pie crust--is not vegetarian. You may be able to find veg pie crust someplace like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Or you can just make your own--they are really pretty easy.

 

Yup..it's kinda messy, but,ooooohhhhhhh soooooo goooooood!

Day 67 - Weigh In

186.2

So glad to be under 187. :)

Day 61 - Weigh In

183.6

I am thinking the plateau has passed for now. And I am so excited that this experiment is helping my health!

Note to people thinking about going veg to lose weight: Make sure you don't each much dairy (especially cheese!)...dairy will keep the weight on, and there are other ways to get your calcium.

On that note, I haven't stopped dairy, but I have cut back tremendously. I've never been a big cheese fan (except for that time when my blood iron was so low I almost died, and my body was trying to get protein fast, but which probably only barely kept me alive and caused me to gain 20 lbs in 2 months!). Milk has really been the hardest thing for me, because I love it in cereal. But I've switched to almond milk and it works awesome in cereal. I haven't really been drinking milk (except in cereal) for a long time--my drink of choice has been water for many, many years. But still...it is amazing what milk is in. So, what I'm saying is--just cut back. Your body will thank you.

:)

Day 60 - Asparagus Pepper Pasta Revisited

Sunday was another one of those days. We were all lazing around the house, and we discovered kinda late that the Awards Ceremony we were attending was refreshments only, not dinner like I thought. I was being lazy and I didn't want to go to the store, which leads me to that platitude "necessity is the mother of invention". The Asparagus Pepper Pasta was a hit earlier in the week and I still had asparagus and peppers left, so I revisited the recipe (with a few changes--again, that seems to be how I cook).

Asparagus Pepper Pasta Revisited

• 1 lb asparagues spears
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large mushrooms, chopped
• 1 largish medium zucchini, cut in quarters
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb penne pasta

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until transparent. Add asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper and saute until asparagus is crisp-tender and mushrooms have released their juices. Add salt and pepper.
3. Serve over penne pasta. 

Sorry! No pics--I had to get ready for the awards ceremony and time was tight around dinner time. 

Day 60 - Weigh In

186.4

I'm glad I'm past that 187.  ;)

Day 58 - Asparagus Pepper Pasta

Thursday was kind of a "its almost the end of the week and we are out of money until tomorrow so shopping is limited to the fridge, pantry, and freezer" day. But I'd purchased asparagus and a 3-pack of colored bell peppers earlier in the week, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to put this dinner together.

Asparagus Pepper Pasta

• 1 lb asparagus spears
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 6 (yes 6!) cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb penne pasta

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until slightly golden. Add asparagus, broccoli, and bell pepper and saute until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add salt and pepper.
3. Serve over penne pasta.

This is so, so easy! And quick. Oh, and yummy!

Day 58 - Weigh In

186.6

Perhaps that plateau is in the past?

Day 56 - Veggie Sloppy Joes

This is actually from Tuesday, which was a really busy day. Not only did we have school, but I had my weekly newspaper meeting and a story to cover at the ball fields that evening. I was supposed to drop Steven off at baseball practice, and I had Bunko. So a crockpot meal was in order. While I was waiting to pick Steven up from Jazz Band, I bookmarked a couple of recipes in 2 of my crockpot cookbooks (Lazy Day Cooking and Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes). I figured I could vegetize some of them, although there were a lot there were pretty much already veggie. When Steven got out of band, I let him choose which one before we headed to the store, and of course he chose Sloppy Joes.

I plan on looking for a completely veggie sloppy joe recipe, but this works in a pinch. It might even be better if you rehydrate your own TVP--at the very least it would be cheaper. But I have to travel to Vegas for that, so I am stuck with the veggie crumbles at my local store (and as a side note, the veggie crumbles in the produce section are $1 cheaper than the frozen ones!).

Veggie Sloppy Joes (1)

• 3 (12 oz) pkgs veggie crumbles
• 1(12 oz) pkg leftover veggie breakfast sausage (hey--it was about 8 oz worth, and I knew it wouldn't get used for anything else!)
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp veggie Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• hamburger buns

1. Spray large (12") pan with cooking spray. Crumble in veggie sausage and cook til brown. Add veggie crumbles and cook until brown.
2. In crockpot, combine ketchup, bell pepper, onion, worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, vinegar, and chili powder. Stir in veggie crumble mixture. Cover and cook on low (ummmm...my crockpot cooks really hot on low, so for 3-4 hours, but crockpots really differ. The original recipe calls for 6-8 hours).
3. Serve on hamburger buns.

This really makes a lot, so don't be afraid to freeze the leftovers. It is really handy to have frozen meals available, especially since veggie frozen meals (convenience type, I mean) are so darned expensive!

Day 56 - Weigh In

185.6

Perhaps this means I'm past this plateau? I sure hope so!

Day 53 - Tacheen for Breakfast

You might have seen how much of this we had leftover...there is a lot. And I was intrigued by what the Iranians call "Tadig". Tadig is the crusty rice formed at the bottom of the pan--which you can either fry, or, well...I'm not really sure of all the ways that it can be made. But I do know that it is quite popular with those of Persian descent.

So for breakfast I put a bit of olive oil in my small (8-inch) pan, scooped some Tacheen into the pan, and smushed it all down. And let it cook until it was crispy (over medium-high) heat. I ate it with a fried egg atop the whole mess.

And it was yummy.

Day 53 - Tacheen! Otherwise known as Saffron Rice

I spent the weekend reading a series of books by Marsha Mehran. The first is Pomegranate Soup and the second is Rosewater and Soda Bread. The books are about a trio of sisters that escaped from Iran during the revolution in the 70's and ended up in Ireland. They own a cafe that specializes in Persian food, which is simultaneously yummy sounding and extremely exotic. And the books include recipes. :)

One thing that I've noticed is that a lot of Persian recipes include meat. Even those that appear to be side dishes (such as this recipe). This one sounded particularly yummy, though, and relatively easy to convert. Which I did.

Tacheen or Saffron Rice

• 4 cups cooked Basmati rice
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• Saffron water (4 strands saffron dissolved in 8 tbsp hot water)
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 (10 oz) pkgs baby spinach
• 7 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups thick, Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and half the saffron water, and saute for 10 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, turmeric, and spinach and saute for an additional 5 minutes.
2. In a non-metallic bowl, whisk eggs and remaining saffron water. Add yogurt, salt, and pepper. Add garbanzo bean and spinach mixture. Mix well.
3. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon in half the rice, patting it down evenly. Add half the yogurt mixture. Layer again with remaining rice. Add remaining yogurt mixture. Mix almonds and honey. Layer over the top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven.
4. Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove foil and cover with a large plate or platter. Carefully but quickly, turn the casserole upside down. Tacheen!

This is how I will make it the next time. Last night's version had a lot more rice and only 2 cans garbanzo beans, and 1 bag of spinach. The flavor is awesome, but it was a bit too starchy because there was so much rice--twice as much as in my updated recipe above. :)

 

As you can see, we didn't take ours out of the pan. I was too lazy to get out the platter that was big enough, and we were HUNGRY!

You may also notice that this is A LOT OF RICE!! Next time will be different. :)

Weigh In - Day 53

187.6

I seem to have hit a plateau...