Forums: September 2011 Kickstart Forum: Favorite meal this week
Created on: 09/26/11 01:31 PM Views: 1561 Replies: 14
Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 1:31 PM To keep things hopping a little and maybe help first-time kickstarters to keep the momentum going, let's post a favorite meal - either a fav kickstart recipe that you made again or a recipe you found that you love or something you just invented yourself. If it's a new recipe (non-kickstart recipe or modified kickstart recipe), post the recipe so we can all try it if we want. I know that we're having chili for dinner tonight - I LOVE hubby's veggie chili. Really simple with black beans (or any combo of beans handy), bell peppers (we get frozen pepper strips once the summer season ends and pepper prices jump back up again), corn, no-salt diced tomatoes, no-salt chili powder or a combo of chipotle and ancho chili powders, onion, maybe some garlic, and a wee sprinkle of salt (that way we can control how much sodium is involved). Sometimes we'll add chopped up mushrooms as well. We've got some nice baby bellas on hand so they might go in (or they might end up in a nice soup later on - mushroom corn chowder maybe - yum!) Tomorrow we're going to pour re-heated leftover chili over whole wheat rotini for a veggie Cinci chili. --Deb R
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rlswie Joined: 09/05/11 Posts: 8	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 1:44 PM Mine was the mexican corn salad. I believe it was posted the end of the second week.
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rlswie Joined: 09/05/11 Posts: 8	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 1:45 PM Mine was the mexican corn salad. I believe it was posted the end of the second week.
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donnamae Joined: 09/01/11 Posts: 35	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 1:46 PM Well, I loved the pasta salad (which was included in the menu plan) except for the Italian dressing. For some reason that didn't set well with me. So since I see that you are quite the innovative chef (my title for you!!), what would you suggest for a pasta salad dressing?
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 2:42 PM donnamae wrote: Well, I loved the pasta salad (which was included in the menu plan) except for the Italian dressing. For some reason that didn't set well with me. So since I see that you are quite the innovative chef (my title for you!!), what would you suggest for a pasta salad dressing? Actually, that title belongs to my hubby, the head chef in our household First thing I would do is check the ingredients in the salad dressing - there are LOTS of different fat free salad dressings with lots of different ingredients. How they make it 'fat free' varies and there are some that use ingredients that are 'troubling' (even though they're technically vegan) in order to remove fat (remember the whole Olestra debacle?) For a quick and simple, we often just use a bit of olive oil, cider vinegar, some dried Italian herbs and minced or powdered garlic (whatever we've got handy), give it a good shake and that's a dressing. I'll often just use vinegar and herbs if I want to remove the fat totally. Any vinegar will do, but you'd want a clear one (cider, rice wine, white wine) so that it doesn't muddy the look of the pasta - for instance, balsamic would make the whole thing look brownish and less than appetizing. --Deb R
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donnamae Joined: 09/01/11 Posts: 35	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 7:15 PM Thank you Deb R - something was wrong with the dressing! I really didn't look closely at the label, so I'll have to be more diligent on that. But thanks for some of the suggestions, and my thanks to Chef Mr. Deb!!
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deborahjm Joined: 09/06/11 Posts: 162	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 at 9:21 PM Tonight I made pizza using a pizza crust recipe from nutritionmd.org. I used wheat and barley flour instead of all purpose, soy cheese and piled on the vegetables. It was good! I recently purchased a couple of pizza stones. The pizza crusts turn out nice and crisp on the bottom and stay warm while you're eating. The first time I used it, I cooked a veggie pizza from Whole Foods, which turned out so much better than on the old metal pan.
