Watcha making for dinner tonight!?

[meerkat]

Breakfast for dinner is an underappreciated category.

[gatortator]

Chicken tagine  with minty couscous

[jeninco]

Fast(ish) polenta with a tomato, garlic, and cauliflower sauce.

[NotJen]

Some flavored Italian sausages (grocery store likes trying different flavor combos) with mac and cheese, roasted corn on the cob, and roasted broccoli.  Looking forward to the leftover pasta bowls.

[OtherJen]

A frozen black bean burger, cut in half and used to fill two soft corn tacos. Tomato and avocado salad. A piece of string cheese.

[gatortator]

Spicy turkey skewers, couscous, veggie slices,  homemade hummus,

[jeninco]

Some flavored Italian sausages (grocery store likes trying different flavor combos) with mac and cheese, roasted corn on the cob, and roasted broccoli.  Looking forward to the leftover pasta bowls.

I love that, at least in this description, you're more excited about the leftovers then the initial meal. How mustachian!

We're having pizza tonight -- I started the dough before we went off to DS's 10 am soccer game. And salad, I guess, to use up the remaining lettuce (and because we're starting to run low on vegetables -- time to go shopping, sometime in the next few days).

[sui generis]

Some flavored Italian sausages (grocery store likes trying different flavor combos) with mac and cheese, roasted corn on the cob, and roasted broccoli.  Looking forward to the leftover pasta bowls.

I love that, at least in this description, you're more excited about the leftovers then the initial meal. How mustachian!

We're having pizza tonight -- I started the dough before we went off to DS's 10 am soccer game. And salad, I guess, to use up the remaining lettuce (and because we're starting to run low on vegetables -- time to go shopping, sometime in the next few days).

Pizza for us tonight, too!  DH made the dough last night and we are having: 1 cheesy broccoli, 1 marinated kale (spicy/sweet) with ricotta and 1 olive/garlic sort of plainer one.  Also with salad, using up the arugula in the garden.  And red wine :)

[Metalcat]

Creamy tomato, white bean, spinach and tortellini soup.

[BZB]

Chicken divan. I made an extra pan of it for the freezer. Also a slice of leftover Easter cake for dessert that I had stashed in the freezer.

[Weisass]

We sautéed hosta shoots today! Delicious with soy sauce and pepper flakes.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Steak, sauteed bok choy & homemade French bread.

[WhiteTrashCash]

Tried and true weekend meal: Lentil soup with diced tomatoes, onion, carrots, chicken broth, and garlic with a very fresh loaf of homemade French bread.

[Roadrunner53]

 Shake and Bake chicken, left over home made scalloped potatoes and a salad.

[OtherJen]

Broccoli and tofu in spicy peanut sauce from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" (vegetarian cookbook by Mollie Katzen), served over rice.

[jeninco]

Warm tortellini and green bean "salad" with a tomato and pine nut "pesto".

[jeninco]

Aaand it's 40 degrees and raining. Again.

I'm making "not really cassoulet with many vegetables", because running the oven will warm up the house. (Although we haven't yet been "mustachian" enough to turn off the heat -- it's been freaking cold, my sweetie has Reynolds, and he's working at home for the foreseeable future.)

[gatortator]

A big pot of black beans for veggie nacho night.

[NotJen]

Tuna salad sandwiches, roasted sweet potatoes, and carrot sticks.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Leftover green chicken enchiladas with sour cream & guacamole. Plus salad

[Jenny Wren]

Last night I made some okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancakes) with some leftover red cabbage and a bit of vegan chorizo instead of pork. I oven baked them on a silpat mat so I wouldn't need to fry in grease. No okonomiyaki sauce on hand, so I invented my own spin on the general idea - sesame-ginger dressing + ketchup + soya + dash of liquid smoke.

I was going to serve it with veggie spring rolls, but I was out of rice wrappers. So instead I made a spring roll salad with bean thread noodles, Thai basil, mung sprouts, carrots, cucumber, and scallions, all tossed with a peanut dipping sauce. Lovely and light, will do again!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We have a soccer game to attend, so it will be an easy option. Hot dogs, salad & maybe tortellini, if the teens need additional food.

[Trifle]

We made some really good scratch pizza.  I finally perfected the dough thickness, timing, oven rack location, and bake temperature for the crust.  Yeah!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@Trifele - I'm jealous. My pizza crust is always fine, but never great.

[OtherJen]

I made kimbap for dinner last night, served with kimchi. I replaced the eggs and fish cake with fried tofu strips. These were so fun to make! They’ll be a nice option in summer when it’s too hot to cook indoors much (the rice cooker doesn’t heat up the kitchen much) and we can stuff them with grilled meat and fresh veggies.

