The Wholesome Foodie

Eats in the past few weeks, part 3 – dinners!

Obviously lots of dinners have been had the past few weeks. I didn’t photograph them all, but here is a nice selection!

Grilled BBQ Tofu with Near East Lentil Rice Pilaf and Green Beans

I drained a block of extra firm tofu then sliced and marinated it in a mix of BBQ sauce and pineapple juice for a few hours before heating up my grill pan. On the side I cooked up a box of Near East brand lentil rice pilaf and steamed some green beans.

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Baked Stuffed Shells (pre-assembled frozen variety) with Homemade Garlic Bread

My local grocery store had a fabulous sale on a local brand of frozen pasta. I couldn’t resist the fabulous deal for local hand made pasta (I think the bags were $0.99 each?!) and grabbed a few to try. These cheese stuffed shells looked especially enticing. They were fantastic! Especially topped with marinara sauce and a little part-skim mozzarella cheese. On the side I used up some (almost stale) whole wheat buns and made garlic bread. I simply melted a little butter in the microwave, brushed it on the buns, then topped the buns with fresh chopped garlic and parm cheese. Hmmmmm. I had the salad pictured below on the side.

Garden Salad with Beets & Feta

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Baked Tofu Teriyaki with Roasted Veggies (sweet potato and Fennel) & Feta

For this lovely, yet odd, combination I drained and pressed a block of extra-firm tofu and marinated it in a little bottled teriyaki sauce. After a few hours, I baked the sliced tofu for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. I utilized the hot oven and chopped up a head of fennel and a sweet potato and threw them in a pan with a little olive oil, S + P and feta cheese. I baked the veggie/feta mix for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. I liked each of these dishes separately, but they really didn’t mix all that well.

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Cheesy Chicken Mexican Casserole with Baked Asparagus + Garden Salad

This was a fun meal that I threw together on a whim. I combined chicken breast, chopped onion, black beans, and brown rice in a deep pan on the stove. I added enough water for the rice to cook completely, covered the pan and when the water was almost completely absorbed, I topped the dish with cheese. I replaced the lid, let the cheese melt and served the dish with salsa and a little avocado. On the side, I served oven-roasted asparagus.

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Tofu Pad Thai

This little packet has been starring at me in the pantry and tonight was the night to give it a try.

I utilized some Japanese noodles that had also been in my pantry and followed the directions on the packet to make a quick and delicious tofu pad thai. On the side, a salad…with beets of course.

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Salmon Patties with Baked Sweet Potato Fries + Garden Salad

This meal was soooo good! I cooked up some salmon patties (again from an item sitting in my pantry for too long) and baked some sweet potato slices for a quick side. Ketchup was slathered over it all!

Salmon Patties

Ingredients

- 1 can (14.5 oz?) wild salmon, drained, deboned and deskinned (can keep skin on if you wish)

- 1 whole egg, beaten

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 1 tbsp grainy mustard

- ~1/3 cup bread crumbs

- juice from 1/2 lemon

- ~1 tsp dill

- 1 tbsp canola oil

Directions

Drain the salmon and remove the bones and skin (optional). In a large bowl break up the salmon and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into ~ 6 patties and set aside. Heat the canola oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and add the patties, ensuring enough space is between each so flipping can occur with ease. Cook approximately 5 minutes per side and serve with lemon wedges.