Freezer-friendly but flavorful?
September 14, 2016 8:29 PM Subscribe
I like to cook and freeze a big batch of something once a week so that my freezer stays loaded with a variety of meals. I'm bored with my usual rotation, so I'm looking for some new pescatarian recipes that freeze well. Most importantly, they have to be heavy on flavor and complex/interesting enough that I'll still be excited to eat them for the upteenth time in a given month- beans and rice ain't gonna cut it.
Meat substitutes (tempeh, TVP, tofu, etc.) are totally good with me. I would prefer no pasta or rice. Soups usually sound boring to me. The frozen component doesn't necessarily have to stand alone- I keep fresh greens, cheese, and often avocado and tomato on hand to add to veggie burgers or taco filling. Crockpot recipes welcome.
To give you a sense of what I'm into, my favorites are:
Tempeh tacos
Braised coconut and spinach chick peas with lemon
Tamale shepherd's pie
Sweet potato veggie burgers
Meat substitutes (tempeh, TVP, tofu, etc.) are totally good with me. I would prefer no pasta or rice. Soups usually sound boring to me. The frozen component doesn't necessarily have to stand alone- I keep fresh greens, cheese, and often avocado and tomato on hand to add to veggie burgers or taco filling. Crockpot recipes welcome.
To give you a sense of what I'm into, my favorites are:
Tempeh tacos
Braised coconut and spinach chick peas with lemon
Tamale shepherd's pie
Sweet potato veggie burgers
I haven't frozen it, but this zucchini-and-Gruyere pizza kept very nicely in the refrigerator, and pizzas often freeze well. I mixed some garlic, olive oil, and lemon zest into the crumb topping, to great effect.
Eggplant parm reheats well and is perennially enticing, at least to me. When I make a batch to use for leftovers I roast the eggplant to cut down on the work of frying. Nice served with a bit of ribboned fresh basil.
posted by ostro at 9:32 PM on September 14, 2016
Eggplant parm reheats well and is perennially enticing, at least to me. When I make a batch to use for leftovers I roast the eggplant to cut down on the work of frying. Nice served with a bit of ribboned fresh basil.
posted by ostro at 9:32 PM on September 14, 2016
Don't know if they meet your criteria for complexity, but these salmon cakes were pretty great.
500 g of salmon isn't enough, though, imo. I started with that much, and the consistency was loose and bready; ended up adding 2 cans of salmon (bought quickly, had started the mix, no time to defrost more), and that made for firmer patties. And it was delicious. Also, I pan-fried instead of baking. Made 6 patties with half the mix, froze the rest unfried for future patties. (If you use canned salmon, check for bones first.)
I had it with tzatziki instead of the avocado cilantro thing. (Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, smallest dab of olive oil. If you have walnuts on hand, they're nice in there, too, crushed.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:27 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
500 g of salmon isn't enough, though, imo. I started with that much, and the consistency was loose and bready; ended up adding 2 cans of salmon (bought quickly, had started the mix, no time to defrost more), and that made for firmer patties. And it was delicious. Also, I pan-fried instead of baking. Made 6 patties with half the mix, froze the rest unfried for future patties. (If you use canned salmon, check for bones first.)
I had it with tzatziki instead of the avocado cilantro thing. (Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, smallest dab of olive oil. If you have walnuts on hand, they're nice in there, too, crushed.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:27 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Homemade ravioli freezes great, and you can put whatever crap you want in it
posted by aubilenon at 10:50 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by aubilenon at 10:50 PM on September 14, 2016
This is a crowd pleaser at my house and with my vegan friends. It also freezes beautifully. I disregard the directions and just throw all of the ingredients into a crockpot on low for about 5 hours, except for the lime. I leave out the lime and squeeze it fresh over the bowl right before serving. I could eat this every day in the fall and winter over couscous.
