boston market (MoFo 29)

Boston Chicken has gone through its ups and down. In the early 90's they were at the top of their game, so much so that they began offering other menu items. In fact, they became so popular for it, that they decided the name Boston Chicken was no longer apt for the business and so changed to Boston Market. Woo-hoo! Until, that is, they so over-extended themselves that by 1998 they filed Chapter 11. Who do you think came to their rescue? I'll give you one McClue... 

The company was purchased in 2000 by the McDonald's Corporation with the intention to get their hands on the real estate and dump the name and menu. However, after McD's cleaned house of the constipated BM's (I have a joke here that I will not indulge in...too late), the Market began to flourish again (rats!) and McD's decided to leave well enough alone. If it makes money...ya know.

Apparently things weren't quite as rosy in McLand though, because by 2007, the Market once again changed ownership.

The Boston Market Meatloaf was one of the menu additions from the original folks, and here I have reinvented it in all its vegan glory. While theirs is made of a cow, mine is made of veggie burgers. Pretty sure any veggie burger will work, but I made mine with Boca. The burgers are mashed up and mixed with onions, seasonings and barbecue sauce. The sauce is added at mid-cooking, as well. 

The sides at Boston Market are something that vegetarians, at least, can indulge in, but why should vegans be excluded? And why not make it vegan, anyway, for that matter?

Here I have made three of the side dishes, Creamed Spinach, Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Casserole and Poultry Gravy. The mashed potatoes are my creation and not one of their "Gourmet Sides."

All of them are fantastic, but as far as it goes, this place should be called Boston Butter, not Market. They use a ton of butter, cream and cheese in almost every side dish - at least the ones I chose to make. A note: To make this as good as it can be, you must use unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk. Anything else will make things taste way too sweet.

Vegan Meatloaf with Gravy

Creamed Spinach. Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Casserole

Meatloaf Recipe

mexican-inspired black bean and kale soup

It is when I have to come up with a name for a recipe that I find how much I lack in creativity! It's a shame. I'll ask the kids next time, but for now, this soup is a Mexican-inspired Black Bean and Kale Soup. Since we are trying to incorporate as much greens into our diet as we can, the kale seemed an ideal choice in this recipe. Sweet potatoes and black beans are a natural with some smoky cumin and green chilies.

This soup got better with age; David took it for lunch the next day and raved about it. It's also a very easy one to pull together and is packed with protein and calcium. Kale and black beans are both high in both. Add some vegan sour cream, avocado, cilantro and/or tortilla chips and you have the making of a delicious soup.

Use either an excellent vegetable broth or a vegetable concentrate for the soup base. 

  

Cost Breakdown

celery, carrot, garlic, onion: $1.50

sweet potato, red pepper: $2

can green chilies, tomato paste, veg broth: $2

black beans: $2

spices, lime: $.50

kale: $2

Total to make 6 servings:

$10.00

Mexican-inspired Black Bean and Kale Soup Recipe

incrediburger and radish guacamole

I am certain that one thing everyone gets in their CSA is radish. Radish grows quickly and easily and is therefore a natural addition to produce boxes. Lovely in salads and...and ...what else?

The sharp, horseradish-like flavor doesn't get utilized much. Or am I just not in the loop? Comment if you have other uses for this ubiquitous root veg.

I received Beauty Heart Radishes in my box this week (they look very much like turnips, except whereas turnips have the purple on the top, they have it on the bottom) and knew I had to do something with them.

Since guacamole has onions in it, and raw onions have a sharp flavor, I replaced the onions with the radish. I didn't think I would need as mush radish as I wound up using, but the flavor with the creamy avocado was perfect. Radish, avocado, lime juice and salt and pepper.

I topped the Radish-Guacamole on my Incrediburger (which I keep in the freezer for lazy days) - the best burger ever, from American Vegan Kitchen (worth the price of the book in my opinion - the $$ I save not buying GMO-Boca is a double bonus) and baked up some sweet potato fries.

Cost Breakdown

burgers: $2

bread: $2

avocado: $2

radish: $1

sweet potatoes: $2

Total to make 5 burgers and a side:

$9.00

jerk chickpeas and potatoes

When you hear of food being jerked, it is usually chicken. Please don't jerk the chicken around! Not here! We are kind to chickens and needed something else to jerk. Chickpeas became a natural because of its firm texture and ability to actually get crisp in the oven. Adding a few potatoes to the jerking also became a no-brainer.

You can also add carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes (I did) or a winter squash (it's that time of year, again) to the jerking pan. If you add any of the less denser veggies ( i.e. sweet potatoes) add them later in the cooking so they don't over cook.

The jerk marinade is made with garlic, jalapenos, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, brown sugar, vinegar and a few other ingredients. Make it as spicy as you like it, but remember that cooking takes some of the edge off the raw version.

I made a cilantro-yogurt sauce to tame the heat. This really was an easy meal to make and very satisfying to my jerk-tooth.

Add a side of greens and this meal is complete.

Cost Breakdown:

potatoes: $2

chickpeas: $4

onion, garlic, peppers: $2

spices: $1

vinegar, lime, sugar: $1

carrot, sweet potatoes: $2

yogurt, cilantro, parsley: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$14.00

JERK CHICKPEAS AND POTATOES PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

sweet potato topped with chili

Sweet potatoes and black beans together is so natural, that I am sure many folks have combined them already. So, baking a sweet potato and then topping it with this easy black bean chili is not exactly going out on a limb!

The chili takes about thirty minutes to cook so the flavors meld well and the sweet potatoes tend to be ready faster than regular baking potatoes, anyway. A dollop of Tofutti and maybe a little heat for those folks who like it a little spicy and lunch is ready in a snap.

