Happy Sunday! Before we jump into this week’s menu, just wanted you to know that I have finally created a separate Instagram account for This Week for Dinner, where I will share the blog and podcast content (including the weekly menu), delicious food and more. If you are on Instagram, I would love for you to come follow along! Click here or search thisweekfordinner on Instagram. Thank you! And now this week’s dinner plans:

MONDAY:
– Eat out night (we’re going to the SD Zoo Safari Park all day!)

TUESDAY:
– Carnitas Tacos

WEDNESDAY:
– Leftovers

THURSDAY:
– Stuffed Peppers (going to use ground turkey instead of beef)

FRIDAY:
– Tuscan Tomato Soup
– Prager Brothers Bread grilled cheese sandwiches

SATURDAY:
– Leftovers

SUNDAY:
– Homemade Pizza – Margherita and Honey Goat Cheese w/Caramelized Onions

The biggest reason this weekly menu is awesome is because of all your comments each week. Please share your menus below! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got on the docket in the kitchen this week!

It’s Friday Show and Tell time!

This Week for Dinner is on Instagram!

So, my blog turned 12 last week. I totally forgot about the blog’s birthday, so, you know, Happy Birthday, Blog! Good job on 12 years and all that. Anyway, I’ve been on Instagram forever but have never focused exclusively on food content because, well, Instagram was sort of my happy place where I did whatever I wanted. It still is, but I have finally pulled the trigger and got This Week for Dinner going on Instagram. I would love love love it if you want to follow me over there. I’ll share content from the blog as well as the podcast (which will be starting up again soon!), the weekly menu and great food! The handle is simply @thisweekfordinner.

Recent Podcast Recommendations

Two of my favorite podcasts had some great episodes lately talking about plant-based food. They’re really well done and super interesting, so I definitely want to share them with you!

Science Vs

I love Science Vs, it’s a delightful science podcast by Gimlet media and the host Wendy Zukerman is one of my favorites. Anyway, they recently did an episode about vegan diets, looking at different vegan and anti-vegan claims (like vegans are better for the environment and you need cow’s milk to be healthy) to figure out what was true. You can listen to the episode here: Vegans: Are They Right?

But what I really want to share is the follow up episode about milk alternatives, or shmilks as Wendy calls them. It’s a super short episode that looks at the environmental impact of soy, almond, oat and cow’s milks. At the end of the episode, my 11-year-old Anna said, “Well, it looks like probably our whole family should start using your oat milk, huh, Mom?” You can listen to the episode here: Soy, Almond, Oat Milks: Are They Udder Bull?

Freakonomics

Freakonomics is another of my favorite podcasts. Their recent episode The Future of Meat is fascinating and great food for thought. Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods, is interviewed extensively and he has really thoughtful ways of looking at the future of food and meat production. (Fun fact: my husband Nate’s company synthesized DNA for Impossible when they were developing their ground beef product. Cool, huh?)

That’s all for today! And, as always, show and tell is for the whole class! Feel free to share whatever you want in the comments below!  

As part of my new year’s resolution to focus more on plant-based eating, I promised you I would share all kinds of tips and ideas throughout the year. Today is the first of these posts, which I will call “Plant-Based Eating Hacks.” A bigger focus on plant-based eating doesn’t mean you have to go vegan, but those of us who aren’t vegan or vegetarian are often unfamiliar with the great options out there for plant-based eating. Let’s explore those options together! Today we’re going to start with a classic dessert we all know and love: ice cream. Yep, we’re talking about non-dairy, plant-based ice cream with nary a drop of cream in sight!

