A week's menu that worked...

I decided to post this week's menu- it worked so well and tasted so great. And my memory, well, there we are.

Sunday
Nachos- reg cheese for DH
- Unprocessed Cheez Spread from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook for me
also topped with black beans, chopped tomatoes, and chopped romaine lettuce
I made enough black beans for tonight and for Tuesday's black beans and rice.

Monday
Spinach Chickpea Curry- Vegan with a Vegeance
Salad
Grilled lamb

Tuesday
Black beans and rice
Salad
Steamed kale (I mixed it in my bowl of black beans and rice)

Wednesday
Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies- Vegan with a Vegeance
Leftover curry served over leftover steamed greens
Salad with leftover cheez spread as the salad dressing
Steamed broccoli
Grilled smoked pork chops- DH grills them in the George Foreman grill with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Thursday
Pasta with marinara sauce- spaghetti for DH and whole wheat elbows for me
Salad

5 flamingos- everything worked out great and tasted even better. I made extra black beans from scratch on sunday for the nachos and then had it easy for tuesdays black beans and rice. I also made a large batch of brown rice for the leftover chinese that I then used for the black beans and rice. I also had just enough curry and leftover greens so that I could spend my time making the new Roasted Winter Veggie menu.

I have great friends!

I have received the best support from my most thoughtful friends at work. RL brought in a menu from a thai place so I could have some veggie Thai and to show some ideas to my local Thai place that is all about the animal protein. NS subbed veggie broth for the chicken broth in her soup recipe for soup club. And MA brought me in a vegan pizza- heart shaped for Vday. She is having some of the kiddos over for an auction item but thought of me. All were so thoughtful! I have the best friends at work :) :) :)

I was so tempted last week to have my old fave white pizza from the Italian restaurant across the street. I wanted it soooo bad. It's and old tradition of mine to have this pizza when DH is out of town. I managed to talk myself out of it mostly because I had some leftover pizza in my fridge that turned out to be very delicious. This has been the only bump in the becoming near vegan road so far. I love all the veggies and haven't missed the meat. Really, I find that I'm becoming less interested in the meat as I think of meat as an animal- an intelligent living creature. I just can't do it. Never pictured myself as an activities but I seem to be heading that way.

Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies

"You didn't take any pictures of dinner??" my DH said last night! Well, it was black beans and rice, a tried and true dish that for whatever reason I didn't think post-worthy. I wanted black beans on Sunday for the nachos so I went ahead and made a bag of dried to have leftovers for Tuesday. I like the bite-ier texture of beans cooked from dried rather than canned. Nuked up with some leftover brown jasmine rice and some steamed kale mixed in and its almost instant dinner. Very tasty and healthy instant dinner :) and perfect on a night that I stayed later at school for a work out class.

Tonight was mostly leftovers again- the Spinach Chickpea Curry served over the leftover steamed kale. This really was so very very good the night it was served and even better tonight. I have a great new go-to fave dish. :) :) :) DH also had grilled smoked pork chops. Two nights of mostly leftovers- I had the time and energy to try a new recipe- Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies from Vegan with a Vegeance. Another winner from this cookbook. The veggies were perfectly cooked- not too mushy not too crisp. The ginger was noticeable but just right. The kitchen was scented with the cinnamon and allspice and mmmmmm that was so nice on a cold winter evening.

Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies

Vegan with a Vegeance

1 pound parsnips (about 2 average size), washed, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 large carrots, washed, peeled cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 pound sweet potatoes (about 3 medium-size). peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 heaping tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil (I used 1/2 of this)

pinch cinnamon

pinch allspice

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven 350F.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, making sure all veggies are well coated. Doing this with your hands works best.

Place the veggies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (I used the large bar pan from Pampered Chef and it worked perfectly.) If there is any extra liquid, pour it over the veggies.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the veggies. Bake for 20 or so more minutes, until the veggies are tender inside.

4 1/2 flamingos- just a bit of an issure chopping all the veggies- esp the butternut squash. my knives are not that sharp and my arms humming from my workout earlier in the afternoon.

This curry rocks!