Cost Breakdown:

sweet potatoes: $5

beans: $2

tomatoes: $2

onion, garlic, pepper, spices: $1

Total to feed a family of 5:

$10.00

Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili Recipe

mom's morning casserole

Brunch

Here is another one from Vegan Brunch by Isa Moskowitz. This is a casserole with a layer of potatoes, a layer of tofu, a layer of tempeh with red peppers, and a layer of Daiya cheeze.

It was very good, but the family was not fond of the tempeh layer. Unfortunately, they found the tempeh too bitter and nutty. In fact, asking me, I would say it was a bit 'fishy,' and no, it was not spoiled. Unless I braise my tempeh in a flavorful liquid or sauce, it seems to come out with this unusual flavor.

Next time. Next time.

Cost Breakdown:

potatoes: $3

tempeh: $2

tofu: $2

pepper, onion, garlic, herb, spices: $2

Daiya: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$11.00

ethiopian groundnut wat

African Night

I made a great African stew today, complete with sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower, cardamom, clove and peanuts. I served it over millet and quinoa that I cooked together and with an arugula salad that I lightly dressed with fresh lemon juice and homemade pickled onions. The pickled onions are raw since I did not blanch them or cook the brine.

The sweet stew over the nutty grains with the crisp, bitter greens and the vinegary onions were an awesome combination. The flavors complement each other very well.

Cost Breakdown:

sweet potato: $1

cauliflower: $1

lentil: $.75

onion, garlic, carrot: $2

peanut butter: $.50

arugula: $1

quinoa, millet: $1
Total to feed 6 people:
$7.25

ETHIOPIAN GROUNDNUT WAT PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

african mofongo

African/Asian Night

Since we went out to eat for lunch today, I wasn't really too keen on making dinner, but of course, the people in my house just insist on eating! This dish is Puerto Rican - a stew of fried plantains or yucca with poultry - an affordable meal to make. Well, they haven't heard of seitan, I suppose, because seitan is even more economical and it is more spiritually happy - no one had to die for the meal.

So, you might be wondering, where is Africa in this? Actually Mofongo has its roots in Africa and was brought to the Caribbean.

I did not fry my plantain, nor use plantain, for that matter. I used yuca (or cassava as it is also known as)! It was the first time for me with this tuber, and I must say it was anticlimactic. There was nothing difficult in peeling it or cooking it. I just boiled the sweet potato with the yuca and did a coarse mash. I had the seitan left over from last week, and I made a dark spice mix for it using habanero, fennel, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard seed, poppy seed and black peppercorns. I coated the sliced seitan pieces with it and pan-fried them with lemon juice.

Tomato sauce is on the bottom, topped with the yuca/sweet potato mash and then the seitan. It is a deconstructed stew because I thought the picture would be more appealing and it would be more obvious what is in the dish.

So how was it? Fabulous! Only one child did not appreciate it (Cat). Although she did say her favorite part was the seitan, as she was picking them out of her plate. She was saying how the other parts of the meal are too spicy. She didn't realize the spice was in the seitan until I told her. But she kept on eating anyway. I guess deep down she liked it, too.

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $2

yucca and sweet potato: $2

tomato sauce: $2

habanero: $.10 (funny!)

spices: $ .50  

onions: $1

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.60

sweet potato sandwich

We went on a hike today. Lunch was sweet potato sandwich with lemon-tahini spread. I baked the sweet potatoes the night before with the Lima Bean Bake and cooled it overnight in the fridge. It worked very well because the potato had time to firm up and was tender and melt-y but held together. The spread I made with tahini, yogurt, Meyer lemon (why not?) and sugar and salt. At home on the sandwich were tomatoes, onions, avocado and sunflower sprouts - the most decadent sprouts in my opinion.  

The kids found this sandwich a little too sweet. The first one I made I made the mistake of not seasoning properly. Because the sweet potatoes are so sweet, seasoning each layer was crucial! For the girls I made the sandwich the same way but without the sweet potato and called it California Sandwich with Lemon-Tahini Spread.

Cost Breakdown:

bread: $2

sweet potato: $2

avocado: $2

onion, tahini, yogurt, sugar: $1

tomato: $2

Total for 5 sandwiches:

$9.00

Sweet Potato Sandwich

California Sandwich

curried red lentils with sweet potatoes

The sweet potatoes added such a lovely sweetness to this dish. Not overpowering, since the curry powder balanced them out. It was just a wholesome, delicious meal. I served it with pita and steamed broccoli. Kate enjoyed it more than the other two, and I enjoyed it more than Kate. I also added some heat with chili flakes. I love sweet and spicy together.

Cost Breakdown:

lentils: $1.25

sweet potato: $1.50

broccoli: $ 2

onion, garlic, spices: $1

pita: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.75

Curried Red Lentils and Sweet Potato Recipe

root vegetable shepherd's pie with whipped parsnip-potato

European Night

Is it just my kids or do all kids and root vegetables not get along? Is it something in their genes?? Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this variation of Shepherd's Pie, with sweet potatoes, adzuki beans, turnips, carrots and peas, but the kids...well, didn't. I bet they will when they get older. I've learned that children actually are very sensitive to certain taste profiles, especially bitter. My job, as I see it, is to keep exposing their juvenile taste buds to different flavors, and let them figure it out later.

Mission accomplished tonight.

Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie Recipe 

braised sweet potato and cauliflower

Braising the vegetables in tomato puree and orange marmalade certainly gave this dish its flavor profile. Adding the black-eyed peas was a good touch because it balanced out the sweetness of the marmalade with some earthiness of the peas. Overall it was pretty good; very easy to make, too - the whole thing took about 20 minutes. I served it with a hearty whole grain slice of bread.

Maybe not a make-again-please-mommy-dish, but definitely worth making it at least once.