Vegetarian Freezer-Friendly Meals

freezer friendly meals

I’m preparing to go to Israel for a couple of weeks for a work conference. So in addition to preparing for the big conference, I’m also preparing the house and the family for my being gone for two weeks. I know that the house can run without me, but I panic. I’ve been gone for a week before, but never two! My husband isn’t a bad cook, but he is limited in the kitchen and has limited time for recipes. I decided that I needed to come up with a food plan ahead of time. I began planning a month in advance. I set aside my Sundays for cooking and freezing a few dishes to ensure that my kids would not be feasting on ramen and Wacky Mac each night. Mind you, they’d be thrilled with those options. I just want some more nutritious options in their bellies. I also wanted to make it easy on my babysitter. A simple reheat makes things uncomplicated. Everything is properly wrapped and labeled. All that needs to be done is a quick chopped salad and dinner is done!

Here are some of the dishes I already have ready to go:

French Onion Soup | Carrot Ginger Soup | Moroccan Lentil Soup | White Bean and Kale Soup | Split Pea Soup | Vegetarian Chili | Vegetable and Black Bean Burritos | Mushroom and Onion Quiche | Baked Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese | Eggplant Pasta Bake | Homemade Pizza Bagels | Veggie Burgers | Veggie Meatballs and Sauce | Quesadilla Pie | Quinoa and Chickpea Loaf | Lentil Sloppy Joes

*Please let me know if you’d like me to post he recipes to any of the above dishes that aren’t already linked
and I will try to make them a future feature.

P.S. If you have any great foodie suggestions in Israel, let me know in the comments below!

While trying to come up with my own menu plan, I sought out some help from many of my foodie friends. Sharing some fantastic ideas with you here! Do you have a favorite freezer-friendly dish? Share them in the comments below.

Soups:

Roasted Winter Vegetable Chowder – Kitchen Treaty

Crockpot Pumpkin Red Lentil Chili – Kitchen Treaty

Slow-Cooked Split Pea Soup – This American Bite

Carrot Soup with Coconut Milk – JewHungry

Roasted Red Pepper Soup – Tales of an Overtime Cook

Main Dishes:

Baked Falafel  – May I Have That Recipe

Pretzel and Cashew Crusted Tofu – May I Have That Recipe

Crepe Lasagna – Because I Like Chocolate

Green Mac & Cheese – The Kosher Foodies

Whole Wheat Cabbage & Mushroom Galette – The Kosher Foodies

Peas and Shells with Vegan Alfredo – JewHungry

Eggplant Casserole – EverydayMaven

Asparagus, Dill & Onion Egg Casserole – EverydayMaven

Sides:

Broccoli Kugel Muffins – Tales of an Overtime Cook

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

As I walked in to my local kosher store, I eyed the big zucchinis in crates in the entry way. At 49 cents a pound, I had to toss a few in my cart.

I usually just chop up some zucchini in to a dish – for the most part, it becomes an afterthought. I find that I often use it as a way to stretch a recipe. I decided that I wanted the zucchini to shine tonight. I had never made stuffed zucchini before. I think the last time I ate one was back in summer camp. I didn’t have fond memories. I knew I could top the vegetarian menu at camp. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out.

Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:



2 large zucchini
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 package of cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 package of soy italian sausage, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped well
thyme
basil
oregano
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, powder or shredded, plus two tablespoons
1/2 cup bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs, plus two tablespoons (can use gluten free option)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash the outside of the zucchini well.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the insides of the zucchini. Chop the zucchini pulp and set aside.  There should be a 1/4-inch layer of skin all around. Be careful not to puncture the skin.

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Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in over for around 10-12 minutes.

While the zucchini shells are baking, prepare the stuffing.

In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil and butter.

Add in your spices.

Add the soy sausage and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add in the chopped zucchini pulp and the chopped tomatoes.

Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Stir in the cheeses and the bread crumbs, reserving the two tablespoons of each.

Taste the mixture now. Add salt if necessary.

Scoop the mixture in to the zucchini shells.

Sprinkle on the remaining bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

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Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven up to broil and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Bread crumbs and cheese should look a little toasted.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

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Vegetable Jalfrezi

Everyone knows I have a special love for curries. Another curry that I discovered on the fly is vegetable jalfrezi. It’s mixed vegetables in a curry, creamy tomato sauce. A bit sweet and spicy. Always good. It’s one of those dishes that is pretty forgiving. I like to call it my “kitchen sink” curry. Use whatever is on hand with the spice mixture and you are good to go. As I cook the dish, I love to marvel at all of the wonderful colos of the vegetables. So pretty! It’s a mild curry, so it is very family friendly in this house.

Vegetable Jalfrezi
Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
1/2 bag of chopped cabbage
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 container mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 can of chickpeas (I used white beans since I needed to use them up)
handful of green beans, cut in to 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup peas
chili powder (optional)
juice of one lemon
butter
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp curry paste
salt – to taste
In a large pan, saute the onion with the garlic and the ginger for a few minutes in some ghee or butter. Add in a bit of salt.  
Add in the other veggies to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl stir the curry paste with the yogurt and the lemon juice. 
Once the veggies are cooked, add in the tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes.
Add the curry paste mixture to the vegetable mixture. Cook for another 10 minutes. The mixture should be saucy, but not too saucy. If there is too much liquid in there, cook for a few minutes to let the liquid boil off.

Add salt and chili powder to taste.

Serve the vegetable jalfrezi over some steamed Basmati rice.

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Enjoy!
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