What are you eating?

Hopefully something a little more appetizing than this.... That's what I get for boasting about my "healthy baby"...!

So, seriously. What have you been eating lately? This is mainly a shout out to those who are abstaining from meat and dairy for the Apostle's Fast this month. To be honest, I've already used up my stash of "tried and true" recipes, and I'm starting to repeat myself. Job could care less. He could eat the same thing over and over again and not be fazed. But I get bored with food easily. As a stay at home mom who gets little time for creative outlets, the dinner menu becomes a venue for my "craft." A little improvisation, a little creativity, and a happy husband whose belly is filled. Voila! Art indeed, and a rewarding art at that. 'Cept for the dishes.

Vegan meals seem to be heavy on the spices and flavorings and special ingredients, which call for special trips to the store. The frustrating part is that I seem to have a pantry full of said spices, flavorings and special ingredients, and then I realize I'm plum out of the "staples", like beans, tomato sauce, garlic, bread... the list goes on.

Oh well. Here's a review of what I've made this past few weeks. I've actually surprised myself, making last minute meals out of whatever was left out of our food supply. Maybe it'll spark some inspiration to make do with what you have, especially if you're cupboards are seemingly as "empty" as mine.

* Boca burgers on whole wheat toasted bread slices, with "gourmet" toppings such as sauteed mushrooms, tomato, guacamole, BBQ sauce and (Job's experiment) hummus! Not bad. Sweet potato fries on the side make a yummy meal.

* Salmon and rice with "teriyaki" green beans on the side. I opened a can of salmon and warmed it up in a skillet. I added fresh ground pepper, sea salt, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. I served it over rice. Frozen green beans were then sauteed in teriyaki sauce and cooked with whole almonds. Dinner in 15 minutes! A nice salmon dinner for a portion of the price.

* Tuna sandwiches and leftover minestrone. To tuna add some olive oil, fresh ground pepper and salt, and balsamic vinegar and serve on toasted slices of bread. Great with a salad or leftover soup.

* Shrimp over penne. Saute garlic in olive oil. Add thawed frozen shrimp. Season with lemon juice, dill, s&p (or any other spice of choice). Add frozen peas and saute until everything is heated through. Add cooked whole wheat penne and stir until pasta is coated in oil and seasoning.

*Sliced zuchinni, corn, garlic and canned tomatoes combined and sauteed in olive oil. Serve over brown rice. Add black olives if you got' em!

So... there are some of my improvisations (well, that last one was not improv, it's actually one of my Lenten "stand bys"). If you have some recipes to share, leave me a comment or tell me you've posted some on your blog!