Cabbage with sweet potato in coconut milk.
posted by archimago at 3:43 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
Cabbage with sweet potato in coconut milk.
posted by archimago at 3:43 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
It's not specifically pesc/veg, but the Cook It Freeze It book is a fundamentally solid go-to at Piazza di 7...
posted by prismatic7 at 5:13 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by prismatic7 at 5:13 AM on September 15, 2016
Chili freezes great. As do cornbread muffins.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 5:24 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by rabbitrabbit at 5:24 AM on September 15, 2016
Enchiladas! You can experiment endlessly with fillings and sauces, with no two batches alike. I rely on the sauce for the aromatics, and do a simple filling with vegetables, cheese, and beans. Use vegetables that are in season (zucchini, sweet corn, winter squash, spinach). This is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Vary the protein (black beans, pinto beans, tempeh, seitan). Vary the cheese (I love crumbled queso fresco, but shredded cheddar or jack are fine, too).
Red sauce: quick or roasted.
Green sauce: quick or roasted.
posted by BrashTech at 6:00 AM on September 15, 2016
Red sauce: quick or roasted.
Green sauce: quick or roasted.
posted by BrashTech at 6:00 AM on September 15, 2016
Try a tagine! I made this fish tagine last night (adding in some eggplant) and it was delicious; the recipe includes freezing instructions.
posted by torridly at 7:00 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by torridly at 7:00 AM on September 15, 2016
One of my favourite things to have in my freezer at the same time (either frozen in pucks, put in freezer bags after freezing in silicone muffin trays, or frozen together in meal-size containers) is a modified mujaddara with pretty much more onions than rice, a generous slab of grilled halloumi, and (this one has endless different spellings in English) loubieh bi zeit, romano green beans stewed with tomato, garlic, olive oil, and super-spicy batata harra-style potatoes. (Exceptionally nice pairing with the halloumi.) Fry the potatoes a bit (just a stir-fry, not deep-fry) and use relatively small chunks for best freezing results.
(I know, I know, I came in and suggested beans and rice; heh... I did read the question, I swear! The rice dish is a side note and not critical, and the beans are green and not the kind you boil endlessly to make ye olde beans and rice so I feel like it might still meet your needs?)
Do you have a panini press or a pair of cast iron pans that can be pressed into service to do the same thing? You can stuff paninis with all sorts of things -- I've even had good luck freezing thinly sliced plum tomato and rocket/arugula -- loads of cheeses, onions (raw? pickled? caramelized? any or all), sliced artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sauerkraut, etc, etc. These freeze astonishingly well. Best if left to thaw slowly rather than heated straight from frozen, but heating ASAP will do in a pinch.
I also find a freezer stuffed with my own elaborately-topped pizzas is a pleasure. I make my own sauce but elbow hassles mean I have little interest in mucking about with dough so I use the giant cheap packs of Costco naan for a crust. I clean the kitchen table, and make 12-24 at a time, some with pesto instead of tomato for sauce, some just basic tomato sauce and mozz, some with fancy cheeses, some with loads of veg, etc. They freeze well and toaster oven up nicely.
Another thing you didn't ask for, but, hear me out -- this golden carrot soup is -- and I have had this confirmed by everyone I have ever served it to -- the gods' own carrot dish. I don't pay too much attention to the recipe quantities, but just follow the basic idea (I use veg stock, not chicken). I freeze it in zip-lock bags laid flat, minus the dairy; I add milk or cream when reheating. It's very simple, very cheap, very nutritious, and just right with a dollop of sour cream/crème fraîche/heavy cream and chopped fresh herbs.
Allrecipes.com scares me with its canned mushroom soup abuses and "This mushroom dill dip was delicious!! I don't care for dill so I added garlic, and my family doesn't like mushrooms so we used zucchini instead. Outstanding!" reviews, but these banana crumb muffins are crazy-good, and you can easily dump in at least two more cups of fruit -- we've done frozen blueberries, cherry, assorted chunks of fruit; they thaw quickly and the combination of loads of fruit with the crumb topping in a portable, single-serving format is the bomb.
Review left on that recipe: "Exscelennt recipe with a few tweaks. I recplaced the baking soda with ground lamb and the bananas with sea urchin. I also used 4 cups of salt and substituted the butter for ketchup. Everyone raved how delicious these banana muffins were. Will definitely make again."
posted by kmennie at 8:07 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
(I know, I know, I came in and suggested beans and rice; heh... I did read the question, I swear! The rice dish is a side note and not critical, and the beans are green and not the kind you boil endlessly to make ye olde beans and rice so I feel like it might still meet your needs?)
