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Meal Plan Monday, February 25, 2013

February 25, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

Well, this week I am on top of it. But only because after I posted last week’s (late) menu plan, I went ahead and wrote up this week’s menu plan since I already had it prepared.

I am not sure what the theme is over at this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap, but be sure to go over and check it out for some added inspiration.

This week is focused on quick meals and make-ahead meals. With school and work now, I am trying to make dinner pretty uncomplicated. I’ve already made the soup and a batch of quinoa to get a jump start on things.

Here’s the line-up:

Red Beans and Rice – an old standby. Simple, with some rice and a green salad. A great one to stick in the frig for later in the week as ‘leftovers’.

Quinoa with Brussels Sprouts, Chickpeas, Cranberries, Blue Cheese and Pecans – it will be something along the lines of what I linked to, but I plan on modifying it a bit.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup – a new-to-us recipe. This is a recipe that I had pinned on Pinterest (dangerously addicting!) and I gave hubby the choice of three soups that I had pinned and he chose this one. I subbed the chicken with two cans of drained and rinsed white beans.

Thai Quinoa – my brother and his girlfriend really liked this and she and I both had pinned it. So I decided it was time to try it out too. Yes, I know we have two quinoa recipes this week but that is just how it turned out. Quinoa is so versatile and easy to throw together as a quick meal.

What are your favorite quick meals?

Posted in Meal Plan | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Meal Plan Friday, February 22, 2013

February 22, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

Meal Plan Friday…not Monday. This week has been crazy. I started my new part-time job working at the hospital as a diet aide. It’s kind of the starting point for clinical dietitians-in-training/schooling. I am sitting here with a nice glass of wine in me after being on my feet for 8+ hours today – the first time in years that I have done that (all day on my feet, that is, not the wine)!

And so, I have our belated meal plan for you, since I didn’t get around to posting it yet. This is the menu that we are working our way through now:

Mediterranean Salad with Socca – it’s been quite a while since we have had this salad and my husband claimed he loved it (I like it a lot too, I was just surprised that he did too). So, I guess I need to add this one back into our normal repertoire! And the socca I am still trying to perfect…I’ve tried multiple recipes and I am not happy with any one in particular yet, but I love the concept and will keep trying!

Rosemary Chickpea and Spinach Soup – recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian cookbook. This soup was okay, nothing to write home about so I probably won’t be making it again.

Last Minute Sesame Noodles – always tasty!

Chickpea Picatta over Mashed Potatoes and Arugula – yum, another one we haven’t had in a while. It is super! Even hubby liked the arugula. And I am sitting here drinking the rest of the wine I used in it.

What is hitting the spot at your house this week?

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Crunchy Kale Salad

February 14, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

This recipe comes to us from one of my favorite blogs, Use Real Butter. Not only is she a fabulous cook but an amazing photographer too. (And she has a super sweet black Lab who often cameos, how could I not be smitten?) The first time I made this, like with most new recipes, I make it the way it is written. But hubby wasn’t too keen on it. I think it was the tahini flavor that got him. So the next few times I’ve made it with almond butter instead, which for us paired better with the maple, orange and sliced almonds. I also prefer a less oily dressing usually, so I reduced the oil.

I’ve also made this for a GF Gals night and one of our local support group potlucks. It has gone over well at both occasions.

Crunchy Kale Salad | Beyond Rice and Tofu

Crunchy Kale Salad

Adapted from Use Real Butter

4 cups kale, stems removed, torn
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced or chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped if large

Dressing:

1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp almond butter
pinch of salt, if desired
3 Tbsp olive oil


Whisk together the orange juice, maple syrup, almond butter, and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Slowly add the olive oil while constantly whisking.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Note:

It’s best if the dressing is stirred in an hour or two before serving so that it has a chance to soften the raw kale leaves, especially if the recipients aren’t as big on raw kale as we are.  Or, if you love raw kale salads, you can make it and serve it right up.

Posted in Salad, Vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Meal Plan Monday, February 11, 2013

February 11, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I got hit with the flu last week. So once again, I was lucky that we had some pre-cooked meals in the frig. I had made three of them on Monday, the day that I started to get sick but didn’t yet realize it. And so we managed to make-do with those for the majority of the week. And we have some of the meals from last week waiting in the wings for this week.

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Curried Red Lentil Soup – a Deborah Madison recipe, from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Corn Chowder in Winter – recipe from my favorite veggie slow cooker cookbook.

Black Bean Chili with corn tortillas – a pressure cooker recipe from my favorite veggie PC cookbook.

Roasted Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Brown Rice – I like to take advantage of having the oven on and roast both the tofu and sprouts. Roasting tofu makes for a nice chewy texture. I will probably make some sort of peanut sauce for the tofu and rice, or just use some pre-made San-J brand peanut sauce.

Tamales with Kale Salad – we’ll pull some of the tamales out of the freezer that we made over Christmas and eat up with some kale salad and maybe some Spanish rice.

Spaghetti and Salad – an “if-we-need-it” meal.

