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Friday, November 6, 2015

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for early November


Friday
Pumpkin-Peanut-Black Bean Burger patties topped with curried mayonnaise
*oven-roasted white and purple potatoes
*fresh tomatoes
*fresh pears
*blackberry-rhubarb crisp for dessert


Saturday
chili with beef
homemade whole wheat French bread
*fruit salad (using up odds and ends of fresh fruit on hand)
popcorn balls


Sunday
corn souffle -- using frozen corn instead of canned, with green peppers as an add-in, and chicken pan drippings (from freezer) from roasting chicken legs, as part of the liquid for extra flavor
roasted acorn squash (mashed with butter, cinnamon and pinch of salt)
fresh oranges
leftover French bread
*leftover blackberry-rhubarb crisp


Monday
*turkey pot pie (with frozen turkey in stock, garden Swiss chard, garden beet greens, garden potatoes, onions, carrots, frozen peas and greens beans, under a scratch crust)
leftover roasted acorn squash
leftover popcorn balls


Tuesday
leftover Pumpkin-Peanut-Black Bean Burger patties, topped with
*fresh tomato slices and homemade 1000 Island dressing
brown rice (cooked in chicken stock, with minced onions and garlic, for extra flavor)
*kale and onions, sauteed in sausage fat from freezer
*applesauce from the freezer


Wednesday
turkey-bean burritos -- using frozen turkey, cooked in tomato juice and spices, along with refried black beans, chopped green pepper, black olives and diced tomatoes, in homemade flour tortillas
*apple, pear, dried cranberry and chopped almond salad (dressing made of mayonnaise and jelly)
frozen corn

Thursday (easy night, I'll be out in the afternoon)
homemade pizza from the freezer -- cheese and olive on homemade half and half whole wheat flour/white flour crust
fresh oranges
frozen green beans



As I was taking photos, I was noticing how much of each plate is covered in fruits or vegetables. some dinners are more so than others. It's a good way to ensure that no matter what else we ate that day, we are getting a full complement of fruits and veggies through our dinners. Seems to work for us.

The Pumpkin-Peanut-Black Bean Burger patties were a huge hit, and will be repeated. I used chunky-style peanut butter, which gave the patties an extra crunch.

And I love pot pies! I never do a bottom crust, as it just gets soggy. But there is something about that taste of top crust, along with a bite of gravy that makes my heart swoon! I'm in love. As much as I love summer berries and vine-ripe tomatoes, the comfort foods of autumn steal my heart every fall.

There is a lot of turkey in our menus these days. I thought it would be best if we finished off last year's turkey leftovers (in the freezer) before I added new turkey leftovers. I have a container of turkey in stock, thawing right now in the fridge, for a pot of Turkey Minestrone Soup for tonight's dinner.

What was the most delicious thing you ate this past week?

19 comments:

  1. Those meals look delicious. We also love pot pie at our house. Chicken pot pie is the kids' favorite but they do love the bottom crust. Mine doesn't turn soggy though it's not crispy like the top crust. I also like burgers without buns but with plenty of toppings. To make curry mayonnaise is it plain curry or do you put it in the fry pan for a quick fry to release or activate the curry? I've never tried 100- island on a burger but that sounds awesome. Your kale/onion would be delicious under a fried egg for a quick breakfast.

    Have a great weekend!

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      Thank you.
      The curry mayonnaise is simply curry powder, mayo and a bit of vinegar to thin. Very tasty with the Pumpkin-Peanut-Black Bean Burgers. I often make frittata with kale, onion, garlic and egg, so kale/onion under a fried egg sounds very tasty.

      Have a great weekend yourself, Alice!

      Delete
  2. Every night, a different assortment of entree and sides,,, oh my, we only hope to eat this well when we're stuck eating out on a trip. Your family is very, very fortunate!!

    I like trying different ingredients in bean patties, and made a similar sweet potato (canned)/green olives variation. I liked it. Pumpkin/peanut sounds good too and got your thumbs up!!

    The best tasting dish we had this past week was my husband's bean patty. He doesn't mind making it, using the food processor. I don't know what he did differently but it was the best I've ever tasted. He didn't add any eggs and said he just made it the same way. Hmmm just varying the ingredients slightly must have made all the difference. Other than that, we're trying to use up the pantry so my husband made a lentil chili with tofu, that was also good. Many nights of that.

