Food For Veggie Foodies

General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints seems to spur me on to a sort of mental, physical, and spiritual 'spring' cleaning each October and April. I want to get back to the things that make me happy and begin new things along the same lines. I have so many things to think about and so many goals. Cooking and cleaning for my family has always helped me feel wonderful. I'm so grateful to live in a country that has abundant food, whether I want to eat real food of psuedo-food. There is no reason for anyone to go hungry here or at least not at this time. This week we harvested quite a few peaches and tomatoes from our garden along with basil, leeks, chives, and parsley.

Anyway...After I wrote the New Pantry Principle, some ladies expressed a desire for menus and shopping lists like the Old Pantry Principle had. So I thought I might upload my lists occasionally. We don't always eat this much food. However, lately my son has some hungry college friends, who just happen to be here at meal time. So I'm cooking more. When it is just us, I make two pots of soup or a couple entrees for the week, carrot juice and smoothies for morning and mid morning, and lots of big salads. So far this group of college kids hasn't turned up their noses at anything I've made even the really squishy brown rice noodles in my yummy Veggie Pad Thai and Baked Tofu. I'd have to say that one wasn't up to my usual standards because of the cheap brand of rice noodles I tried. Live and learn. Well, these young adults know what it is like to live on Ramen noodles and want something to help them stay healthy and think clearly. Lots of raw veggies and fruits with some cooked things thrown in to boot is just the ticket.

If you wonder what okara is, it is the stuff left over from making soy milk. Since I make my own tofu and soy milk now, I've got lots of okara. If you don't have okara, simply use more rice or polenta in the recipes below.  


Now that fall is here, I plan to make some probiotic rich sauerkraut, kimchi,  miso soup for meal starters, and quinoa rejuvalac to pep up my green smoothies. Around here we loved fermented foods and their benefits. I watched a really strange old Cary Grant Movie a couple weeks ago (People Will Talk), where he and another doctor were in the kitchen eating sauerkraut. He commented that the stuff in cans just doesn't taste right and that he buys his from a German woman in wooden barrels. He said that our too sterile way was not healthy. Funny, even back in 1951 somebody had a bone to pick about our strange ways with foods.

Sunday-Soup and Salad Bar

Monday-Mediterranean/Ethnic

Tuesday- Mexican

Wednesday-Mock Pasta

Thursday-Pot of Beans

Friday-Pizza or Burgers

Saturday-Asian

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie	Carrot Juice & Green Smoothie
Zingy Italian White Bean Soup from Forks Over Knives Cookbook	Creamy Tomato-Basil Bisque Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch	Zingy Italian White Bean Soup Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch	Turkish Red Lentil Soup Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch	Creamy Tomato-Basil Bisque Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch	Turkish Red Lentil Soup Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch	Zingy Italian White Bean Soup Finger Salad with Dreamy Ranch
Left Over Slovakian Cabbage Soup newly developed recipe that is delicious Polenta/Okara Pudding NDR	Caulipots with Chick Pea/Shroom Gravy and Baked Tofu From Appetite For Reduction Cookbook Sprout Salad with Artichoke Dressing NDR Banana Ice Kream	Jicama Tostadas Sprout and Micro Green Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing Rice/Okara Pudding NDR	Zucchini Marinara Sprout and Micro Green Salad with Artichoke Dressing NDR Polenta/Okara Pudding	Black Bean Chili Sprout and Micro Green Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing Banana Ice Kream	Polenta/Okara Pie or Get A Life Pizza Pomodoro Salad Ginger Strawberry Sorbet	Japanese Vegetable Soup Thai Sprout and Micro Green Salad with Peanut Dressing Coconut Mango Sticky Rice NDR

Shopping List For Week 1

Food Storage:

Soy Beans 3-4 c.  for making soy milk, tofu, and okara

Black Beans 1 c.

Red Lentils 1 c.

White Beans 2 c.

Pinto Beans 1 c.

Garbanzo Beans ½ c.

Polenta or Whole Corn ½ lb.

Rice short grain brown 1-2 lbs.

Pantry:

Various sprouting seeds-¼ c. per day

Unhulled Buckwheat 7 c.

Unhulled Sunflower Seeds 3 ½ c.

