Menu 8: Scallion Pancakes; Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Salad; Pita Pockets with Cilantro Pesto and Feta; Curried Cauliflower Soup...

Photo credit: www.vegetariantimes.com

This week’s patchwork menu began when my mom sent me a box of Florida oranges and a bag of pine nuts.

(Oranges because she can buy them in giant bags at her local farmer’s market, and knows that the ones I get here just aren’t as sweet and juicy as they ones she gets in Florida. Pine nuts because she saw them on sale for a lot less than what I pay in NYC…and because she is in constant disbelief about the cost of living in NYC – even in this economy - she was just doing her part to help me out.)

So, the box on my coffee table, containing two layers of oranges, neatly separated by tissue paper, and my re-sealable bag of pine nuts got me thinking. Whereas I could have continued trying to eat three to four oranges a day in order to eat them all while fresh, I found the salad with asparagus, mint, and oranges – and an opportunity to be more creative than that.

The salad included some feta. And, I had found the zucchini pancakes which required just a bit of cilantro. In keeping with my mission to maximize my use of purchased ingredients, I needed another dish that would make full use of the feta and cilantro. So, I put together the pita sandwiches…with veggies, chickpeas, feta, and a cilantro pesto (made with pine nuts).

Where does the soup come in? I love cooking dishes that only require one pot, cauliflower is really good for you, I was intrigued by the use of an apple in the soup, and the recipe only required me to buy four ingredients (I have everything else, like olive oil, curry powder, and honey, in the apartment already).

As I said – it was a random assortment of ideas and thoughts that pulled this menu together. And, here’s what I’m cooking.

This week’s dishes:
Fast scallion pancakes and zucchini corn pancakes with Thai chili sauce

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta salad

Pita Pockets with Cilantro Pesto and Feta

This week’s menu:

Sunday
Dinner: Curried Cauliflower Soup
Cook: Curried Cauliflower Soup, Pita Pockets (for Monday’s lunch)

Monday
Lunch: Pita Pockets
Dinner: Scallion Pancakes and Zucchini Corn Pancakes
Cook: Scallion Pancakes and Zucchini Corn Pancakes, Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta Salad (for Tuesday’s lunch)

Tuesday
Lunch: Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta Salad
Dinner: Curried Cauliflower Soup
Cook: Pita Pockets (for Wednesday’s lunch)

Wednesday
Lunch: Pita Pockets
Dinner: Scallion Pancakes and Zucchini Corn Pancakes
Cook: Scallion Pancakes and Zucchini Corn Pancakes, Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta Salad (for Thursday’s lunch)

Thursday
Lunch: Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta Salad
Dinner: Curried Cauliflower Soup and Zucchini Corn Pancakes
Cook: Zucchini Corn Pancakes, Pita Pockets (for Friday’s lunch)

Friday
Lunch: Pita Pockets

This week’s recipes:

Fast Scallion Pancakes and Zucchini Corn Pancakes with Thai chili sauce
Savory pancakes are one of my favorite things to order at Korean restaurants, like Hangawi (which is entirely vegetarian!) And, because I’m indecisive, I always just get the combination pancakes so that I can have a little of each kind. So, here are my own “combination” pancakes, pulled from Mark Bittman’s blog, and Vegetarian Times. The zucchini corn pancakes recipe calls for them to be eaten with salsa, but I’m going to keep the flavor Asian and eat both of these with a Thai chili dipping sauce.

Note: When I make these for the first time on Monday, I’ll make the full recipe – so that the batter for all of the pancakes will be ready. Then, I’ll store the batter for each type of pancake in separate, air tight containers, so that when I’m making them over the course of the week, I’m not spending time making everything from scratch, just making the pancakes fresh from the batter. Alternatively, you could make all of the pancakes on Monday, and then reheat them over the stove or in the oven each night that you eat them for dinner, over the course of the week.

Click here for the Scallion Pancakes recipe.

Click here for the Zucchini Corn Pancakes recipe.

Curried Cauliflower Soup
Less than 10 ingredients, and only two steps – you can’t really beat that!

If you find that eating the soup by itself is not enough, then I recommend that you add some bread on the side. You can toast some pita, brush a bit of olive olive and freshly ground black pepper on it. Or, spread some (Earth Balance) vegan butter on bread, sprinkle with garlic powder, and toast.