Three years ago I had the chance to travel to Vermont to visit the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters. It was ridiculously cold, I had a 5-hour flight delay in Chicago and I discovered on this trip that I have sacroiliac dysfunction (which basically just means excruciating pain). Despite all the cards stacked against me and the fact that I hobbled about like a 150-year-old woman addicted to ibuprofen, it was hands down one of the most fun trips I’ve ever been on. We toured the factory (including the production floor!), ate ice cream straight from the production line, and even got to create our own new ice cream flavors in the test kitchens. The experience was unforgettable. Ben & Jerry’s hosted this media trip as part of their non-dairy frozen dessert product launch. I was the only writer on the trip who was not vegan. At the time I was a full-fledged dairy consumer and knew very little about veganism, quite frankly. But I walked away from the trip with two things. First, really wonderful vegan friends who were open and ready to teach me in the least-judgy way imaginable. Second, a love for non-dairy, plant-based ice cream.

Why Non-Dairy, Plant-Based Ice Cream?

Here’s the thing: you totally do not need cream to make good ice cream. I know, it sounds like crazy talk. But since I cut dairy a year ago, I can attest to the fact that my non-dairy, plant-based ice cream options have left me completely happy and not missing “real” ice cream at all. And, as we learned in my plant-based eating kick-off post, cows are a huge drain on the environment. Eating red meat and dairy makes for a reeeeeealllllllyyyyyy big carbon footprint. If you can sub out that dairy with something equally delicious, why wouldn’t you?

I’m going to share two great non-dairy, plant-based ice cream options that I love with you today. And then I’m going to ask you all to share your own favorites in the comments! Let’s make this the best collection of plant-based ice cream recommendations around!

Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts

As I mentioned, about three years ago Ben & Jerry’s launched their non-dairy frozen desserts line. At the time I believe there were 4 flavors, but today the line has expanded to 11 flavors (and I’m sure it will keep growing). All of Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy frozen desserts are made with an almond milk base (which is delicious, btw) and are certified vegan.

And since I have yet to write about that trip from many moons ago, I have to share some pictures with you.

Pictured: Top – Shots of the Ben & Jerry’s factory floor in Burlington, VT; Middle – Ice cream straight off the line; Bottom – Product testing for quality control

Pictured: The Ben & Jerry’s test kitchen where they develop new flavor – we had the chance to create our own non-dairy frozen dessert flavors. My partner Becky from Glue & Glitter (bottom left) and I decided our ice cream should be called “Beck & Janey’s.” Aren’t we clever?

Salt & Straw Vegan Ice Creams

Salt & Straw is a Portland, Oregon-based ice cream shop that that serves unique and quirky ice creams that taste amazing. They have started to expand to other states and the kids and I recently visited their Anaheim location. Salt & Straw has made a commitment to make 20% of their product line plant-based by the first of of this year. From what I recall on my last visit, their non-dairy ice creams are all made with a coconut milk base.

My 7-year-old meat eater son Owen is very resistant to my plant-based food changes, so when he happened to pick one of the vegan flavors at Salt & Straw, I just kept my mouth shut. I only let him know his ice cream was vegan after he was done eating. He looked shocked and then just laughed. If you can fool Owen, you can fool anyone.

I know not everyone has access to Salt & Straw, but when you visit your favorite ice cream shops, keep an eye out for non-dairy options! Last summer the kids and I visited Honeycomb Creamery in Cambridge, MA. They had a few vegan options, including an ice cream made with a cashew milk base, which was divine. I’m telling you, now is the time be alive if you’re wanting to eat more plant-based foods. The trend will only continue and these ice cream companies are proving that plant-based ice cream can be done in a truly delicious way.

Tell Us Your Favorite Non-Dairy, Plant-Based Ice Cream Brands!

Now that I’ve shared a couple favorites, it’s time for you to fess up! Tell us your most favorite non-dairy, plant-based ice cream brands and flavors in the comments below!

Vegan Bloggers I Met at Ben & Jerry’s. These blogs are fantastic resources for plant-based eating!  

