Dinner Menu for the Week of March 4th, 2013

When I posted my weekly dinner menu last week I received a lot of positive feedback from you guys, thanks so much! Since the post was so popular I am going to share my weekly dinner menu again this week.

On Friday I jot down some ideas for dinner and then get input from my husband and kids then finalize the menu for the following week. I make a grocery list of items I will need after checking the fridge, freezer and cupboards. On Saturday I go to the grocery store to do all my shopping for the week. Sunday is the day that I do all my prep work; washing and cutting up veggies, making snacks for the week, putting casseroles together, etc.

I also plan out my lunches and snacks for the week based on what I will have leftover from dinners. I always bring a big salad with lots of veggies and toppings such as hemp seeds for lunch in addition to leftovers. This week for snacks I have Mineola oranges, bananas, and apples, for fruits. I have peppers, baby carrots and celery with hummus to cover veggies. I also made some buckwheat granola, yum!

Here is this week’s menu:

Monday: Cheesy Chickpea and White Bean Soup from Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton (page 82)

Tuesday: Mac-Oh-Geez from Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton (page 164) with green beans

Wednesday: Broccoli and Rice with Tofu Tenders

Thursday: Cauliflower Yellow Lentil Curry with rice and peas

Friday: Make Your Own Pizza Night

What are your meal plans for the week? Do you plan out your meals or just wing it?

Magic Mushroom Soup and Gravy {vegan}

No, no, not that kind of magic mushroom!
I have made this soup numerous times, tweaking and adjusting each time, until I felt that I have finally found the perfect recipe. You will find that this soup is magical because it can also be used as a gravy, simply reduce the amount of liquid you add.

I’ve made this as a gravy and poured it over millet for a hearty winter-y meal, though any grain such as brown rice or quinoa would work wonderfully as well. This magical soup & gravy is a great vessel for greens too. I’ve used both kale and spinach successfully, you could use collards or chard, if that is your preference, simply add the greens in at the end of cooking.

Ingredients:
Adapted from New York in Green
Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 (4 oz.) container of wild bunch mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster), sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8-1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (add amount based on your preferred saltiness)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary**, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
  

Method:

• Sauté the onions in a little oil until they are soft and translucent, I used coconut oil.
• Add in all of the mushroom slices. Cook them down for several minutes; then add the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, rosemary, lemon pepper, and paprika.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked down,stir in your flour. Do this quickly and once it is in don’t delay, stir it to ensure to no clumps form, creating a mushroom paste.
• Add in the stock once you get your paste at an even consistency, about 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the mixture up to a simmer.
• Keep adding the stock,1/2 cup at a time, bringing to a simmer each. Follow the same procedure with the almond milk, adding 1/2 cup at a time. Be careful always to only bring to a simmer, never to a boil. If the soup boils, it will “break” – the flour will separate from the oil it has bonded to, and each will float at the surface of your soup in weird little bubble pods instead of infusing it and making it creamy.
• Once all four cups of liquid have been added, let the pot simmer (simmer not boil!) for ten to fifteen minutes.
• Turn off heat; let sit five to ten minutes before serving.
  

**If you have dried dill, I highly recommend you try using it instead of the rosemary. Both will work beautifully, but I prefer the dill to the rosemary.**

Are you a mushroom fan? I love mushrooms. I will eat them any way I can get them, but this soup has become a favorite.

This is a Blog Hop! Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

You can check out even more great recipes at Buns In My Oven!

Dinner Menu for the Week

Do you ever feel stressed out trying to throw a healthy and tasty dinner together at the last minute during the work week? I know I do. With three active kids and two parents who both exercise daily and work full-time, dinner can become very hectic around my house. Next week starts soccer season for my two younger ones, plus the youngest begins swim lessons this week. Flying by the seats of our pants for dinner is not going to cut it any longer.

I am a planner by nature. I like things organized, in their place, and predictable. Routines and I are BFFs. I started to plan dinner for the week last week and it worked out fantastically. I thought other families might appreciate me sharing what we have planned each week.

Keep in mind that I am the only 100% plant-based eater in my house, the rest of the family is omnivores. Adjust each meal to accommodate your own dietary needs.

**I do all my prep work on Saturday and Sunday. This includes finalizing the menu for the week, then checking what ingredients I have at home and making a grocery list. Once home I begin washing, chopping, and sautéeing veggies. I wash all fresh fruits. If anything needs thawed I take it out of the freezer and move it to the refrigerator. I pack lunches and snacks for the next day each night.**

Here is this week’s menu:

Monday: Saucy Skillet with Tofu (Chicken for family) from Food & Family Magazine Summer 2006
Tuesday: Crockpot Tortilla Soup from 86 Lemons
Wednesday: Salads (The family will have steak to add to theirs if they choose)
Thursday: Taco Chili with Cheeze Sauce from Oh She Glows
Friday: Naughty and Nice Enchilada Casserole from Oh She Glows

I pack my lunch to bring to work every day. Here is what I’ve got planned this week; Organic Spring Mix Salad greens with various toppings (sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, hemp seeds, etc.), Tabbouleh (recipe to come!), and Rip’s Sweet Potato Bowl

I also bring snacks to work with me, this week I bought; fresh fruit (Cara Cara oranges, Anjou Pears), granola, roasted red pepper hummus with veggies, and edamame.

Do you ever plan your meals for the week? Have any favorite dinner suggestions? Links encouraged!

Simple. Easy. Delicious. Oven Roasted Asparagus

One of my favorite ways to prepare veggies is to roast them! You can roast pretty much any veggie and have it turn out delicious I think, plus it’s super easy! One of my very favorite roasted veggies is asparagus. I usually make roasted asparagus for Christmas dinner, but it’s great any time of the year!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Asparagus
• 4 Tablespoons (up To 5 Tablespoons) Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F
2. After you wash the asparagus thoroughly, stack a bunch together and chop off the tough bottoms.
3. Spread out the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat it as dry as you can.
4. Drizzle olive oil all over the asparagus and then sprinkle the asparagus with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Roast the asparagus for about ten minutes. You want the finished asparagus to still have a bite to it.

Simple. Easy. Delicious.

What’s your favorite way to prepare veggies? What’s your favorite roasted veggie?

Very Veggie Vegan Minestrone

My family is very busy, as I’m sure most families with three active youngsters are, so on our busiest night (when all 3 kids have some sort of sport/activity) I like to make a quick and easy dinner. The temperatures have been steadily dropping here in NW PA, so soup seemed to be the answer. I am not a big fan of soup from a can and prefer to make my own soups. My husband chose Minestrone soup and crusty Italian bread for dinner. Sounds perfect!

I went on a mission to find a veg*n minestrone soup that would satisfy my omnivore family but not compromise my plant-based diet. I thought I’d found a winner with “Vegetarian Minestrone Soup” until I read the ingredients and chicken stock was listed! I decided that I would use a combination of several recipes I’d found and create my own from there. Here’s what I came up with!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup each red pepper & green pepper, diced
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 glove garlic, minced
• 1 Rapunzel Brand Vegetable Bouillon cube, dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups water
• 8 oz. ditalini pasta
• 15 oz. can of beans (I used dark red kidney)
• 2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tsp. Herbamare
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Using a cast iron stock pot, saute onion in EVOO on medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute.
Add the carrots, celery, peppers, tomato, vegetable broth, and water. Bring to a boil.
Add pasta and cook for 6-8 minutes until al dente.
Stir on tomato paste and beans and cook just until combined.
Serve with a hunk of Italian bread and a pat of Earth Balance.

What’s your favorite soup on a cold fall day?