Click here for the Curried Cauliflower Soup recipe.

Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta salad
This salad is wonderfully light and refreshing, but not so light that you’re hungry 20 minutes later. The flavors and textures blend really well, and it almost feels like the perfect thing to be eating with springtime upon us. (Unless you’re in Boston, where it snowed after a weekend of 50 degree weather.)

The original recipe (see below), serves 8. I am only making it twice this week, and I think 2 servings each time is plenty.

So, instead of using the quantities listed in the recipe, use the following for each time you make the salad:
¼ lb asparagus, trimmed
1 medium navel orange
2 oz., whole wheat campanelle pasta, or other medium size pasta, cooked, rinsed, and drained
¼ cup scallions, chopped
2 tbsp., chopped fresh mint
½ tsp., white wine vinegar
1 tsp., olive oil
½ tsp., salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons, crumbled feta cheese

Click here for the Orange, Mint, and Asparagus Pasta Salad recipe.

Pita Pockets with Cilantro Pesto and Feta
The cilantro pesto here is similar to one I posted in Menu 7, but uses pine nuts instead of walnuts. The chickpeas are thrown in for protein – you could also use baked tofu, or falafel nuggets, if you were feeling ambitious.

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto:
2 cups, cilantro (packed down)
8 tablespoons, olive oil
2/3 cup, pine nuts
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves, garlic
Paprika, to taste

Ingredients for Pita Pocket:
1 Pita, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons, cilantro pesto
1/ 4 cup, green leaf lettuce
3 tablespoons, canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small roma tomato, diced
½ small red onion, diced
¼ cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons, feta cheese

Steps:
1. Pulse cilantro and olive oil in food processor or blender. (Add a bit of water if it’s not mixing well in the blender.)
2. Add remaining ingredients for pesto, and pulse or blend until smooth.
3. Spread cilantro pesto evenly inside of pita pocket.
4. Stuff pita pocket with lettuce.
5. Toss chickpeas, tomato, red onion, cucumber, and feta in a bowl to mix well. Then, add to pita pocket.
4. Serve.

Note: Depending on how many pitas you’re serving for a particular meal, you may or may not use all of the chickpeas. So, when you open the can of chickpeas, transfer all contents to an airtight container. Only rinse and drain the amount of chickpeas you’ll use in that one meal – store the rest in the container. I’ll store the unused portions of onion and cucumber in Ziploc sandwich bags – make sure to seal the bags so that there’s no air caught inside.

This week’s grocery list:
I think this is the cheapest week I’ve put together so far – I spent $10.00 at the farmer’s market on all of the produce. And, bought everything else I needed at Whole Foods for $25.00 (If you cook often like I do, you should have all of the oils, spices, and most condiments/bottled goods in stock in your pantry). And remember, that $35.00 includes things like flour and egg replacer that are now in stock in my pantry, so I can use them for future dishes.

Here’s the full list – just print, cross off what you already have, and you’re ready to shop.

Produce:
½ lb, asparagus
2 medium zucchini
1 medium cucumber
1 large head, cauliflower
1 bunch, green leaf lettuce
3 small roma tomatoes
2 medium navel oranges
1 small yellow onion
2 small red onions
1 medium Granny Smith apple
1 bunch, scallions
1 bunch, cilantro
1 bunch, fresh mint
1 bulb, garlic
1 lemon

Oils, Spices, Condiments:
Black Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
Peanut Oil (optional)
Soy Sauce
Curry Powder
Paprika
Honey
Vegetable bullion cubes (for broth)

Canned and Bottled Goods:
White wine vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Thai Chili sauce (for dipping)
1, 15 oz. can, chickpeas/garbanzo beans

Dry Goods:
8 oz., whole wheat campanelle, (or other medium size pasta)
Flour (of your choice – all purpose, whole wheat, or spelt)
Baking powder
Egg replacer* (if vegan)
1 pkg., Pita bread
1 cup, pine nuts

Refrigerator/Freezer:
8 oz., Feta Cheese (vegan version)
½ dozen eggs (if vegetarian)
8 oz., frozen corn
Soy milk

*If you don't want to buy packaged egg replacer, try one of these options.