Dried spices and herbs

Artichokes

Dried unsweetened coconut

Apple sauce

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Almonds

Refrigerated:

Soy Milk

Tofu

(or make your own)

Produce:

Carrots 35 lbs.

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Lemons

Limes

Greens and Sprouts from sprouting and indoor micro-garden OR

2 cabbages and 5 lettuces and 7lbs. spinach and/or bok choy

substitute the following with whatever is in your garden or in season or is to your taste

kale

cauliflower

potatoes

Jicama

celery

cucumbers

radishes

tomatoes

parsley

fresh or frozen mango

ginger

basil

fennel

zucchini

onions

garlic

shitake & crimini shrooms 1 lb. each

sweet and hot peppers

 

Slovakian Cabbage Soup Smells and tastes very much like Grandma Jenchochik's Cabbage Rolls

1 large onion, pureed in a bit of water

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 small green cabbage, cubed about the same size as potatoes

1 t. dried savory 1 t. dried thyme

2 T. fresh basil or 1 t. dried

4 diced tomatoes

2 c. cooked white beans

8 c. onion broth

½ head cauliflower, in small flowerets about the same size as the potato cubes

2 yellow potatoes, cubed

Several twists of black pepper

2 T. raw apple cider vinegar

Put garlic and onion in a pot and cook over very low heat until golden. Add everything except vinegar. Cook until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add vinegar and pepper and serve.

Artichoke Salad Dressing

I used to make a yummy green salad and dress it with a jar of marinated artichoke hearts that had been minced. Now that I avoid salt and refined oils (my diet isn’t very low-fat, since I eat nuts, seeds, and avocados), I needed to come up with another way to eat this great salad.

3 T raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice 1 T. chopped fresh thyme or basil, minced 1 T. chopped fresh parsley, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 9 oz. package frozen or 1 large can artichoke hearts, thawed, drained, and minced (I tried trimming and steaming a bunch of artichokes to make this a really fresh thing, but it took hours. Not practical for me at all.) 1 large red bell pepper, minced 4 crimini mushrooms, minced ¼ c. chives, minced

several twists of black pepper

Stir everything together, place in a 1-quart mason jar, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This is better made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. If your children are fussy about stuff in their food, you can run this through a food processor until mostly smooth.  When ready to serve, stir into a large green salad of lettuce, sprouts, micro greens, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds.

Rice/Okara Pudding

2 c. hot cooked short grain brown rice

½ c. okara (steamed for 45 min.)

1 c. hot soy or rice milk

1 t. cinnamon

¼ c. raisins

1 t. orange peel

1 T. raw honey

Mix everything together and enjoy.

Polenta/Okara Pudding

1 c. polenta

¼ t pickling lime

½ c. okara

2 t. cinnamon

4 c. water

2 minced apples

Juice from ½ an orange

¼ t. orange peel

1 t. cinnamon

¼ c. raisins, soaked in 2 T. water for several hours.

1 T. raw honey or maple syrup

Soak polenta in lime and 2 c. water for 8-12 hours. Stir together apple mixture and set aside. Stir okara and 2 c. water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and urn heat to low. Simmer covered on low for 30 min. Stir in polenta with soaking water. Bring heat to boiling, then turn down to medium low and stir continuously for 10 min or until it pulls away easily from the sides of the pan. Separate polenta into enough ramekins for each family member. Let cool until lukewarm. Carefully unmold puddings.  Top each with an equal amount of apple topping.

Mango-Coconut Rice 

3 cups hot short grain brown rice

1/2 c. soy milk

1/4 c. unsweetened, dried coconut, pureed into a powder

6 c. chopped ripe mango, or substitute sliced ripe peaches or papayas

Mix soy milk and coconut powder; simmer for 10 minutes or so to soften coconut and thicken a bit. Put a 1/2 c. of rice on a plate. Top with 1 c. cubed fruit. Pour a bit of coconut sauce over each serving. This is my take on a traditional Thai dessert that is made with sugary coconut cream and sticky white rice.

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

1/4 C organic natural peanut butter 1 lime, juiced and zested 1/2 t sesame oil 1 T Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

1 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/2 T honey

1 cloves garlic, minced 1 t. minced ginger 1/4 c cilantro, minced

1 t chili paste

2 T water

Mix and refrigerate for an hour or so before serving.