[NotJen]

Stuffed peppers with roasted brussels sprouts and corn on the cob.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Quick dinner ahead of soccer tryouts. Egg roll in a bowl with salad

[Jenny Wren]

Brown rice veggie loaf with a salad of spring greens.

[Villanelle]

I'm trying to come up with more of a schedule as it will help me plan.  Coming up with what to make is always the hardest part.  With an entire universe of food, how do I decide when I'm shopping on Sunday what I want to cook for the next 4-5 days?  So I'm implementing Pasta Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, and Pizza Wednesdays, and then leftover Thursdays.  Then I only have to sort out three days, at least one of which is usually also leftovers and one of which is usually a rice bowl of some kind. 

Repeating the same meals doesn't work for us as we get bored and end up ordering in instead of cooking what Id planned, but this gives a guideline and still leave plenty of room for different flavors.  Last pizza night was buffalo chicken (cream cheese, cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, red onions, blue cheese, and mozzarella) so it didn't really taste like pizza.  Tonight's tacos will be ground beaf with bulgogi sauce, shredded carrots, and quick-pickled cucumber, so again, not really "taco" flavors, but the guideline helps me narrow things down and have a direction.    Rice bowls can be asian or mexican or even middle eastern. 

[grantmeaname]

My wife and I just made Nicoise salad for the first time in a year. Every time I make it I'm floored how damn good it is. This one should be on a weekly rotation.

[OtherJen]

My wife and I just made Nicoise salad for the first time in a year. Every time I make it I'm floored how damn good it is. This one should be on a weekly rotation.

That sounds delicious! It's one of my favorite salads.

[OtherJen]

Husband got his second COVID shot this morning and apparently is having the same stomach upset that he had after the first dose.

I think I'm going to roast a chicken now, pull off the meat, and use the carcass to make stock in the pressure cooker. Then, he can have a bowl of broth with noodles and chicken for dinner.

[FireLane]

I threw together a summer salad of greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, sliced strawberries and almonds, with pieces of grilled chicken and chopped avocado.

[sui generis]

It's taco tuesday and we're doing fish tacos! I got my second vaxx a couple of hours ago and am worried about the side effects that may come on any time, but I'm fine for now and excited to chow down on one of my favorite meals as soon as DH gets home to help cook.

I almost never cook alone so I'm helpless to start until he gets here.  We've definitely fallen into certain niches of what we cook, too.  Like for the fish tacos, he'll do all the fish prep and dredging and cooking, and I'll do the sauces.  He is the only one that chops broccoli, but I do all the onions and cabbage.  Either of us can do brussels. It's funny the patterns you fall into...

[OtherJen]

It's taco tuesday and we're doing fish tacos! I got my second vaxx a couple of hours ago and am worried about the side effects that may come on any time, but I'm fine for now and excited to chow down on one of my favorite meals as soon as DH gets home to help cook.

I almost never cook alone so I'm helpless to start until he gets here.  We've definitely fallen into certain niches of what we cook, too.  Like for the fish tacos, he'll do all the fish prep and dredging and cooking, and I'll do the sauces.  He is the only one that chops broccoli, but I do all the onions and cabbage.  Either of us can do brussels. It's funny the patterns you fall into...

I only had a fever for 24 hours and a sore shoulder after my second dose. The fever was uncomfortable, but it was over fairly quickly. Hopefully your side effects are just as uneventful!

Fish tacos are so good. We had those over the weekend.

[Metalcat]

Spring has be craving raw vegetables.

So I've been making various bases (noodles, brown rice, quinoa, etc), topped with a huge handful of raw veggies and some kind of sauce (miso ginger, avocado lime, Thai curry, chimichurri, etc).

So little work, I love it.

[NotJen]

Chicken enchiladas and Mexican slaw.  It's BF's favorite, and the last time I'll make it before leaving for the summer.  Plus, it used up the black beans in the freezer.

[gatortator]

easy but colorful fried rice  and egg roll in a bowl, both family favorites.  kids are getting over sinus infections and really them full of veggies.

[sui generis]

Veggie stir fry

[jeninco]

I'm trying to come up with more of a schedule as it will help me plan.  Coming up with what to make is always the hardest part.  With an entire universe of food, how do I decide when I'm shopping on Sunday what I want to cook for the next 4-5 days?  So I'm implementing Pasta Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, and Pizza Wednesdays, and then leftover Thursdays.  Then I only have to sort out three days, at least one of which is usually also leftovers and one of which is usually a rice bowl of some kind. 