Menu 3: Mashed "Potatoes", Babaganoush, Chickpea and Kale soup, Tempeh Tikka Masala, Sweet Potato Falafel...

Over the holidays, my cousin Rupal was crowned my mother’s new favorite nephew.

Why, you ask? (Especially if you are one of my mother’s many other nephews, angling to be in her good graces.)

His recipe for babaganoush earned him the honor – which I’m not so sure he’s happy about, since once he made the dish, he was “promoted” to her official sous chef, squeezing fresh orange juice for fifteen people, making chocolate chip pancakes with just the right thickness, and adjusting her recipe for hummus. At the end of Rupal’s trip, my mom expressed that our Florida home is open to him anytime he needs a vacation (from Austin), and insisted that he visit often.

The best part of all of this is that I’ve included Rupal’s babaganoush in this week’s menu. Speaking of which, here’s what I’m eating this week:

Chickpea and Kale Soup
Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
Tempeh Tikka Masala
Babaganoush wraps
Sweet Potato Falafel

The menu:
The weekly menu is a plan for cooking and eating – so that you use things while they are fresh, have variety in your daily set of meals, and know exactly what to cook or prepare each night. It also takes away the stress of thinking about what to do after work each night.

Sunday
Dinner: Chickpea and Kale Soup with Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Cook: Soup, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”, Marinate tempeh

Monday
Lunch: Chickpea and Kale soup, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Dinner: Tempeh tikka masala with naan
Cook: Tempeh tikka masala with naan, Babaganoush

Tuesday
Lunch: Babaganoush wrap
Dinner: Tempeh tikka masala with naan
Cook: --

Wednesday
Lunch: Tempeh tikka masala
Dinner: Chickpea and Kale Soup, Babaganoush wrap
Cook: Sweet Potato Falafel

Thursday
Lunch: Sweet Potato Falafel
Dinner: Babaganoush wrap, Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
Cook: --

Friday
Lunch: Sweet Potato Falafel

The recipes:

Chickpea and Kale Soup
In my browsing of vegan food blogs, I came upon Fat Free Vegan – which for some of you translates into “no taste, are you kidding me?” – but really, Susan Voisin, who writes the blog, combines great flavors and high-nutrient foods to make her healthy dishes. She also writes that her blog is called “Fat Free Vegan” because she avoids cooking with fats like oil, margarine, or shortening. She does, however, cook with avocados, nuts, seeds, and the occasional bit of sesame or olive oil for flavor. (“Oil Free Vegan” just didn’t have the right ring to it.) She has generously agreed to allow me to link to her recipes, and so here’s the first Menu Drawer feature from her blog.

Click here for the Chickpea and Kale soup recipe and to view photos of the dish.

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
I’ve heard that this is a delicious (and much healthier) substitute for mashed potatoes. Much like the tofu/pine nut “ricotta” from last week, most tasters can’t even tell the difference.

In this recipe, substitute 1 ¾ cups of vegetable broth for the broth listed.

Click here for the Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” recipe.

Tempeh Tikka Masala
When I became vegan, one of the things that I missed most was paneer tikka – especially the way my cousin Amit makes it on the grill. So, I was excited when I saw this recipe.

For the three cups of cauliflower florets required, I use frozen florets – just to eliminate the need to chop up another head of cauliflower. In addition – this recipe is not vegan because it calls for buttermilk. So, I substitute the buttermilk with Silk brand soy creamer. I also don’t plan to make the raita this week, and just eat the tempeh with naan or brown rice. I’ll do steps 1 and 2 of this on Sunday, so I just have to bake it come Monday night.

Click here for the Tempeh Tikka Masala recipe and to view photos of the dish.

Note: After making dish, I wasn't a big fan. I didn't really enjoy the tempeh, and found that my idea for a buttermilk subsitute wasn't the greatest - the sauce was too watery and didn't thicken the way I imagine it would with buttermilk. So, I suggest trying it with tofu or seitan, instead of tempeh. And, secondly, I don't recommend this dish for vegans - if you're vegetarian, it might work well if you stick to the buttermilk.

Babaganoush Wraps
The key to this is baking the eggplant with the garlic cloves inside of it.

