Monday Menu Planning – Week 7
Hello, friends! Welcome to yet another installment of Monday Menu Planning! If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, participating in Meatless Monday, looking to save a few bucks (because, let’s face it, meat can get expensive) or just looking for a new, delicious recipe to try, this is the place for you! Most of the recipes I share are plant based. If you’re interested in why I chose that lifestyle, you can read more about that here.
First of all, last week I shared about a new portobella mushroom “burger” recipe we were trying. It was delicious! The first one I tried was good, but it had italian seasoning, which didn’t really mesh with the burger flavor profile I was going for. Last week’s recipe was more successful, though I might cut back on the rosemary next time.
I always prefer to come back and share with you all how we liked new recipes we tried. I suffer from food boredom, so when I put a meal on “rotation,” it typically means I’ll make it once every 4-6 weeks. I can’t eat the same thing over and over again. I end up getting burnt out quickly. But if I also liked to share recipes we have “vetted,” so you know whether or not it’s something you’d like to try as well (especially if I making adjustments to make it more plant based).
On to this week’s recipes! It’s a little bit of slim picking this week, honestly. You may remember that at the end of last week’s post, I said I had trouble deciding which recipes to shop for, so I had more than normal. I said that I might not get to all the recipes. That ended up being the case. My mom came in town, so we got pizza one night and then Peter was gone for several nights for district assembly. Sometimes I will cook if it’s just Claire and I, but I had picked up a huge watermelon and she said she’d rather eat watermelon for dinner. And that’s exactly what she did! One day she ate SIX slices of watermelon. Watermelon is one of her favorites and it’s the first time we’ve purchased some this summer, so she was in heaven.
So, long story short, I only have a few dinner recipes I’m sharing this week, because I’m carrying over a few from last week (shepherd’s pie, sweet potato noodle salad and pizza. Check out last week‘s post if you’re interested in any of those recipes). But I am going to share a few bonus recipes today as well.
(This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase a product from a link on this page. To read more about this, check out our disclosure page here. Thanks for supporting Beautiful Minutiae!)
One Pot Mexican Shakshuka (from Joyful Healthy Eats) – Full disclaimer, if you are fully vegan or anti-egg, this recipe is not for you. Even though I have cut out meat and dairy from my diet, I do still consume eggs, so you will see recipes that include them every once in a while. This is one of those recipes. Shakshuka is a dish comprised of a spicy tomato sauce with peppers that you poach eggs in. This dish has a Mexican flair, so it has poblano (though I’m substituting jalapeno, because I’ve never seen poblanos at my Aldi). The only other adjustment I make is leaving off the queso fresco. This is one of my hubby’s favorite dinners! It’s the best when you dip crusty bread in the egg yolk and sauce. I actually bought a cast iron skillet last year specifically for this recipe (though I’ve used it for many other recipes since then). This is the one we bought:
It’s almost half off on Amazon right now (not sure how long that will last). It’s amazing and a great deal (cheaper than what I paid for it), so if you’re in the market for a cast iron skillet, I highly recommend it.
Summery Chipotle Corn Chowder (from Pinch of Yum) – This is a recipe I have wanted to try for quite a while now. Even though it’s summer, I can’t completely give up soup. It’s just who I am. But Pinch of Yum nails it whenever they make summery soups, so I have high expectations (actually Pinch of Yum nails pretty much everything). Peter starts work today, so hopefully he will have time to make a batch of sourdough bread (which I still haven’t asked him for the recipe – sorry! Hopefully next week), but if not, I will just make seeded no-knead bread (from Budget Bytes). I actually prefer it, but we’re on a sourdough kick (it’s Peter’s favorite type of bread).
Gluten Free & Vegan Snickerdoodles (from Hello Spoonful) – Claire and I made these cookies last week while Peter was gone. It uses oat flour, which you can buy, but it’s insanely easy (and cheap!) to make. She recommends making it with a Ninja, but I used my food processor and that worked perfectly. These were super delicious, but I did find the texture just a little bit drier than I prefer with cookies. I’m not sure if I slightly overbaked them or if it was just a result of using oat flour. Either way, they were yummy and I plan to make them again. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and also instead of white flour in the coating, which also made these cookies refined sugar free. Claire devoured them and I didn’t even feel bad letting her eat a bunch of them (especially since that was also the day she ate 6 slices of watermelon and a whole cucumber. It’s all about balance!).
Chickpea Salad Sandwiches (from Pass the Plants) – This is another bonus recipe, as it’s not something I’ve ever made for dinner. I’ve made it for lunch several times, though. It’s supposed to be a take on tuna salad (but for vegans). I’m the only one in my household who likes it, so I will typically whip up a batch and it’ll last me for quite a few lunches. It’s cheap and easy (especially if you already have cashew cream made up, but you could also use store bought mayo if you are not averse to that). If you don’t have a food processor for this one, you’ll need one to get the correct texture. You don’t need a super expensive, monstrous food processor, though. Here is the one I use and LOVE! It’s inexpensive and I use it multiple times a week, so I’ve definitely got my money’s worth from it.
That’s it for this week’s Monday Menu Planning! I hope you find something to try that you and your family love!
