Vegan Menu for Week Twenty-Nine

When I'm looking for cooking inspiration, I go to three places:  1) I have a collection of "recipes to try"--recipes torn out from newspapers and magazines or given to me by friends or family; 2) my collection of cookbooks (I still have a bunch from my carnivorous days, and they still have things I can try!); and 3) the internet.  I have to admit I go to the internet more often than not, because if I have a specific craving or specific ingredients I want to use, it's pretty easy to narrow my search down.  I can't always do that with my other two sources.

So, as a tribute, this week and possibly for several weeks after, I am going to do my version of "Best of the Web."  I want to share with you some of my favorite websites and some recipes I either intend to try or have tried and like!

Sunday

• Chef Chloe's Flatbread with Roasted Apple, Butternut Squash, and Caramelized Onion
• Green salad

Monday

• FatFree Vegan's Hot Skillet Salad
• Vegan crackers

Tuesday

• Healthy.Happy.Life's Vegan White Bean Burgers with "cheese and bacon"
• Kettle chips

Wednesday

• Vegan Thyme's Vegan Wild Rice Soup en Croute
• Garden salad

Thursday

• Moosewood Restaurant's Spicy Carrot Peanut Soup
• Vegan crackers

Friday

• Vegan Taco Soup (from VegWeb.com)
• Warm tortillas 

Saturday

• PETA's Scalloped Parsnip Baja Tacos
•  Spanish rice

Breakfast of the Week

•  Toast with homemade Low-Sugar Plum Spread (from Eating Well)--I made this and loved it (I used turbinado sugar). 

 Dessert of the Week

• Vegan apple pie (I liked this one)

Vegan Menu for Week Twenty-Two

This time of year is always quite busy for me, as it may be for a lot of you.  Sometimes dinner ideas are hard to come up with, especially unique, inspiring ones.  I hope you find some ideas here that make you hungry and eager to cook (and eat)!

Sunday
Latin America (Cuban)

• Moros y Cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice--translated means "Moors and Christians")
• Tortillas

Monday
Indian

• Dal palak
• Rice

Tuesday
Greek

• Fasolada (bean soup)
• Sourdough bread

Wednesday

• Moosewood Restaurant's Mushroom Pecan Burgers
• Sweet potato fries

Thursday
Italian

• Pasta e fagioli soup
• Tuscan bread with roasted garlic

Friday
Chinese

• Broccoli with garlic sauce
• Brown rice

Saturday

• Pasta salad (use lots of veggies and your favorite bean to move this to entree status)
• Steamed Brussels sprouts
• Green salad

Breakfast of the Week

• Warm bran muffins slathered in margarine

Dessert of the Week

• Oatmeal raisin cookies

Week Six Menu

Sunday
Fall favorite

• Vegan butternut squash soup
• Side salad
• Triscuit crackers

Monday

• Black bean burger
• Asparagus lightly steamed with pinch of sea salt
• Celery and carrot sticks

Tuesday

• Flatbread sandwich with thinly-sliced bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, alfalfa sprouts with a little Italian dressing and Vegenaise
• Vegan baked beans

Wednesday
Mexican

• Gorditas (make the shells out of masa dough and lightly fry--see pictures and ideas in a post later this week)
• Refried beans

Thursday

• Pinto and kidney bean "goulash" with whole grain macaroni or rotini pasta (make the sauce with vegetable broth, tomatoes, onions, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and whatever other spices you'd like)
• Diced watermelon
• Vegan biscuits

Friday
Italian

• Pasta with basil pesto
• Crusty bread with olive oil and garlic
• Salad with red oak leaf lettuce and vinaigrette

Saturday
Quick and Easy

• Kashi Black Bean Mango frozen entree
• Side salad with your favorite lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots with red wine vinaigrette

Breakfast of the Week

• Strawberry-banana smoothie (two fruits, a little ice and water in the blender for just a few seconds)

Snack of the Week

• Rice cake with natural peanut butter

Week Three Menu

Sunday
Mexican

• Veggie Fajitas (bell peppers--a combination of green and red looks pretty; onions; carrots; and mushrooms fried in olive oil in spices, wrapped in warm flour tortillas)
• Refried beans
• Spanish rice

Monday

• Sub sandwiches (hoagie rolls with a variety of chopped veggies, vinegar, and oil--I like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, spinach, and green peppers, but you can also have pickles, avocado slices, alfalfa sprouts--whatever sounds good)
• Vegan potato salad (no eggs and substitute Veganaise for mayonnaise or try a mixture of olive oil and Dijon mustard)

Tuesday

• Veggie burgers--eat in a whole wheat bun with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and onion and, of course, a Boca burger
• French fries (with ketchup if you like it)

Wednesday
Japanese

• Vegan Yakisoba (make sure the sauce and noodles are vegan)
• Edamame
• Brown rice

Thursday

• Thin spaghetti in garlic sauce (sliced garlic and fresh sage lightly sauteed)
• Garden salad with Bibb lettuce, onion slices, and cherry tomatoes with oil and vinegar
• Bread for dipping in olive oil

Friday
Fall favorite

• Split pea soup (click this link for my recipe)
• Vegan biscuits
• Sliced peaches

Saturday

• Black bean wraps (whole wheat tortilla, chopped Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and black beans, piled with your favorite salsa)
• Chips and salsa for dipping

Breakfast of the Week

• Toast with no-sugar-added jam
• Canned pears

Dessert of the Week

• Vegan sugar cookies