Also, in terms of logistics, I’ll be doing this on Monday night while I’m also baking the Tempeh Tikka Masala. If you want to play it safe, make the tempeh, then increase the temperature to 425 and roast the eggplant. If you’re willing to take some risks in the interest of saving time, do both at 400 degrees. (The tempeh is supposed to bake at 375, and the eggplant is supposed to bake at 425). You may have to bake the tempeh for less time because of the increased temperature, and the eggplant for a bit more time (45 – 50 minutes). Just keep an eye on both, adjust the time as you see fit, and you should be fine.

You may want to add more or less of the lemon, salt, cumin, etc. depending on your taste. Start with what’s listed, and add more if you need to.

Finally, per my cousin’s advice, babaganoush will not taste just right until it’s been refrigerated for at least 4-5 hours (I refrigerate it overnight) and all of the flavors sink in. So, this will taste best when you take it out the next morning to put it into your wrap for lunch.

My cousin Rupal’s recipe for Babaganoush:

Ingredients for babaganoush:

1 eggplant
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients for wrap:

Lavash bread
½ cup of mesclun greens
1 small tomato, chopped
½ small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
Handful of sprouts (optional)
Kalamata olives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Cut six clove-shaped holes into the eggplant (two rows of three, going around the eggplant). Stick a clove of garlic into each of the holes. Place the eggplant on a baking dish or sheet.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, until the eggplant looks destroyed, and is entirely sunken in.
4. Remove from the heat and let the eggplant cool for about five minutes.
5. Cut the eggplant in half, and using a fork or a spoon, scrape all of the insides (make sure to get all of the garlic cloves!) into the food processor.
6. Chop up about 1 tablespoon of the roasted eggplant peel, and add that to the food processor.
7. Add in the salt, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and tahini, and pulse until the babaganoush is smooth.
8. Transfer to storage container. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Serve with pita triangles, vegetables, or inside of lavash bread with your choice of following ingredients:
Mesclun greens
Red onion, chopped
Tomato, chopped
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
Sprouts
Olives

Sweet Potato Falafel with Yogurt Tahini sauce
This recipe makes enough for about 20 falafel balls, which I think might be too much for me. So, I’m going to halve all of the ingredients as I am cooking, to make only ten. I still may have leftovers, in which case, this week’s menu is also giving me lunch for Saturday.

Click here for the Sweet Potato Falafel recipe and photos.

This week’s grocery list:
This list includes everything you would need to make all of the recipes this week. Check your pantry and refrigerator before you go shopping and cross off things that you already have. If you’ve been making some of the previous menus, you should already have some of these items (i.e. tahini and most spices) and not need to buy them.

Produce
2 large lemons
1 lime
2 bulbs, garlic
1, 2-inch piece fresh ginger
1 medium sweet potato
1 bunch, parsley
1 bunch, green onions (chives)
1 large bunch, kale
1 head, cauliflower
2 carrots
1 medium cucumber
1 large eggplant, but long and lean – not the ones with the fat round base
3 small tomatoes
2 small red onions
2 medium yellow onions
1 large yellow onion
2 cups mesclun greens
1, 4 oz package sprouts (optional)
¼ cup Kalamata olives (optional)

Oils, Spices, Condiments
1 bottle of tahini (smallest available)
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Ketchup
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Paprika
Allspice
Ground ginger
Saffron
Bay leaves
Cinnamon
Tandoori spice blend
Vegetable bullion cubes
Olive oil
Honey

Canned and Bottled Goods
1, 15.5 oz. can of tomato puree
3, 15.5 oz. cans of chickpeas

Dry Goods
1, 4 oz. container of flax seeds
Chickpea flour
Baking powder
Sesame seeds (optional)
1 package of lavash bread
1 package of 4 naans

Refrigerator/Freezer
1 small container, soy yogurt
1 pint of Silk soy creamer
1, 8 oz. package of tempeh
24 oz. frozen cauliflower florets

Menu 2: Herbed Lasagna, Hummus Wraps, Arugula Salad, Wild Mushroom Pasta...

What’s new:

Last week’s menu (Menu 1) is now edited to include all of the changes that I made as I was cooking. So, if you’re following the blog a week behind, that menu is all set with tips and suggestions.

This week, I’m making herbed lasagna, hummus wraps (with homemade hummus!), an arugula-based salad with apples and marinated tofu, and wild mushroom pasta. The menu, recipes, and grocery list are all available below. I will edit this with my “lessons learned” on Thursday evening.

