Showing posts with label comfort food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comfort food. Show all posts

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Week Seventeen Menu

Sunday
Italian
  • Calzone stuffed with your favorite veggies and vegan cheese
  • Salad
Monday
  • Pepper "steak" (using seitan strips)
  • Rice
  • Salad
Tuesday
Italian
  • Vegan risotto
  • Green beans
  • Spinach salad 
Wednesday
  • Lentil stew
  • Ciabatta bread with vegan margarine or drizzled with olive oil and sliced garlic
  • Garden salad
  • Brussels sprouts
Thursday
Warm weather favorite
Mexican
  • Gazpacho
  • Flour tortillas
Friday
Comfort food
  • "Hamburger" gravy (made with Boca crumbles and soy milk)
  • Cornbread
  • Peas and carrots
  • Garden salad
Saturday
Tex-Mex
  • Southwestern "egg" rolls (use flour tortillas and fill with Tex-Mex ingredients--black beans and corn, salsa, seitan and/or tofu, onions, bell peppers, chilies, vegan cheddar or Jack cheese, and spice up with chili powder and cumin)
  • Refried beans
Breakfast of the Week
  • Biscuits and gravy (make gravy with vegan sausage and your favorite vegan milk)
Dessert of the Week
  • Vegan zucchini bread

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Week Fifteen Menu

Sunday
Comfort food
  • "Chicken" and dumplings (this was one of my mom's staples growing up, and I loved eating the dumplings.  I'm still playing around with her old recipe.  I've used fake chicken pieces, but I'm going to try seitan next to see if I can change the texture.  There are probably some good recipes for vegan chicken and dumplings online)
  • Cornbread
  • Green salad with vinegar and oil
Monday
Indian
  • Channa masala (chickpea curry)
  • Naan (Indian flatbread)
  • Brown rice
Tuesday
  • Cabbage toran (you can Google for a recipe)
  • Wild rice
  • Any type of white beans, lightly salted
Wednesday
Southern
  • Vegan jumbalaya
  • Steamed white rice
Thursday
Mexican
  • Vegan tamales
  • Refried beans (try making them from scratch one time--you'll never want the canned ones again!)
  • Spanish rice
Friday
  • Vegetable quiche (use a vegan egg substitute)
  • Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
  • Green beans
Saturday

  • Vegan stuffed bell peppers with rice
  • Pinto beans
  • Green salad with your favorite dressing
  • Peas
Breakfast of the Week
  • Breakfast burrito with whatever fillings you like--maybe try hashbrowns, soy sausage or bacon, peppers and onions, lightly sauteed tofu, salsa
Dessert of the Week
  • Vegan doughnuts (Google for some good recipes)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Week Fourteen Menu

Sunday

  • Large meal-size spinach salad (this idea was inspired by a huge salad I had this week based on Joy Bauer's Holiday Detox article:  I made a spinach salad with red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, carrots, and red onions with black beans and toasted pecans, a teaspoon of olive oil, drizzled in red wine vinegar--best spinach salad I've ever had, plus it was filling!)
  • Triscuit crackers
  • Sliced pineapple
Monday
  • Veggie hot dogs, served traditional style in vegan hot dog bun with any toppings you like
  • Kettle chips
  • Watermelon slices
Tuesday
Middle East (Jewish)*
  • Vegan potato kugel
  • Vegan matzo ball soup
  • Green salad with pomegranite vinaigrette
Wednesday
Mexican
  • Mexican lasagna (substitute noodles with flour tortillas, sauce with salsa, and cheese with vegan shredded cheese)
  • Black beans with bell peppers and lime juice
Thursday
Italian
  • "Chicken" cacciatore (substitute seitan for chicken)
  • Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
  • Roasted garlic with French bread
Friday
Comfort food
  • Eastern European Vegetable Stew (another hearty recipe from Moosewood Restaurant--you can substitute tofu sour cream or soy yogurt for the last ingredient or just skip it)
  • Warm dinner rolls
Saturday
Mexican
Breakfast of the Week

  • Breakfast scramble (substitute tofu for eggs and soy sausage for regular)
Dessert of the Week
  • Vegan key lime pie
I debated how exactly should I typify Jewish cuisine.  I've been trying to keep my labels to a minimum, only using them if I have three or more links to something and combining when necessary.  So far, this is the only Jewish meal I've posted, and I realize that I could typify Jewish as any number of things--European, American, Middle Eastern--but I chose to go with the Middle East as the label, since Jewish roots begin in Israel, and much of their traditional food dates back thousands of years to when they lived exclusively there.   

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Week Nine Menu

Sunday
Fall favorite
  • Vegan Tomato Soup
  • Grilled "Cheese" Sandwiches (made with vegan American cheese)
  • Millet with vegan margarine
Monday
Mexican
  • Arroz con "Pollo" with Boca Chik'n Nuggets (see my recipe here)
  • Warm whole wheat tortillas
  • Refried beans
Tuesday

  • Quinoa and bean salad (combine quinoa and beans with your favorite spices, veggies, and vinegar and oil and toss)
  • Steamed carrots lightly sprinkled with sea salt
Wednesday
  • Pinto beans and rice with Tex-Mex flavors (garlic, cumin, jalapenos, and Anaheims)
  • Cornbread
  • Green salad with light vinaigrette
Thursday
Comfort food
  • Vegan Shepherd's Pie (substitute either Boca crumbles or mild beans--think pinto or kidney--for hamburger and Vegan cheese for cow's cheese)
  • Garden salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, and diced carrots
  • Steamed rice
Friday
Italian
  • Lasagna with spinach and either tofu or vegan cheese (add onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and whatever other veggies sound good, smothered in marinara sauce)
  • Salad in Italian dressing
  • Crusty garlic bread
Saturday
  • "Beef" Stroganoff (check out PETA's website for a recipe called "Better than Beef Stroganoff")
  • Rice pilaf in vegetable broth
  • Steamed green beans
Breakfast of the Week
Quick and Easy
  • Cascadian Farm Organic Cinnamon Crunch cereal in vanilla soy or almond milk
Dessert of the Week
  • Strawberries over vegan shortcake

