Friday

Friday is finally here!  I’m running around like crazy but wanted to do a quick post about what I’ll be cooking in the week ahead.

Do you meal plan?  Every week before grocery shopping I take some time to look through food mags, cookbooks and blogs and pick out a handful of things to make.  I’ll see what I have on hand in the pantry, make out my grocery list accordingly and then shop.  I carve out half an hour here and there in the evenings or on the weekend to actually make the stuff, and then I’m good to go!  Totally worth the time and extra planning.  I’m never left wondering “gah, what’s for dinner!?” and we always have plenty of healthy meal, snack and dessert options available.  Planning + shopping + cooking now = guaranteed foodgasms all week long.

Multiple foodgasms. 

Anyway, here’s what I’ll be making:

Breakfasts

I’m taking a cue from The Fitnessista and making a big batch of quinoa in the rice cooker for Breakfast Quinoa Bowls!  On time-crunched mornings, I’ll dish up a bowlful and top with fresh fruit, agave nectar, nuts/seeds and almond milk.  I’m excited to try this because I’ve never had quinoa for breakfast, and I bet it’ll be fantastic cold.  Perfect for these brutally hot Texas summer mornings.

It’s been awhile since I made pancakes, so I’m also going to whip up some Chocolate Drop Blueberry Pancakes from Let Them Eat Vegan.  I’ll make a double batch and freeze half.  The kids are pretty excited. 

Dinners

I’m excited about trying Oh She Glows‘ Falafel with a Twist!  I expect to get 3 meals outta this recipe.  Because I think that eggplant pairs wonderfully with falafel, I’ll also make Daily Garnish‘s Roasted Eggplant Baba Ganoush.  (Made it before and loved it!)  For two meals I’ll make a salad with romaine, parsley, red onion and tomato topped with a couple of falafel patties, a big scoop of baba ganoush and a generous drizzle of the Lemon-Tahini Dressing from this recipe.  Another night I’ll probably make a wrap with the leftover patties and eggplant.  Tasty Town, yo.  I am stoked.

The second dinner recipe I’m making is Mama Pea‘s Thai Zucchini Impasta Salad. I am so excited about this one- she had me at ‘peanut butter.’    I’m going to throw some shelled cooked edamame into the mix for a protein punch.  I think this will make for a great, light, easy, delicious summer meal!  I expect to get 3 meals from this one, too.

Dessert

We’re still eating our way through a big freezer stash of You Got Peanut Butter In My Chocolate Cookies and Cocoa Almond Jumbles, but when the supply starts running low I have plans to make an old fave: Peanut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats with Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge (a hybrid of this recipe and this recipe).  Deeeelicious.

Lunch

I saved lunch for last because I made the stuff this morning and took pictures.    From the Eat, Drink & Be Vegan cookbook I made Black Bean & Orange Hummus:

Black beans, orange zest, orange juice, cumin, coriander and parsley plus a few other secret ingredients. 

And from Let Them Eat Vegan, I made the Pumpkin Seed Chipotle Cream, only I added a little more almond milk to thin it out and kicked the spices up a notch to turn it into a dressing.

Pumpkin seeds, raw cashews, olive oil, plain unsweetened almond milk, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and a few other ingredients make up this dressing.

A year ago I never would have thought it was possible to create a creamy, rich salad dressing or dip without the use of dairy.  I was a fool. 

I couldn’t wait to use these on a salad today for lunch!

Loads of fresh veggies including kale, mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, carrot, yellow squash, jicama, leftover roasted broccolini, diced avocado, Creamy Pumpkin Seed Chipotle Dressing and the Black Bean & Orange Hummus.

I wasn’t sure about the orange-black bean combo at first, but once I tasted it I died.  Yup, I am typing this post from the grave.    The orange is ever-so-subtle, and it works beautifully against the black beans and other spices in this hummus.  It is probably my all-time favorite hummus to date!  I am in love.

With HUMMUS.  (Who needs a man?)

The dressing is rich, smoky, creamy, spicy and just plain awesome.  In the cookbook it’s intended to be a cream that you dollop onto Mexican soups, chili and tacos, but thinning it out to use as a dressing was a great idea.  It is seriously good.

Gah, best lunch EVER.

I have a million things to do this afternoon and a dinner date tonight (with a MAN, not hummus), so I’d better run.  Happy Weekend! 

XO,

Sara

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