Menu for December 7-13th

Click here for Dec 7-13 shopping list. This list includes everything needed for dinners, and a couple items to be able to make a couple different kinds of oatmeal. Of course you can add whatever you would like to the list, for breakfast and such.


Monday: Leftover Root Vegetable Soup


~We had plenty left over from last week. So we will be finishing it off this week.

Tuesday: Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza
        Pizza Crust*
        1/2 cup pesto
        1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
        1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
        1/2 cup pine nuts
        4 oz chevre goat cheese
        3/4 - 1 cup mozzarella cheese
        1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped (optional)

 Preheat over to 400 degrees. Pat out dough out on a greased pizza pan and spread pesto over dough leaving 1/4 inch crust. Sprinkle toppings evenly over pizza, putting cheeses on last. Bake for 20 mins. 
*I make my pizza crust with a bread maker using this recipe. I also divide the dough in half to make two thin crust pizzas. I vacuum seal one and freeze if for future use.

~This is one of our favorite pizzas from a local pizza place, Austin's Pizza. I started making it at home to save money. It is a fraction of the price when made at home. My husband really loves kalamata olives, but I really dislike them. So I put olives on his portion of the pizza.

Wednesday:Chipotle- kissed Red Bean and Sweet Potato Chili w/ Corn Bread
           - recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker pg. 68
           - corn bread recipe from Romancing the Bean pg. 101

Thursday:Curried Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Chickpeas and Kasha
           -recipe from  The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet pg. 194


~I actually was not able to find the kasha anywhere, so I made cumin seasoned millet instead. It was my first try with millet. It was nice and soft and had a polenta feel about it. The recipe over all was lack-luster. To be fair, I had tried a very similar recipe from Joann Saltzman's, Romancing the Bean, several weeks ago. It was to die for! This dish shared so many of the same ingredients, I could not help but compare it the entire time I was eating. This dish was so far behind in flavor and texture. I think I will stick with Joann's recipe if I want to make curried chickpeas. 


Friday: Chow Mein  - recipe from Vegan Cooking for One pg. 141


~I add tofu to this recipe to ensure a protein source. We love this recipe. It is just a very standard chow mien recipe. It is nice to have something low key every now and then. 


Saturday: Red bean Cakes with Creamy Coconut Sauce
           -recipe from Vegan Planet pg. 288


~This was quite the treat!  It was flavorful and the coconut sauce added a great contrast!  The coconut sauce reminded me a great deal of Alfredo sauce. I might adapt this recipe for next week and make Alfredo. Mira  loved this dish! She is a finicky eater most meals. She usually eats a few bites, or eat about half of what I give her. Within minutes she had finished her helping and began asking for more. We will definitely try this one again! Tip: don't over process the beans and rice. My red bean cakes were too much like refried beans. 


Sunday: Mac and Cheese Florentine 
           - recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker pg. 138



Breakfast: Overnight oats with pumpkin, raisins and walnuts
          - click here to get the recipe http://www.veggiemealplans.com


~This was a great morning treat. It was also VERY easy to make. I used rolled oat instead of steal cut, and just cooked the oats the morning we ate them. I was able to make this recipe while decorating a cake. It turned out so well. We will have this many more times throughout the winter.