roasted fall veggies with lentils | butternut squash and apple soup | polenta pizza | shepherd’s pie | vegan lasagna recipe

i found myself craving comfort food this week, so our meals were full of hearty-feel-good-foods. potatoes, soup and yummy polenta did the job! and don’t forget, if it wasn’t delicious and totally hubby approved, it doesn’t make the list!

monday: this new vegan lasagna recipe that is to.die.for.
tuesday: shepherd’s pie made from local fresh veggies.
wednesday: polenta pizza served with sauteed kale (yum-o!).
thursday: butternut squash and apple soup, a winter favorite!
friday: roasted fall veggies with lentils.

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

wrap up: {dinner} {gluten free} {heart} {ideas} {seasonal} {vegan} {vegetarian} {winter}

roasted cauliflower | lemon cream with blackberries | polenta pizza | white bean and vegetable stew | tofu bay cakes | roasted cabbage

this week’s dinners were full of local flavors and hearty warm dishes. they are few ‘oldy favorites’ that you might recognize, but several newbies as well. and don’t forget, if it wasn’t delicious and totally hubby approved, it doesn’t make the list!

monday: potato quesadillas with roasted cauliflower
tuesday: white bean and vegetable stew
wednesday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) served with seasonal veggies and lemon cream with blackberries
thursday: potato cakes with roasted cabbage served with my new favorite carrot salad
friday: polenta pizza served with a seasonal salad

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

wrap up: {dairy free} {dinner ideas} {gluten free} {hearty} {seasonal} {vegan} {winter}

white bean and vegetable stew | thai green curry | sweetpotato cannelloni | tomato and fennel soup

happy friday friends! now that the holidays are over and we’re back on a normal routine, i’m so excited to start back the dinner ideas posts! wholesome, seasonal and always vegan (though you’d never know it!), here are this weeks meals:

monday: tomato and fennel soup served with grilled polenta
tuesday: sweet potato cannelloni* served with a seasonal salad
wednesday: polenta served with roasted veggies and sauteed kale (a comfort food favorite!)
thursday: simple thai green curry served with this amazing carrot salad
friday: white bean and vegetable stew

*update! forgot to let you know how i made the sweet potato cannelloni vegan- it was a cinch! instead of the cottage cheese i used silken tofu, and instead of topping it with parmesan, i used cashew cream suace and sprinkled it with nutritional yeast. yum yum!

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

wrap up: {dinner ideas} {january} {recipes} {seasonal} {soup} {vegan}

i made this fennel and tomato soup this week from the jan/feb issue of vegetarian times, and boy was it delicioso! with the addition of some corn it was extra hearty and nutritious. i served it with sauteed kale and sweet potato fries and it warmed us up from the inside out. head over to vegetarian times for the recipe!

wrap up: {dinner} {fennel} {ideas} {recipe} {soup} {tomato} {vegan}

dinners this week were a mixture of some old favorites combined with a few new recipes as well. for some reason, i found myself craving peas and sweet potatoes all.week.long, so you’ll find those intermixed within these recipes!

i’m also trying to learn more about food photography. it (sadly) gets dark here around 5:00 now, and pictures without natural sunlight are jut not-my-thang. i found this post on food photography for bloggers (also from one of my favorite recipe sites!) and hope that it will help. do you have any good tips on food photography, especially after dark?

monday: hearty sweet potato chili with sliced avocado and homemade bread
tuesday: mini veggie pot pies served with a garden salad
wednesday: vegan fettuccine alfredo with shiitake mushrooms, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes (yum!)
thursday: vegan sausage and cabbage saute* w/ potato cakes & broiled black pepper tofu
friday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) and a side of steamed veggies (we love these bay cakes!!)

vegan sausage and cabbage saute

directions

1) heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add onion and sausage, stir until lightly browned- about 5-7 minutes.

2) add the white wine and can of beans and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. cover and cook for about ten minutes.

