Menu 5/20-5/24

 Monday: Dinner with Friends

Tuesday:  Candy Roaster Squash Tacos 

Wednesday: Vitality Salad
We used chickpea hempe instead of tempeh

Thursday: Spanakorizo with Falafels in pitas

Friday: Quiche
Used just eggs instead of tofu  and a gluten-free crust due to allergies. There is an abundance of kale, so we subbed kale for spinach.

Falafel recipe

Trader Joe is no longer sells our favorite Falafel mix. This recipe is from Downshiftology.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight (don't use canned chickpeas)
• ½ cup roughly chopped onion
• 1 cup roughly chopped parsley about a one large bunch
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro about a one large bunch
• 1 small green chile pepper serrano or jalapeno pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (or other flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• oil for frying

Instructions

• The night before, soak the dried chickpeas in water. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas by 2 to 3 inches, as they'll triple in size.
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to your food processor, along with the onion, parsley, cilantro, pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, cardamom and black pepper.
• Pulse the food processor several times until the mixture resembles the texture of coarse sand.
• Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl and add the chickpea flour and baking soda. Stir together, then cover or add a lid and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to one hour.
• Use your hands, an ice cream scoop or falafel scoop to form the falafel into balls or patties. If you find the mixture is too wet, you can add another tablespoon of chickpea flour. If it's too dry and crumbly, you can add a teaspoon or two of water or lemon juice.
• Once the falafel are formed, you can cook them by your preferred method mentioned above. To deep fry the falafel, add about 3 inches of oil to a pot on medium heat. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C). Cook the falafel in batches (about 6 to 8 at a time) for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.
• Use a skimmer to check the color of the falafel and make sure they don't over cook. Then remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve the falafel immediately, while warm and crispy on the outside. They're delicious served with tahini sauce as well.

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Vegan Mozzarella

 I went looking through some old cookbooks. This is from the New York Times Cookbook, 1990, p 480, altered to fit our needs

Ingredients:
4 TBS vegan butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves
1.5 cups onion, finely chopped
2 TBS tomato paste
2.5 cups canned tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp oregano
1 pound gluten free pasta
1/2 pound vegan mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Saute garlic and onion in the oil until tender
3. Add tomato paste, tomatoes. salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncover for 20 minutes.  Add oregano.
4. Cook pasta and drain
5. Mix pasta with mozzarella cheese and the butter. Butter the bottom of a casserole. Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Menu 5/13-5/17

 Monday: Dinner with friends

Tuesday: Burgers with Broccoli Pesto Salad

Wednesday: Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Vegan Mozzarella

Thursday: Enchiladas

Friday: Falafels with Fava Bean Salad, too many leftovers last week, so we are preparing these recipes this week.

Pesto Sauce

 This recipe is from the New York Times Cookbook, 1990, p 498 with our changes. We plan to use it for a broccoli salad with diced red onion and lightly steamed broccoli.

Ingredients:
2 cups basil leaves, we used an heirloom purple basil
2 large garlic cloves
3 TBS pine nuts
1/3 cup vegan parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
3 TBS nutritional yeast
Salt to taste

Direction:
1. Rinse and pat dry basil leaves
2. Place leaves in a food processor
3. Crush garlic under a knife blade and add to the food processor
4. Add pine nuts, cheese, nutritional yeast, oil and salt. Process until thoroughly blended.
5. Use immediately or put in a one cup jar with a lids. Will keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator or 1 year in the freezer

menu 5/6-5/10

 Monday: Dinner with friends

Tuesday:  Chik'n Divan
We added Meati Chik'n tenders

Wednesday: Falafels with Fava Bean Salad

Thursday: Southwest Meati Chik'n with Red Pepper Sauce
We used Meati chik'n

Friday: Lentil Roasted Red Pepper Chili