• Becky from Glue & Glitter
• Cadry from Cadry’s Kitchen
• Jenné from Sweet Potato Soul
• Melissa from My Whole Food Life
• Hannah from My Sweet Vegan
• Carmella & Carlo from The Food Duo
• Madeline from The Collegiate Vegan
• Rika & Doni from Vegan Miam

Last month I visited my Aunt Sue. Sue had to change to a gluten-free diet many years ago due to some health issues. She is an excellent cook with an even more excellent attitude and has navigated cooking without gluten in the most delicious way. Also, she is my own personal treasure trove of tips, product recommendations and recipes now that I can’t eat wheat.  While visiting her I stole several of her recipes (okay, she gave me the recipes, no stealing happened, stealing just sounds more exciting). One recipe was for her gluten-free chicken gumbo, which she served while we were visiting. I ate a lot of that gumbo. For dinner. Then breakfast. Then dinner again. Then I came home and have made it twice in the last month.

Sue lived in New Orleans and knows her Louisiana cuisine. She originally found this gumbo recipe on the back of a package of Chef Paul Prudhomme smoked meat. The recipe she shared with me is straight from the package and she’s been cooking it for years. Since going gluten-free she started using her favorite gluten-free flour (Namaste Perfect Flour Blend) and it works like a charm. It works so well you would never be able to tell the difference. You can, of course, use regular all-purpose wheat flour if you do not need to cut wheat or gluten.

I have added my own notes as well as Sue’s input in the directions below. This gluten-free chicken gumbo has andouille sausage and tasso, but there are several suggestions for meat substitutions if you can’t find either of those.

Gluten-Free Chicken Gumbo with Tasso and Andouille Sausage

 

Print

Recipe originally from a Chef Paul Prudhomme package. Modified for gluten free and with our own notes included.

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• MEAT:
• 1 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (shrimp, pork or okra can be substituted)
• ½ pound tasso ham (or smoked ham like Cure 81; Jane note - I used smoked ham hocks from the butcher)
• ½ pound Andouille smoked sausage (or smoked Kielbasa; Sue note - it's worth finding Andouille sausage and should be pretty readily available everywhere, the original recipe listed smoked kielbasa as an alternative, but Sue says no way, stick with Andouille!)
• 1 cup finely chopped onions (Jane note: I used ½ cup)
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots (this is a Jane addition because I had carrots AND tons of cajun recipes start with mire poix (onion/celery/carrot), so I felt good about the modification)
• ROUX:
• ¾ cup gluten-free one-for-one flour (like Namaste Perfect Blend or King Arthur GF AP Flour) OR ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup oil, preferably sunflower, peanut or other high temperature cooking oil (Sue uses avocado oil; Jane note - I used BUTTER! woohoo!)
• SEASONINGS:
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley, lightly crushed in palm of hand
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne and depending on desired heat level)
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried sweet basil
• STOCK:
• 6-7 cups canned low sodium chicken stock

Instructions

1. Cut chicken, tasso and andouille into bite-sized pieces and set aside in separate bowls.
2. Combine finely chopped onions, green bell pepper, celery and carrots (if using) in a single bowl. (Jane note: I just chop them and keep them on the cutting board to save on washing an extra bowl.)
3. Heat chicken stock in separate sauce pan until nearly boiling.
4. In large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Using a long-handled whisk, slowly add flour one tablespoon at a time until completely combined. Cook, whisking constantly, until roux is dark red-brown to dark brown in color, about 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to scorch or burn the roux – watch it carefully and whisk, whisk, whisk! (Jane note: I do this step in a big soup pot, again to save on washing dishes.)
5. Once the roux reaches desired color, remove from skillet and transfer to large stock pot at a slightly lower heat. (If you just cook the roux in the soup pot to begin with like I did, simply reduce the heat to low.) Immediately add the tasso and andouille to the roux, cooking for several minutes until seasoning from meat transfers to sauce.
6. Add cut chicken, cooking for an additional 2-4 minutes.
7. Add chopped vegetables, sauté and let cook for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and seasonings, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom well.
8. Slowly add hot chicken stock, one to two cups at a time until incorporated, reduce heat to medium/medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring often toward the end of the cooking time.
9. Serve hot over cooked rice and topped with Crystal Hot Sauce.

