Veggie Peanut Stir Fry

I liked this, but it needs some tweaking.

Vegetables  - tonight I used zucchini and carrots, cut into matchsticks.  Some whole wheat capellini and a Thai-flavored peanut sauce and it all came together quite quickly and easily.  I also threw in chick peas for some protein.

It was fine, but not anything to write home about.  Maybe different vegetables? Maybe marinating them?  The sauce should be spicier, I left out any heat because of Andrew and put Sriracha on the table, but no one used it.

Mexican Lasagne

This looked like a big pile of brown mush, but tasted pretty good, and the texture wasn't bad.

I layered salsa, tortillas, refried beans and then cheese (Monterey Jack and Cheddar), then again, lasagne-style.  Baked the next day until the cheese was bubbly and served with some homemade guacamole.  An easy, quick dinner that doesn't need to be made ahead, it's so easy.

Teriyaki Tofu

I made this up as I went, but it was very simple and pretty quick and worked out well.

Tofu, cut into small pieces, marinated in jarred teriyaki sauce and some water, then sauteed over high heat until crisped on the outside.  I reserved the marinade for sauce at the end, which is a nice feature of using tofu over meat.  I took the tofu out and then sauteed carrots and soy beans.  Throw it all back together with the reserved marinade and serve over rice.

Rice note: rinsing really does make a difference.  This was light and fluffy and not clumpy, after a quick rinse in the strainer.  I used 3C water to 1.5C brown rice and it was the perfect amount for dinner and leftovers.

Chicken Piccata

Served with farro and green beans, this was a very nice and simple dinner.  We used Giada's recipe again and it was excellent.  The reviewers said it had too much lemon, but we used a full 1/2 cup for three chicken breasts and thought it was good.  It was definitely piccata, too much for Andrew and his pursed face, but the adults liked it.

The farro was made with half chicken stock, half water and was great on its own, even better with the sauce.  The green beans were just steamed but rounded it out nicely.

Mushroom Tetrazzini

I tried Giada's recipe, leaving out the chicken to make this vegetarian.  It was a little bland, but some salt and pepper made it okay.

I thought I had a package of sliced button mushrooms as well as the portabellas, but I couldn't find them, so it was a little skimpy.  On the other hand, I wanted to use up some ice cream ingredients (cream and half-and-half) so I made the sauce from them, which made it nice and rich.  I switched out linguine with whole-wheat spaghetti (the protein kind).  Given the nutmeg in the recipe and the sweetness of the noodles, this made some people think it smelled like dessert.

Crockpot Chili and Cornbread

The chili was just thrown together - crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, an onion and a green pepper on its last leg.  I seasoned with salt and pepper, cumin, a little chipotle seasoning, the end of a clove of garlic, and chili powder.  An extra can of water to keep it from burning and it cooked all day.  It came out fine, although not especially fantastic.

The cornbread, however, was excellent.  There's 7 pieces left, and that may not be true in the morning.  I left out the jalepenos from Ina Garten's recipe and used that fantastic chipotle cheddar, and I'd make this every day if I could.  I halved it, which was plenty for us.

Mushroom Bourgignon

An absolutely delicious, rich, thick and satisfying meal for winter nights.  This is surprisingly easy, surprisingly delicious and surprisingly healthy, and vegan to boot.


Realistically, prepping the veggies and then throwing it all together is about half an hour.  I used creminis and button mushrooms, and added a stalk of celery.  Simmer another half hour or so and then cook some (whole wheat) wide egg noodles.  This makes enough dinner and plenty for lunch the next day.

Cauliflower Curry

This didn't work.  It wasn't bad, just really bland, despite a generous helping of curry powder.  I tried to remedy it with sriracha, but it wasn't enough.  The texture was good, though, and it's worth a second try, maybe with more curry and possibly garlic and ginger. ADDED: I forgot the second half of the recipe, the part where you add cashews and mango chutney, also known as the flavorful, good stuff.  The leftovers just got a lot more appealing!

I chopped carrots, a potato, and a head of cauliflower into large pieces and threw them in the slow cooker with curry powder, browned onions, and chickpeas.  I made black (Japonica) rice when I got home and threw it all together.  We ate it, but not gladly.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

I suspect there will be many versions of this meal, with different fillings.  This week is going to be all vegetarian, and this was a good, easy start.  I made it Sunday afternoon and baked them Monday evening.

I shredded 2 zucchini, chopped a bunch of kale, and mixed in Northern beans along with a good pile of cumin.  Wrapped in tortillas, a little cheese inside (the end of the chipotle Cheddar that we're definitely getting again and a Cheddar / Monterey Jack mix), and enchilada sauce with the end of the cheese on top.

A whole bunch of kale was too much for this, which was only 3 well-stuffed tortillas.  Maybe spread out a bit more, it would be OK, or chopped more finely.  Mine came out a bit more like Mexican lasagne than separate units, but the flavor was good.

Squash Soup

With a side salad and some take-and-bake bread, perfect on a chilly winter night.

I sauteed some onions and garlic until sizzling, added chicken stock and coconut milk and the leftover sweet potatoes.  Some baked acorn squash and spices: curry powder, salt and pepper, and ginger.  It all simmered together for a half hour and then I mashed it into a think, chunky consistency.

Cowboy Pie

A variation on shephard's pie from Cooking Light, this uses sweet potatoes in place of regular baking potatoes and adds some chipotle kick to the filling.  I used real ground sirloin this time, although ground turkey has worked fine in the past, and chopped carrots along with frozen peas and corn and canned tomatoes with green chiles.  We skipped the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and made adobo sauce from scratch, then mixed it into the sweet potatoes.  I made some corn bread on the side using chipotle cheddar, which was not quite right, as we forgot the sugar.  A little honey drizzled on top helped it.  There's a ton of this for leftovers for lunch and probably another couple servings after that.

Curry "Meat"loaf

This didn't work at all.  I used TVP (Smart Ground) instead of the beef and it came out all crumbly, plus the juices overflowed the loaf pan and burned in the oven.  The flavor was good, especially with some mango chutney on top, but it wasn't meatloaf so much as a pile of veggies, rice, and TVP.  The TVP did make a good meat substitute, except I think the loaf needed some fat to stick together.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

Saturday, January 2

A hot, filling stew with a little kick on a very cold day, using leftover rotisserie chicken and cous cous plus sweet potato and zucchini. This could easily be vegetarian by substituting chick peas for the chicken.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagne

New Year's Day 2010

An old favorite from Cooking Light, using whole wheat, no-bake noodles and jarred sauce and the new All-Clad!  One pan made enough for dinner for 3 and leftovers for a couple days.