Now that the holidays have come and gone, this week’s meals are a little more frugal and a little less festive.
And that’s okay.
As we explain to Guppy, there is a time for everything : a time for eating Christmas cookies and chocolates, and a time for soup and lighter fare. Coming down from the holiday excitement is always a little melancholy for me, but Friday’s pizza nights means there is always a party to look forward to, right?
Monday : Spinach Quiche and roasted-garlic and white bean soup (from the freezer – I’d forgotten about it – total score!)
Tuesday : Potato and butternut Soup and baking powder biscuits
Wednesday : Seitan with Quince, Apple and Onion, Rutabega-Fennel Clapshot (test recipes for The Urban Vegan’s forthcoming cookbook!)
Thursday : left-overs
Friday : Pizza Night!
Here’s a peek at two test recipes we enjoyed last week from The Urban Vegan :
Pumpkin-Maple Muffins – enough said.
Spicy Lentils – I’m such a fan of lentils served just about any way, but this picante recipe was a real winner. I served it up with some balsamic roasted butternut squash, because I can.
And so can you! This isn’t a test recipe, but it is one of our favourite way to eat butternut squash – try it!
Balsamic-Roasted Butternut Squash
+/- 5 cups cubed butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Heat your oven to 200°c/400°f and toss the cubed squash with the olive oil and vinegar. Using your fingers, crumble the dried thyme over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss to coat.
Spread the cubed squash in a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for about 45 minutes or until melty-tender. Sprinkle with some salt if necessary before serving.
Do you have a favourite frugal (ie : cheap) recipe you love to serve? Please feel free to share with the kids at home! And don’t forget, if you’re looking for meal plan inspiration you can visit the MPM archives.
Musings From The Fishbowl 
Love squash!
Here’s my current fab recipe:
Dice 1 squash
Finely dice half a Red/purple onion
Tsp garlic
Olive oil to coat
Two tsp maple syrup
Sprinkle of salt.
Roast –
Toast up some pecans in a frying pan, serve awash with the pecans sprinkled onto. Amazing and simple!!
Lauren, that sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing 🙂
cool
If you don’t like something about yourself, change it. If you can’t change it, accept it.
I love how you have a weekly pizza night!! Tim and I were discussing how fun it would be to have a Pizza Week – making a different kind of pizza each night for 7 days in a row. Sounds fun and yummy, right?!!
By the way, your knitting projects are tip-top notch. Hooray for crafty skills!!
Pizza week? Sign me up!
“I pull you from your tower, take away your pain. Show you all the beauty you possess, if you only let yourself believe.” ~ Sarah McLachlan
Sounds like a great week, at least food wise!
Thanks, Fanny!
We had Italian style lentil soup for lunch today. I make cheap soups all winter long!
Lentil soups are my favourites, hands down. I’m so happy lentils are so cheap!
The butternut squash recipe looks fantastic! I’ve been making some cheap but yummy soup for lunch lately.
Soup seems to be the way we’re all leaning! A good way, thankfully.
that looks so good! I really can’t wait for her new cookbook!
I loved the lentils, too, but we had so much! I think we ate them for three dinners and a lunch!
Yes, very copious portions. Luckily they were yummers!
Those lentils sound awesome, as I, too, am a fan of lentils served any way.. but spicy is always a hit. The roasted squash sounds great too!
Three cheers for lentils!
Roasted veggies are *so* good… add the balsamic and the squash must be heavenly! I’m totally going for it next time we have a squash around.
It is hard to top roasted butternut squash, but this does push it over the edge to an even higher level of awesomeness. Miam!