This week’s menu:
Remember how, in elementary school, you would get that calendar every month telling you what would be served for lunch each day? Well, here’s my version for this week, telling me what I need to cook and eat each day, (except the food is a lot better…and vegan/vegetarian).

Sunday:
Dinner: Lasagna
Cook: Lasagna

Monday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Mushroom pasta and Salad

Tuesday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Hummus wrap
Cook: Hummus, assemble wraps

Wednesday:
Lunch: Lasagna
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Assemble hummus wrap

Thursday:
Lunch: Hummus wrap
Dinner: Mushroom pasta and Salad
Cook: Salad, Assemble wrap for Friday’s lunch

Friday:
Lunch: Hummus Wrap

This week’s recipes:

Herbed Lasagna with Zucchini:
This lasagna recipe uses tofu and pine nuts to create a ricotta-like “cheese” which is delicious – as confirmed by my non-vegan family and roommate. (I didn’t tell my brother that it wasn’t ricotta, and he didn’t know the difference!) The use of tofu also makes the dish much healthier than traditional lasagna. And, as a large tray of food, it lasts for days.
Click here for Lasagna recipe

Note:

So, the recipes I use from Vegetarian Times always need more flavor. So, instead of the amounts in the recipe for the lasagna, I recommend using:

1 cup of basil,

1/2 cup of parsley,

1/2 cup of pine nuts,

3-4 cloves of garlic,

2 teaspoons of salt,

1 teaspoon of pepper,

Juice from one lemon.

Also, I find that three zucchini, not four, is enough.

Cooking with tofu can be a challenge - in this recipe, it's important to try and get as much of the water out of the tofu as possible; it makes the "ricotta" more cheese-like. So, while I'm still looking for the best way to cook with tofu in general, here's what I did for the lasagna:

I cut each tofu block in half lengthwise, and microwaved the halves for four minutes. This removed some water. Then, I put the tofu on a cookie sheet, covered it with a cutting board, and placed a heavy pot on top of the cutting board. I pressed down a few times to squeeze water out, and then left the pot on top of the cutting board for about ten minutes. This got a fair amount of water out, and from there, I put the tofu in the food processor and took it from there with the seasonings.

Hummus wraps
If you have a food processor, hummus is super easy to make, because you just have to throw everything in and pulse it until it’s all blended. If you don’t have a food processor, you can make hummus in a blender, but you should add the chickpeas in ½ can increments to make sure they get completely blended with the oil before adding more. Through this process, with either the food processor or the blender, take breaks from pulsing to stir the mixture with a rubber spatula. Also, be sure to taste the hummus before you take it out of the food processor or blender, and add more seasonings or lemon juice, as desired.

You can make the hummus wrap sandwiches in whatever kind of bread suits you best – pita pockets, flatbreads, tortilla-style wraps, or whole-wheat naan. I like to use naan because of the thickness of the bread.

Julie’s recipe for hummus:
2, 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil (yes, a separate one)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp of tahini
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put ½ of the chickpeas and ½ of the oil in the food processor and blend until creamy. (You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to get it to smooth out.) Add the rest of the chickpeas and oil and pulse until creamy, (again, adding a little bit of water, if necessary).
2. Add the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, and parsley, and pulse until all ingredients are evenly mixed in the creamy hummus.
3. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Blend. Drizzle with the additional tablespoon of olive oil before serving or storing.

Julie’s recipe for hummus wraps:
1 naan (or pita bread, flatbread, etc.)
Hummus (from recipe above)
½ cup of green leaf lettuce, chopped

¼ cup of sprouts
¼ cup of tomato, diced
¼ cup of cucumber, peeled and diced
¼ cup of red onion, diced
4- 5 Kalamata olives, sliced

1. Spray pan with cooking oil spray, and heat naan on medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Spread hummus on heated bread.
3. Layer lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and olives on bread, or inside pita pocket
4. Roll up (if using naan or flatbread), and serve.

Arugula Salad
At lunch last weekend at Blossom Café, I saw this salad on the menu, and decided to try making it this week. When I saw that it was dressed with an “herbed tahini dressing”, I used Google to figure out what ingredients might go into it. At Whole Foods, I found a WestSoy brand baked marinated tofu (Garlic and Herb flavor) that worked well in this salad.