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So, last week. I totally did not follow my menu at all. I did in fact cook but ended up making totally different stuff for some reason. So, I’m just cutting and pasting last week’s menu. Probably the easiest planning session I’ve ever had!

MONDAY:
– Leftovers

TUESDAY:
– Chicken Tikka Masala
– Rice and Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Black Bean Mushroom Burgers (thanks for the idea and link, Kim in PA!)

THURSDAY:
– Stuffed Shells

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Eat out

SUNDAY:
– Chicken Soup with Rice

Your turn! Please share your meal plans in the comments below. Have a great week!

Oh man, we had symphony tickets with the kids yesterday and the Super Bowl (yay, Patriots!) and I totally spaced on my menu. A day late but still getting it done!

MONDAY:
– Leftovers

TUESDAY:
– Chicken Tikka Masala
– Rice and Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Black Bean Mushroom Burgers (thanks for the idea and link, Kim in PA!)

THURSDAY:
– Stuffed Shells

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Eat out

SUNDAY:
– Chicken Soup with Rice

Your turn! Please share your menus below in the comments! They are SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL for me and so many others. Thank you!

Each year I pick a New Year’s resolution that ties what I do in the kitchen with some sort of positive environmental impact. (Click here to see past years’ resolutions and related posts.) My 2019 resolution is no different: more plant-based eating. This goes beyond just eating less meat and I have lots of ideas for making this year’s resolution a success!*

Over the past year, due to some health reasons, I’ve really changed how I eat (there’s another post about that experience coming soon!). One of the changes has involved finding dairy substitutes. I haven’t given up meat completely, but I have started looking at more plant-based options. Looking for milk alternatives kicked that process off for me and really got me thinking about more plant-based eating overall.

So why should we care about plant-based eating? Bottom line: animal-based food takes more of a toll on the environment (especially food coming from cows). When you talk about vegetarianism or veganism, many omnivores get nervous and feel like it’s just too hard to make that kind of switch. But focusing on more plant-based eating doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go vegetarian or vegan. There are lots of ways to incorporate plant-based foods and ease yourself into a new way of eating. In addition, looking at where the highest environmental impacts are in the food system and then adjusting from there can have a really big impact, beyond just plant-based foods.

For example, take a look at the chart below (data taken from an article published in Nature assessing land use changes and climate change). It is both surprising and unsurprising. First, a vegan diet clearly has the smallest negative impact on the environment. But what pops out at me is the impact foods sourced from cows have. A vegetarian that eats dairy has a larger carbon cost than a person who eats poultry and eggs but skips dairy and beef. That is excellent food for thought.

As I was getting ready for my resolution, I came across a journal article published in Nature. I turned to my friend Dr. Megan O’Rourke, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Production Systems at Virginia Tech, with some questions I had. Megan and I have known each other since middle school (in fact I introduced her to her husband of 20+ years!). As Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, Megan examines the value of biodiversity in agriculture and the environmental impacts of different food systems. Megan’s interest areas include sustainable agriculture, organic production, international development, land use change, and agroecology. She has extensive international and policy experience working with the Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service as the organization’s climate change advisor. In addition, Megan studied farming systems and deforestation in Cambodia where she worked for the United States Agency for International Development as their senior climate change advisor.

That’s Megan on the right! This is a photo from when she was in Cambodia. Image Source: Virginia Tech

As Megan and I got to talking about food issues, I felt like I just couldn’t keep her to myself and, lucky for us, I convinced Megan to contribute to the blog. Now I get to share Megan and all the awesome stuff in her head with you. Welcome, Megan!