    Have a nice and restful weekend!!

    YHF

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi YHF,
      Lentil chili with tofu sounds tasty. I love how tofu takes on any flavor it is cooked with.

      It is funny how just a small variance in one recipe can produce such a change in the finished product. Or in reverse, when you forget one seasoning, the dish really tastes off.

      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  3. My best tasting food this week is going to be the pumpkin pie that's still baking; my absolute favorite! I had one last pie crust that i froze last year that i figured should be used before i make more. I don't usually keep food frozen that long, but it seems okay. We'll be out of town over Thanksgiving, so we'll eat pie sooner rather than later!
    I second the opinion of anon; Great menu!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi momsav,
      pumpkin pie is among my favorite fall foods. I hope you are enjoying yours this weekend! And did the pie crust taste as good, having been in the freezer for so long? I have a package of frozen pears, from 2 summers ago, still in the freezer. It's the oldest thing in there. I'll probably use it pureed in smoothies, or for jello liquid.

      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  4. I wouldn't be surprised if your recipe is "a little of this, a little of that until it Looks right", but if you do have a recipe for the peanut-bean burgers I'd love for you to post it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi frugal spinster,
      It was sort of a on the fly recipe creation. But here's the essence of it.

      For about 3 to 4 cups of black beans, I used 1 egg, 2 slices of bread, torn, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (natural style, no sugar), 1/2 tsp. salt, dash chili powder, cumin (maybe 1/2 tsp), 1/3 to 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, lots of garlic granules, maybe 1 to 2 teaspoons, and whole wheat flour at the end, to thicken the mixture enough to pat into shape (they were a bit wet utting them into the frying pan). I think that was it. I fried them in saved sausage fat, for flavor. It made 13 patties, I think. So it was a big batch.

      What was so good about them is the peanut butter was from the bottom of the jar, where it is thickest, so there were chunks of peanut butter in the patties, here and there, with a surprise of peanut taste. And the outside had more of a crispy crust than usual. The blend of flavors was good.

      Delete
  5. I haven't had lunch yet and boy, am I hungry after reading your menu. I think some kind of pot pie is coming up on our menu soon. I love two crusts one even if the bottom is soggy. I just love pie crust. However, I often make a Shepherd's Pie with mashed potatoes on the top to make it a little healthier for us. (No one here is trying to gain weight.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      Shepherd's Pie hasn't been on our menu in a long time. I'll have to add that soon. It would be delicious with after Thanksgiving leftovers. Thanks for suggesting that!

      Delete
  6. Yum your dinners look wonderful. :) i made chicken pot pie for dinner tonight.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patti,
      Sounds yummy! I do think chicken makes a better tasting/texture pot pie than turkey.

      Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

      Delete
  7. Without a doubt, my favorite discovery was a creamy Alfredo-like pasta sauce made of cauliflower with no dairy! It was so delicious I actually drank some out of my measuring cup. I used it on pasta with broccoli, as a base for pizza, instead of marinara, and I plan to try making scalloped potatoes with the remainder. It is out of this world!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mrs. Armstrong,
      Oh that does sound delicious, and dairy-free is always a plus for me! I am guessing there is lots of garlic in it? What a great way to sneak an extra veggie into each meal, too!

      Delete
  8. Lili,
    Do you have a recipe for pie crust on your blog I can not seem to find mine?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patti,
      As luck would have it, I've got a post written up for Monday with my pie crust recipe! If I can get it finished, I'll post it later today instead of Monday.

      Delete
  9. All of your dinners look so good, Lili. :) I love a good pot pie, but feel like I don't have the time thru the week to make one. That would be a weekend thing for me. One night this week I browned some hamburger and used some Campbell's beefy mushroom soup over it and served that over mashed potatoes. Everyone liked it so much that I am going to make it for dinner again tonight. It's a stay at home day today, and I am loving it. Hope you have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ooh that home whole wheat french bread looks so good! Well it all does, but especially that bread, can you tell I have a bread thing?
    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete

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