this week's menu: pantry challenge

do you ever find an odd ingredient in your pantry and can't remember why in the world you bought it? that happens to me all the time, but especially lately since i've been trying new vegan recipes. before my grocery trip this week i found in my pantry many cans of cannellini beans, black eyed peas, sweetened condensed milk, and cream of celery soup. what in the world? 

i am determined not to let that happen again and to use up what is in my fully (but oddly) stocked pantry this week. after assessing the situation and planning our meals accordingly, i only needed a few fresh ingredients from the grocery store. my grocery bill was $35. 

here is this week's menu with recipes:

monday: tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches

tuesday: Texas caviar with cornbread 

wednesday: stir-fry rice and veggies with tofu 

thursday: giant salad 

friday: 3 bean vegan nachos

Texas Caviar there are many variations of this recipe but basically it's beans and chopped veggies, served as a dip with tortilla chips or over corn bread.

2 cans black eye peas, drained & rinsed
2 cans dark kidney beans

1 can sweet corn (unsalted), drained
diced zucchini 

diced tomato
fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbs minced garlic

dash olive oil

dash red wine vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

combine all ingredients & chill before serving.

3 Bean Vegan Nachos

at least 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

at least 1 can vegetarian refried beans

at least 1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

shredded vegan cheese (i like this kind http://www.daiyafoods.com/)

tortilla chips (i like organic white corn)

salsa 

preheat the oven to 350 or set to broil. spread tortilla chips out on a baking sheet. cover the chips with layers of beans. top with shredded cheese. bake at 350 for 15ish minutes or on broil for 5 minutes at a time until the cheese is melted. serve hot from the oven with salsa on the side.

i love linking up at OrgJunkie.com's Menu Planning Monday! have a great week, yall.