Over the next year (and hopefully longer) I will share tips and tricks for more plant-based eating and Megan will offer her expertise. I’m really excited about this year’s resolution and for you all to join in on the journey.

To kick things off, here’s a little something from Megan (she does a good job of filling in between the lines of the chart above):

Recent research is showing how eating a plant-based diet may be good for slowing climate change. You may be thinking, what does a plant-based diet have to do with slowing climate change? Everything we eat has a carbon cost and some foods have lower carbon costs than others. Too much carbon in the atmosphere is what traps solar energy and causes things to heat up. The total carbon cost of food includes how much carbon is directly emitted during production from inputs such as fertilizers, tractor fuel and pesticides. It also includes an opportunity cost for using the land for agriculture.

The carbon costs of agricultural inputs are pretty straight forward to wrap our heads around; growing stuff takes energy and releases carbon. But understanding carbon opportunity costs is a bit trickier. Think about a forest and a corn field. The forest has much more plant mass than a corn field and stores more carbon, so cutting down a forest to grow corn has a large carbon opportunity cost. If you think about how much land and inputs are required to produce beef (about 2 acres per cow) compared to corn (2 acres for about 20,000 lbs) you start to realize that eating beef requires a lot of land and has a much larger carbon cost than eating a plant-based diet. In fact, one pound of beef has a carbon cost almost 75 times higher than a pound of corn and 40 times higher than a pound of rice. In addition, not all animals are created equal.  The carbon cost of beef is 14 times higher than chicken and nine times higher than pork.

When we start to compare different diets, we also come up with vastly different carbon costs.  If we compare a typical western diet with a 50% less meat, vegetarian, no beef or dairy, and vegan diets, we find that a vegan diet has the lowest carbon costs.  The total carbon costs of each diet are about 9, 6, 5, 3, and 2 tons of carbon dioxide per year, respectively.

Now does this mean that everyone should run out and become vegan?  Well, maybe. Climate change is one of the most serious environmental threats facing our planet. But there are, of course, many other things to consider. Lifestyle and proper nutrition are important personal choices. Preference for local foods is another. Animals can be produced on dry hilly grasslands in places like Oklahoma, which are terrible for growing many plant-based foods (remember the dust bowl?). Environmental impacts besides carbon should also be considered. Many more species of birds and plants and insects can coexist with livestock on grazing lands compared to in the typical monoculture crop field. While this new research makes a compelling argument to shift to a more plant-based diet, it’s one more data point to help us make informed choices and navigate our complex food system. — Dr. Megan O’Rourke, Virginia Tech

*In case you’re wondering. Last year was the first time I completely failed at my This Week for Dinner new year’s resolution. I had planned to learn how to can food. Well, I did not can one piece of food last year. Not one. Nate canned some peppers, so at least a little bit of canning happened in our house. So, nevermind, I totally completed the resolution…by proxy! 😉

Time for the weekly menu! And I’m sharing a gluten-free Super Bowl menu with you for Sunday! (Yep, I’m officially allergic to wheat. Fun times!)

MONDAY:
– Pot roast leftovers

TUESDAY:
– Chili

WEDNESDAY:
– Grilled Salmon Tacos with Zesty Slaw

THURSDAY:
– Baked Potatoes with toppings

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY: Gluten-Free Super Bowl Menu
– Southwestern Layered Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips
– Gluten-Free Baked Buffalo Wings (use the recipe I linked to but use your favorite 1-for-1 GF flour)
– Classic onion dip (sour cream + Lipton onion soup mix) with Potato Chips
– Tossed Salad
– Football-themed Casheweroos

One, two, three, Go! Share your own menus in the comments! And have a great week! And GO PATRIOTS!

