Spinach and feta omelet on rye toasties
October 16, 2022 at 9:11 pm (B plus (3.5 stars, like a lot), breakfast, Dark leafy greens, Monthly menu plan: brunch, My brain, Necessarily nonvegan) (kid-approved)
About once a month Derek makes us spinach and feta omelets for Sunday brunch. I always really enjoy them. I like to eat mine on a rye toastie — kind of like an English muffin but with rye flour. Derek prefers to eat his omelet plain and his toastie with butter and jam. Alma usually eats one half of her toastie with just butter and the other half with the omelet. I asked Derek how he makes the omelet, and this is what he told me. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Rolls / Spring Rolls
July 24, 2022 at 4:32 pm (Alma's faves, B plus (3.5 stars, like a lot), Cruciferous rich, East and SE Asia, Monthly menu plan: dinner, My brain, Quick weeknight recipe, Salads, Spring recipes, Summer recipes, Tofu, Winter recipes) (kid-approved, preschooler-approved)
Summer rolls (the non-fried rolls, which we usually just refer to as spring rolls) are delicious, healthy, fresh, kid-friendly, and most importantly, a perfect springtime antidote to winter-induced “vegetarian mush syndrome.” It’s amazing how quickly spring rolls can be made. If I restrain myself, and prepare only a few items for fillings, I can have dinner on the table in under 15 minutes. (Of course, depending on how many fillings you make it could take hours!)
Spring rolls are versatile as well. Although they’re typically served as appetizers, I generally use them as a main course. My sister was visiting recently and when I told her I was making spring rolls for dinner she was skeptical that they would be filling / satisfying enough for a main course, but after she tried them she was pleasantly surprised. Spring rolls also work well as a light snack, and they can be made the night before and packed in a lunch box. You can also prep some fillings and sauce and leave them in your fridge for several days, making yourself a spring roll whenever you need a quick bite to eat. Alternatively, if you have leftover filling and don’t want to make spring rolls again, just throw them in a salad. Read the rest of this entry »
My favorite vegetarian sheet pan dinners
March 21, 2022 at 10:10 pm (Alma's faves, Beans, Cruciferous rich, Monthly menu plan: dinner, My brain, Quick weeknight recipe, Root vegetables, Seitan) (kid-approved)
When I’m feeling beat at the end of the day I often turn to a sheet pan dinner. It just feels easier than making a “recipe”. Just throw a bunch of ingredients onto a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and spices, and bake until crispy. The main challenges/drawbacks are:
- We usually don’t have that many leftovers. One baking sheet of food usually just makes enough for one meal for the three of us. Probably I should double the ingredients and just put half in the fridge so that I can bake a second pan for lunch the next day. Or bake two pans at once?
- Sometimes different ingredients cook at different times, so I have to regularly check the oven and take out / rotate anything that is getting overdone. I try to prevent this by cutting the quicker cooking items into large chunks or putting the slower cooking items on the edge of the pan, but I usually can’t quite make everything cook at the same time. Still, it’s a relatively mindless activity, so even though it’s technically “work” it doesn’t feel hard.
- It can be hard to find a combination that feels satisfying, and like a full meal. Most sheet pan suppers I see online incorporate meat or fish. Figuring out satisfying vegetarian combinations seems harder.
I don’t actually have that many variations I make. I most often make cauliflower, chickpeas, and seitan. I’ll give a rough recipe for it below. I’d really like to find more combinations we like. There are lots of recipes for vegetarian sheet pan dinners online. Perhaps I will try to make one each week for the next couple of weeks and see if I can find any combos I particularly like. Read the rest of this entry »
Superhero muffins
January 5, 2022 at 8:03 pm (B plus (3.5 stars, like a lot), breakfast, Monthly menu plan: brunch, Muffins and quick breads, Website / blog) (kid-approved)
I still don’t have a non-dessert muffin recipe I love. I really want something I can freeze and pull out for a quick breakfast on busy mornings. Someone in one of my online parenting groups recommended some “superhero muffins” from a cookbook for runners, and I thought they looked worth a try. I’ve now tried the originals superhero muffin recipe, the chocolate banana superhero muffins, and the vegan red velvet (beet chocolate) muffins. I liked all of them and would make all of them again. There are over 20 more variations to try. Maybe I should buy the cookbook!
Sardinian chickpea, fennel, and tomato soup
February 11, 2012 at 10:18 pm (B plus (3.5 stars, like a lot), Beans, Della Croce, Derek's faves, Fall recipes, Italian, Monthly menu plan: dinner, One pot wonders, Quick weeknight recipe, Root vegetables, soup, Spring recipes, Winter recipes) (kid-approved)
This recipe from The Vegetarian Table: Italy (by Julia Della Croce) is for a Sardinian version of pasta e fagioli. It didn’t look too exciting to me. I like all the ingredients, but there didn’t seem to be anything to give it punch. But a friend told me it was one of his favorite recipes from the cookbook, so I figured I’d give it a try. It turned out it was delicious—much more than the sum of its parts. I have no idea why. Even Derek, who complained bitterly about me making soup again, liked it a lot. Alma, at age 8, also enjoys it. Read the rest of this entry »
Lemon mint lentil potato ragout
December 27, 2010 at 1:15 pm (AMA, Beans, Beans and greens, B_(3 stars, like), Dark leafy greens, Derek's faves, Monthly menu plan: dinner, Root vegetables, Starches) (kid-approved)
The lentils and potato in this stew create a hearty, filling base, while the lemon, mint, and feta add brightness and lots of flavor. A little spinach adds more lovely green color, and more nutrients. I liked how you can’t tell whether the green bits are chopped spinach or mint. The many flecks of green made the stew quite attractive, and the potato slices provided nice textural and visual contrast. Based on a recipe in the AMA Family Health cookbook. Read the rest of this entry »
Derek’s Basic Oatmeal from Rolled Oats
October 19, 2008 at 11:01 am (Alma's faves, breakfast, B_minus (2.5 stars), Derek's faves, Grains, Monthly menu plan: brunch, My brain, Quick weeknight recipe, Soymilk) (kid-approved, preschooler-approved, toddler-approved)
I much prefer oatmeal made from steel-cut oats to oatmeal made from rolled oats, but I haven’t been able to find steel-cut oats in Germany yet. Plus, Derek and Alma both prefer the flaky texture of rolled oats. Here’s the basic recipe that Derek has been using. Read the rest of this entry »
The captious vegetarian 