A summertime what's for dinner thread - Page 3

[wytchywoman]

Originally Posted by maciascl 

Please tell me more about the burrito and the "cheese" sauce. It looks so yummy!!

I'd like to know too. Can you post a link to your blog

[maciascl]

I attempted homemade Chipotle bowls tonight, cilantro lime rice, black beans, sauteed zucchini, onion and peppers topped with avocado and spicy tomatillo and corn salsa. Not too bad but too much lime in the rice. Will try it again.

[kangamitroo]

chick peas masala with zucchini and tomato from the garden, cucumber salad on the side.

anyone know how to make a zucchini "pancake"/fritter without egg to bind it?  would like to try this, as a change from sauteed and grilled zucchini.

[Comtessa]

I've always used egg in my fritters, so no help there.  Could you knead up some sticky wheat-flour dough and use the gluten in the dough to hold the fritter together?  It might be a bit chewier than an egg-based cake, but I think it would work. 

Finding ways to use zucchini is always an adventure, isn't it?  I tried a new zucchini-salad recipe yesterday that turned out nice: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/summer/recipe-grilled-zucchini-and-grape-tomato-salad-093014, though I used ordinary tomatoes and broiled the zukes rather than grilling.  I'd use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan for a vegan version.

[planthappymamma]

Of course! http://planthappylife.blogspot.com/ The "meat" in the burrito is made of almonds. Walnuts work even better. If they are unsalted, use soy sauce instead of liquid braggs aminos. 

[planthappymamma]

Originally Posted by kangamitroo 

anyone know how to make a zucchini "pancake"/fritter without egg to bind it?  would like to try this, as a change from sauteed and grilled zucchini.

How about flax eggs? Put flax seed and warm water in a blender and let it sit for a few minutes. Then whirl in the blender to create a gelatinous goo that very closely resembles eggs! 1 Tbs flax with 3 Tb water makes 1 egg.

[caiesmommy]

Some of the meals we had last week were

vegan alfredo on veggie noodles w steamed broccoli and salad

gazpacho w corn, black beans and chopped tomatillos on top and corn chips to dip(froze the leftover gazpacho and Ill use it for slow cooker burrito sauce I think)

Dh grilled last night. We had zuke,mushrooms,potatoes. The kids had veggie dogs and we had masala burgers. Had a huge tossed salad w it

[planthappymamma]

Shameless promotion. But when you make something this good you have to share! I never knew dairy free could be so good before I went vegan. The ranch dressing is made of cashews. The recipe is on my blog http://planthappylife.blogspot.com/

[caiesmommy]

Tonight was Jamaican Rice and Pigeon Peas. Dh love rice and peas...haven't quite mastered it but I love trying. We had it w steamed broccoli(dds choice) and green beans(dss choice) w almonds onions garlic sesame oil and lemon. I made a chopped salad w radish,cherry tomatoes,green onions,carrot,shelled raw peas,red pepper and a sesame oil lime dressing. The kids actually really enjoyed the salad. Once you exclude the lettuce they eat it right up

[Gator-mom]

I haven't been making very exciting things these days..I guess we've just been too busy going outside and playing!

Last night I made plain old brown rice and beans.  Though I used black beans and turned them into refried beans.  Mixed in some cheese, lime, cilantro and salsa.  I love how sometimes the simplest meal is the most delicious!

Tonight is stay at home 'romantic' date night for DH and I so we are making our favorite orzo with feta, cherry tomatoes, parsley and toasted almonds and garlic.  This is a meal that DH and I love but Ds won't touch with a 10 foot poll!  I want to make a special desert, but the jury is still out on that decision..

[maciascl]

Last night we had big salads and rosemary focaccia.

Today is my birthday and my only request was to not have to cook so we are going to Del Taco (generic Mexican fast food) for customer appreciation day and having 29 cent bean tacos. Yay me!

[Gator-mom]

Originally Posted by maciascl 

Last night we had big salads and rosemary focaccia.

Today is my birthday and my only request was to not have to cook so we are going to Del Taco (generic Mexican fast food) for customer appreciation day and having 29 cent bean tacos. Yay me!

Awe!  We have Del Taco where we are too..and it is often our fast food of choice.  I never thought they would make bean tacos though..I just assumed they had to be meat :/.  Anyway, though we do enjoy the occasionally Del Taco, I wish you were getting something fancier for your bday!!  You better get an awesome desert after that!!

[Comtessa]

The kids and I took dinner to a friend's house this week, and she's dairy-free for her nursling right now, so I had the fun of coming up with a good vegan dish for her that her toddler (and mine) would also eat.  I decided on polenta smothered in a veggie-bean chili -- it turned out great!  I stirred some frozen corn kernels into the polenta right at the end of cooking, which was a good idea for the toddlers' sake ("Mama, look, there's corn in here!").  The chili was a fridge-cleaner project: used up a lot of zucchini and tomatoes (which are landing at our house by the bushel lately, thanks to all our neighbors with gardens), threw in a bunch of pinto beans and carrots, added some TVP and poblano peppers, and voila!  Polenta topper.  Although I must admit that the toddlers weren't terribly interested in the chili until we covered up the zucchini with shredded cheese. :)  Guess I'm not convincing my kid to go DF anytime soon! 

