Beyond Rice and Tofu

All day today, I kept sitting down to work out this week’s meal plan, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. A mental block. And only because I had a question for my husband. But he was unreachable since he was off snowboarding. Finally he returned home and we were able to talk.

“What are we doing for Christmas this year?” I know, I know. Most of you have traditions and everything has been planned out for months. Not us. Four years ago we moved across the country, away from our families, and so we are on our own for this holiday. But that’s okay. We’re not big on Christmas.

We have made some of our own new traditions, based upon our new home and the local traditions. For one, on Christmas Eve we will head down to Old Town Albuquerque to walk around and drink hot cocoa and look at the luminarias on the plaza, or we’ll head up to Canyon Road in Santa Fe to browse the art galleries and look at the lights, also while drinking hot cocoa.

On Christmas Day, we typically go visit our friends at the Pueblo of Santa Ana and watch the dances for a while in the morning, weather dependent, of course. Then, with some juniper and pinyon burning in the fireplace, we will make a special meal for ourselves. It varies from year to year. Sometimes we’ve each made our favorite foods or something that we don’t eat very often. For me, in the past, it has been shrimp cocktail or bacon-wrapped scallops or some such thing. Another year we made spring rolls. We’ve done the traditional New Mexican thing too, and eaten tamales.

We talked about making sushi this year. But I think this evening we settled on making spring rolls again, maybe with some sushi flavors? Spring roll-sushi fusion rolls…? So now that that is settled, I could finish up my meal plan for the week.

I also asked my husband what he needed, treat-wise, to make it Christmas…but we haven’t come to any conclusions on that one. Which is okay with me since I am trying desperately to avoid the extra calories this year. If the treats are in my house, I eat them. Urgh. But my arm might be twisted to make one or two items, in addition to the limoncello that is waiting to be bottled this week. Or I might have to break out Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream At Home cookbook and make something out of there. The Five Spice Pumpkin has been calling to me from the bookshelf, as well as the Salted Caramel, especially since I have been on an ice cream-hiatus for the past three weeks. (Yes, I eat ice cream year-round!)

The theme over at Celiac Family this week for the Gluten Free Menu Swap is Holiday Favorites, and appropriately so. So be sure to head over later in the week and check out who else linked up. Maybe you will find your new holiday family favorite.

On tap for us this week:

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup with Pierogies – I only just made the soup today for later in the week. Probably with some Pierogies – Conte’s for me and gluten-filled for hubby. (Can you believe that I have never had a pierogie? I am excited to try them.) And maybe with some Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli that needs to be eaten.

Red Beans and Rice with Salad

Chickpea and Spinach Curry with Rice

Green Chile and Cheese Tamales – for Christmas Eve

Spring Rolls – for Christmas Day. We’ll fill them with marinated tofu, lettuce, cucumbers, bell pepper, basil, cilantro, mint, rice vermicelli noodles, avocado, shitake mushrooms and maybe some sushi flavors – nori, pickled ginger, wasabi paste, cucumber, avocado, and maybe some smoked salmon and cream cheese for me! It fun to play with them!

Santa Fe Pumpkin Chowder or Spaghetti and Salad – if needed…