Last week I sent out a call for advice on making my meal plans simpler, faster, and easier, and that call was answered with everything from tips to techniques to recipes to cookbooks. A visiting friend came over and while we made Gluten-Free Goddess’s yummy, elaborate Best Vegan Mac and Cheese I made her tell me in detail about the not-elaborate meals she makes. (My favorite, utterly doable one was steam rice in the rice cooker, throw in some broccoli towards the end, then top with Annie’s Green Goddess dressing. I immediately bought myself some Goddess dressing – the vegan version of Green Goddess – at Rainbow. That’s the kind of simplicity + yumminess I’m looking for!)
Christiana from The Harmonious Kitchen, another great CSA blog, recommended Jack Bishop’s A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. I went to check it out on Amazon, which of course then led me down a merry path to other cookbooks that “people also viewed/bought/sighed over/etc.” When I came across a cookbook called Vegan Express, by Nava Atlas, I had to order it from the library immediately. I picked it up earlier this week and it did not disappoint! I already have a billion little paper scraps marking most of the pages. So this week’s menu is almost entirely express-lane recipes from Vegan Express, and I’m pretty excited about maybe having a more low-key week of cooking!
I’ll get my CSA box on Wednesday which is timely because I’m nearly out of fresh produce. Tuesday’s meal is going to be all pantry and freezer ingredients because, except for onions and garlic (and the stockpile of celery I’ve amassed from my box), I’m going to be completely out. Getting to peek ahead to what will arrive on Wednesday is such a boon – I have my Vegan Express meals all planned out to match what will be coming. Later in the week I’ll also be making a definitely not-express batch of GF Goddess sweet potato and black bean enchiladas because they are so good that I must have them again immediately!
Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas with adobo sauce
This week Cheryl of Gluten Free Goodness, who organizes the GF Menu Swap, is also hosting, with the theme of kale. If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know how passionate I am about kale. Before I went back to getting my CSA box I had kale several times a week, and I do miss it now that I am trying to stick to what comes in my box and is at the farmer’s market. I bought some gorgeous Russian kale at Rainbow, however, and will be making a very yummy sounding skillet meal from Vegan Express. For a simple and delicious kale preparation, I recommend Kale with Kale Sauce, which Duck invented and which will be the gold-standard go-to kale recipe forever and ever.
More vegan menu plans can often be found at Your Vegan Mom, Musings from the Fishbowl, and Two Vegan Boys and Beyond Rice and Tofu plans her menus vegetarian and gluten-free. And as always you can find a heaping serving of menu plans (mostly not vegan and GF) over at OrgJunkie‘s Menu Plan Monday compendium!
Monday
Tempeh, kale, and sweet potato skillet with cashews (Vegan Express p 74)
Tuesday
Baked beans and white beans with tempeh bacon and spinach (a riff on Vegan Express p 103, using frozen spinach)
GF Cornbread (from Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook? haven’t decided yet which recipe to use)
Wednesday (defrost coconut milk)
Aloo Gobhi with Klamath pearl potatoes, cauliflower and tofu (Vegan Express 61)
Basmati coconut rice
Thursday
Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas (put a bit of soy cream cheese in each enchilada)
Green salad with butter lettuce and vinaigrette (Vegan Express p 221)
Friday
Bok choy, edamame, cashew and orange rice (Vegan Express p 83, use mandarin oranges)
Sauteed tofu (Vegan Express p 62)
Saturday
Pasta “Carbonara” with broccoli (Vegan Express p 132)
Green salad with butter lettuce and vinaigrette (Vegan Express p 221)
Sunday
Leftovers!
In My Box 
I have never had Green Goddess dressing, now I want to try it. That reminded me that an easy-peasy meal is to put some black beans and salsa in with the rice while it’s cooking.
That sounds great! Warm up some corn tortillas and call it dinner!
I am book marking those black bean and sweet potato enchiladas. They sound great – and look great too.
Oh they are amazing!
Yummy!
I love Karina’s sweet potato and black bean enchiladas.
My husband and I recently had some green goddess dressing out at a restaurant and I have seen a recipe for it. I may have to try making that one.
And I added the Vegan Express cookbook to my half.com wishlist!! So keep up the reviews of the recipes in there, I may buy it!
Glad you are focusing on the simple stuff this week. I am going to do a mix of simple and complicated next weekend. We went to the international market here in town and now I have some yummy new things to try.
Ooh, new international treats! Always such a pantry party! And I know, aren’t those enchiladas amazing? I have been dreaming of them!
If I don’t remember to give my report on Vegan Express, please give me a nudge. I’ve already made a couple of recipes and have some thoughts on the book, but I want to wait until I’ve tried a wider range before commenting on it. So far, so good, though.
Those enchiladas are delish. I noticed you made a red sauce for them instead of the green chile sauce? That looks yummy.
I made a red sauce for them because I didn’t have enough green chiles, but I happened to have a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It was very yummy, if by yummy you mean “So insanely hot I went through an entire box of chocolate Rice Dream trying to calm the fires in my mouth.” I mean, it was also yummy, but I will *not* be making that substitution again!
glad you love kale, too. maybe you can grow some to supplement your box? and the kale with kale sauce sounds yummy. you can’t go wrong with kale, garlic and lemon.
I am just terrible at growing things and keeping growing things alive. I had six houseplants that my ex-boyfriend left behind when he moved out. Six years later I’m down to two… I feel so guilty! I just don’t have an affinity for plants. Someday I’ll get Farm Princess to move back in and plant a garden in my back yard, and then there will be kale for all! (And maybe I’ll finally learn how to garden.)
[…] Scrumptious joins us with yet another yummy GF vegan meal plan. She has kale with kale sauce on the line up. And she’s looking for suggestions for the balance of easy and simple healthy eating. […]
Oh my. Those black bean sweet potato enchiladas made my heart skip a beat. I will definitely be visiting that recipe in the near future!
Found you at org junkie. New follower. 🙂 Love your blog.
Welcome, Michelle! I’m so glad to see everyone getting jazzed about the sweet potato enchiladas. They are incredible! Karina (the gluten free goddess) is an incredible recipe-crafter. Everything I’ve made from her blog has been a total winner.
Thanks for the shout-out! Glad the rabbit hole led somewhere wonderful!
Yum! Those enchiladas…makes me think about adding some to next week’s plan! I totally forgot to add other links this week, sillyfish! I won’t forget next week, though. We meal planners need to stick together!
And I to am passionate about kale! Yum!
I remember when Green Goddess dressing was all the rage before Ranch came along. I will have to give Aunt Annie’s a try.
Ditto with the enchiladas. I haven’t made those in a long time, but your picture inspires me to add them to a menu in the near future. Unless the heat and humidity in Virginia drives us to cold salads every night .