Here’s my version of Blossom Café’s salad:
2 cups of arugula
1 green apple, diced
½ pint of cherry tomatoes
1 handful of clover sprouts
½ package of baked marinated tofu, diced

I used this recipe for the herbed tahini dressing, minus the umeboshi vinegar.

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.
2. Drizzle salad with 2 tbsp. of tahini dressing. Toss.
3. Serve.

Note: This recipe will make 2 servings of the salad, (or 1 serving if you like big salads). If you have extra salad, refrigerate the salad for the next serving separately from the dressing to keep the ingredients crisp and non-soggy. Also, the herbed tahini dressing will thicken when you refrigerate it. So, when it's time to use it again, just add a teaspoon of water (a bit more if you see fit), and stir. The dressing will return back to the right consistency for your salad.

Wild Mushroom Pasta
My friend Allison shared Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn site with me, which has a section of vegetarian and vegan friendly recipes. I found this recipe there, and while some of the ingredients seem more expensive than I would normally like, the dish looks too good to not try (at least once). The recipe calls for a cup of white wine – you can use wine that you might happen to have at home, or buy an inexpensive bottle of cooking wine at the grocery store. Also, for vegans, substitute the butter with an oil-based “buttery spread” like this one.

Click here for the Wild Mushroom Pasta recipe.

Note: The whisking was key to making the mushroom pasta sauce thicken up at the end. I also let it cook for a few extra minutes on medium heat. Also, a hint - I thought I had flour, and didn't, so I cheated - I used three tablespoons of buckwheat pancake mix. It worked. And, my pasta (thankfully) didn't taste like pancakes.

This week’s grocery list:

If you cook regularly, you shouldn’t have to buy all of these things – for example, this week, I don’t need to buy any of the ingredients in the “Oils, Spices, and Condiments” category. In “Bottled and Canned Goods”, I only need one can of chickpeas and the marinara sauce. And, I don’t need to buy flour or butter. Just things to consider when you’re thinking about the overall cost of a week’s worth of cooking – if you’re in the habit, you shouldn’t have to buy every ingredient listed.

Produce:
1 bunch fresh basil
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch scallions
1, 4 oz. pkg. pine nuts
2 bulbs of garlic (1 if you have at least 3 cloves leftover from last week)
2 lemons
4 medium size zucchini
4 cups of arugula (bagged or loose)
2 green apples
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1, 4 oz. package of clover sprouts
1 bunch of green leaf lettuce
2 tomatoes
2 small cucumbers
2 small red onions
¾ cup of Kalamata olives (from the olive bar)
1, ½ oz. package wild mushrooms
3, 8 oz. packages of white button or portobello mushrooms, washed and chopped
4 large shallots, minced
1 pkg. sage

Oils, Spices, Condiments:
Salt
Black pepper
Sugar
Red pepper flakes
Cumin powder
Vegetable bullion cubes
Olive oil

Canned and Bottled Goods:
2 bottles of marinara sauce
1 bottle of sesame tahini (smallest bottle available)
2, 15 oz. cans of chickpeas
1 bottle white wine, or cooking white wine

Dry Goods:
1, 9 oz. package of no-cook lasagna noodles
1 pkg. of 4-6 pita breads or naans.
1, 12 – 16 oz. package of whole wheat rotini pasta
Flour

Refrigerator/Freezer:
2, 14 oz. packages of firm tofu
1 package of baked marinated tofu (WestSoy brand, Garlic and Herb flavor, or something similar)
Butter

Menu 1: Thai Pizza, Chickpea Tacos, Tomato Soup...

This week’s recipes:
I’m vegan, so I draw mostly from vegetarian recipes. The recipes can easily be adjusted – make a vegetarian dish vegan by substituting soy cheese, for example. Or, make a vegetarian dish non-veg by using chicken, instead of chick’n strips.

