Jan 4-10th

And.... We're back!  You have my sincerest apologies for such a delay in posting this weeks menu! We came home this week from Christmas vacation, with a toddler with RSV. Then headed straight to our friends home to pet sit for the week. Needless to say, life has been busy, sick and blogging took the back burner! This weeks menu is focused on quick and last minute. I am not posting a shopping list for this week, but I will post one for next week.

Monday: Leftover Chipotle-kissed Sweet Potato Stew

~After driving 15 hours, I was extremely glad to have frozen these leftovers! I just Stuck it in the crock pot, caught up on some sleep and then we ate once we woke up! 


Tuesday: Veggie Burgers w/ Pepper Jack Cheese and Canned Vegetarian Baked Beans

Wednesday: Spinach Quesadillas with leftover Baked beans

1 small bag of fresh baby spinach, chopped
6 tortillas
1/4 red onion chopped
2 cups shredded mexi-blend cheese

Place tortilla in dry frying pan on Med-low heat. Sprinkle enough cheese to cover tortilla and sprinkle some chopped red onion over cheese. Then, layer spinach about 1 inch thick, cover with cheese and place 2nd tortilla on top. Cook until bottom layer cheese is melted and spinach wilts. Then flip and repeat until you have cooked your quesadilla to the desired darkness.

Thursday: Mexican Chili Corn Pie
            - Recipe from Favorite Vegetarian Recipes pg. 228

~ This is one of our favorites. It is a corn chili baked with a cheesy corn bread crust. It is wonderful, and pretty easy. The corn bread is a terrific topper for the chili.

Friday: Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry

8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
2 tbls sesame oil
2 cloves  of garlic, crushed
1 small red onion
1 lb extra firm tofu
2/3 cup Bragg's (or soy sauce/ tamari)
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water

Cook rice in a rice cooker. Cut tofu into thin strips and heat 1 Tbl of oil in a skillet and lay strips over the oil. Douse tofu strips with approx 1/3 cup of Braggs or enough to cover the tofu completely. Once the tofu is fully cooked, heat remaining oil in a wok or frying pan and cook garlic and onion until soft. Approx 2 mins. Add Mixed frozen veggies, add tofu and cook until hot. Once rice is done, add to veggies and tofu. Mix remaining 1/3 cup Braggs and cook until thoroughly mixed.

~This is a pretty standard veggie stir fry. It is also quick and easy.



Saturday: Edamame and Peas Topped with Blue Cheese on a Bed of Quino

8 oz frozen edamame (soy beans)
8 oz frozen peas
1 small red onion
2 gloves garlic
1/4 cup Braggs (or soy sauce/tamari)
3/4 cup water
Blue cheese crumbled to top (amount varies for preference)
1 cup quino
2 cups water

     Wash quino well. It is known to be quite sandy otherwise. Place quino and two cups of water in a small pan and cook on med to low heat until all the water is absorbed and quino has expanded and looks like a spiral. Meanwhile, combine other ingredients (leaving the blue cheese  aside and refrigerated) in a pressure cooker. Stir well and cook per pressure cooker's directions. The quino and edamame mixture shoudl be done roughly the same time (usually within 15 mins.)  Make a bed of quino on the plate, top with edamame mixture and crumble the blue cheese over both to complete.

~ I came up with this after my watching my friend Suki make something similar using noodles, and without  edamame. I never even thought I liked blue cheese until I tried Suki's dish. I absolutely love this dish. It is has so much flavor and gives you plenty of protein, and nutritious whole grain! This dish has really made quino one of my favorite grains. It is fast cooking, loaded with protein and easy to eat! Quino is available in all the bulk sections here in Austin. If you have a whole food, it will be there. If you don't have access to bulk sections, or items like this are hard to find, try the area of the store that has organic or nutritional items. 

Sunday: Hummus, Tabbouleh, Grape Leaf Wraps with Pita Bread

~ I just bought all the items pre-made, from a local store called Tom's Tabbouleh. It is one of the most expensive meals of the day week. Total it cost $12 for the meal, which is quite a bit more expensive then I normally spend for our meals. But this meal is the easiest (since it is already made) and one expensive meal a week doesn't usually break the budget.