I wanted to do a bit of an overview of the types of things I cook normally. As you will see, my style of cooking is pretty varied, and I like to try new things. All of these meals were made during the week as well, so they were pretty quick and didn’t require much advanced preparation.
Here we go!
These are tofu lettuce wraps.
I got the idea for the tofu + almond butter sauce + soba noodles from this post on Serious Eats.
Instead of just making a noodle and tofu dish, I decided to use up some leaf lettuce with the tofu and soba noodle filling. I added raw edamame, onions, and carrots before rolling them up. Yum.
Next up we have “Not Chicken Riggies.” Chicken Riggies is a really popular dish in the Utica area of NY and people there go nuts over it. It’s a pasta dish with chicken, peppers and onions, and a creamy spicy tomato sauce.
I don’t know why I started thinking of this dish, but I couldn’t get it out of my head so I decided to make my own version. The people in Utica will probably shoot me for even comparing this to the original. I’m sorry Uticans. I couldn’t help myself.
Here’s how I made it: First I boiled the bowtie pasta (again, I’m sorry Uticans!). Next, I cooked 2 Gardein Chick’n scallopini pieces in a bit of olive oil and removed them from the pan. Then I sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes (a lot of them). Next I added some chopped asparagus (again, I apologize) and some defrosted chopped spinach. Then I added crushed tomatoes and a bit of soy creamer. I added the chick’n back to the pan with the cooked pasta and let it simmer for a few minutes.
This was amazingly good. I ate way too much and then wanted more. Best thing I’ve made in a while.
Here’s some pretty standard vegetarian chili. I make this a lot when I want to use up ingredients. The base is almost always onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and beans. This one used up a bit of creamy tomato soup I had in the fridge so it had a creamy texture to it that was really nice. I added avocado and cilantro to the top and served it with nearly stale bread to dip. It was tasty!
This last meal was a totally crazy thought that worked out so well! Stuffed Mexican Portobello Burgers. I roasted a portobello mushroom in the toaster oven (would have been better on a grill). Then stuffed it with a mixture of refried beans, salsa, minced onion, lime juice, hot sauce, and cilantro. I popped that back in the oven so the filling would get hot, then topped it with vegan diaya cheddar style cheese (aka the only vegan cheese worth buying) and broiled it until it melted. I finished it off with diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro. Served with corn tortilla chips, this was a winner of a meal if I do say so myself.
So there you go! 4 really easy, delicious, and inexpensive meals made during the week. No more excuses not to cook!