Some of my recipes are my own. Others come from websites and cookbooks. Here are this week’s recipes:

Thai Chick’n Pizza
This recipe is my own:

Ingredients:
¼ cup natural salt-free peanut butter
½ can coconut milk
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1 Tbs. red curry paste
1 Tbs. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. tamarind concentrate
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 whole wheat pizza crust
4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pkg. diced LightLife SmartStrips, Chik’n Strips
½ cup diced red bell pepper
1 small shallot, quartered and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, red curry paste, sugar, tamarind concentrate, garlic, curry powder, oil, and ginger in small bowl.
3. Mix the Chick’n Strips into the sauce, marinating them. Once they are all coated in the sauce, use a fork to take them out and put them into a bowl.
4. Spread the remaining peanut butter mixture over pizza crust. (You may have more sauce than you need, so spread just enough to form a thin layer on the crust. If you add too much, the pizza will become soggy.) Sprinkle evenly with mushrooms, marinated Chik’n Strips, bell pepper, and shallot.
5. Bake 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Note: Refrigerate the remaining coconut milk in a container – you will use the rest of it for the Thai Potato Curry.

Tomato Soup with Broccoli and Cheese Quesadillas

Recipe for Tomato Soup
I really like basil. So, when I made the tomato soup, I was feeling like 1 tbsp. of chopped basil really wasn't enough. I chopped a handful and added it to the soup, and when it was done, it seemed like the perfect amount. I was really glad I hadn't only put 1 tbsp. in. This applied to all the seasonings in the soup, so for the tomato soup, I recommend that you use:

3 cloves of garlic, 4 tbsp of chopped fresh basil, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

Note: For vegetable broth, I use vegetable bullion cubes. When you start cooking the soup, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot, and add one cube. By the time you need the 1 ½ cups of broth, the cube should be dissolved and broth ready to go. Also, refrigerate the remaining tomato paste – you’ll use it to make the pizza sauce for the Mushroom and Olive Pizza.

Broccoli and Cheese Quesadillas:

Ingredients:
Cooking oil spray
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Whole wheat tortilla
1 small head of broccoli, chopped

Steps:

1. Spray pan with cooking spray, place on stove, set burner to medium-low heat, and place tortilla in pan. Sprinkle cheese on half of tortilla.
2. Heat one teaspoon of olive in a another small pan on medium-low heat. Add the broccoli, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and stir. Cover it and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once a minute. The broccoli will become a slightly brighter green, and will be cooked, while retaining a slight crunch.
3. Spread cooked broccoli on top of cheese, (which should be melting).
4. When tortilla is slightly browned and crispy, fold it over. Serve warm with soup.

Note: Refrigerate the remaining tortillas – you will use them for the chickpea tacos. Also refrigerate the remaining mozzarella cheese – you will use it for the Mushroom and Olive Pizza.

Mushroom and Olive Pizza
This recipe is my own:

Ingredients:
For sauce:
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
8 – 10 fresh basil leaves
1 22-ounce can of whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

For pizza:
Cooking oil spray
1 whole wheat pizza crust
Pizza sauce (from above)
4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
16 Kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps:
Pizza sauce:

1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir in the canned tomatoes, crushing them in your hands as you add them. Add half of the juice from the tomatoes and the tomato paste.
4. Stir in the basil leaves.
5. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about ten minutes. Stir and crush the tomatoes every couple of minutes.

Pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spray pizza pan with cooking spray and lay the pizza crust on top.
3. Use the back of a large spoon to even spread a thin layer of pizza sauce across the crust.
4. Scatter the mushrooms and olives on top of the pizza. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on the pizza.
5. Bake for 10 minutes – check the crust and the cheese. Once the cheese is melted, the mushrooms are cooked and the crust is slightly crispy, the pizza is done. You could bake the pizza for up to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing.

Chickpea Tacos
Recipe for Chickpea Tacos

Note: Instead of using bottled salsa, I prefer to make fresh pico de gallo. To do this, you simply need to chop one tomato and one red onion and mix it in a bowl with 1 tbsp. of chopped cilantro, and a teaspoon of salt. Squeeze half a lime into the mixture (or more to taste, if you want). If you want to make it spicy, add some chili powder or jalapeno.