I have a question -- I thought y'all might have some ideas.  I use a LOT of canned tomatoes/tomato sauce in my cooking.  It's really the only canned food I buy regularly.  I'm starting to get concerned about BPA, though.  I just buy whatever's cheapest at the store; our local discount supermarket has 28 oz. cans for $.99, which is a deal that's REALLY hard to turn down.  Are there brands (prob. more expensive ones?) that do not have BPA in their cans?  How can I tell?  And, is there something I can do to minimize the impact of the BPA in the cans, if it is indeed in there?  (I.e., buy diced tomatoes and rinse them before pureeing, rather than buying tomato puree?)  Any suggestions?

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by Comtessa 

I have a question -- I thought y'all might have some ideas.  I use a LOT of canned tomatoes/tomato sauce in my cooking.  It's really the only canned food I buy regularly.  I'm starting to get concerned about BPA, though.  I just buy whatever's cheapest at the store; our local discount supermarket has 28 oz. cans for $.99, which is a deal that's REALLY hard to turn down.  Are there brands (prob. more expensive ones?) that do not have BPA in their cans?  How can I tell?  And, is there something I can do to minimize the impact of the BPA in the cans, if it is indeed in there?  (I.e., buy diced tomatoes and rinse them before pureeing, rather than buying tomato puree?)  Any suggestions?

I buy Eden Products.  Their beans are in BPA free cans and their tomato products are in cans with 'minute - but undectable' amounts of BPA (that was their wording).  Although they now sell their tomato products in amber glass jars.

edited to add info from Eden's website:

Eden Organic Tomatoes are packed in steel cans coated with a baked on r-enamel lining. Due to the acidity of tomatoes, the lining is epoxy based and may contain a minute amount of bisphenol-A, it is however in the 'non detectable' range according to independent laboratory extraction tests. The test was based on a detection level at 5 ppb (parts per billion).

Why amber glass for food?
The driving force at Eden for amber glass tomatoes was the avoidance of bisphenol-A (BPA) in high acid food cans, and failure of the can manufacturers to make BPA free cans for tomatoes.

Light damages color and flavor by causing chemical change. Photo-oxidation (light damage) is systemic in food stores where fluorescent lighting in particular, reduces food quality. Amber glass is difficult to get and more costly, but it best protects food. Eden offers the only tomatoes in the U.S.A. packed in amber glass, protecting flavor and nutrients from light damage

I've also bought Pomi tomato products in cartons.  They are not organic.

[maciascl]

I made my 1st vegan mac and 'cheese' last night. It was good. Next time I think I'll change it up and add peas and diced tofurkey. 

Tonight MIL is making potato enchiladas, beans, rice and probably 5 other things because she feels the need to make something different for everyone, but that is another story.

[Comtessa]

Your MIL cooks vegan?!  That's amazing!  I'm really lucky that my and DH's parents are all really supportive of our vegetarianism and always have options available for us... but going entirely vegan would be beyond their abilities, I suspect.

I was really proud of my plans for an eggplant lasagna this weekend, but then MIL stepped in with her usual overwhelming flood of food, and so the poor eggplant is still sitting in wilted, fried slices in the fridge.  D'you suppose I can still use it if it's been sitting there since Thursday?

[Gator-mom]

Yesterday I cooked a pound of pinto beans, so for dinner last night I made home made refried beans, rice and put it all together for 'bean and rice' bowls with cheese and salsa.  I always love how sometimes the simplest and most humble meal can be the most delicious! 

Today I'm making seitan to turn into jerky, so I'll probably save a little for dinner.  Maybe I'll do a 'meat and potatoes' type of meal and make mashed potatoes and gravy with something green.  This is a meal everyone usually rejoices in!

[caiesmommy]

Last night was roasted beets & cauliflower(ds's choice) w chickpea veggie curry and a huge salad w veg from the garden,nuts and goats milk cheese

[maciascl]

Originally Posted by Comtessa 

Your MIL cooks vegan?!  That's amazing!  I'm really lucky that my and DH's parents are all really supportive of our vegetarianism and always have options available for us... but going entirely vegan would be beyond their abilities, I suspect.

HA! No she doesn't really cook vegan. I don't think she has any concept of that word. She is learning I guess since DH can't have dairy anymore and is really cutting back on eggs. I still suspect she makes her rice with chicken broth once in a while but I try not to think about it since I really don't know. We still have occasional issue of 'no I won't just pick the meat out for my kids'. She tries and I should just give her credit for that I guess 
 

[planthappymamma]

Here are some images of what I have been eating. Recipes here! http://planthappylife.blogspot.com/