Menu Planning Monday

Monday: Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

Tuesday: Artichoke Panini with roasted garlic

Apple Panini Recipe

Wednesday: Eat out – tofu with black bean sauce

Thursday: Chicken-less and bean stew (recipe to come)

Friday: Eggplant Lasagna (recipe to come)

Saturday: Indian

Sunday: Beef-less Stew (recipe to come)

Check out more menu’s here:

Here’s an excerpt of some the vegetarian menu planners:

• Coupon Clipper  (veg and non-veg)
  
• 5 Weeks to Organization
• Thrifty Soaper
• Half Pint Pixie
• Book of Yum

Slow Cooker Pear Delicata Squash Soup

I’m adding another fall recipe into the mix for Slow Cooking Thursday. I love everything about fall, the coolness at night, the leaves turning colors, and especially the lack of mosquitoes! Plus fall has a great abundance of veggies that are super tasty. I love winter squash, greens of all kinds, and root veggies.

Other than being obsessed with making paninis this week, I have been thinking about new soups to make. And yes, I have had a different panini for dinner every night this week. And I have friends coming over tonight for – you guessed it – paninis!

What are some of your fav veggie soups for fall? I’d love some new ones.

Slow Cooker Pear Delicata Squash Soup

• 1 delicata squash, peeled and cubed (you can use butternut squash if you can’t find a delicata)
• 2 pears, peeled and cored then cubed
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or filtered water with Vegetarian Better Than Bouillon no-chicken, or another vegetarian chicken-like bouillon cube)
• 1 Tb Port (or red wine)
• sprig of fresh thyme
• salt and pepper

Throw everything into the slow cooker and cook on low 6 – 10 hours. Remove the thyme spring and use a hand blender to puree everything together. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with sage pesto, or finely chopped pistachios.

It’s Menu Planning Time Again

Here it is Monday and I’m just deciding what to make this week. I’m a bad, bad menu planner! But a menu planner none the less…

Monday: Vegetarian Chorizo Chili Quesadillas (made on the new grill?)

Tuesday: Veggie Burgers on the new grill (also go ahead and grill extra veggies for later in the week) and couscous salad

Wednesday: Eat out – tofu with black bean sauce

Thursday: Lasagna made with tofu ricotta

Friday: Boca Chicken Patties Parmigiana over whole wheat angel hair and salad

Saturday: It’s Pride here in Durham – eat dinner out

Sunday: Leftover lasagna

Check out more menu’s here:

Here’s an excerpt of some the vegetarian menu planners:

• Margaret’s Musings
• Half Pint Pixie
• The Thrifty Soaper
• My Journey to Health and Happiness
• Life is a Journey not a Destination
• The Simple Me

I’m Letting Someone Else Plan Dinner

So I’ve been working lots extra and it’s probably going to be like this for the next 6 months. I got a new furnace and a/c unit that needs to be paid off. Not having oil heat this winter will be a reward in itself, but I will not have as much time to think about cooking.

I’ve really found that having a meal plan kept me eating in more, spending less, and well eating better. So I’ve found a few sites that do it for you – for free!

FamilyFun gives you a month of dinners planned out and links to recipes too. They are not all veggie or healthy, but substitutions can fix that easy enough. Tonight is a meatless main dish on their menu – Tex Mex Pumpkin Patties.

At MealsMatter you have to signup but you get to personalize it and plan 3 meals a day if you are that organized!

WovenFare provides you a free weekly pdf of menu plan and recipes after you sign up. There is a new one each week. You can get a personalized one for 7.00 a week, but I’m just going to veganize it myself.

EatingWell has a menu planner that allows you to choose from their database of recipes. This way you really can get a vegetarian menu. It also calculates the calories in a serving and adds up your calories for the day. You can select 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.

Epicurious‘ weekly menu is the one I’m going to try next week. It looks the most appealing and already has a few vegetarian meals built in.

So here’s my menu plan from Epicurious for the weekdays at least:

I’ll use pressed tofu, tempeh, or Trader Joe’s chickenless strips to substitute for the chicken below.

Monday: Black-Bean Quesadillas and Dave’s Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Tuesday: Sesame Crusted Chicken and Cold Sesame Noodles

Wednesday: Mustard-Crusted Tofu with Kale and Sweet Potato and Couscous with Herbs and Lemon

Thursday: Spicy Chicken(less) and Rice with Mesclun Salad

Friday: Oven-Fried Chicken(tofu) and Rice, Bean, and Corn Salad

Is it cheating if I eat this good?

Vegan Slow Cooker Potato Soup

It’s feeling like fall here in Durham, so I’ve got a craving for potato soup. It’s such a simple dish, but it’s defiantly delicious. Plus it’s cheap to make, and with food prices what they are it’s a nice addition to your weekly menu.

You can make this with your favorite non-dairy milk, but you can also just add more water instead. Once the potato is mashed, it will make the soup creamy.

Another variation is to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, and use apple juice instead of broth.

Vegan Slow Cooker Potato Soup

• 4 Russet Potatoes (or equivalent of other kind of potato)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 spring fresh rosemary, whole (remove stem before serving)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened soy or rice milk)
• salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into medium sized cubes. Place potato and broth into slow cooker and set on low. Add rosemary, 1 tsp salt, and fresh ground pepper. If the potatoes aren’t covered by the broth add a little more.

Cook all day on low (6 – 10 hours). Use an immersion blender to puree everything. You can also use a blender, but make sure not to fill it all the way or you’ll have a hot mess on your hands!

Add almond milk and puree some more. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve topped with fresh chopped thyme and chives.

While you still have out your crockpot, try some chocolate chip cookies in it!

It’s slow cooker Thursday!
See other great recipes at Diary of a SAHM

Free Seeds For Your Garden

One of my favorite chocolate makers, Dagoba is giving away free seeds when you sign up on their site. They are saying that everyone who signs up will get at least one packet of lavender, mint, rosemary, pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

And if you plan a neighborhood planting project and let them know, they may just send you some chocolates too! While you’re at their site check out the green thumb gallery or suggest a flavor for a new chocolate.