Menu for January 1st through the 6th

TUESDAY

Zucchini and Bean balls

Ingredients

·         1 Zucchini

·         1/2 can Black beans, drained and rinsed

·         1/4 cup Oats

·         2 tablespoons Soy Sauce, divided

·         1/4 cup Bread Crumbs (may not need that much)

·         1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

·         1 cup Marinara Sauce

Directions

1.        Slice zucchini into strips and heat in pan with 1 Tbsp. soy sauce.

2.       Mash black beans in a bowl and mix in rest of soy sauce and oats.

3.        Roll bean mixture into balls and coat with bread crumbs.

4.       Heat oil in pan.

5.        Cook bean balls until crispy (about 5 minutes)

6.       Microwave marinara sauce for about 1 minute.

7.        Top marinara sauce on bean balls on zucchini and enjoy!

WEDNESDAY

Spicy Tomato and Bean Soup

Ingredients

·         1 cup mixed beans - kidney, black, pinto, soya

·         1/2 pint pack of tomatoes or fresh tomatoes

·         1/2 pint tomato soup pack

·         1 teaspoon paprika, cayenne, parsley, basil and black pepper

·         1 ounce peas

·         1 ounce spinach

·         1 ounce red lentils

·         1 dash chili

Directions

1.        Soak pinto, kidney, soya, and black beans overnight and cook or buy a mixed bean salad.

2.       Place tomato soup and one pack of plum tomatoes in the pot.

3.        Add spinach, peas, cooked beans, red lentils, one chili, paprika/cayenne, black pepper, basil and parsley.

4.       Add your favorite pasta shapes.

5.        Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

THURSDAY

Yum Yummy Wild Rice Salad (with Salmon on the side for hubby)

Ingredients

·         1 cup wild rice

·         1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel

·         1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

·         3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

·         3 tablespoons oil of choice(I used flax and olive)

Directions

1.        get the rice cooking

2.       slice up the fennel

3.        toast the nuts in a frying pan with a little oil(and a little salt if you like)on medium-high

4.       mix oil and lemon in a medium sized bowl

5.        when rice is cooked, rinse under cold water, or chill in fridge

6.       when cool, put rice in bowl with lemon and oil, add nuts and fennel, and sprinkle arame on

7.        Toss it then eat it!

FRIDAY

Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Ingredients

·         1 pkg of your fave taco shells

·         1 cup black beans (I prefer non-canned)

·         1 cup yellow sweet corn

·         1 cup white corn

·         1 tomato

·         1 small onion

·         1 cilantro

·         1/2 cup organic taco sauce

·         1/2 head of lettuce

·         2 kale branches

·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

1.        Begin to cook black beans according to directions.

2.       Begin making corn salsa: chop tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Add corn and chopped veggies together and mix. Place in fridge.

3.        Shred lettuce and kale in food processor.

4.       Create your taco!

SATURDAY

Left over night. 8-)

SUNDAY

Autumn Chili

Ingredients

·         30 ounces black beans

·         30 ounces chili beans

·         1 green zucchini

·         1 butternut squash

·         15 ounces diced tomatoes

·         1 red onion

·         5 jalapeno peppers

·         3 cups whole grain rice

·         1 1/2 ounces chili seasoning

·         2 tablespoons crushed red pepper

·         1 tablespoon ground red pepper

·         2 tablespoons garlic powder

·         4 cups water

·         4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1.        Wash and dice your onion, zucchini, squash and jalapeno peppers.

2.       Open your tins of beans and tomatoes and pour into a crockpot with your rice

3.        Pour enough olive oil into the bottom of a separate pan, ( I used my trusty Dutch oven for this but a skillet might work just as well) and heat

4.       When it has a nice heat going pour your vegetables in and sauté for a few minutes with a bit of garlic powder, I used about 2 tablespoons, but everyone has different tastes.

5.        As they cooked I put about another tablespoon of olive oil on the vegetables themselves and continued to sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes and then poured them into the crockpot.

6.       Then roughly 4 cups of water, enough to fill to the top of the crock pot and turned it on high to get it cooking.

7.        As it begins to boil turn it down to a simmer and allow to finish cooking for about 3 to 4 hours at a simmer.

8.       You may have to give it a bit of water from time to time but so far it hasn’t needed it and has been coming out quite good. I started mine about 1330 today and it appears as to be on track to be finished by 1830.

9.       Serve with tortillas, chips, crackers or by itself (personally I love making a vegan jalapeno cornbread, but that’s a different recipe for a different time)

10.    ). Also if you need to use cheese, and who doesn’t love cheese help yourself. There are also some great Vegan cheeses in the market these days so it is something to keep in mind.

11.     Hope this made sense and you enjoy it!

This is my tentative menu for the upcoming week. I will be grocery shopping on Tuesday for meals to last through Sunday and will tweak my menu if need be.  

These are all recipes I retrieved from the Kind Life website. (http://thekindlife.com/)   I will be happy to post a link to any recipe that you would like.  

xox

Alesha