Repeating the same meals doesn't work for us as we get bored and end up ordering in instead of cooking what Id planned, but this gives a guideline and still leave plenty of room for different flavors.  Last pizza night was buffalo chicken (cream cheese, cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, red onions, blue cheese, and mozzarella) so it didn't really taste like pizza.  Tonight's tacos will be ground beaf with bulgogi sauce, shredded carrots, and quick-pickled cucumber, so again, not really "taco" flavors, but the guideline helps me narrow things down and have a direction.    Rice bowls can be asian or mexican or even middle eastern.

Perhaps other folks here will weigh in, but my process is something like this:

Look at grocery store sales, look at my list, decide where I'm going.
Look through the fridge/freezer to see if anything needs using up.
Start writing a menu, based on what's on sale this week. Solicit suggestions from the family. Get few useful suggestions from the family (sigh). If I can't come up with more ideas, start flipping through my recipe book. (I'm not actually a boomer, but I do have printed out versions of recipes I like). Start flipping through the "fast vegetarian" cookbook I like, if necessary. If I'm going to be sitting on the sidelines of a soccer game, take the list with me.

Once I have a menu, I'm in good shape to write a complete list, that includes every single thing we need for dinners, in combination with the list on the fridge (of stuff that people have noted we need to replenish), and some standard stuff for breakfasts and lunches. This way I don't get partway through making something only to find out that I forgot to purchase, say, cilantro.

I'm not very tolerant of repeats, even if it's something I like. I also tend to substantially change the menus between seasons, largely for variety -- but also because large pots of warm beans are less appealing in the summer then room-temperature main-dish salads, for instance.

So: tonight, in honor of the forecasted thunderstorms (which haven't really materialized) we're having the smitten kitchen lentil, sausage, and chard soup, probably with toast.

Tomorrow, I'm going to look at that cauliflower in the fridge and start writing the menu for the next week or two. (It's going to include cauliflower and black bean tacos, most likely.)

[sui generis]

We made such a great new (to us) dish tonight.  Tomatoes & onions (tossed with oil and red pepper flakes) roasted for ~30 min, mixed with farro, pesto, some lemon/lemon zest, then toss in a lot of baby spinach and top with torn mozzarella & basil.  We served it with corn on the cob and it officially feels like summer!

[lexde]

Crispy tofu.

Less than $3, it’s a go-to high protein dinner for me.

1 block of tofu (firm/extra firm) frozen then thawed
Salt, pepper
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever else I feel like
1tbsp cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch

Thaw tofu, drain, squeeze over sink. Cut or tear into small pieces.
Put tofu, spices, starch in a Tupperware and shake shake shake it up (gently).
Bake 350° until crispy, usually 30 mins or so.
Throw some veggies on the pan and sprinkle with salt/spices if you’d like (usually broccoli for me).


Dip/toss in sauce. Orange, Tso’s, BBQ, whatevs. I even eat it as is sometimes.

All in less than 400 cal with about 40g protein. Easy.

[OtherJen]

Crispy tofu.

Less than $3, it’s a go-to high protein dinner for me.

1 block of tofu (firm/extra firm) frozen then thawed
Salt, pepper
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever else I feel like
1tbsp cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch

Thaw tofu, drain, squeeze over sink. Cut or tear into small pieces.
Put tofu, spices, starch in a Tupperware and shake shake shake it up (gently).
Bake 350° until crispy, usually 30 mins or so.
Throw some veggies on the pan and sprinkle with salt/spices if you’d like (usually broccoli for me).


Dip/toss in sauce. Orange, Tso’s, BBQ, whatevs. I even eat it as is sometimes.

All in less than 400 cal with about 40g protein. Easy.

Baked tofu is so satisfying. Does freezing the tofu make it easier to drain out the excess liquid? I always slice and press the blocks but will try freezing them first if that’s more effective.

I love the combo of salt/pepper/smoked paprika/garlic powder on baked tofu but don’t usually add the cornstarch. Do you add any oil? I usually mix the spices with a tablespoon or so of avocado oil, drizzle that over the cubes, and toss with my hands.

[lexde]

Crispy tofu.

Less than $3, it’s a go-to high protein dinner for me.

1 block of tofu (firm/extra firm) frozen then thawed
Salt, pepper
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever else I feel like
1tbsp cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch

Thaw tofu, drain, squeeze over sink. Cut or tear into small pieces.
Put tofu, spices, starch in a Tupperware and shake shake shake it up (gently).
Bake 350° until crispy, usually 30 mins or so.
Throw some veggies on the pan and sprinkle with salt/spices if you’d like (usually broccoli for me).


Dip/toss in sauce. Orange, Tso’s, BBQ, whatevs. I even eat it as is sometimes.

All in less than 400 cal with about 40g protein. Easy.

Baked tofu is so satisfying. Does freezing the tofu make it easier to drain out the excess liquid? I always slice and press the blocks but will try freezing them first if that’s more effective.

