Sometimes I run a vegetable helpline (try it! Use the contact form or just shoot an email to Julie (at) findjoyinfood (dot) com.)

The most recent panicked call came from my friend whose beets were mocking her from the bottom of the weekly vegetable delivery box. She got hers to the oven and roasted them, peeled them and looked at them in the fridge for a day or two.

Besides tossing the beets in a green salad, what could she do? Did she have some cooked grains, I asked. Turns out she had leftover quinoa. What about greens? She had some baby spinach in the crisper. Some balsamic vinegar, salt and a little lemon infused olive oil and she had a pack lunch she was looking forward to eating.

The formula I was using was starch vegetable + grain + green + sauce. By the same logic, the butternut squash on your counter could get peeled and cubed and sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with cumin and salt, then roasted at 425 until tender- probably about 20 minutes. Then you could mix it with leftover brown rice from last night's Thai takeout, some massaged kale and a lemon tahini dressing like this one. Try it and let me know how it goes!

When the week starts, I'm frantic.  To make it easier come dinnertime, I like a plan.  Today's Meatless Monday idea is rice bowls with tofu & a teriyaki sauce similar to the recipe below.  I'll steam carrots & broccoli, pan fry mushrooms & tofu, and serve the meal like a salad bar so each kid can choose what she wants, with the sauce on the side.

Easy Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari. 
1/4 cup + 1 T mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1 1/2 T maple syrup
Grated juice of 1/2" ginger (I use a ceramic grater for this)
1/2 clove grated garlic 
1/2 T arrowroot (this is used as a thickening agent.)

Combine all ingredients and heat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Add to steamed vegetables on rice - yum!

The image is from http://www.besthealthmag.ca/blog/post/tofu-and-roasted-vegetable-rice-bowl-with-spicy-peanut-sauce, a good looking recipe too!