DT and I have eaten at home every night this week and I prepared a vegan meal each night. No real reason, except it is always a good thing to eat less meat and dairy - and we have been over-indulging on too many restaurant meals (and definitely too much fish & chips while at the beach last week). With the meals I chose to prepare, flesh was not missed, but I think a little cheese would have been nice occasionally.
Monday: I prepared a Mexican Rice Bowl type thing that is fairly common at our house/RV. I sauteed a little onion and garlic with a rinsed can of red beans (black beans would also be great), added a little salsa and cumin and served a scoop of the beans over a scoop of warm brown rice. This base was topped with diced tomatoes, chopped avocado and, finally, with a little hot sauce and chopped cilantro. This meal is very satisfying and filling - super inexpensive as well.
Tuesday: Temperatures were rising, so I tried a new-to-me recipe: Chopped Brown Rice Salad with Grapes and Pecans... except I didn't follow the recipe exactly because we had brown rice on our menu last night, so I substituted farro and did not use the cheese at all (vegan week!). I used the fabulous 10-minute farro from Trader Joe's and dressed it immediately with the vinaigrette. I place the grapes, chopped pecans and dressed farro in a salad bowl, refrigerated the bowl all afternoon, and added the chopped lettuce at serving time. This salad was surprisingly yummy. The grapes are a huge surprise - sweet - with the spicy vinaigrette. I grilled a little focaccia so My Runner could have a few extra carbs. We did not miss the cheese and leftovers the next day were awesome at lunch.
Wednesday: I made tonight's dinner yesterday - another new recipe. Last week, Lisa had made the Chilled Parsley & Green Pea Soup from My New Roots blog. Perfect timing, as the temperatures climbed over 90 degrees today. I followed the recipe exactly and served the soup with a little (leftover) herbed focaccia drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.
Lisa thought it was pretty good. DT and I did not like it all. I thought it needed salt and I never think anything needs salt. I cannot recommend this recipe and feel sad for the one pound of organic peas I wasted in the bland dish. My nice cold gazpacho would have been a better choice.Thursday: Back to Mexico. Still lots of cilantro in the fridge, so I whipped-up a batch of my Potato Tacos. Can't go wrong with this belly-pleasing dish. Talk about low-cost, easy and delicious. Leftovers were perfect for Friday breakfast!
Friday: Tonight we enjoyed one of our favorites from our time in Asia, Tofu & Baby Bok Choy in Sesame-Ginger Sauce. Very bright and crisp - but not low calorie - this dish has been a constant in my repertoire for over 20 years.
Fried tofu triangles! Leo would absolutely squeal with delight. The Little Guy just loves tofu - fresh or fried. If you have a tofu-doubter in your house, maybe you should try this recipe? Did you know tofu is pronounced dough-foo in China? You do now.
Always a hit at our house.Until my next update, I remain, your "we are grilling salmon tomorrow" correspondent.