Menu Plan

My Family's menu plan:

1. Monday: Beef Stew
2. Tuesday: Roast Chicken and Rice
3. Wednesday: Pennsylvania Dutch Ham & Noodle Casserole
4. Thursday: Chicken and Fries
5. Friday: BBQ Ribs and Rice
6. Saturday: Pineapple Pork Chops
7. Sunday: Spaghetti and meat sauce

My Vegetarian Menu Plan

1. Monday: Cashew Garlic Alfredo Sauce
2. Tuesday: Susan's Dirty Little Secret Soup
3. Wednesday: Curried Corn Chowder
4. Thursday: Rotini (or Penne) All'Arrabbiata
5. Friday: Purple Potato Soup
6. Saturday: Homestyle Pot Pie
7. Sunday: Easy Spinach Lasagna

see below for the vegetarian recipes Cashew Garlic Alfredo Sauce 1/2 cup raw cashews (not roasted) 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I don't measure, just a good squeeze) 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 clove garlic (or more to taste) 1 Tbsp. extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tb. nutritional yeast (optional) Pulverize raw cashews in the food processor until very fine. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. (*The BEST way to do this, is to make the sauce while the pasta cooks - scoop out 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted pasta-cooking water and use it - the starch from the pasta-cooking water thickens the sauce PERFECTLY!) Add water to cashews and process until smooth... this will take several minutes. Add nutritional yeast (optional - my kids prefer it without), garlic clove, olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice. Process again until smooth, another couple minutes, it'll start to thicken a bit too! Makes a decadently creamy sauce. Serve over cooked pasta. This stuff is wonderfully simple and tastes SO very good. I often add sauteed mushrooms, chives, chopped olives or sundried tomatoes, depending on my mood. Susan's Dirty Little Secret Soup Some people eschew frozen vegetables, but they are often more nutritious than fresh ones that have been shipped from far away. They're usually flash-frozen at the farm, resulting in more nutrients being preserved; vegetables that are allowed to age before cooking lose some of their nutritional value. 5-6 cups vegetable broth (I use Imagine No-Chicken) 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes 2 16-ounce cans beans, rinsed and drained (I usually use 1 Great Northern and 1 Kidney Bean) 2 1-pound bags of frozen vegetables (my favorites are California Blend [cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots] and Italian Blend [zucchini, Italian green beans, broccoli, red pepper]) 4 cloves minced garlic 1 teaspoon basil 1/2 teaspoons oregano 1/2 teaspoon thyme a shake or two of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco) black pepper and salt to taste OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup small pasta OR 2 cups diced potatoes OR 1 cup frozen corn or other starchy vegetable OR 1/2 cup of quick-cooking grain (pearled barley, millet, or quinoa) or cooked rice Put 5 cups of vegetable broth and all remaining ingredients into a large pot and cook until vegetables are done, about 20-30 minutes. If the soup seems too thick, add more broth. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving. This can also be made with 2 pounds of whatever fresh vegetables you have in the house, as in the photo above which includes zucchini, cauliflower, and kale. This makes at least 8 servings, and though the nutritional breakdown will vary depending on the ingredients you use, if you stick to vegetables-only (no pasta or packaged meat substitutes) I think it constitutes a Core recipe for Weight Watchers and if not a "free food," a very low-calorie one on most healthy eating plans. Curried Corn Chowder (from the cookbook “The Great Vegetarian Cookbook: The Chefs’ Secret Recipes” by Kathleen DeVanna Fish) 2 onions, finely diced peanut oil for sauteing 2 tbsp red curry paste 1 cup water 3 tbsp garlic, chopped 3 scallions, chopped 3 tbsp ginger, ground salt & pepper to taste 2 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh 2 cups potatoes, finely diced 3 cups vegetable stock 2 cups heavy cream In a large pan, saute the onions in peanut oil until translucent. Dilute the curry paste in water and add to the onions. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, salt and pepper. Saute until the mixture is well-cooked and aromatic. Add the corn and potatoes and stir. Add the stock and the cream. Simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Pour into a food processor or blender and puree. Season to taste. Rotini (or Penne) All'Arrabbiata 2 tsp. olive oil 3 tsp. garlic, finely minced (use fresh, not the jarred; trust me) 1 - 1 1/2 tsp dried red pepper (use less if you don't like spicy) 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes salt 8 oz pasta (penne or ziti preferred) 2 Tbs parsley, chopped Sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil for about 3 minutes; do not brown the garlic! Use a blender to puree the tomatoes. (I use a hand blender right in the can and leave them slightly on the chunky side.) Stir the tomatoes into the garlic mixture. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes; drain. Toss with the sauce and cook for a couple minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a good crusty bread. Serves 4. Purple Potato Soup Ingredients: 6-8 small - med purple potatoes 3 carrots 2 stalks celery 1/4 cup chopped white onion 1 clove garlic 1 tsp. dried parsley 1 cup plain soymilk 1/8 c. flour salt & pepper to taste Directions: Dice potatoes (leaving well-washed skin on) and carrots. Place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to med/low. In a small skillet, add heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute until onions turn clear and add to soup. Dice celery , add to soup. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and soymilk, and add to soup. Stir everything together. When potatoes are soft, soup is done! Serve with toasted bread, and warm your tummy after a wet and cold day! Homestyle Pot Pie Seriously, Talk about comfort food. this was comfort to it's highest. So simple and savory, it's sure to please your family's taste. Filling Ingredients: 2-3 large potatoes, diced 3-4 stalks celery, chopped 1/2 onion, diced 2-3 carrots, sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup frozen peas (or corn, or both) 1 cube veg. bullion 2 tsp parsley Biscuits Recipe Ingredients: 2 c. flour 3 tsp non-aluminum baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/4 c. non-hydrogenated margarine 1 cup sour soymilk (soymilk + 1 tsp. vinegar) Directions: Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook veggies in broth water until soft. Meanwhile, make the biscuits recipe for the crust. Roll or press dough into casserole dish (the above recipe makes enough for one 8x8 dish, double for larger casserole dish- you will have plenty veggies), make sure to get the sides. Spoon cooked veggies with a little broth into the casserole dish, over the dough. Cover the veggies with the remaining dough, poke a few holes with a fork and bake for about 40-45 mins, depending on your stove. Remove from oven when biscuit mixture is cooked completely. Add salt and pepper to taste. Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp. chopped garlic 2 tbsp. water 2 26-oz jars of spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce) 9 lasagna noodles (regular lasagna noodles, uncooked) Soy Parmesan (optional) Sliced black olives (optional) Filling: 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended--not silken!) 1 tsp. salt (optional) 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste) 1 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. basil 1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender; cover between stirring to keep them from drying out. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce. Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. (You may do this without a food processor by using a potato masher on the tofu.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x12-inch pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a little space in between them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles (I drop it by spoonfuls and then spread it). Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles, and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.