Vegetarian Meal Plan + Tips for Omnivores // Week 10

I'm back with another vegetarian meal plan for the week ahead. 

I'm lost without a plan for the week. Sometimes it means I have eggs for dinner. Just eggs, maybe with some cheese. Or a smoothie. Or something frozen. OK, I do cook it first, but you get my meaning.

Some people have a natural ability to whip something fabulous out of nothing. And because I often don't think about dinner until, um dinner-time, I do not excel at this. 

But with a plan, my friends, I am so ready. I have things prepped ahead and nestled into the refrigerator. And I start looking forward to dinner again. 

If you're new to meal planning, and you need some general tips to get started, check out either this Weekly Vegetarian Meal Plan post or this post for a few more. They can help you wrap your brain around creating your own weekly plan. Meanwhile, here's mine. I hope you find something here you'd like to make too.

M O N D A Y

VEGAN INDIAN CAULIFLOWER and CHICKPEA CURRY 

VEGAN     GLUTEN-FREE     EASY    MAKE AHEAD 

Get the recipe here by From a Chef's Kitchen

I saw this recipe on one of the several vegetarian and vegan Facebook pages I visit and post to. As soon as I saw it, I had to make it for dinner that night. Unfortunately, I didn't have a couple of ingredients called for, and made my own substitutions. I can therefore verify first-hand that this is a very flexible recipe. I'm sure the original version is wonderful, and so was mine. I'll be posting it soon, but first I wanted to share Carole's fabulous recipe.

Prep Ahead: I nearly always have some kind of beans on hand. Likely, chickpeas. Canned chickpeas always have a flavor that I don't like, so I make my own. If you want to do this too, check out my post Five Tips For Perfect Cooked Dried Chickpeas. It's my most popular post every single day of the year. 

Prep Shortcuts: This recipe calls for minced garlic and ginger, and trust me both are important to the amazing flavor of this curry. I used Gourmet Garden Garlic Paste and Ginger Paste, cutting the recipe prep time from 20 minutes down to 10 minutes. You can also purchase jarred red peppers already sliced.

Omnivore Tip: Add shredded pre-cooked chicken to the sauce. 

T U E S D A Y

PESTO CAULIFLOWER STEAKS + CITRUS SALAD

VEGAN     GLUTEN-FREE     30-MINUTES OR LESS     PARTS CAN BE MADE AHEAD

Get the recipe here.

Prep Ahead:

• Make the citrus salad up to one day ahead - any more than that, and the salad will become a little mushy.
• If you choose to make your own spice mix and toasted breadcrumbs, both can be made way ahead. I keep my spice mixes for up to 6 months, generally, and a jar of toasted breadcrumbs will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
• If you decide you want to make your own pesto, that too can be made ahead. In summer, I always make my own. But I admit that this time of year, with several feet of snow on the ground, I purchase a pesto sauce at my local market.

Omnivore Tip: A beef steak is perfect with the pesto and citrus salad.

NOTE: This is also the dinner recipe we're making in this month's Monthly Vegetarian Challenge, since we're celebrating citrus. Each month this year, I'll offer tips and coaching for people wanting to bring more vegetarian meals into their week, along with links to 3 recipes for each meal of the day. The recipes are designed to be easy, flexible for your own tastes, and offer tips for success if you're just starting out cooking. Next month's tips will be around vegetarian and vegan proteins. If you're interested in this free Challenge, please go here to sign up.

W E D N E S D A Y

SPIRALIZED SWEET  POTATOES + APPLES and DATES

VEGETARIAN     REQUIRES A SPIRALIZER     GLUTEN-FREE      PARTS CAN BE MADE AHEAD

Get the recipe here.

This recipe requires a spiralizer, although your local market may offer cartons of spiralized sweet potatoes in its produce department. It's a warm, hardy dinner lightened with apples and dates.
 

 
Prep Tip: If you don't have a spiralizer, but found spiralized sweet potatoes at your market, you will need to slice the apples by hand. Don't worry about spiralizing them, and don't bother peeling them. Just core and slice the apples and add to the sauté.

Prep Ahead Tip: Caramelize the onions up to 5 days ahead, and keep covered in the refrigerator.

Prep Shortcut: Replace the nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon with 1 to 1 ¼ teaspoons of apple pie spice. 

Omnivore Tip: This is perfect served as a side dish with pork chops for the omnivores at the table.

T H U R S D A Y 

LEMONY SWISS CHARD SAUTE with QUINOA, OLIVES and FRIED CAPERS

VEGETARIAN     30-MINUTES OR LESS     GLUTEN-FREE     EASY     PARTS CAN BE MADE AHEAD

Get the recipe here.

This is an old recipe on my website, as witness by the photograph I really should update. But it's also one of my most popular recipes on the site, year after year.

Prep Ahead: Quinoa cooks up quite quickly, but for a super fast dinner, have it already made. A good alternative is frozen quinoa that's ready in just a few minutes. 

Omnivore Tip: Sauté some lightly seasoned shrimp and toss it into the Swiss Chard and Quinoa dish for the omnivores.

F R I D A Y

ARTICHOKE - CHICKPEA VEGAN "CRAB" CAKES

VEGAN     MAKE AHEAD     

Get the recipe here by Vanilla and Bean.

I've been fascinated with this recipe since I first saw it, and must make it. It takes a little more work than the other recipes this week, but it totally looks worth it. And I don't mind taking a little more time to make something once a week. 

Prep Ahead: Traci states in her recipe that these little "crab" cakes can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Omnivore Tip: I'm guessing the chickpeas and artichokes can be replaced with crab meat. I'll let you know how that works for us.

W E E K E N D   B A K I N G

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS 

Get the recipe here.

As I've mentioned in other posts, this is a time of year I love to bake. Particularly bread. Bread isn't nearly as hard to make as I once thought it would be, and bread baking - for me - is a meditation. These sweet potato biscuits might be the softest I've ever made.

As a note - this is a yeasted bread biscuit using instant yeast. 

If you make any of these dishes, I would love to see how it turns out for you!! Take a photo and put it up on Instagram - just don't forget to tag me @wimpyvegetarian.

Did you miss my other Weekly Menu Plans? In addition to the 2 that are linked at the beginning of this post, I've listed a few more below. Check them out here for more meal planning recipes for vegetarians with tips for the omnivores at the table + menu planning tips:

Vegetarian Meal Plan + Tips For Omnivores // Week 4 includes 5 dinners and 5 common mistakes made when meal planning for the coming week.

My Vegetarian Meal Plan + Tips for Omnivores // Week 5 post includes 5 ideas for making meal prepping easier along with 5 easy vegetarian dinners.

And finally, Week 6 Vegetarian Meal Plan talks a little about meal planner options, although I really need to research this more now that I'm getting back into the cooking groove.

For more Weekly Meal Plans, go here to check them out.