Thanksgiving is still 3 weeks away but I am super excited already! This will be my 3rd Thanksgiving as a vegetarian and I finally feel like I am getting the hang of it. The first year I think I ate mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and felt like I was missing out. But last year I stepped it up a little and made a curry and a vegetable gratin both of which were really good! This year I am planning on making a bunch of different things so we have tons of leftovers- which is the best part of Thanksgiving!
This is my tentative list of things I would like to make this year…
Quinoa Pilaf
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh peas
2 cups vegetable broth
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup finely diced carrots
1/4 cup chopped red onions
Rinse quinoa and drain it well. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add peas, carrots, and red onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Stir in quinoa and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until the skillet gets dry.
In a separate pan, heat vegetable broth to a simmer. Add hot broth, salt and pepper to the skillet. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until quinoa is tender.
Skillet Macaroni and Broccoli and Mushrooms and Cheese (Adapted from “Real Food Has Curves”)
4 ounces grated Cheddar
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
6 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups low-fat or fat-free milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced tarragon leaves or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces dried whole-wheat pasta shells (not the large ones for stuffing), cooked and drained according to the package instructions
4 cups small broccoli florets, cooked in boiling water for 1 minute (broccoli can be added to the pasta during the last minute of cooking, then drained with the pasta in a colander)
1. Mix the Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large, high-sided, oven-safe skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and it comes to a simmer, and then reduces by about two-thirds, about 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir well to coat.
5. Whisk in the milk in a steady, thin stream until creamy. Then whisk in the mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to bubble and the liquid thickens, about 3 minutes.
6. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in three-quarters of the mixed cheeses until smooth. Then stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli.
7. Preheat the broiler after setting the rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the ingredients in the skillet. Set the skillet on the rack and broil until light browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes. (If your skillet has a plastic or wooden handle, make sure it sticks outside the oven, out from under the broiler, so the handle doesn’t melt.) Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before dishing up.
Yield: Makes six side-dish servings.
For instance, this week I have a bag of shrimp in the freezer so that is the main component of one meal already. I also have a ton of frozen vegetables in my freezer and one of my favorite ways to use them up is so throw them in the crock pot and make a curry sauce to go with them.
After I make my list I head to Aldi’s. Some Aldi’s have different layouts and some are bigger than others but the main things that I have notice about all Aldi’s is they are all clean, well organized, and well stocked. That is more than I can say for most other grocery stores.
Contrary to popular belief Aldi’s carries that same items week to week unlike close out grocery store which only sells close out items in limited quantities. I have been buying the same fit and active brand string cheese for about 100 weeks in a row (Jason loves them!).
Here is all of my food when I got home! I usually don’t by this much snack/processed food but we have been in the snack mood lately so I picked up some tortilla chips and toasted ravioli’s.
Miss Becomes Mrs 