I love the combo of salt/pepper/smoked paprika/garlic powder on baked tofu but don’t usually add the cornstarch. Do you add any oil? I usually mix the spices with a tablespoon or so of avocado oil, drizzle that over the cubes, and toss with my hands.

Freezing the tofu crystallizes the water inside of it, and when you thaw there are pockets inside the tofu. You can squeeze all of the water out like a sponge instead of having to press for 30 minutes and it’s a better texture IMO.

The starch makes the tofu crispy, so I always include it whether I’m baking or air frying.

With my recipe I find that I don’t need any oil, but if you use it I’d mix the spices in the oil, coat the tofu, then sprinkle and shake the starch with it.

[turketron]

Crispy tofu.

Less than $3, it’s a go-to high protein dinner for me.

1 block of tofu (firm/extra firm) frozen then thawed
Salt, pepper
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever else I feel like
1tbsp cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch

Thaw tofu, drain, squeeze over sink. Cut or tear into small pieces.
Put tofu, spices, starch in a Tupperware and shake shake shake it up (gently).
Bake 350° until crispy, usually 30 mins or so.
Throw some veggies on the pan and sprinkle with salt/spices if you’d like (usually broccoli for me).


Dip/toss in sauce. Orange, Tso’s, BBQ, whatevs. I even eat it as is sometimes.

All in less than 400 cal with about 40g protein. Easy.

Yum! We regularly make tofu tacos which is a similar baking process except that we break it apart into small crumbles like you would have with ground beef. Different spices too, cumin, chili powder, etc.
It's amazing how much water cooks out of the tofu, suddenly eating an entire block as a meal becomes really easy!

[NotJen]

Creamy basil parmesan Italian soup (https://carlsbadcravings.com/creamy-basil-parmesan-italian-soup-recipe/), served with a bag of frozen veggies.  It is sooo not soup weather, but it used up a few things from the freezer and pantry I wanted to get rid of (chicken thighs, half-box of pasta, and an onion).  It will probably be the last meal I cook until October, which is exciting and sad.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I thought I had chicken curry in the freezer, but I was mistaken. We'll instead have beef tacos (meat from the freezer) with pico de gallo. If I'm super motivated, I'll make some homemade tortilla chips for the kids.

[lexde]

Crispy tofu.

Less than $3, it’s a go-to high protein dinner for me.

1 block of tofu (firm/extra firm) frozen then thawed
Salt, pepper
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever else I feel like
1tbsp cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch

Thaw tofu, drain, squeeze over sink. Cut or tear into small pieces.
Put tofu, spices, starch in a Tupperware and shake shake shake it up (gently).
Bake 350° until crispy, usually 30 mins or so.
Throw some veggies on the pan and sprinkle with salt/spices if you’d like (usually broccoli for me).


Dip/toss in sauce. Orange, Tso’s, BBQ, whatevs. I even eat it as is sometimes.

All in less than 400 cal with about 40g protein. Easy.

Baked tofu is so satisfying. Does freezing the tofu make it easier to drain out the excess liquid? I always slice and press the blocks but will try freezing them first if that’s more effective.

I love the combo of salt/pepper/smoked paprika/garlic powder on baked tofu but don’t usually add the cornstarch. Do you add any oil? I usually mix the spices with a tablespoon or so of avocado oil, drizzle that over the cubes, and toss with my hands.

If you don't have one, a tofu press is worth every penny.   Squeezes the tofu very intensely, giving it a very dense, meaty texture.

This isn’t super necessary if you use the freezing method though. The ice crystals change the texture of the tofu and you can basically wring it out like a sponge. It would be worth it if you don’t freeze first though!

[sui generis]

Reviving this thread for an excellent dinner we made on our first night home from vacation!  Tamarind shrimp, served over rice noodles.  It's a curry, though it's a curry-leaf curry, not a curry-powder curry.  It's confusing to me that things cooked with both of these very different items are both called "curries," but...<shrug>.  Anyway, it's super easy to make although some of the ingredients admittedly aren't found in typical groceries in the US.  You just marinate the shrimp for a half hour or so in a paste made of equal parts tamarind paste/concentrate and garam masala (with a bit of salt) and when that's nearly done, make a sauce of coconut milk and curry leaves (I like to add a little more tamarind here) and simmer to reduce a bit, then toss in the shrimp at the end.

We served it with corn on the cob which may seem sort of incoherent, but we're trying to squeeze in some last corn side dishes before the summer corn runs out.

[Linea_Norway]

DH just made dinner with a salad from lettuce, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese, combined with dressing made of leftover sour cream. Covered with leftover tortilla chips. Served with shop-grilled spicy chicken slices. Nice food after driving a car for almost the entire day.