Do you have a panini press or a pair of cast iron pans that can be pressed into service to do the same thing? You can stuff paninis with all sorts of things -- I've even had good luck freezing thinly sliced plum tomato and rocket/arugula -- loads of cheeses, onions (raw? pickled? caramelized? any or all), sliced artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sauerkraut, etc, etc. These freeze astonishingly well. Best if left to thaw slowly rather than heated straight from frozen, but heating ASAP will do in a pinch.
I also find a freezer stuffed with my own elaborately-topped pizzas is a pleasure. I make my own sauce but elbow hassles mean I have little interest in mucking about with dough so I use the giant cheap packs of Costco naan for a crust. I clean the kitchen table, and make 12-24 at a time, some with pesto instead of tomato for sauce, some just basic tomato sauce and mozz, some with fancy cheeses, some with loads of veg, etc. They freeze well and toaster oven up nicely.
Another thing you didn't ask for, but, hear me out -- this golden carrot soup is -- and I have had this confirmed by everyone I have ever served it to -- the gods' own carrot dish. I don't pay too much attention to the recipe quantities, but just follow the basic idea (I use veg stock, not chicken). I freeze it in zip-lock bags laid flat, minus the dairy; I add milk or cream when reheating. It's very simple, very cheap, very nutritious, and just right with a dollop of sour cream/crème fraîche/heavy cream and chopped fresh herbs.
Allrecipes.com scares me with its canned mushroom soup abuses and "This mushroom dill dip was delicious!! I don't care for dill so I added garlic, and my family doesn't like mushrooms so we used zucchini instead. Outstanding!" reviews, but these banana crumb muffins are crazy-good, and you can easily dump in at least two more cups of fruit -- we've done frozen blueberries, cherry, assorted chunks of fruit; they thaw quickly and the combination of loads of fruit with the crumb topping in a portable, single-serving format is the bomb.
Review left on that recipe: "Exscelennt recipe with a few tweaks. I recplaced the baking soda with ground lamb and the bananas with sea urchin. I also used 4 cups of salt and substituted the butter for ketchup. Everyone raved how delicious these banana muffins were. Will definitely make again."
posted by kmennie at 8:07 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't have a recipe, but I recently made harira with preserved lemons and it was absolutely fantastic in the fridge, in the freezer, and pretty much all the time.
I've also done any version of the potato-peanut stew - I know that Isa Chandra Moskowitz has a version of it that's really good. If you want a great adapted recipe for this from a friend of mine, you can memail me yr email address and I'll send you a doc with the recipe. It's very much one of my favorite fall/winter freezer meals.
posted by fairlynearlyready at 9:26 AM on September 15, 2016
I've also done any version of the potato-peanut stew - I know that Isa Chandra Moskowitz has a version of it that's really good. If you want a great adapted recipe for this from a friend of mine, you can memail me yr email address and I'll send you a doc with the recipe. It's very much one of my favorite fall/winter freezer meals.
posted by fairlynearlyready at 9:26 AM on September 15, 2016
Perhaps a Scotch Broth with a fish base instead of beef bones? The barley (!) and root vegetables makes a nice contrast over rice and beans.
posted by porpoise at 9:53 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by porpoise at 9:53 AM on September 15, 2016
The Bold Vegetarian Chef is a reliably good cookbook with strong flavors and a creative recipes. I have been a pescetarian for many years and use lots of recipe books, but I'm very into this one lately for it's strong flavors, hearty dishes, and relative ease of use.
Many of the recipes lend themselves to freezing. On Sunday I made a recipe from this book for split pea, potato and facon bacon soup that I've been bringing for very satisfying lunches all week. It is filling but also has a nice lemony finish.
posted by latkes at 2:25 PM on September 15, 2016
Many of the recipes lend themselves to freezing. On Sunday I made a recipe from this book for split pea, potato and facon bacon soup that I've been bringing for very satisfying lunches all week. It is filling but also has a nice lemony finish.
posted by latkes at 2:25 PM on September 15, 2016
These vegan lentil sloppy joes are popular in my house, and they freeze REALLY well. The recipe is easily adjustable for how much you want to make and how hot you like it.
posted by bibliogrrl at 5:52 AM on September 17, 2016
posted by bibliogrrl at 5:52 AM on September 17, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by purenitrous at 9:25 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]