A few weeks ago, the team from Big G Cereals at General Mills sent a cute football-themed package, complete with Rice Chex and ingredients to make treats for Super Bowl Sunday. I recently learned I have a wheat allergy, which means I can no longer partake of all the delicious baked goods I normally make. As a result, I’m now on the lookout for great wheat-free desserts to try to soothe my wheat-free sorrows. When Nate saw the Chex package, he was like “You should make those scotcheroo bar things.” And I was like, “Remember, I’m allergic to peanuts, too?” UGH. Can I eat nothing??? But then I had a thought: cashew butter. And thus Casheweroos were born! And, while casheweroo is fun to say, it’s super hard to spell, so you can also just call these babies cashew rice Chex treats with sea salt, which is kind of a mouthful, too, actually. I’m apparently really good at naming things.

Cashew rice Chex treats are a lot like scotcheroos, except you use cashew butter instead of peanut butter and you sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt to make them extra tasty. Cashew butter is a bit more expensive than peanut butter, but it’s worth it. These treats taste awesome, similar to scotcheroos but without an overpowering peanut flavor, which some people don’t love. This recipe is perfect for people with peanut and/or wheat allergies, too!

For the topping I used one bag of chocolate chips. If you want a thicker chocolate layer on top, feel free to double that amount or do a combo of one bag of semisweet chocolate chips with one bag of butterscotch chocolate chips (which will taste more like scotcheroos). No matter how you decide to do the topping on these cashew rice Chex treats, I promise it will taste delicious!

Also, if you are making these for Super Bowl Sunday, you can turn the treats into little footballs with a bit of white frosting. Just buy the frosting in a tube to keep it super simple and fast and draw lines on top of each treat like so. Thanks for the great idea, General Mills!

Without further ado I give you Casheweroos!

Casheweroos: Cashew Rice Chex Treats (Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free)

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

These casheweroos are inspired by scotcheroos, that classic treat recipe that uses peanut butter. With no wheat or peanuts to be seen, this recipe is great for people with those allergies.

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 18

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup (light or dark, doesn't matter)
• 1 cup salted cashew butter
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (if your cashew butter is unsalted, use ½ teaspoon salt instead)
• 8 cups Rice Chex
• 1 12-ounce package good quality semisweet chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli or Guittard)*
• Coarse sea salt

Instructions

1. Butter a 9" x 13" baking pan and set aside.
2. Add Rice Chex to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Mix the sugar and corn syrup together in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until sugars are melted together. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. Add the cashew butter and ¼ teaspoon salt to the pot and stir until well mixed.
5. Pour sugar-cashew butter mixture over the cereal in the mixing bowl and stir until well and evenly coated.
6. Pour cereal mixture into the baking pan and press firmly and evenly into the pan. Getting your hands wet with water helps with the process so the treats don't stick to your fingers as you press.
7. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook chocolate chips on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring at each 30-second interval, cooking until chips are fully melted.
8. Pour chocolate over the top of the Chex bars, spreading evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle coarse sea salt evenly over the top.
9. Place in fridge until chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and store at room temperature, covered.
10. It is much easier to cut the bars if you remove them from the pan and place on a cutting board. Using a knife, cut all around the edge of the pan then carefully lift the treats out of the pan onto the cutting board. Cut into 6 rows by 3 rows.

Notes

Optional: If you want a thicker chocolate topping, use two bags of chocolate chips. If you want the topping to taste more like the original scotcheroo treat that inspired this recipe, use one bag of chocolate chips and one bag of butterscotch chips.

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Hi everyone! Just gonna be quick and drop by dinner menu for you. Here we go…

MONDAY:
– Second to last trip to Disneyland (passes expiring soon and we have two days off school this week, so perfect!)

TUESDAY:
– Bertucci’s Tortellini
– Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Leftovers

THURSDAY:
– Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches

FRIDAY:
– Last trip to Disneyland with our annual passes!

SATURDAY:
– Grilled Turkey Club Sandwiches

SUNDAY:
– Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
– Potatoes and Carrots

You know the drill: PLEASE post your own meal plans in the comments below! They are so appreciated by myself and others. Keep it coming! And have a great week!