Thai Potato Curry
Recipe for Thai Potato Curry
This needed more seasoning, too. I bought the "Thai Kitchen"brand of coconut milk and green curry paste for this dish. The green curry paste is not nearly as spicy as the red curry paste, so I added more than the amount recommended in the recipe. I like my dishes to be flavorful, without being too spicy (I have a pretty low threshold for spiciness.) If you're similar, then I recommend changing the ingredients in the recipe to the following dosage in this dish:

3-4 tbsp. of basil, (Thai basil if you can find it - I usually find it at farmer's markets, not at the grocery store), 4 teaspoons of green curry paste, and 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Note: For vegetable broth, I use vegetable bullion cubes. When you start cooking, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a pot, and add ½ of a cube. By the time you need the ½ cup of broth, the cube should be dissolved and broth ready to go.

The Menu:
So that I know what to cook each night, I have prepared the menu below. Some things are made in advance – I’m cooking the tomato soup on Sunday, so that it’s ready on Monday night when I get home, and all I have to make are the quesadillas. I’m making the mushroom pizza on Monday night, so that it’s ready for lunch on Tuesday, etc.

Some weekend meals are missing because that is when I tend to be more social, and go out to eat with friends. This is not to say that I don’t cook on weekends - it just varies so much that I don’t really include that in my menu.

The menu is flexible, and I definitely make adjustments through the week as needed – maybe my tomato soup provided more servings than I thought, so I push something back, or maybe I decided to meet a friend for dinner on Wednesday, so I pushed the chickpea tacos back. Feel free to adjust however you see fit. It’s just nice to have a plan.

Sunday
Dinner: Thai Chick’n Pizza
Cook: Thai Pizza, Tomato Soup

Monday:
Lunch: Thai Pizza
Dinner: Tomato Soup and Quesadillas
Cook: Quesadillas, Mushroom Pizza

Tuesday:
Lunch: Mushroom Pizza
Dinner: Tomato Soup and Quesadillas
Cook: Quesadillas

Wednesday:
Lunch: Mushroom Pizza
Dinner: Chickpea tacos
Cook: Chickpea tacos

Thursday:
Lunch: Chickpea tacos
Dinner: Thai Potato Curry
Cook: Thai Potato Curry

Friday:
Lunch: Thai Potato Curry

Some notes about grocery shopping:
This is a comprehensive list of all ingredients required to make all of the dishes in this week’s menu. So, if there’s something that you don’t want to make, just take those ingredients out.

I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods, because it’s the most convenient place – I have one near my apartment, and one near my office. Wherever possible, I buy their generic (365) brand of canned and dry goods. I also try to get all of my produce at farmer’s markets – if you live in NYC, you can find one that is convenient for you here. Local Harvest is another good site to find farmer’s markets anywhere in the country.

Also, if you cook regularly, you should have all or most of the things in the “Oils, Spices, Condiments” category. For example, the only thing that I need to buy from that category this week is the green curry paste. If you have a well stocked pantry, the cost of grocery shopping is pretty low. When I started cooking, I had to buy a lot of this stuff as I tried new dishes, and it seemed expensive. But, now that I have everything, I just have to pull it out of the pantry. You can find lots of information on how to stock your pantry by Googling it, or inside of a good cookbook, but here is one set of suggestions for starters: How to stock your vegetarian pantry

Here is this week's list:

Produce:

1 bulb of garlic
1 small piece of ginger (enough for 1 tablespoon of minced ginger)
Cilantro
1 shallot
8 cremini mushrooms
1 small red bell pepper
1 avocado
2 limes
2 cups of fresh greens
2 vine ripened tomatoes
2 pounds of roma or plum tomatoes
1 small red onion
2 yellow onions
Basil
1 small head of broccoli
1 lb. of red potatoes
16 Kalamata olives from the Olive Bar

Oils, Spices, Condiments:

Curry powder
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Olive oil
Oregano
Thyme
Salt
Black pepper
Sugar
Vegetable bullion cubes (to make vegetable broth)
Peanut Butter
Tamarind Paste
Thai Green Curry paste
Thai Red Curry paste

Canned Goods:

1 can of coconut milk
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of tomato paste
2 cans of whole tomatoes (plum, if possible)

Dry Goods:

Rice
1 pk. pizza crusts (2 crusts inside)

Refrigerator/Freezer:

1 box of LightLife SmartStrips, Chik’n Strips
1 pk. Tortillas (10)
Sour cream
Mozzarella cheese

I think we’re set for the week – if you have questions, comments, concerns, please e-mail me at themenudrawer@gmail.com. Happy cooking!