A Busy, Busy Week Means A Bunch Of Quick Dinners

I know I stated in my last post, I've been really busy recently, and that's putting it mildly!  Along with quick and easy breakfasts, my dinners have been pretty quick and easy, too.  It's times like these, I am extremely thankful for stuff I make and tuck away in my freezer.  I'm also thankful for vegan convenience foods, reliable cookbooks with easy recipes, and takeout.  :)

Occasionally I have to work on a Saturday, and last Saturday afternoon was one of them.  I actually suspected I might have to work into the evening, which I did.  My son Blake had been helping me with yard work that morning, and we were both hungry.  I knew I wanted to eat something a little filling, just in case, but it couldn't be too time consuming, and it needed to be non vegan friendly, since Blake isn't vegan (yet).  I decided on the Sloppy Joes out of Vegan Junk Food (I just got this cookbook, and ironically, purchased Alicia Simpson's new Low Cal Vegan Comfort Food at the same time, go figure).  The Sloppy Joes were good.  Blake loved them, which is always a plus.  Next time I make them, I will probably reduce the salt called for by half, because I thought they were a tad salty (Blake, however, thought they were perfect as is and didn't need adjusting).  I topped mine with a little Daiya shredded cheddar, and had a mix of broccoli and cauliflower, along with some Trader Joe's Crunchy Curls on the side.  :)  Despite the name of the cookbook, the Sloppy Joes were filled with lots of good things.  Vegan Junk Food does have it's share of special occasion treats and once in awhile type meals, though, for sure.  This cookbook appears to have a lot of things in it that will appeal to non vegans, so I am definitely glad to have it in my arsenal of cookbooks.

Takeout Vegetable Lo Mein from I Wok in Savoy.  I added some baked tofu that had been marinated in Island Soyaki sauce and a little sriracha for good measure.  The food at I Wok is good, and you can easily take it with you or eat in.  The owners are a really nice young couple.  Although I Wok is slightly farther from me than other places, I will definitely go there occasionally to help support this nice family.  Luckily, I have family members that live in Savoy, so finding a reason to be in the area won't be too hard.  :)

This dinner took advantage of some Italian Sausage Cutlets I had stashed away in the freezer.  The cutlets are from Vegan Diner.  I grilled them real quick and served them with a Caprese Salad I made using some of the Mozzarella Teese I got at Veggiefest, along with tomatoes and basil from the farmer's market.  I really, really like the Mozzarella Teese in a cold salad like this.  I've also had the mozzarella in a grilled sandwich, and although it was quite good, I think cold is where it really shines.  I have to be fair and say I haven't used it yet on a pizza or melted in an Italian pasta dish, but I am excited that there is a vegan mozzarella that is so good straight from the package.  My tomatoes were pretty big, which is why I cut them in half for the salad (I know it looks a little funny).  The potatoes were another recipe from Vegan Junk Food.  They were really saucy and delicious.  After I shot the picture, I drizzled some of the sauce over my cutlet.  :)

Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage in a Rudi's bun smothered with PPK Cashew Queso (I know I have this a lot), mustard, and diced red onion.  This time I had some baby tomatoes with smoked salt, and a broccoli/cauliflower blend topped with, you guessed it, Cashew Queso.  :)

A quick and easy noodle dish from Chloe's Kitchen.  These are the Peanutty Perfection Noodles.  I didn't have any green onions, so I added a little bit of sweet onion.  I also had part of a yellow pepper I wanted to finish off, so I threw it in.  Despite the fact that my rice noodles were a little overdone (I'm easily distracted sometimes), this dish was right up my peanut butter loving alley.  I sure hope things slow down this week.  :)