What’s on your menu this week? Need some inspiration? Check out the other meal plans over at Celiac Family.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos

February 10, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

I ended up with the flu this past week. First time in more than 12 years. But it got me. I made these the day that I was starting to get sick, but I was still in denial. I was SURE I was just getting a bad cold. Nope. But luckily I didn’t lose my appetite while I was sick. And these leftovers called my name all week in the frig. I had to make a deal with the hubby to split the last of them, we both loved them so much.

We enjoyed these topped with a dab of sour cream, chopped avocado and my homemade tomatillo salsa with its tangy taste, which is a nice complement to the other sweet and savory elements.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos | Beyond Rice and Tofu

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos

1 pound of sweet potatoes, 1/4″ dice

2 tsp oil, divided

2-1/2 tsp cumin, divided

2-1/2 tsp chile powder, divided

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1 onion, chopped

2 cups cooked black beans

3 cups kale, torn

Corn tortillas

Sour cream (omit for vegan or dairy-free)

Avocado, chopped

Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Preheat oven to 450*. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chile powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet. Roast for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how small you cut them, turning once.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion until tender. Add remaining 1-1/2 tsp cumin, 1-1/2 tsp chili powder and stir, cook for 1 minute. Mix in black beans. Add kale and 1/4 cup of water and stir well. Cook until kale is wilted down. Add roasted sweet potato and cook until potato is heated through again. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste. Add more cumin and/or chili powder as desired.

Heat a skillet or griddle on medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and allow to heat through. Lightly fry corn tortillas in oil on both sides.

Assemble tacos with sweet potato mixture, sour cream, chopped avocado and tomatillo salsa in corn tortillas.

Posted in Avocado, Beans, Black Beans, Mexican, Vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Meal Plan Monday, February 4th, 2013

February 4, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

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Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Raw Kale and Avocado Salad with Lime-Sriracha Vinaigrette - we love our kale salads, and we love sriracha, so this is a big winner at our house! And of course, as I mentioned in the last post, we have fallen for the pizza crust too.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Kale Tacos with Slaw – we didn’t get to this last week, so we’ll be having it this week. And I think I finally have the recipe the way I like it so hopefully I will get around to posting it this week.

Vindaloo Vegetables with Rice – from my favorite slow cooker cookbook, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. A recipe to put in the frig for the week.

Potatoes and Peas in Red Curry – from another vegetarian slow cooker cookbook I found at Powell’s in Portland this summer called The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Another meal to be made and placed in the frig for later in the week.

Curried Red Lentil Soup – a Deborah Madison recipe, from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Roasted Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Brown Rice – I like to take advantage of having the oven on and roast both the tofu and sprouts. Roasting tofu makes for a nice chewy texture. I will probably make some sort of peanut sauce for the tofu and rice, or just use some pre-made San-J brand peanut sauce.

This week’s theme for the Gluten Free Menu Swap is beef. We don’t eat a whole lot of that around here (I do, sometimes), but if you do, be sure to check out the other menus posted over at Celiac Family. And even if not, there is plenty of inspiration for everyone!

What are you having this week?

Posted in Meal Plan | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Amazing Cauliflower Crust Pizza

February 3, 2013 by BeyondRiceandTofu

You’ve probably seen the recipes too. I didn’t believe the raving reviews either. But you know what they say, seeing trying is believing – and now we believe!

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The first time I made this I wasn’t sure if hubby would be up for me messing around with his traditional concept of pizza this much, so I made it just for me and he ate his own gluten-full frozen pizza. But when I told him what I was making he asked me to leave off the chicken on part of it so he could taste it too (he’s the veggie, not me). And when he tasted it he ended up preferring this pizza to his own gluten-full one!

One caveat, this crust makes a pizza that you need to eat with a fork, you can’t pick up a slice of the pizza. But it doesn’t matter, it is so delicious you won’t care. We’ve made this pizza the past three weekends and my (gluten-eating) husband and I are both in LUV.

IMG_3700-sm

Amazing Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Adapted from here, here and here.

One small head of cauliflower (about 2 cups after processing)

2 cups shredded cheese (I’ve used a mix of some leftover Monterrey jack and mozzarella and only mozzarella, any combo should work)

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp whole fennel seeds

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp crushed garlic (from a jar)

1/2 tsp salt

Your favorite pizza toppings

Preheat oven to 425. Preheat a sheet pan or baking stone, if desired (I used a baking stone). Chop the cauliflower into florets. Pulse in food processor until it becomes the texture of couscous. Transfer to a glass bowl. Cook cauliflower in the microwave (uncovered, no water needed) for 8 minutes.

Mix cauliflower and remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Spread mixture over hot(!) stone or sheet pan evenly. (My round pizza stone is about 12-14″ in diameter and the full recipe above is just a tad too much for my size of pan. So use two smaller pans – or just spread it thicker, which has so far worked for me.)

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Add toppings. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes, just enough to melt the cheese and rewarm. Cool slightly and serve. (The crust holds together better if you let it cool slightly before cutting and serving.)

Let me know if you try it, or if you make changes to this recipe and how it turned out and I will do the same. There are a lot of versions of this out in the blogosphere too… I hope you’ll use this as a jumping off point to find your new favorite!

Posted in Pizza | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments »

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