EnviroMom Meatless Supper Club: Week 1

Woo hoo! Who's ready to get down with veg? Renee and I are super excited to kick off the EnviroMom Meatless Supper Club and share some meal ideas with all of you. And we have more recipe submissions from our troupe of meatless bloggers after the jump, so let's get started!

This week I served my family rice patties with black beans and fruit and veggie sides. This meal comes together quickly if you have leftover brown rice. I employ a make-ahead rice technique that I've absolutely come to depend on when I want to get a healthy meal on the table without cooking for hours: make a boat-load of brown rice all at once and freeze it in meal-sized portions. Brown rice typically takes about 40 minutes to cook, and that is a huge turn-off for me when preparing dinner. So now I make a huge pot of it, like 6-8 cups of dried rice, which in turn makes enough for many future meals. I learned this freezer method from Amy Karol, and I also use the cooking technique she describes: boiling instead of steaming. Seriously, check it out. You'll want to have leftover brown rice on hand when making...

Brown Rice Patties

This is a fantastic, savory rice patty that is quickly becoming a staple in our home. It comes together FAST if you have a food processor. I read about it over at Beauty that Moves. The recipe makes about 12 patties, which is great for leftovers or freezing for future meals (or just halve the recipe if it's too much). My kids don't care for these, so I tweaked the recipe (further below) for them.

Adult version:

3 cups leftover brown rice

1 cup grated carrot (use your food processor if you have one!)

1 medium onion, pulped in food processor or blender

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil. The patties won't mold like a hamburger patty, but they should be wet enough to stick together (the onion juice plays a big role here). If not, add a little water or another egg. If too wet, add a little flour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat, and when hot use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out the patty mixture and gently lay it on the pan. You'll need to flatten it out a bit and sort of shape the patty with the side of the measuring cup. Cook until browned on both sides. If you're planning to serve all of the patties, keep the early ones in a 250 degree oven to keep warm.

Kid version:

These patties were too savory for my kids, so I used an apple instead of an onion (I bet a zucchini would work, too) and eliminated the garlic and black pepper. Apples aren't as juicy as onions, so you'll need to add another egg or some water to keep them held together. I found the taste of the apple version to be extremely bland, but my kids really liked them. I basically had two bowls going: one with the adult version, one with the kid version. Extra dishes to wash, but when you make large quantities for future meals, it's totally worth it!

He doesn't look thrilled now, but just you wait...

I served the patties with some black beans that I had cooked and frozen a couple of months ago, using this recipe (beans only). Canned beans, warmed with sauteed onion and garlic would also work -- or any kind of beans or legumes your family enjoys. We topped it with a little grated cheese, and after a few bites the kids decided they liked the patties best all mixed up with the beans and some salsa. Yum! The kids ate raw carrots, the adults had a salad, and we all enjoyed some cantaloupe for dessert. Major thumbs up.

Now let's check out the meatless meals our bloggers came up with:

Mary Beth at Salt and Chocolate shares a recipe for Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce. I've been wanting to experiment with tofu, and I know my kids will love this peanut sauce! Thanks, Mary Beth!

Heather at Production Not Reproduction often cooks veggie meals for her family, and she has to be sensitive to her daughter's milk allergy. So she's sharing a tantalizing recipe for Northwest Vegetarian Chili (and bonus points for the beer!).

Jen from Life on Bean Road shares a wonderfully simple recipe for Sun Gold Sauce with Bow Ties. She has a great philosophy toward food! Sun Gold tomatoes are basically golden cherry tomatoes, and I suspect that if you don't have any, regular cherries or any kind of ripe tomato will do in a pinch.

Eggplant! Yes, this lovely purple veggie is the star of Nancy's Baked Eggplant Parmesan over at her newly-created Nano's Kitchen blog. This is an eggplant I could love. Thanks, Nancy!

Emily, of the eponymous Industrious Emily blog, has shared a great solution for all of that summer squash: Baked Ziti. A brilliant way to hide small, cubed veggies in a tasty sauce!

Beth at The Cummings Clan concocted a colorful Bean and Kale Soup with Jumbo Croutons, and even her total-carnivore husband gave it a thumbs up! I appreciate her comments on how she'd make it differently next time to appease a picky young eater. We've all got 'em!

Andrea at Minimonos took a unique approach to serving a veggie meal to the die-hard carnivore males in her family. Guys like to build stuff, so why not have them build dinner: a Mexican Taco Bar! So creative, and a good reminder that serving a veggie meal does not have to be complex.

Marleen at Walking on a High Wire shared two recipes this week: Summer Squash and Portobello Mushroom Vegetarian Lasagna and a French Onion Soup. I'm excited to try this lasagna, and as Marleen has pointed out, I think the kids will like it if the veggies are cut up in very small pieces. And, hello leftovers!

Finally, from Melanie's beautifully photographed Recipe Journal, we have Potato Chowder. Seriously, I could make this right now -- the ingredients are simple, and the soup is lovely. A little salad, some crusty bread, and there you have it.

You guys! I'm so stoked about these recipes, and kind of surprised that they are all so different. It's only week one, and my mind is already racing with future meal planning ideas. Woot! So, go forth and experiment. Introduce your families to something new, something healthy, something that is sustainable. If you have recipe questions for the bloggers, post them on their sites, but we'd also like to hear your reviews and tweaks over here. Bon appetit!