Wow- this has to be one of the best curries I have ever made. I made the Chickpea and Spinach Curry from Vegan with a Vegeance. I loved the curry flavor but also that the taste of the chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes came through. It's a curry that emphasizes the flavor of the veggies without a heavy sauce. Even DH, who is not fond of chickpeas, snuck a few nibbles. I notice he's been doing that lately :) I meant to make a full recipe but noticed that 1 of my cans of chickpeas had a dent in the rim- aarrrggg- I have to be real careful when I buy canned goods from my local grocery store- and as careful as I think I am, a few get by.
Here is what I made-

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
adapted from Vegan with a Vegeance

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 vidalia or sweet onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey's Maharajah)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cardamom pods (I used green)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups fresh spinach (I used baby and left it whole)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Prepare the tomaotes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can.

Preheat a large-sized saucepan (esp if doubling) over medium heat; pour in the veggie oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute- mine didn't pop :( I wonder if I don't have the right seeds??) then add the onion; turn up the heat to medium-high and saute for 7-10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for 2 more minutes. Add spices, salt, and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice; saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add the spinach, mixing until wilted. When the spinach is wilted and the mixture is liquidy, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.


I had this curry with a bit of whole wheat couscous (made with veggie broth and garlic), and a salad. DH had the couscous, salad, and grilled lamb.

5 flamingos for taste- this curry is a repeater!
5 flamingos for time and effort

Soup Club

Another yummy Monday with Soup Club! And both were very delicious (perfect for a cold winter day) and vegan friendly- wahoo!

Rosemary White Bean Soup
Barefoot Contessa- prepared by NS

1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6-7 inches)
2 quarts chicken or veggie stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Garbanzo Tomato Pasta Soup
allrecipes.com submitted by Joy prepared by DG

9 (14.5 ounce) cans veggie broth
2 1/4 cups small seashell pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Bring veggie broth to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Stir into pasto and add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.

Nachos

I tried some new nacho chips at Whole Foods the other day and they were good! (The chips were Japapeno tortilla chips with diced jalapeno peppers and crushed red peppers by FoodSouldTasteGood) So I bought some and thought to make nachos this weekend. And we did! DH had his with grated Craker Barrel cheese, black beans, and then topped with salsa. I had mine with the new chips topped with chopped romaine, chopped cherry tomatoes, black beans, salsa, and vegan cheese sauce. I really liked the cheese sauce and so did DH- he very quietly kept taking bites and scoops of the vegan cheese sauce. I had bought the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak this summer but put it aside after trying a vegan cheese that was only ok. This was pretty darn good and DH kept adding a bit to his nachos too!

Edited to add that as delicious as this was, it didn't seem to keep well. It tasted way too much of the nutritional yeast and the subtle flavors of the veggies and other seasonings were long gone.

Unprocessed Cheez Sauce

The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak

1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 or 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped (I used 2 smaller carrots)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (I used 1/2 sweet onion)

1 cup water

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled firm silken toful or 1/2 to 1 cup cooked and drained white beans (I used 1 cup drained navy beans)

1/2 to 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes (I decided that I would use 1/2 cup flakes after using the highter amount this summer and not liking the result. I do think this is an acquired taste and I'm just starting to aquire it!!)

2-4 tablespoons miso- I used brown

1 -2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Combine potato, carrot, onion, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender (I used my food processor) along with remaining ingredients. Process until velvety smooth. Serve immediately or return to saucepan or fondue pot to keep warm.

Tips: If mixture fills your blender more than halfway, blend in two or three batches.

The larger the quantities of tofu or white beans and nutritional yeast will make a thicker, richer-tasting sauce.

Crimini, Shiitake, and Portobello Oh my!

DH is out of town and I got to play with mushrooms! He hates mushrooms even the smell. Fortunately this recipe had plenty of shallots that I bet he notices first! And I kept chuckling when I bought the shiitakes and when I was preparing them- one of my previous first graders used to love saying "Oh shiiiiii...... take mushrooms"- LOL for days over that. :) I had agreed to play a game on the Cooking Light boards- I choose the recipe and then started to post it before I realized that it called for 1/2 stick butter! Oops! Then I realized I had a bit of a challenge before me so I made the recipe without the butter. And it was really very very good. UUUMMMMM- when is DH going out of town again???

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms
adpated from Ina Garten Barefoot in Paris
serves 4

2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, porcini, and portobello
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots- 4 large
splash of veggie broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Brush the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in a large dice.Heat the olive oil in a large (11-inch) Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the veggie broth, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley and serve warm.