freezer/crock-pot meals

for those tired days, here's a round-up of my favorite easy meals:

CROCK-POT:
1. quinoa red lentil stew from savvyvegetarian

2. butternut squash with tofu and almonds from savvyvegetarian

3. jamaican red bean stew from savvyvegetarian

4. vegan chili from savvyvegetarian

5. parve cholent from allrecipes.com

6. vegetable cheese soup from allrecipes.com

7. vegetarian cassoulet from allrecipes.com

8. stuffed zucchini from crockpotrecipes101

9. layered "lasagna" from crockpotrecipes101

10. black bean enchiladas from crockpotrecipes101

11. garlic-artichoke pasta from BHG

12. vegetable stew with cornmeal dumplings from BHG

13. vegetarian [indian] curry from BHG

14. saucy succotash from BHG

15. mexican minestrone from BHG

16. thai tofu vegetable curry from vegetarianslowcooker

17. "ooglash" (goulash) from vegetarianslowcooker

18. ravioli from vegetarianslowcooker

19. carrot-sweet potato soup from jeannegrunert

FREEZER:
1. black bean and spinach tamales from wholefoods

2. veggie meat loaf from about.com

3. spicy rice "meatballs" from about.com

4. veggie jambalaya from about.com

5. burgers: veggie from about.com, lentil-walnut from wholefoods, or black bean from cuisinenie

6. italian polenta casserole from goodhousekeeping [substitute in some veggie crumbles to make vegetarian!]

7. butternut squash and sage lasagna from goodhousekeeping

8. beachy green pesto pizza from cuisinenie

i think our plan is to include the ingredients from at least one of these meals in our weekly grocery list ... you know. as a back-up plan.

my grandma's sugar cookies

*the best sugar cookies you've never had*

ingredients:

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
cut in 1 cup of butter
3 tablespoons of sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs

directions:

1. mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cut in the butter
2. to the sour cream, add baking soda, vanilla, sugar, and eggs [mix well]
3. add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture
4. roll dough and cut
* refrigerate before rolling and cutting if mixture is too sticky
5. bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until set

curry zucchini soup

4 medium-large zucchini, diced
2-3 tablespoons of margarine or butter
1-2 large potatoes OR 6-7 small potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped [we used chopped scallions and about 1/4 endive]
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup veggie broth
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 T tarragon
1 T parsley
1-2 T curry powder
1-2 T garam masala
1 cup skim milk [soy milk could be substituted]

1. in a large saucepan, heat the butter. add the zucchini, potatoes, onion, and carrots. cover and cook for 2 minutes on high heat.
2. add veggie broth and garbanzo beans. lower heat to medium low. simmer until potatoes are tender (15 - 20 min.)
3. blend in a blender (or food processor)
4. return to saucepan. add milk. heat. serve!

*could be made vegan by cooking veggies in olive oil instead of butter, and substituting soymilk for milk

mediterranean couscous with tempeh

MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS

ingredients:

1 3/4 C water (could use vegetable broth if you want a creamier couscous)

1 1/2 C couscous [i used a couscous blend from Trader Joe's]

1/3 C crumbled feta cheese

1/2 large, or 1 small cucumber, sliced and quartered

1 shallot, diced

1/4 C raisins

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbl minced green onion

1 Tbl fresh mint, minced

1 Tbl grated fresh ginger root

juice of 1 lemon

cilantro

parsley

cumin

Moroccan seasonings [i have a pre-blended jar]

cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

1. in saucepan, bring water to boil

2. add couscous, bring to boil again, lower heat to simmer and cover. simmer for 10 minutes

3. in small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients

4. remove couscous from heat, add remaining ingredients, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes

TEMPEH

ingredients:

1 8oz package of tempeh, cut into squares [i used a wild rice tempeh]

1 large bell pepper [i used a combination of remaining yellow and red]

8 cherry tomatoes [i used a large on the vine tomato, seeded it, and cut it into chunks]

4-5 Tbl olive oil

2-3 Tbl soy sauce [i used a soy sauce alternative]

2 Tbl honey [i used agave syrup]

1 Tbl fresh grated ginger root

salt and pepper to taste

Moroccan seasonings to taste [i have a pre-made bottle]

1. place tempeh and vegetables in a large plastic bag

2. in a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients

3. add liquid ingredients to the plastic bag

4. shake the bag really well, and then let marinate in the refridgerator

(i only let mine marinate for 10-15 minutes, but 2 hours would be best)

