What’s in the box?

This week’s menu was inspired by my CSA boxes of fruits and vegetables.  Perhaps you start your meal plan by purchasing a source of meat and then add vegetables as an after thought. Try starting with your vegetables and create a meal around them by adding a plant based protein.  Can you create a stir fry with your broccoli and carrots? What about making a stew with the onions, potatoes, carrots and zucchini? How can you stuff that zucchini, eggplant or bell pepper?

Precook a batch of lentil meat and add spices as needed for the cuisine you’ve picked. Make quinoa or barley to add to any vegetable dish. Prepare at least one type of bean every week. Beans can be added to vegetable stir fries, vegetable tacos, lasagnas, soups or curries.

Crispy Teriyaki Tofu with Plum Sauce:  I used a small flour tortilla instead of making flax seed crepes.  I love the Happy Pear website. These cute Irish twins make vegan cooking fun. 

Potato Samosas baked in flour tortillas. I don’t want to bother with making and rolling out pastry dough so I will wrap these in flour tortillas and bake them. Trader Joe’s has a delicious mango chutney which would taste delicious with samosas.  

Warm Mushroom and Chic Pea Salad over Spinach: Sauté 1 cup of sliced onions in a dash of olive oil until caramelized, add 2 cups of sliced button mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of curry powder and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until the mushrooms release their water. Stir in one canned of rinsed and drained chic peas and heat until warm. Serve over fresh spinach or kale with a drizzle of coconut yogurt.

Jackfruit, Tofu Spinach Enchiladas:

Jackfruit doesn’t have much protein so I think it’s important to add a protein source. Crumbled tofu will be an easy addition to these enchiladas since I don’t tolerate black beans. Add any vegetables that you have; spinach, corn, steamed red peppers would be nice. I have no hope of finding jackfruit in rural Mexico but Trader Joe’s always has it in Nevada.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings and Baked Tofu I love the Forks over Knives website. I spent hours reading through their recipes. Dredge tofu cubes in corn starch and chili powder and bake along side of the cauliflower for a one pan meal. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and vegan ranch dressing.

Vietnamese Neatballs Lettuce Wraps My full recipe is coming soon but use the Basic Lentil Meat recipe and add minced cilantro and green onions, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Bake in small neatballs for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve in lettuce cups with bean thread noodles, cooked mushrooms, chopped peanuts with prepared ponzu sauce or Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette.

Italian Lentil Loaf Serve with smashed sweet potatoes, green beans.