Happy New Year to you!
Have you updated your goals for the year? I have. And I don’t know about you, but I am working on making some changes. But it can be so overwhelming to contemplate the big changes you want to make in your life. I have learned that it is best to make a plan. (And get some encouragement (or ultimatums) from my husband!) And then start by taking some itty-bitty, baby steps. Whether you want to lose weight, find a new job, create a garden, redecorate your living room. Whatever. Baby steps. You’ll get there. And you will be able to better see that faint light glimmering at the end of the tunnel when you break it down into the small pieces. (Remind me of this later!)
I took some more of those steps today and it feels great. I don’t feel so stuck – you know what I mean?
Another one of my goals is to blog more. The past year has been rough and my relationship with food has not been very friendly so there hasn’t been a lot of new content this year – sorry. (More on this eventually, when I am ready…) I cook most days, but mostly using other people’s ideas and recipes. So I am going to work on pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone a bit. And I am working on my photography skills too. So we’ll see where things go. Who knows. Baby steps, right?
I know a lot of you are looking for “healthy” recipes right now, to go along with those new goals. Especially that one magical weight loss recipe, right? Well, you won’t find the magic one here, but you will find some pretty darn yummy vegetable based recipes! (But be sure to check out the link to Susan’s soup recipe at the bottom of this page. It may be as close to magical as we get.) And most of us could use more vegetables in our diets, right? So make sure you check out the new recipe index if you haven’t already.
With that in mind, this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap theme is “Eat More Produce” and it is being hosted by Celiacs in the House. Be sure to check out the links on her page for more ideas.
Here’s our plan:
No-Hurry Vegetable Curry with Brown Rice – a slow cooker recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. This makes a lot so we’ll eat this more than once this week.
Buttery Pigeon Pea Dal with Roasted Broccoli and Brown Rice
Roasted Tofu with Roasted Brussels Sprouts – I want to try a new sprouts recipe but haven’t decided on one yet. Perhaps this one?
Enchilada-Inspired Polenta Pie with Salad – a slow cooker recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker
Spaghetti and Salad – by request of the hubby. My favorite pasta is Tinkyada brand, which you can also purchase at Trader Joe’s, if you have one in your area. They sell it as Brown Rice Pasta in penne, spirals or spaghetti. But recently our TJ’s started carrying a gluten free corn pasta too. I bought some but haven’t tried it yet; guess we will this week. I will let you know if we like it!
And for my lunches I am thinking about making this: Susan’s Dirty Little Secret Soup. Warm soup just tastes so great right now…
For a special treat this week, I am making ice cream. I have avoided ice cream for the majority of the fall and I did well avoiding a lot of holiday treats but I have been craving some ice cream. So I am making Salty Caramel from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. And possibly the Pumpkin Five Spice or a Kahlua flavored one of my own creation. I can’t wait!
Have you updated your goals for the year?
Thanks for all the great recipe links! Funny, I’ve been wanting to make ice cream, too. Actually, I’ve been thinking about making it with my kids for months. For some reason, it keeps being put aside for other cooking and activities. Maybe I’ll get around to it this month, too.
Happy New Year (and good luck with your baby steps)!
Thanks Heather! (re: baby steps, gonna need a little)
Yes, make some ice cream!! I just ate a little Salty Caramel. It’s so rich you just need a little of Jeni’s. Yum.
[…] from Beyond Rice and Tofu is making an enchilada inspired polenta pie, spaghetti and roasted tofu and Brussels sprouts. I […]
That recipe you linked for the Brussels sprouts looks fantastic. That may be on my menu soon. Oh, I do love Jeni’s Salty Caramel ice cream. Actually, I love going into a Jeni’s and just samping a lot of different flavors. I seem to remember a goat cheese with cranberries soaked in local spirits and a roasted marshmallow and sweet potato ice cream around the holidays last year that were amazing.
I haven’t been back to Columbus for quite a few years so I haven’t gotten to taste Jeni’s first hand yet. And I forgot to look for it when we were in Dayton over Thanksgiving. (Plus I had to get my Graeter’s fix.) I used to tease my little brother that he needed to send me a sampler pack but now he has moved away from Cbus…one day. Although the cookbook recipes make dang good ice cream too!
I made the goat cheese with red wine cherries this summer and it was divine. The lemon sorbet was excellent also. I don’t think the marshmallow and sweet potato one is in the cookbook but it sounds wonderful and I think I could make up a version…have to add that to my list!
Ooh….I love Jeni’s Ice Cream!!!
We really liked the corn pasta from TJ’s. Love the menu!
One day I will get back to Cbus and I will have to meet up with all of you celiacs at Jeni’s!
We tried the corn pasta tonight. I wasn’t a big fan, it had a very strong flavor that I wasn’t keen on. The hubby really liked it though, said it tasted very similar to “regular” pasta. It’s been way too long for me to compare to wheat pasta. I think I will stick to the brown rice pasta. Although I will say the corn pasta seemed to cook more easily than the brown rice which tends to stick together and get a little gummy if you don’t watch it. Might be a good pasta for newbie celiacs with regards to cooking and taste. Me, I’ll stick to the Tinkyada/TJ’s.
Thanks foor writing this