Meatless Menu, Week 2

I love browsing random food blogs. Especially ones with stunning photography. You know what I'm talking about, those blogs that have you drooling all over your keyboard because the pictures are so vivid you can actually smell the food.

This isn't one of those blogs. I don't have the equipment or the talent for that kind of photography. Good news for you is that many of my favorite recipes come from those blogs, so pretty pictures are just a click away.

Our second week went well. I'm starting to get in the groove, and not missing meat quite as much. We found many of the meals from this past week to be very satisfying. I hope you will, too.

Thursday - Re-fried Bean Burritos (Rating: 4/5)

I took my inspiration from Chipotle and what I could scrounge from the fridge and freezer. I try to always keep refried beans and cooked brown rice in my freezer for quick meals or sides. I heated beans and rice in the microwave, and added cilantro, onions, avocado, tomato and a squirt of lime juice, and wrapped the whole mess in a giant Trader Joe's burrito tortilla.

Friday - Homemade Cheese Pizza & Salad (Rating: 5/5)

Almost every Friday night I make pizza. Usually I top with whatever pizza-worthy leftovers I can find, but this week I just had cheese. I always keep some good mozzarella on hand for pizza night. My husband and I have been surprisingly pleased and impressed with Wal-Mart's Great Value whole milk mozzarella. No, really, Wal-Mart cheese. I made this crust with half whole wheat flour and a glop of honey, topped with Trader Joe's pizza sauce, a generous heap of grated cheese, and a light sprinkle of garlic salt.

For the salad I used spinach and mixed greens and topped with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan (cheese, not powder).

As an aside, my Mother is going to be shocked that I prepared something with pecans AND ate it. I'm not a big pecan fan, which I realize is a problem for someone living in the south. Well, we needed the protein, and I'm discovering that toasted pecans from the trees in my yard are a bit different from those things on the grocery shelves.

Saturday - Roasted Tomato Soup with Pinto Beans and Honey Beer Bread (rating: 5/5)

This is one of my favorite meals. I've made this soup three or four times now, and it has turned out beautifully each time. I could eat half the batch by myself. It is hearty and full of flavor. The bread is melt-in-your-mouth good, especially when still warm. I also set out some slices of raw milk sharp cheddar, which I found on clearance at Aldi for $1.69. We had some friends join us, and they brought a salad. We all finished the night with happy tummies.

Sunday - Lentil Sloppy Joes with King Arthur Beautiful Burger Buns (rating: 4/5)

I've made these joes a few times before, but I was never quite satisfied with the flavor. So I tried something a little different, mostly ripped off from the regular Sloppy Joe recipe in America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, with some of my own tweaks. The buns were amazing, to the point that I may never buy buns again. I followed the recipe as indicated, subbing 1 c. whole wheat flour for the all-purpose.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 c. red lentils, rinsed
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 c. tomato puree (I zipped a cup of canned diced tomatoes in the blender)
1/2 c. ketchup
1 1/4 c. water
Salt & Pepper

- Heat oil in pan, cook onion and carrot until softened and lightly browned. Add garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add lentils, sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and salt & pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 30-45 minutes or until lentils are soft.

Monday - Grilled Cheese (rating: 4/5)

We used leftover beer bread and grated raw milk sharp white cheddar. Spritz of olive oil on the bread and toasted on a George Foreman Grill (something we got second hand, and use exclusively for sandwiches). Served with sliced pears.

Tuesday - Bean Chalupas (rating: 5/5)

I love this blog. We discovered it several years ago, and when I'm really feeling stumped for a recipe I can usually find something there, and it always turns out beautifully. Ok, maybe not as beautiful as her pictures, but tasty anyway.

For these chalupas I used my own refried beans (see above) mixed with ricotta and 3/4 tsp. Trader Joe's taco seasoning. We also fried flour tortillas in butter instead of baking. Yum.

Meatless Menu, Week 1

I should probably be cleaning the kitchen instead of starting a blog but, well, here I go. My husband and I have decided to fast from meat for Lent this year. Several friends have asked me to share recipes, I want a way to track my menus for when I'm looking for tried-and-true meatless meal ideas, and a blog seemed the easiest way to do both.

Here is our dinner menu from our first meatless week:

(Ash) Wednesday - Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup (Rating: 5/5)

Full of flavor, hearty, relatively easy preparation, easy on the budget, and, as a bonus for me, the baby LOVED it. We used coconut milk instead of cream. This is going to be part of our regular meal rotation, even after Lent.

Thursday (Valentine's Day)  - Fried Spinach Cheese Ravioli (from scratch) and Trader Joe's Marina Sauce (Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook) (Rating: 4/5)

We made the ravioli by hand, boiled it for about 5 minutes, dried gently with a towel, and fried in coconut oil. They were delish, though I thought the spinach was too overpowering. The kids didn't eat it, and it was spendy, but my husband and I enjoyed (with some Two Buck Chuck) as an excellent Valentine treat.

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Baby Bok Choy with Cashews (Rating: 4/5)

I added some ginger paste with the garlic and served over brown rice. Simple and fast. Kids didn't eat it. Didn't leave us starving, but boy would it have tasted good with some chicken.

Sunday - ? I can't remember.

Monday - Aldi "Simply Nature" frozen cheese pizza (Rating: 3/5)

Not bad for cheap frozen pizza. Quick easy dinner after a day of outings.

Tuesday - Hawaiian Style Sweet and Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Peppers (Rating: 5/5)

Served with quinoa (cooked with broth) and toasted almonds. Flavorful, satisfying, easy. Kids ate it. Would be excellent as a side dish for ham, or with sweet-n-sour chicken, but was fine as an entree.

Wednesday - Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry (Rating: 5/5)

Excellent. Very quick and easy and satisfying, the kids ate it (mostly). Served with brown rice.

Recipe from a friend:

Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry

1 bunch Broccoli
1/4 cup Slivered almonds
2 tbsp. Oil
3 cloves Garlic - slivered
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Ginger paste OR 1/2 tsp. Ginger, 1 tbsp. Sugar, 1 tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Lemon juice

 Cut broccoli florets 1/4" thick. Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute almonds for one minute. Add broccoli and stir fry until crisp-tender. Add garlic and stir fry 1 minute. Add paste, juice, and soy sauce and stir until coated. Serve over rice.