A month's worth of meals made easy: rest your brain and exercise your fork with our 31 days of menus - includes recipes - Cover Story

Vegetarian Times, Jan, 1995 by Susan Jane Cheney

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING and pick up a pencil. Write down the names of the dishes you most often make for dinner. How many did you come up with?

A famous chef recently observed that the average American cook prepares the same seven or eight dishes over and over again--which makes planning a month's worth of menus a bit difficult. But this month you're off the hook because we've planned the menus for you. These menus are more than a reprieve; they illustrate principles that can help you with your own meal planning, and maybe expand your cooking repertoire a little.

Remember to keep everyday meals simple. If you plan an elaborate dish, accompany it with easy-to-make side dishes. Focus on energy-sustaining complex carbohydrates like grains and complement them with beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, eggs, nuts or seeds for protein. Include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits for additional vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Think about meals in advance. Something as simple as soaking dried mushrooms or transferring tempeh from the freezer to the refrigerator before you leave for work may significantly reduce the time it takes to prepare dinner.

Make more than you need. Soups and casseroles often taste better the second time around, and "planned-overs," such as extra grains, beans and sauces, provide a head start on future meals. Treat leftovers as launching pads for new dishes: Turn extra grains, beans and vegetables into burgers, for example, or stuff a squash with leftover rice pilaf.

Be prepared for unexpected time constraints. In a pinch, use canned or dried rather than home-cooked beans, and substitute quick-cooking brown rice, couscous, quinoa, bulgur, pasta, noodles, frozen pita or tortillas for long-cooking grains. Try prepared soups, tomato sauce, applesauce, chutney and other convenience products. Buy rather than bake desserts.

Peruse the entire menu before you begin cooking. Mentally order tasks--if you're going to need boiling water for pasta or noodles, put a pot on to heat right away. Begin with the dish that will take the longest to prepare.

Finally, tune into the season. Think thick soups, stews, baked vegetables and casseroles in cold weather. Switch to stir-fries, salads, sandwiches, grilled vegetables and chilled soups when it's warm. Most vegetables and fruits are available year-round, but seasonal, preferably local, produce is always best for taste and price.

Regard the following menus as flexible. If you or your family members don't care for brussels sprouts, substitute another vegetable. And improvise: If you have pears rather than apples, make pear sauce, crisp or pie. If you've forgotten to buy greens for a side dish but have cabbage on hand, use the cabbage. Switch menus to suit your schedule (but note that we've carried over some items from one day to the next).

Menu portions will satisfy four average appetites, so adjust amounts to fit your family. We've targeted a moderately harried vegetarian household; if you have more time to cook, substitute homemade dishes for convenience and prepared items. And enjoy this reprieve from planning--next month, it will be up to you.

Creamy Cauliflower-Cashew Soup

Cashews add a velvety richness to this quick soup; the tarragon complements the nuts.

6 cups vegetable stock or water 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped 1 small head cauliflower (1 lb.),

divided into florets 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 tsp. crushed dried tarragon 3/4 cup lightly toasted cashews 2 to 3 tsp. lemon juice Salt to taste 1 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

COMBINE STOCK OR WATER, onion, carrot, cauliflower and garlic in a soup pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. Add pepper and tarragon; remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm.

Place cashews and enough soup to cover in blender or food processor; puree. (Add more soup as necessary until very smooth.) Pour into bowl. Puree two-thirds of remaining soup, leaving about one-third somewhat chunky.

Transfer cashew puree and blended soup back to soup pot. Heat gently, then season with lemon juice and salt. Serve hot, garnished with parsley. Makes 4 to 6 servings. PER SERVING: 145 CAL.; 4G PROT.; 8G FAT; 14G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 197MG SOD.; 3G FIBER. VEGAN

Fakin' Fajitas

Thinly sliced, marinated seitan substitutes for the skirt steak strips commonly used in fajitas.

8 oz. seitan, cut into 3-inch-long thin

strips (see glossary) 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 4 Tbs. lime juice Freshly ground black pepper

to taste 4 whole wheat tortillas 1 tsp. olive oil 4 Tbs. vegetable stock Green or red salsa to taste 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

(optional) 2 to 4 Tbs. coarsely chopped

cilantro

COMBINE SEITAN STRIPS, garlic, lime juice and pepper in a shallow bowl. Stir to coat, then refrigerate several hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm while preparing fajitas.

Heat a large heavy skillet. Add oil and tilt to coat. Add marinated seitan and saute several minutes. Add 2 tablespoons stock and continue to saute until liquid has almost cooked away, about 2 more minutes. Add remaining stock and cover pan. Cook until pan is almost dry, about 2 to 3 minutes.