Discussion Board

I like to have some quick grab stuff in the freezer I can grab and take to work for lunch to heat up in the microwave. In the winter, I make soup and freeze it, but I just don't want to eat soup in the summertime.

Any ideas on what would freeze well for a one dish meal I could take to work and heat up in the microwave?

Sharon

Hi Sharon,
I freeze brown rice. I cook the rice. Then I put a baggie opened up inside a 1 cup measuring cup. I stuff about a cup of brown rice in. I pull the baggie of brown rice out of the cup, close it up with a twisty and then smash it down like a burger. That way I can stack them in the freezer because they will be kind of flat.

I freeze soup broth in 2 cup packages. Same routing but with a larger ziplock. I put the ziplock baggie in a cup, put in the broth. close the ziplock and plop it in the freezer.

I freeze left over veggie burgers. SO great to have handy. take one out, microwave it for 2 minutes of so and voila.

I just froze pieces of No Fu loaf.

Riva

Soups, casseroles, lasagna, burgers

I make and freeze black bean chili, cooked rice, veggie burgers, dal, cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce, even cooked vegetables like broccoli.

Soups, rice, beans, bean dips, and -uncooked - chopped veggies and fruit when on sale and there is no way I'd eat them all before they went bad.

Also - fresh juice, and smoothies, that I thaw partially when I eat them next. Almost as good as fresh, and better than wasting.

Not much. I make vegetable stock and freeze it so it's always on hand. And I made some brownies, cut them up and froze them individually so it would be inconvenient for me to eat them all in one sitting, but mostly my freezer is for the few things I buy frozen--like peas and spinach. Plus, the very ripe bananas I keep to make "ice cream".

Vanilla Orchid - Have you tried the Happy Herbivore brownies? They are delicious - I have to bake them quite a bit longer than the recipe says to get them the right texture.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I didn't realize cooked rice would freeze well. Think I will try some cooked rice with some frozen veggies and some spices in the same foodsaver bag. That would fit the bill perfectly!

Sharon

I would be scrambling if I didn't make hummus and other bean type spreads. I make at least a triple batch and freeze in small containers.Great for a wrap, to top a potato or dip with veggies and crackers.I have 3 or 4 faves like zesty nacho hummus, smoky black be
Bean and white bean and basil.This has made my life of answering whats for lunch from 5 kids so much easier!

I did make the black bean brownies in Happy Herbivore, and did not like them. I have not tried the other brownie recipe in that book but will do so today or tomorrow. and see how I like it. My current favorite brownie recipe (because it's so easy, and also soo good) is as follows:

1 package of Dr. Oetker chocolate cake mix
1 can (15 oz or so) of creamed corn
Mix in a food processor.
Pour into an 8"X12" pan--use some cooking spray if it's glass or metal, or use a non-stick pan if you have it). Bake 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

This is a vairation on Mary McDougall's recipe. She uses a can of pumpkin, and the result is good, but more like a cake than a brownie. I have also used pureed prunes in place of the pumpkin. That gives a fudgier result, but is very sweet. The corn still gives a fudgy brownie texture, and is less sweet than the prunes, so that's my favorite. Try it and let me know what you think.

Yea, the HH brownies do taste a little banana-y, but I like them. My BF likes them if I tell him it is "chocolate banana bread" but he makes a face if I tell him they are brownies! The mind is a powerful tool!!

I have heard that you can take a regular brownie mix and just add a can of black beans to them and they turn out good - but the regular brownie mix is full of stuff I don't want to eat. Your recipe sounds intriguing, but I am not familiar with that brand of cake mix - not sure it is available here. But, I will look around and see what I can find. Thanks for the recipe!

I didn't get to make the HH brownies yet. Had to run up to Las Vegas area this weekend because my cousin passed away. Perhaps I'll get to it tonight. The Dr. Oeteker cake mix is available in places like Whole Foods, but also many health food stores and some regular markets. It contains no oil.

I didn't know it would work well. Thanks for this tip!!!

My wife buys many kilos or pounds of mangoes and cuts them in bite size chunks. She then sticks them in the freezer. Daily she adds them to my morning oat meal.

Mangoes are still in season and cheap if you buy a lot at a time. My favorite fruit is a rip mango and having them still a little frozen on my oat meal is heaven.

We planted a mango tree last year and should get some of our own mangos next year....can't wait.))

But you really asked for lunch ideas! Do you have a microwave at work? Try freezing vegan bowls like this:

Using small, microwaveable lunch size containers, add:
1. portion of a starch, your favorite (cook extra rice, potatoes or whatever at supper)
2. portion of veggies, whatever you have, frozen already is fine
3. a sauce, your favorite (BBQ, chutney, salsa, terryaki...)

Stack in freezer. You can make a dozen or more at a time. I did this for years when my son also had to take lunch to school every day. I even quit labeling. We'd just grab whatever was on top and be surprised at lunchtime!

If you don't microwave in plastic, you can always take a different dish with you for that.

Enjoy!
Laurie

I make the HH black bean brownies a lot and I love them. Judging from comments on these forums, they're either a love 'em or hate 'em kind of thing. I freeze them in individual portions because they don't keep well otherwise, and I only want to eat 2 small brownies a day.

She also has a regular brownie recipe but I don't like it as well. It gives me a bit of a sugar rush, which the black bean brownies don't.

I often freeze a single-serving meal in a microwaveable container with a click-on lid. Having it already in that container makes it easy to take out of the freezer the night before to take to work the next day.

I also freeze soups, stews, curries and pasta sauce, all of which thaw fairly quickly in the microwave.