3) add the veggie stock, cabbage and bay leaves. cover and let cook until liquid has evaporated and cabbage is soft- about 20-25 minutes.

wrap up: {dinner} {ideas} {recipes} {sausage and cabbage saute} {savory} {seasonal} {simple} {vegan}

oh, the flavors of fall how i love you so much!

monday: butternut squash and apple soup served with stuffed figs and seasonal salad
tuesday: (leftover!) butternut squash and apple soup, savory carrot fries, spiced apple cider and homemade bread
wednesday: roasted purple potatoes and spaghetti squash saute*
thursday: spaghetti squash saute*, steamed broccoli and broiled black pepper tofu
friday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) with savory roasted potatoes and steamed kale
 

spaghetti squash saute

 
this week, we had one very big spaghetti squash arrive in our csa box. yum! it ended up lasting us two meals, because half was all we needed. feel free to sub other veggies into this recipe, or whatever you have on hand.

ingredients:

- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbs fennel seed
- salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1) roast the spaghetti squash: slice lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and place face down on a lightly greased baking sheet. roast at 450°f until easily poked with a fork- about 30 minutes. take out and let cool for about ten minutes. using a fork, ‘fluff’ the spaghetti out with your fork (this part is fun!).

2) meanwhile add the olive oil, bell peppers, onion, garlic and fennel seed to medium pot and saute until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. add spinach, salt and pepper to taste and spaghetti squash. toss to combine and serve.

what are a few of your favorite recipes from this week?

wrap up: {dinner} {fall} {ideas} {recipes} {savory} {seasonal} {simple}

to be honest, this week has been incredibly hectic, so our menu consisted heavily of comfort food and easy recipes that would keep well and make for good leftovers. we did discover one new recipe that will be a keeper for sure (see below) and squeezed in as many seasonal veggies as we could in the other meals. what have you been cookin’ this week?

butternut squash and red onion pasta

monday: polenta bean bake*
tuesday: butternut squash and red onion pasta with seasonal salad
wednesday: vegetarian chili with sliced avocado and homemade bread
thursday: leftovers! chili is always better the 2nd night anyways, right?
friday: stuffed patty pan squash with grilled eggplant and strawberry salad

*polenta bean bake (adapted from color me vegan‘s hot tamale pie):

ingredients:

- 1 onion; diced
- 3 red bell peppers, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 medium sized tomatoes
- 1 can each of white beans, kidney beans and black beans
- 2 tbs chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup of dry polenta
- salt and pepper to taste

directions:

preheat oven to 350°. saute peppers, onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent (about 7 minutes). stir in 1/2 cup of water and add the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and 1 tsp of salt. cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes.

meanwhile, prepare the polenta. add 1 cup of dry polenta to 2 cups of water in a saucepan over medium heat. stir until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

poor bean mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan and spread the polenta over top (using the back of a greased spoon helps!). bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.

wrap up: {chili} {dinner ideas} {fall} {november} {pasta} {polenta} {recipes} {seasonal}

it’s officially pumpkin season here in california! (that’s only my favorite time of the year.) this week’s menu was packed full of hearty fall veggies, pumpkins and comfort food. i hope you find a few new seasonally inspired recipes to try! what have you been cookin’ this week?

above: veggie pot pies, tuscan kale chips, pumpkin soup, cashew coconut and pumpkin curry, tomato basil cream pasta, fall veggies with lentils

monday:

personal veggie pot pies with roasted potatoes and tuscan kale chips

tuesday:

tomato basil cream pasta with roasted veggies and smoky miso tofu

wednesday:

cumin black beans served over forbidden rice, topped with sauteed kale & potato cakes

thursday:

thai green curry with homemade bread

friday:

cashew coconut and pumpkin curry, fall veggies with lentils, pumpkin soup (sub veggie broth)

wrap up: {dinner} {fall} {ideas} {pumpkin} {recipes} {seasonal}