Menu Plan Monday – Feb 10

It has been a while since I have posted.  Lately it has been easy to save money because the winter has been so fierce we eat in every night and barely ever get to a store for fun!  I’ve been passing the time watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix and pinning recipes on Pinterest.  Forks Over Knives is a movie that looks at the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

I was a vegetarian for many years, and I am always interested in plant-based meals.  My daughter seems to naturally prefer them anyway.  I have some new recipes to try this week!

Sunday – White Bean Tuna Salad with arugula.  New recipe; for my daughter I will leave out tuna.

Monday – Fried rice

Tuesday – Split Pea and Cauliflower Soup – I can tell by the ingredients this will be a hit for us.

Wednesday – I am making a recipe for a Meal Train delivery… Pioneer Woman’s meatball subs.

Thursday – Tarascan Bean Soup – This is a pinto bean soup I used to make years ago.

Friday – Pizza!  Happy Valentine’s Day.

For more meal planning inspiration, visit orgjunkie.com.

Summer Minestrone Soup

When life gives you basil…. and zucchini… and beans…

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful book Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas.  It is a great way to make a dent in your garden veggies.  The recipe is super flexible.  Free free to use ingredients you have or prefer.

Serves 6

1 can drained and rinsed beans, such as garbanzo or kidney

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 TBSP cooking oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1/4 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 cups peeled and diced tomatoes

2 cups sliced or diced zucchini, any color

2 cups water

3 cups stock (chicken, vegetable, whatever you have)

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn or cut into strips

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, rough chop

OPTIONAL:  Small pasta like ditalini, red chili pepper flakes, 2 inch piece parmesan cheese rind to flavor soup, lemon slices or olive oil to garnish

In your soup pot, saute the chopped onion in oil with a sprinkle of salt over medium heat until translucent.  Add garlic and saute briefly.

You can also do 4 hours in a Crock Pot

Add water and stock to the onion mixture in your soup pot.  Add beans, carrots, celery, red pepper, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and parmesan cheese rind if using.  Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  Add parsley, basil, and a pinch of red chili pepper flakes if using.  If the soup seems too thick, add additional stock.  Cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  Taste and add additional salt if needed.  Remove cheese rind.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Bon appétit!

Meal Plan Monday – 7/15

Santa Fe Farmer’s Market

Ah, it feels good to be back in the ol’ meal planning saddle this week!  While on vacation I read the book VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good by Mark Bittman. The premise of the book is to greatly increase vegetable, fruit, and whole grain consumption and decrease dairy and meat, while not giving up anything completely.  The book piqued my interest because I am always interested in increasing veggies and beans in our menus.  I will be adding a few VB6 style recipes in the menu in the coming weeks.

Monday – Make your own French Bread pizzas, cooked pea pods

Tuesday – Baked Ziti with Vegetables and Cheese – from the VB6 book.  If the recipe is a winner I will post the recipe later this week as I don’t find it on the web.

Wednesday – Grill out chicken breast with barbeque sauce, sauteed veggies

Thursday – Summer Minestrone soup from the wonderful book Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure.  This is a fantastic, frugal soup if you have a garden or a farmer’s market.  The recipe is posted here.

Friday – Leftover Chile Colorado burritos.  If you are making the recipe for the first time I recommend cutting the beef bullion by half, or more.  This is one of the few recipes I love in the crock pot.

What’s on your menu this week?  For inspiration, head on over to orgjunkie!