Friday Lunch - Filet of Tofu (Mikel) (June 11)

There are deep dark secrets in my life. One of them is my past fondness for filet of sole, fried, with tartar sauce. Of course, times change and people do, too. I have now found that Filet of Tofu is so much nicer to eat. Better for me, better for the fish. The kids totally love this sandwich. Mikel chose it has his meal for the week and prepared us this savory feast that turned out just as great as when we first made it many years ago. The tofu is baked, not fried and the tartar sauce is homemade.

Cost Breakdown:

tofu: $2

buns: $3

Vegenaise, lemon, pickle, onion: $2 (with leftovers)

lettuce, tomato, spinach, squash (side dish): $4

Total for 5 sandwiches and side dish:

$11.00

5 out of 5 stars

Filet of Tofu Recipe

Thursday Dinner - Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Italian Easter Pie with Herbed Crust(June 10)

This is my version of the classic Italian Easter Pie. 

This is a meal that is typically served on holidays. I can almost understand why: there are a dozen reasons. Because I did not use the DOZEN eggs most recipes I looked at called for, I needed to up the ingredients, and therefore I wound up enhancing the flavor. I put artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, sausage and homemade tofu ricotta in there. The crust was a snap to make, using the food processor, and I added a teaspoon each of oregano and basil to it. It came out flaky and crispy and oh, so delicious.

I am not a fan of bland, so I am glad this turned out so wonderful.

Cost Breakdown:

crust: $1

sausage: $1

artichoke and spinach: $3

onion, seasoning, garlic: $1

tofu, lemon, almond: $3

salad: $3

Total to feed a family of 5:

$12.00

5 out of 5 stars

Italian Easter Pie Recipe

Thursday Lunch - Lentil-Barley, Kale with Sauteed Leeks (June 10)

Green lentils are always a quick meal to make, but when you add the barley, the time increases by around 20 minutes. Still, well worth the time. After the lentils and barley were done, I added the kale and some slivered carrots, cooking them just a moment more. In the meantime, saute leeks, onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. This takes about 15 minutes, until the leeks are golden. Plate with a grilled-on-your-stove pita bread and the leek saute over the lentils. Add a little heat, chili flakes or cayenne, to tease your taste buds and dig in.

Kids liked this one, too. Most of them.

Cost Breakdown:

lentils, dry: $ .50

barley: $.50

kale: $2

carrot, onion, garlic: $1

leek: $1

pita: $3

Total to feed a family of 5:

$8.00 

4 out of 5 stars

Lentil-Barley, Kale with Sauteed Leeks Recipe

Wednesday Lunch - Creamy Macaroni Helper (Cat) (June 9)

Cat made some Mac'n Cheese in the Hamburger Helper style. She used  a box of Road's End Shell and Chreese and added a grilled burger patty to it.

She was supposed to make a California Club, but my avocado was not ripe and the sprouts weren't ready, yet.

Back on the list it goes.

4 out of 5 stars

Tuesday Dinner - Soba with Sweet-Sour-Pungent Sauce (June 8)

This recipe is from Speed Vegan by Alan Roettinger.

 The recipe calls for tofu, but I decided to make it with eggplant. So far, so good. As I am making the sauce, it is calling for 12 cloves of garlic ground into the sauce. No biggie, I think; I love garlic! Man, this must have been some typo, because when they titled the recipe 'pungent', they weren't kidding! If you make this recipe from the book USE LESS GARLIC. It was overpoweringly pungent, not deliciously pungent. I can't be certain, but without the overabundance of garlic, the, sauce seems to have been very tasty.

The eggplant was good, though.

Cost Breakdown:

eggplant: $3

sauce: $3.50

carrots, onion: $1

soba noodles: $3

Total to almost feed a family of 5:

$10.50

2.5 out of 5 stars

Tuesday Lunch - Beans and Rice with Corn and Avocado Salsa (Kate) (June 8)

Kate made today's lunch. She took a simple idea - beans and rice - added freshly toasted and ground coriander and cumin seeds and made a salsa using corn, avocado, tomato and cilantro. Yes, I have a ten-year old who loves cilantro and said the salsa would not be salsa without it!

Very tasty and easy dish.

Cost Breakdown:

rice: $.50

beans: $4

avocado and tomatoes: $3.25

corn, cilantro, onion, peppers, spices: $2.50

Total to feed a family of 5
(Dad gets it in his lunch tomorrow.):

$10.25

4 out of 5 stars

Beans and Rice with Corn and Avocado Salsa Recipe

Monday Dinner - Pea Vine, Green Garlic and Asapragus Soup (June 7)

Who knew pea vines were edible?

My CSA and all the farmers that grow the stuff! The pea vine tastes like ... peas. The box also brought asparagus. At Whole Foods this morning green garlic has finally made a showing. It is mild enough to complement the pea vine and asparagus, so I figured they would be a good combo. And it is Monday and Monday is Soup Night.

It was a phenomenal soup with four measly ingredients:

onion, green garlic, asparagus and pea vine. All three main ingredients were flavorful without being overpowering. The bread slices were just sprayed with a little olive oil and when toasted, I rubbed them with the bulb end of a green garlic. 

Cost Breakdown:

 onion: $.50

green garlic: $2.50

asparagus: CSA, less than $3

pea vine: CSA, less than $2

whole wheat bread: $2.50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$10.50

5 out of 5 stars

  

Pea Vine, Green Garlic, and Asparagus Soup Recipe