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Week Eight Menu

Sunday
Italian
  • Rotini Pomodoro
  • French bread with roasted garlic
  • Garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Monday
  • Vegan Sloppy Joes made with Boca crumbles
  • Corn on the cob
  • Steamed Brussels sprouts
  • Vegan baked beans
Tuesday
Latin America

  • Gallo pinto (search online for a recipe--it's Guatamalan/Costa Rican dish)
  • Tortillas
  • Banana slices
Wednesday
Indian
  • Lentil curry
  • Basmati rice
Thursday
Comfort Food
  • "Beef" stew with seitan and veggie broth (instead of the meat ingredients), chock full of veggies like onion, potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn
  • Vegan biscuits
Friday
Middle Eastern
  • Falafel pita with cucumber sauce (search online for a vegan recipe)
  • Hummus and pita chips
Saturday
Quick and Easy
  • Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake
  • Leavy green salad with various veggies and Italian dressing
  • Loaf of Tuscan bread--drizzle slices with olive oil and minced garlic
Breakfast of the Week
  • Granola with a side of fresh blueberries
Dessert of the Week
  • Vegan chocolate cake

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Week Five Menu

Sunday
Chinese
  • Vegan egg/spring rolls (to make the wrappers, do a search for Pandor's Recipe Blog--there's a terrific recipe for making the actual wrappers yourself)--fill them with shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, and whatever else you like, spice up with some soy sauce!
  • Sweet and sour sauce and hot mustard sauce for dipping
  • Steamed brown rice
Monday
Comfort food
  • Vegetable pot pie
  • Spring mix salad with your favorite vegan dressing
Tuesday
Mexican
  • Bean and rice burritos
  • Spanish rice
Wednesday
Fall favorite
  • Vegan black bean soup (see my recipe here)
  • Tortillas
Thursday
Chinese
  • Vegan fried rice (green onions, a little olive oil, soy sauce, and rice--you'll never miss the eggs!)
  • Stir-fried Chinese veggies (think julienned carrots, celery, onion, water chestnuts, and green pepper with a little garlic and ginger, drizzled with rice vinegar)
Friday
Quick and Easy
  • Boca Chik'n Patty on a toasted vegan bun slathered in Vegenaise and topped with onions, tomatoes, and lettuce
  • Vegan cole slaw
Saturday
Asian

  • Rice noodles with orange sauce and your favorite veggies (carrots, onions, snow peas, and broccoli are nice!)
  • Brown rice
Breakfast of the Week

  • Kashi GOLEAN Crunch in almond milk
Dessert of the Week

  • Chef Chloe's Vegan Ice Cream (yes, not really cream, but dang!  It's good!)

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Notes from Week One's Menu

Sunday's menu I labeled "comfort food."  My mother, who typically used to feed us a salad with every meal, once in a while fed us what I now call the "Starchy Trifecta" of pinto beans, cornbread, and fried potatoes.  I'm sure it hearkens back to her Southern roots.  I remember my grandma using up her leftover cornbread by crumbling it in a glass, dicing onion, and pouring either milk or buttermilk in the glass and drinking/eating it like a soup.  I've never been a milk lover so that was never an option for me.  Rarely did I make the pintos with hamhocks like my family always did, and since becoming vegan, I make my own version of the cornbread without eggs or milk.  That said, it's still a favorite for me and reminds me of my childhood!  I've started adding something raw and fresh (like sliced tomatoes) so I don't feel so guilty when I eat it!  I prefer to make the pintos from scratch--they taste better and have fewer additives.


For those of you unfortunate enough to have never tried huaraches, the name comes from the Spanish meaning "shoe," because the cornmeal is shaped like shoes made and worn in Mexico.  So I recommend that if you need to Google a recipe, try the phrase "eat huarache."  And just an advance warning--I will often refer you to "Chef Chloe" (Coscarelli), because she is my favorite vegan recipe creator on the Net.  And I love adding food from all over the world in my cooking, from Asian to Mexican, European to the Middle East.  I'm always looking for new flavor combinations and trying to find ways to create good tastes with plant-based products only.

Finally, just a look at last week's bruschetta suggestion:



My mouth is watering just looking at it!  Yum.  Happy eating!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Week One Menu

Sunday
Comfort food
  • Garlicky pinto beans
  • Fried potatoes (think home fries)
  • Vegan cornbread (click to see my recipe)
  • Fresh tomato slices
Monday
Use leftover beans from Sunday in the chili today!
  • Vegan chili
  • Vegan biscuits
  • Garden salad
Tuesday
Mmmm...Mexican food!
  • Vegan huaraches (use vegan cheese, skip the meat and sour cream)
  • Spanish rice
  • Calabacitas (with vegan cheese)
Wednesday
Italian feast
  • Farmer's Market Panini (google Chef Chloe for her recipe)
  • Potato chips
Thursday
More Italian!
  • Bruschetta
  • Vegan pasta salad (think Italian here)
Friday
Japanese treat
  • Vegetable tempura with ginger dipping sauce
  • Brown rice
Saturday
Feast from the Middle East
  • Tabouleh salad
  • Pita bread slices
  • Sliced cucumbers in apple cider vinegar
Breakfast of the Week

  • Pancakes
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Vegan margarine (try Earth Balance to avoid trans fats)
  • Vegan "sausage"
Dessert of the Week
  • Blueberry crisp