Vegan Dump Dinners - Minestrone Soup in Freezer

Minestrone - Vegan Dump Dinner

I love Dump Dinners during Lenten Seasons, since they allow me to keep my focus off of cooking, and still come home from an Evening Service to a ready-to-eat, nutritious, hot meal.

This Minestrone Soup is just perfect.

It is especially attractive because you can throw it together mostly from frozen and canned foods you have on hand, taking just minutes to get into the freezer.

Minestrone
Fill Gallon Zipper Type Freezer bag with the following
1 Cup Chopped Onion (from the Freezer)
1 (12 oz) bag Vegetable Soup Mix (or a variety of Italian Style Veggies to your taste, such as: Green Beans, Peas, Carrots, Corn, Zucchini, Cauliflower, etc) (From the Freezer)
3 Cups Shredded Cabbage (Fresh)
1 Tablespoon Fresh Minced Garlic (from a jar)
2 Cups Spaghetti or Pizza Sauce (from a jar)
2 tsp Oregano (dried)
1 tsp Basil (dried)
1 (15 oz) Can Great Northern Beans, with their liquid (or Canellinis)
2 to 4 Ribs Celery, sliced
Salt to taste (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 Bouillon Cube

Seal Bag, label, and Freeze

Minestrone in Freezer - Vegan Dump Dinner

To prepare:
Add Contents of Bag to Slow Cooker
Pour over top,
4 Cups Boiling Water (or, use cold water & allow about 1/2 hour additional cooking time)

Cook on High, 4 hours, or until veggies are tender

During last 15 minutes, add
1 Cup Dried Pasta (Shells, Bowties, or broken Spaghetti all work well)
(if desired, a cup of frozen peas can also be added at this time, to add some color contrast at serving time)

Serve with Crusty Bread & Salad.

Omnivores might like to add Parmesan to their portions.

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Lenten Menu 2020

Here's a Lenten Menu for this year.

I've planned 35 dinner menus, and asked the family to make a note on the calendar for any meal they want to see again this Lent, in order to fill those last few days.

We've also created a backup plan. If a meal is served that is not a favorite of any family member, they may choose from another meal's leftovers, or one of their own list of easy, healthy favorites. (No sugary breakfast cereal or popcorn for dinner replacement option!)

After each meal, leftovers get packaged either for the next day's lunch, or put in the freezer for an easy backup meal another night.

With these menus, I usually serve some or all of the following:
Fresh Homemade Bread (usually one of these quick, easy recipes):
Easy Yeast Bread in the Slow Cooker
Homemade Yeast Bread

Pita Bread, Stove Top
Easy, No Knead, Greek Olive Crescents (Eliopites) \ 
Stir & Pour Garlic Bread Sticks 

Crescent Rolls, Easy, No Knead, Vegan
Dinner Rolls, Vegan, Soft & Fluffy, No Knead, Refrigerator  

 
Hummus & Veggies
Hummus with Capers
Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper, Copycat Sabra 
Hummus, Smoky  
Olives
Pickles
Green Salad

Breakfasts might include the following:
Oatmeal
Cold Cereal
Fruit
Pancakes from my own mix

Lunches are usually leftovers from a previous night or one of the following:
Instant Noodles
Vegan Mac n' Cheese from a Homemade Mix
Hummus, Bread & Dip



Here's the list:

1. Lentil Soup

2. Fasolia Yachni

3. Minestrone (Dump Dinner) Recipe to come!

4. Lemon Rice with Peas & Cashews (Make Double Seasoning for Lentils next week)

5. Spaghetti with Sauce (from a Jar)

6. Black Bean Burritos (Dump Dinner)

7. Fasolia Vrasta

8. Fasolakia Yachni (Dump Dinner)

9. Tabbouli, Dolmades (from a can), Hummus & Veggies

10. Revythia (Slow Cooker)

11. Lemon Dal (use seasonings prepared for Lemon Rice last week)

12. Orzo Pilaf & Black-Eyed Pea Salad

13. Calzone Casserole

14. Chili over Rice (Dump Dinner)

15. Bulgur Pilaf

16. Peas & Artichokes Yachni (Dump Dinner)

17. Eggplant Stew (Dump Dinner)

18. Curried Chickpeas over Rice (Dump Dinner)

19. Cheeseless Pizza

20. Greek Black-Eyed Peas

21. Gigantes (Dump Dinner)

22. Stuffed Manicotti

23. Bamies (Dump Dinner)

24. Shepherd's Pie

25. Barbecue Wheatballs with Rice, Corn & Slaw

26. Black Bean Soup (Slow Cooker) & Tomatoes

27. Veggie Burgers &amp (From Grocery's Freezer Section); Oven Fries

28. Stir Fry Veggies over Rice

29. Claire's Delight (Dump Dinner) Served with Rice, Tortillas

30. Calzone Casserole
31. Moujendra

32. Mediterranean Chickpeas over Rice

33. Skyline at home (copycat)

34. Indian Spiced Black-Eyed Peas (Dump Dinner)

35. Tourlu-Tourlu (will research recipe : )

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How to Cook Quinoa in the Microwave (with or without a Pasta Boat)

How to Cook Quinoa in the Microwave - with or without Pasta Boat

Quinoa is a delicious & healthy food. Some folks call it a grain, others a seed, but whatever you want to call it, it's tasty.

It provides a nice break from the usual starchy side rotation: Potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Bread, repeat.

But, some find it a little complicated to cook. It's really not at all hard to make on a stove top, but the microwave is a little more convenient, since it times itself, and you don't have to watch over it.

I figured out how to cook it in my Pasta Boat*, and now it's no trouble at all! If you don't have a Pasta Boat*, don't worry - any microwave-safe bowl of suitable size (minimum 14 cup capacity, with straight sides, to prevent boil-over) will work.

This is what to do:

1. Pour 1 Pound Quinoa into Cooking container.

2. Rinse well with warm or hot (not boiling) water. This removes any potential bitter coating that naturally occurs on Quinoa. (Although I have found that the Quinoa I purchase in America very seldom has any bitter coating remaining when I buy it).

3. Drain off water, using perforated lid of Pasta Boat* and/or a sieve.


4. Add 3 1/2 cups Water (3.5 Cups)

5. Place in Microwave.

6. Cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. (This is cook time in my 1000 Watt microwave, and is general guidance, your machine may vary)

7. Remove when done, allow to stand a few minutes, fluff with fork.

Use to make any recipe that calls for cooked Quinoa.

Here is my favorite:

Quinoa and Sesame-Lime Salad

I've adapted this one to my own tastes, and enjoyed it:

Quinoa Fried Rice

I'm also hoping to try these soon:

Mexican Quinoa

Thai Quinoa Salad

Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Salad

And, recently I tried a delicious Quinoa Burger at a restaurant, and hope to try to duplicate that experience at home.

So, however you enjoy Quinoa most, this is a quick and easy way to make it!

*Pasta Boat is a Registered Trademark. If you don't have one, you can buy one here. (This is not an affiliate link, just for your convenience). I bought mine at my friendly neighborhood thrift store. 


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