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DianeJ Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 134	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 8:35 AM I'm with Deb on veggie chili! It's so good, and versatile, I also like a scoop on a big green salad, like a "taco" salad. My chili is very similar to Deb's, but I try to always use a mix of 3 beans- usually black, white (like Northern beans), and pinto or kidney. Also, I add thinly sliced carrots- you really can't taste them, they kind of soak of the tomato base, but add nutrition and low cal bulk. I also make a white bean soup, or stew, that I love. For this I use a pound of dry white beans, soaked the nite before- then add potato chunks, onion, corn, sun-dried tomatos and seasonings.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 8:38 AM DianeJ wrote: I'm with Deb on veggie chili! It's so good, and versatile, I also like a scoop on a big green salad, like a "taco" salad. My chili is very similar to Deb's, but I try to always use a mix of 3 beans- usually black, white (like Northern beans), and pinto or kidney. Also, I add thinly sliced carrots- you really can't taste them, they kind of soak of the tomato base, but add nutrition and low cal bulk. I also make a white bean soup, or stew, that I love. For this I use a pound of dry white beans, soaked the nite before- then add potato chunks, onion, corn, sun-dried tomatos and seasonings. Yeah, chili or burrito filling piled onto crispy lettuce with a bit of fresh pico de gallo/mild salsa (choped bell pepper, onion, tomato) is hearty but light and refreshing at the same time. We've added all sorts of stuff over time to the chili - carrots, pinto beans, white beans, brown rice, even the occasional green beans --Deb R
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 11:47 AM I posted this before. It makes a lot and it's so delicious! (If you try this, let me know how you like it!) Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams Recipe from McDougall’s Newsletter (January 2011) Excellent On-line Publication! “Color Me Vegan,” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau www.compassionatecooks.com Yellow Split Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Yams Oil-free, soy-free, wheat-free Servings: 6 to 8 2 tablespoons water, for sautéing 2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground mustard ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 medium or 2 small garnet or jewel yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 medium carrot, diced (peeling optional) 8 cups vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought) 3 cups dried yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed 1 bunch collard greens, chopped into bite-size pieces 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste Freshly ground pepper, to taste Directions: Heat the water in a large soup pot and add the onions. Stir and cook until they turn translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes, adding any additional water to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the curry powder, cumin, mustard, turmeric, yams, carrot, stock and split peas to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer until the split peas are tender and broken down, about 1 hour. Stir often to make sure the split peas don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. About 10 minutes before the soup is done, add the chopped collard greens to the pot, stir to combine, and cook for about 10 minutes until they soften and integrate with the rest of the soup. Season with salt to taste and serve hot with freshly ground pepper. Serving Suggestions and Variations: Use any leafy green such as kale or chard, in place of the collard To freeze, let the soup cool completely before adding to a freezer-safe container Puree 2 cups of the cooked soup before adding the greens and return it to the soup to add even more thickness. Add the greens and continue with the recipe. I half the recipe, & use frozen collard greens. This is my lunch every day this week. It's so filling.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM Sounds tasty but I've never been fond of split pea soups. Maybe it's time to try it again - who knew I'd love hummus?! --Deb R
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 211	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 1:19 PM Deb this recipe is so loaded with flavor. if you cook it until all the water is gone it makes a delcious filling for a wrap.
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theodore Joined: 09/16/10 Posts: 643	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 1:58 PM I personally love all the soups. But my favourite recipe this week has to be the Quicky Quesadillas. I'm pretty sure they have all the nutrients we need to survive. Never make assumptions. You'll end up being an A**, and the UMP will TION you. -- Coach Smiley -- Fresh Prince of Bel Air
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veggiemama Joined: 09/05/11 Posts: 7	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 2:05 PM Our approach has been to be very "good" during the week, but let ourselves splurge a bit more on the weekend - still no meat, eggs, or dairy, but we'll let ourselves eat some things with a little more fat on the weekends. I made this Coconut Curry Delicata Squash with Chard and Chickpeas last Friday, and it was so good. (You can use light coconut milk to scale back on the fat.) Such great comfort food with cooler weather starting to set in around here. Even my 16 month old son LOVED it. 1 Large onion, diced 3 Delicata squash, de-seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 Head of Swiss chard, chopped 1 1/2 C frozen peas (half a bag)* 1 Can chickpeas 2 Cloves garlic 2 Cups vegetable stock 1 Can coconut milk 2 Tbsp lime juice 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp curry powder* 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 Tbsp curry paste* 1 tsp salt + a pinch 1. In a large pot, sauté onion, olive oil and a pinch of salt over a medium-high heat until tender. 2. Add spices and stir. 3. Add squash and lime juice. Stir and let the squash absorb all of the flavors for just a minute or two. 4. Add vegetable stock, curry paste, garlic, remaining salt & coconut. 5. Cover and let simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until squash becomes tender and can be pierced easily with a fork. Make sure to stir frequently and adjust flame to medium, once simmering. 6. Add chopped chard and stir well. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until greens are almost cooked through. 7. Add peas and chickpeas. Stir well. 8. Turn off burner and let all of the flavors meld together. 9. Serve over (soaked) brown rice or other whole grain (like quinoa or millet). A warning though: this makes A LOT. For me, my husband, and my son, this easily made more than 2 meals worth. But the volume is dependent somewhat on how big the squash are that you use.
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veggiemama Joined: 09/05/11 Posts: 7	RE: Favorite meal this week Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 2:07 PM Oh, meant to credit the source of that recipe. Found it at: http://jfanega.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/mostly-seasonal-one-pot-meal-vegan-delicata-squash/
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