How to eat home cooked every day

Many families probably rely heavily on take out and/or frozen meals. That's fine on occasion, but it is costly and unhealthy to do on a day to day basis. I'm not a strict menu planner, but I do plan. It's all about always have options at hand that are prepared and ready to heat up or eat cold, or the right ingredients for a quick main course. Every week, I plan on having at least one day of marathon cooking, followed by several days of producing one or two easy dishes.

First, let me explain that by marathon cooking I am not referring to Thanksgiving meal type cooking. I just mean dishes of higher level of difficulty or time to produce. These dishes are usually made on a larger scale and then stored in both the refrigerator and freezer. For example, about once a month I will made a large batch of vegan black bean burgers that immediately make there way into the freezer. Other times, I'l make a casserole or soup. When  have a huge score at the produce market (big sales!) I might make two or three dishes to ensure that all elements are used before the turn brown in my fridge.

Beyond marathon cooking, my daily meal prep might include a quick stir fry, roasted potatoes or a special salad. There is always a garden salad on hand. We eat by choosing any of the elements in the freezer or fridge along with the fresh dish I prepared, if any. This style of feeding my family frees me up from cooking an entire meal every and gives us all the freedom to eat what we want (we don't have to eat the same thing).

Following is  a sample menu of what we might have on hand and the fresh meals I might make any given week. This, of course, changes by season.

• Black bean burgers
• Squash casserole
• Rice stir fry
• roasted eggplant salad
• Cabbage and beet salad
• Greek salad
• Split pea soup
• Vegetarian bean stew
• Carrot squash soup
• Quinoa stir fry
• Boiled or roasted potatoes
• Vegetarian burritos
• Whole wheat pizza
• Dirty rice
• Vegetarian chili

The right tools: What every vegetarian household needs

It's important to have the right tools for the job. Having top notch stuff has made my job easier. I only vaguely recall trying to chop salads at lightning speed with dull knives. In order to truly share my recipes I need to share the tools of the trade.

Following are some of my most often used tools. All were used in the making of the Carrot Squash soup.

1. Awesome cutting board. This one is from Epicurean and is dishwasher friendly!
2. Santoku knife. I use this knife for EVERYTHING! Sharp and perfect! Pretty much every brand is great. This is a wustof.
3. Peelers: Carrot/Potato and large peeler. This is the most awesome carrot peeler. I bought it at a "as seen on tv" section at the flea market and it never fails me. The larger peeler is from WilliamsSonoma and peels the tough skin of butternut squash like it is actually butter!

Souper Meal: Carrot Squash Soup

Around here I am the queen of soups. Maybe it's because my family loves them, or maybe it's because I love to make them. I have a few standard recipes that I have perfected and made in variations (depending on what we have, or what we want). Some days I'll make 3 or 4 soups and divvy them out into good containers, label and pop in the freezer. These sustain us for a while and it means a variety is always available with little to no effort.

One of my favorites is a carrot and butternut squash soup. I make a spicy ginger variation and a sweet orange chowder variation (not really oranges and not really chowder). It's so easy to make and everyone will think you are a pro.

Recipe and Instructions
2 lbs carrots
2 1/2- 3lbs of butternut squash
1 large or 2 small onions (yellow or white, it's all preference)
4 cloves of garlic
sprig of fresh cilantro
3 tsp kosher salt (potentially more, to taste)
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp Jamaican all spice
2 tsp coriander

1 tsp tarragon
1 pinch of cardamom seeds (ground is fine, about 1 tsp)
2 tbs olive or canola oil
Optional: fresh ginger, hot pepper, red pepper flakes

• Peel and chop squash and carrots
• Cut onion, peel garlic
• Wash cilantro

• Put approximately 2 tbs olive oil in a a heavy bottom soup pot on medium heat and then drop in onions and garlic
• Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions appear translucent and then add in the carrots, squash and cilantro

Sauteed onions and garlic

• Drop in seasonings and add a drizzle of oil if you feel necessary
• Stir periodically and let saute for about 10 minutes

The whole mess 

• Add 6 cups water and cover the pot
• Allow to boil and then lower heat
• Allow to simmer for 20 minutes

Getting Closer...

• Cool down the pot and puree
• Serve with a bit of fresh cilantro on top and, if you like, a dollop of yogurt

Pureed and ready to eat. So yummy!!!

Intro: Feeding a Family

Feeding a family a four is tough, no matter what you eat or who you are. Keeping it healthy is significantly tougher, particularly if you live vegetarian. It would be so easy to pop some toast on a plate, slather with some veggie or cheese topping and finish with a side of salad or some other carb-loaded dish. I've been there. In my twenties, filling my plate with carbs was not an issue. It all seemed to balance out with my mean metabolism and active lifestyle. Not so much after thirty.

Fat thighs and belly aside, I want to eat healthier, be healthier and live longer. Knowledge, wisdom and access to information on the internet (thank you!) has made me realize that keeping it green is the way to go. I have been a vegetarian for most of my life adding the occasional fish as I got older, but my husband is only a recent convert, as is the decision to keep our twin boys meat free.

So, cooking and feeding is a daily challenge here. I try to keep it fresh and informal. That means a large variety of prepared, homemade foods ready to warm up in both the fridge and freezer. I want to share my journey and tried and true recipes. Enjoy.