5. in a frying pan, sautee tempeh and vegetable mixture [i added a bit more olive oil and soy sauce to the frying pan] for about 5-10 minutes, or until peppers are soft

combine tempeh and couscous on a plate. enjoy! i found this to be EXTREMELY delicious. i made enough for left overs tomorrow and am excited about eating them!

modified kitchen pantry vegetarian cassoulet

2 Tbl olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2-3 carrots (depending on size), peeled and diced

1 pound beans (i used heirloom beans -- which i would recommend finding)

*if you use fresh beans, they do not need to be soaked

*if you use dry beans, soak them overnight

3 C vegetable broth

1 can white potatoes, drained

1 can corn (with its juice)

1 can peas, drained

1 can mushroom/celery condensed soup [and 1 of the same can filled with water]

2 Tbl salsa

parsley

lemon pepper salt

thyme

rosemary

2 bay leaves

spice

**feel free to improvise with vegetables, beans, and seasonings.

1. in a frying pan, sautee onions, garlic, and carrots until soft

2. combine all ingredients in a crock pot

3. let cook for 6+ hours, stirring occasionally

this is naturally creamy, full of flavor, and super easy.

garbage week

i am stealing a trend from my sissy's blog, and am enlisting myself in the following challenge:

to buy ZERO groceries this week (other than some apples and oranges for snacks) and participate in garbage meals. the idea behind garbage, or kitchen pantry, meals is to use only what is already in your kitchen. being that my roommate is out of town (and that i'm a little on the broke side of things), i figured this week would be an excellent experiment.

stay tuned!

root vegetables au gratin

1 pound red potatoes, thinly sliced

1 pound celery, thinly sliced

1 bunch fennel, white and green parts only, thinly sliced

1 raw beet, skinned and thinly sliced

1 can garbanzo beans

torn beet greens

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large sweet onion, diced

3 carrots, thinly sliced

1 apple, diced

1 3/4 C vegetable broth

1/2 C heavy cream

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 C grated cheese (i used an aged cheddar from our farmer's market)

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. in a frying pan, sautee onion, fennel, celery, and garlic until soft (i think i used safflower oil)

3. in a baking dish - i used two different sizes - combine the onion mixture with the remaining vegetables.

4. in a small bowl, combine vegetable broth, heavy cream, thyme, and nutmeg. pour into baking dish and cover vegetables.

5. top vegetables with the grated cheese.

6. cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

7. remove foil, and continue baking for an additional 15 - 40 minutes depending on the depth of your dish

enjoy :) pairs nicely with a crisp white wine - such as a pinot grigio!

quinoa breakfast porridge

ingredients:

1 C quinoa

2 C water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 C unsweetened rice/hemp/almond milk (i used almond)

1 apple, diced

1 C berries (i used dried cranberries)

1/2 C chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

agave syrup

1. add quinoa, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small sauce pan. bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes

2. add milk and simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes

3. stir in berries, apple, and nuts

4. remove from heat

5. let stand uncovered for 10 minutes. drizzle with agave syrup.

fresh vegetable soup

ingredients:

1 bunch celery, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

3 onions, diced

4 tomatoes, diced

1 medium head cabbage, chopped

1 bell pepper, diced

***the best part about this recipe is that you could really use whatever vegetables you have lying around

1 package dry onion soup mix

spices as you see fit (i used: dijon mustard, italian spices, tarragon, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper)

3 cloves garlic

In dutch oven, combine all vegetables. Cover with one inch of water.

Add onion soup mix, spices, and garlic. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

*i found this recipe super easy, super flexible, and yummy. it's a nice light soup for spring and summer. it's also vegan as it has no cream!

buckwheat noodles & stir fry vegetables

EASIEST. MEAL. EVER.

ingredients:

1 package of stir-fry vegetables (i use the fresh - not frozen - package from Trader Joe's)

1/3 package of buckwheat noodles (i picked mine up at Fry's)

1/2 white onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

sesame oil

soy sauce (i used a soy sauce alternative)

1. boil water for the noodles

2. in a frying pan, add some sesame oil and sautee the onions and garlic until onions are soft

3. add the package of vegetables to the frying pan

4. add the noodles to the boiling water and turn down the heat

5. sautee vegetables. add soy sauce for taste

6. drain noodles once cooked, and then toss with sesame oil

7. combine sauteed vegetables with noodles.

enjoy.