Menu for December 14-18th

This weeks menu is shorter, due to the holidays. Veggie on the Cheap will be taking a Holiday break and will resume with a full menu for the week of  January 4-10th. I apologize for leaving you with no holiday menu, or lists. Luckily, I have never had to prepare a holiday meal! Perhaps, next year! (but hopefully not!)

Monday: Fettucini Alfredo with Steamed Broccoli and Tuscan White Beans with garlic and Sage
           - Recipe for Tuscan White Beans from Vegan Planet, pg. 289.

Tuesday: Split-pea and Parsnip Soup pg 42. slow cooker
           -Recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker pg. 42.

Wednesday: African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew on a bed of Couscous
           -Recipe from Vegan Planet pg. 302

Thursday: Savory Stuffed Wheat-Meat Roast with Quick Mushroom Gravy and Ginger-Pineapple Chutney with Cranberries.
            - Recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker pg. 166 & 196

Friday: Kimbap
             4-5 sheets of sushi nori (sea weed paper)
             8-10  strips of fresh pineapple cut lengthwise 1/4"
             1 avocado sliced
             1 cup fresh baby spinach
             1 package extra firm tofu sliced lengthwise
             2 carrots shredded
             1/2 cup short grain (sticky rice)
             1/2 cup short grain brown rice
             1 TBL sesame oil
              Bragg's or soy sauce to cover tofu while cooking.
          
1. Mix uncooked brown and white rice together, cook according to directions using rice cooker. Let cool slightly.
2. Heat sesame oil on a large skillet. Place sliced tofu and cover with Bragg's. Allow to cook until Bragg's is thoroughly cooked into tofu. Set aside.
3. Once rice has cooled slightly, assemble Kimbap on top of a bamboo roller. Spread rice onto sushi nori, leaving 1-1 1/2 inch boarder. layer spinach over the rice and then lay the avocado, tofu, pineapple and carrots in narrow lines on top of the spinach.
4.) Dampen edges of the sushi-nori and carefully roll onto itself until the dampened top seals with the outer part of the sushi nori. Then use bamboo roller to tighten wrap. Cut and serve with wasabi  if desired.

~This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. My dad was station in Korea in his early adult life. He brought back a love of there cuisine. We ate kimbap frequently when I was a kid. I loved it! Well, I loved everything except the daikon radish.  I always left a pile of them on my plate from picking them out of each roll. Even though I hate them, they do add a necessary sweetness to the rolls. When I initially tried recreating this dish on my own, I omitted the daikon radish and found the rolls lacking. The pineapple is the perfect solution! The pieces are slender enough that they do not over power the rolls, but they give the rolls the needed sweetness to contrast with the salty flavor of the tofu.  My first inclination is to apologize to any of my Korean friends for making such insane changes to this dish, but  it is so delicious, I know they would be delightfully surprised if they tried it! 



Breakfast: Good Morning Millet Melange
              - Recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker pg. 241.