[Quaniliaz]

Ok - a few friends and I would like to do some cooking together. We haven't actually done this yet - but have a date set up and are iso recipes that freeze well, are healthy, and vegetarian. All of the once a month cooking type books have meat recipes only (maybe a couple vegetarian).

Anybody done this?? Have any tips? Recipes?? Here is what I thought of:

Calzones
Quiche
Spaghetti Sauce
Soups: i.e. split pea
Lasagna
Pizza Crust
Beans

 

[Tuesday]

Have you looked at Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone? It's a wonderful cookbook and has pretty much everything you need to know about cooking vegetables and vegetarian meals. I recommend the book because if you flip through it, you might get some ideas for recipes to make in large batches.

Just off the top of my head, if you are cooking large batches - canelloni, lasagna, lentil soup, bean burgers - these are all things nice to have in the freezer. These ttems you can defrost quickly and serve with a green salad and crusty bread. My top favourite lentil soup recipe is one I took from Sophia Loren's cookbook! It's easy, fast and delicious but it contains anchovies (maybe you can eliminate if you are strict vegetarian). The anchovies give the soup zest but not fishy at all. Let me know if you'd like the recipe! It takes about 30 minutes, I think, to make the soup and you could make a few batches up and freeze.

If you're interested in saving time, I find I can make many many quick pasta recipes using things like parsley, lemon, red pepper flakes and olive oil within 15 minutes! There are a lot of recipes in Madison's book like this .... my husband marvels at how quickly I can whip together a tasty dish that is healthy and economical!

Last night, I made a chickpea tagine on couscous which I swear took only 15 minutes from start to finish. Again, another recipe I modified from Madison's cookbook. She has some many recipes for things, I'd not even thought about - various gratins, for instance, which would freeze well and easily be made in batches.

I know some of these tips are not for once a month cooking but I wondered if they might help anyway - assuming you're trying to save time. Hope this helps.

 

[Quaniliaz]

We do have Veg cooking for everyone - I'll have to look through it again. I've only made one thing from that cookbook - it was delicious - but took forever to make.

Thanks for the other tips...

I'd love the lentil soup recipe - probably will leave out the anchovies, though - the last batch of lentil soup was pretty blah... (maybe it needed anchovies :LOL )

 

[AmandasMom]

I'm interested in this too. On another thread recently, someone mentioned they made a split pea soup and some type of bean soup in a huge batch and froze it all. I would love those type of recipes that have been tried and loved.

 

[EnviroBecca]

Try the two burrito recipes in my cookbook; they freeze well. You can also freeze (or refrigerate for at least 10 days if containers are completely full w/no airspace) the fillings for Red & Green Pockets, and just buy the pitas and yogurt within a couple days before the meal.

 

[michelle1k]

...is to add *toasted sesame oil* - it has to be toasted. Drizzle a little over every serving before tucking in. It's awesome and adds a smoky "hammy / bacony" sort of taste. It makes all the dfference and takes ordinary lentil soup to gourmet status. Really have just been getting rave reviews from everyone I have served it to.

Warmly,
Michelle in NY

 

[AvalonDaughter]

>>>>>>>We do have Veg cooking for everyone - I'll have to look through it again. I've only made one thing from that cookbook - it was delicious - but took forever to make.

Yep I agree!! And they do not freeze well except the soups.

We did this recently -- warning on the quiches they do not freeze well.

Soups are always good.
Lasgana
Lentil Loaf (the non meat loaf

 

[AvalonDaughter]

Oops forgot we love the samosas from the Moosewood cookbook! Great!

 

[root*children]

No, quiches don't freeze well. Although if eggs are on a good sale, you can scramble them and pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Once solid, pop them out into a freezer bag and store that way. You can also freeze just pie crusts, so making a quiche would be a snap when you're low on time.

We love freezing Tofu Pot Pie from the Farm cookbook. hm... what else?... shredded cheese and pizza crust (then I can throw together a pizza and put whatever fresh veggies I have on it); minestrone soup, and we do the same things you're already thinking of: soups (don't do potato, it doesn't freeze well at all!), calzones, homemade Hot Pockets, lasagna, etc.

 

[Kari_mom]

I disagree about the quiche, I freeze quiche all the time. I find it freezes fine as long as your ingredients are dry, otherwise the reheated quiche is watery.

What problems have you guys had freezing quiche??

 

[SandyBeachBums]

I just got the book Frozen Assets Lite and Easy from the library.

There are two Pasta mini sessions, 2 Tofu mini sessions, 1 cooked beans mini session, 3 vegetarian mini sessions and an eggplant mini session!

Heather

 

[yitlan]

I, too, have had success with quiche. I freeze the liquid mixture and when I'm ready to prepare it, pour it into a pie plate to bake.

 

[alison77]

fyi rice freezes amazingly well. i was very skeptical when i read that it freezes well then tried it and now make a big batch of brown basmati rice every couple of weeks tro freeze and take out as needed. it has a great texture - separate and on the drier side (but not too dry). this could be a great variation with your bean soups

i haven't tried any other grains in the freezer yet but am planning on it soon.

you could also make some rice pilafs and freeze them. the only thing i've had really bad results with freezing are carrots - just get really strange-textured - so i avoid freezing things with carrots in them.

enjoy