A Week Of Menus

It's Sunday and it's soooooo quiet in my house right now - - aaaaaahhhh! I LOVE quiet time :)

...and it's time for my meal planning "break"! I feel like I have been working with zucchinis and beets forever now!! I heard someone say one time that they could never wait for zucchinis to be ready in the summer and that they would eat so many of them that by the end of the summer they felt like they never wanted another zucchini again (....until next year). And boy, is that how I feel right now with my zucchinis AND beets!!!
The only person in our house who isn't sick of beets right now is little Miss No-No. She asks for beet soup on (nearly) a daily basis still!

Speaking of zucchinis, my parents came over this weekend with some beautiful zucchini blossoms / flowers that I will be grilling up this week!! These are a rare treat for us and since I messed up the WHOLE batch that I got this year, I am hoping to perfect the correct grilling method this time around....hahahhaha!

For dinner this week, my basic plan is to use up my leftovers and get rid of anything that might go bad before I can get to it!

Monday
Black bean and roasted corn salads
Bean burritos or tacos
(to use up extra corn on the cob we roasted over the weekend)

Tuesday
Grilled Tofu "Steaks"
Julienned Zucchini and Sliced Orange Salad (with roasted almonds)
Homemade orange vinaigrette salad dressing
Bulgur with Cilantro
(to use up extra tofu, bulgur, and, what else?, some zucchini)

Wednesday
Grilled Zucchini Blossoms on Big Salads
(Salad with: julienned veggies, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, and homemade dressing)
Grilled Pita Bread

Thursday
Veggie Hot Dogs
Small Side Salads

Friday
Left over Bonanza

Saturday
Dinner out

Sunday
Italian Pasta Dinner
Salads
Garlic Bread

And, while I won't be cooking with a lot of zucchini this week, I did find a picture of my zucchini boats!! I thought that I was too hungry and that I must have forgotten to snap the picture, but turns out that I did have it, but was too scatterbrained (I guess!) to find it when I wrote that post!!!

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Hope your weekend was great!
More later! :)

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Clean Out the Fridge Soup

I love making soup! :)

Soup is easy, and forgiving. It can be served hot, warm, or even cold. I can eat it for dinner, for lunch the next day, or freeze it and serve it a week or two later for a quick dinner when I don't have time to make something.

This Clean Out the Fridge Soup is one of my favorites - I just saute some onions and garlic, add some broth, some spices, and whatever else I have on hand. It's different all the time, but the method is the same, and that makes it great (and easy) for me to serve something filling and healthy!

Clean Out the Fridge Soup

1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Dried spices (I always use approx. 1/2 tsp of thyme and then I will add in some bay leaves (only 1 or 2), and then maybe another 1/2 - 1 teaspoon (total) of oregano, parsley, basil, or rosemary - sometimes, I just add in italian seasoning so that I get it all in one!)
diced veggies (whatever is on hand; for this soup, I used yellow squash and one zucchini, but this method will work with mushrooms, leeks, beets, potatoes, and can be adapted to fit just about any other veggie you have on hand)
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 cups veggie broth (homemade or store bought)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 3 cups of fresh spinach or 1 cup of (defrosted) frozen spinach)
3/4 cup of frozen peas (or edamame, broccoli, or corn)
fresh ground pepper and salt, to taste

In a stockpot or 4 qt pan, saute diced onion in olive oil on medium heat until translucent, approximately 8 - 10 minutes. Add in garlic and cook, stirring, for approximately 30 seconds. Drop in spices and stir to combine. Add in diced veggies and stir for another few minutes (coating with spices). Add in tomatoes, stir to combine. Add broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 10 - 15 minutes (you can simmer this for up to 30 minutes, depending on how much time you have). Turn heat back up to medium and add beans, let the mix get warm again (approximately 3 - 5 minutes), and then add in spinach and peas. Let the soup cook for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add black pepper and taste. Add salt to taste.

I usually serve this with garlic bread and a small salad on the side.

What's one of your favorite go to dishes?

Find me at some of these cool linky parties this week!
More later! :)

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Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

I feel rejuvenated! I just caught up with Desperate Housewives on my smart phone! hahahaha! Quiet time for me and I don't need to steal the living room TV! Mr. No-No loves it and so do I. :)

For those of you that know me, you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my soups. This one is quick and easy and ssssooooo good for you. Bonus: it's vegan (so it's much healthier than most soups of this style) and it's creamy (so it satisfies that desire to have a thick, rich soup).

I grabbed this recipe from All You Magazine and I am pleased to say, I didn't modify it at all. Kudos to All You for having vegan recipes in their mag!

All You's Carrot and Red Pepper Cream Soup

1 onion, diced

1 bunch of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cups vegetarian broth

2 (jarred) roasted red peppers, diced

2 cups of soymilk (or other plant based milk)

2 tsp. (each) balsamic vinegar and lemon juice

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Saute diced onion and sliced carrots in a pan with 1/8 cup of water (over medium heat) for approx. 5 minutes; Add broth and bring to a boil; Cover and simmer until carrots are fork-tender (approx. 10 - 15 minutes);

Remove from heat; Add bell peppers;

Mix in blender (covered with a towel, do in two batches) or use an immersion blender; Continue blending and add in soymilk; Place pan back over low heat and add remaining ingredients; Heat until warm (approx. 5 minutes).

I served this with toast triangles. It was creamy and delicious! It's also good the next day (I know because I had it for lunch) - make a big batch and have "planned leftovers".

What are your favorite kinds of soup?

Do you have a quick soup that is your standby? Or do you have a soup that you especially make so that you can have your planned leftovers?

Thanks to everyone for commenting on my previous recipe, Microwave-able Beets. Seems like a lot more people than I realized do not like beets, do not buy beets, and do not cook with beets - including: Karen from Mommy's Moments and Crystal from Crystal Jigsaw. However, I was honestly surprised by how few people admitting to LIKING beets - including: Boobies from Boobies, Babies, & A Blog.. and Jan from Jewelry4Change.

I know, the color puts some people off...

Come and find me partying here.

More later! :)

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