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Below are common theme menus which I use to put together Shabbos and holiday meals, often at the last minute. In addition to being suitable for Friday night dinner, they can be enjoyed for lunch and seudah shlishit. I avoid things that cannot be reheated without concern (e.g., liquids, very saucy foods, foods that will easily dry out on the warming tray) and most recipes are simple enough that I can get an entire menu prepared in 1-2 hours after work on a Friday afternoon, usually while talking to family over the phone.
- Breakfast-for-dinner Shabbos:
- Protein (choose one):
- Tofu scramble
- Tempeh or Portobello "bacon" strips, or faux bacon
- Faux sausages (e.g., Lightlife, Tofurky)
- Carbohydrates (choose one):
- French toast
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- English muffins
- Toast (wheat or white)
- Bagels
- Biscuits
- Home fries
- Oatmeal (keep in slow cooker or do not reheat)
- Muffins
- Fruits & vegetables (choose at least one):
- Pan-seared squash, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes
- Fruit salad (e.g., melons, grapes)
- Berries (fresh or frozen)
- Condiments (optional):
- Maple syrup
- Microwaved frozen berries make a wonderful topping to pancakes, French toast, or waffles
- Cinnamon, cardamom
- Powdered sugar
- Peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.
- Jams and jellies
- Earth Balance buttery spread
- Gravy (if making biscuits; keep in slow cooker or serve cold in later meals)
- Beverages (choose one):
- Orange juice
- Grapefruit juice (caution: interacts with many medications)
- Strawberry/cucumber infused water
- Country Home Shabbos:
- Protein:
- BBQ tofu (ensure sauce is fully absorbed or do not reheat)
- Shake & bake tofu or faux meat (e.g., Gardein)
- BBQ tempeh with mushrooms & leeks (suitable for dinner only, or reheating on Yom Tov but not Shabbos)
- Store-bought roast (e.g., Tofurky, Gardein)
- Marinated Portobello steak
- Carbohydrates:
- Macaroni & cheese
- Macaroni salad
- Potato salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Home fries
- Baked potato
- Seasoned roasted potato wedges or slices
- Biscuits
- Wild rice or other rice
- Fruits & vegetables:
- Three sisters soup (keep in slow cooker)
- Corn on the cob
- Succotash
- Collard greens or kale or other greens, cooked in skillet
- Sliced mushrooms, seasoned and cooked in skillet
- Squash and zucchini, cooked in skillet
- Okra and tomatoes, cooked in skillet
- Roasted beets and/or other root vegetables
- Fruit salad
- Desserts:
- Sweet potato or pumpkin pie
- Apple pie or apple crumble
- Berry or cherry pie or crumble
- Baked apples with maple and cinnamon
- Chocolate cake or brownies
- Non-dairy ice cream (make it an ice cream bar by creating a buffet-style spread for guests to choose flavor combinations and toppings)
- Beverages:
- Sweet tea
- Lemonade (mint lemonade, strawberry lemonade, the possibilities are endless)
- Hibiscus tea, sweetened with spices
- Brooklyn-Inspired Menu:
- Mains (buffet-style spread of knish and sandwich fixings):
- Knishes
- Kasha varnishkes
- Sandwich bar:
- Rye bread and/or challah
- Faux deli slices (e.g., Tofurky deli slices)
- Hummus (some may prefer this to faux meat)
- Onions, sliced
- Tomatoes, sliced
- Bell peppers, sliced
- Lettuce
- Pickles
- Pickled peppers
- Olives
- Mustard
- Horseradish
- Oil & vinegar
- Salt & pepper
- Dried oregano
- Matzo ball soup (keep in slow cooker)
- Pickled beets
- Deli salads:
- Pasta salad
- Cucumber salad (with the thinly sliced cucumbers; you know the one)
- Cabbage salad
- Israeli salad
- Bean salads (e.g., three bean salad)
- Desserts:
- Egg cream
- Ice cream float
- Halva
- Italian-inspired Shabbos:
- Early courses:
- Garden salad with romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and pepperoncini, dressed with olive oil & balsamic vinegar or dressing of choice
- Greek salad, complete with vegan feta
- Dressler's-inspired salad
- Bruschetta (one of my favorites)
- Caprese salad of fresh tomatoes, sweet basil, and faux mozzarella or tofu, drizzled with olive oil, salt, and balsamic (consider using skewers for fun presentation)
- Rosemary skillet bread
- Mains:
- Easy vegan lasagna
- Homemade pizza (homemade crust or premade crust, either way)
- English muffin pizzas (some weeks are hard, don't judge me!)
- Sides:
- Garlic roasted green beans
- Tuscan white beans
- Vegetables, pan seared in olive oil with black pepper (e.g., zucchini, eggplant, greens, asparagus)
- Garlic-stuffed mushrooms
- Garlic bread or breadsticks
- Desserts:
- Cheesecake
- Chocolate mousse
- Chocolate tartlets
- Chocolate cake
- Biscotti
- Cookies
- Sorbet
- Indian-inspired Menu:
- Early courses and sides:
- Cucumber salad
- Garden salad with lemon juice
- Carrot salad
- Grapefruit salad (caution: grapefruit interacts with many medications)
- Ayurvedic greens (kale)
- Mains:
- Aloo gobi
- Maharini dal
- Kitchari
- Sambar
- Basmati rice
- Roti or chapati
- Desserts:
- Baked bananas, cardamom, dates, and maple syrup
- Banana cardamom cake
- Banana cardamom date shake
- Beverages:
- Masala chai
- Mango lassi
- Lemon water
- Golden milk
- Japanese-inspired Menu:
- Early courses:
- Miso soup
- Silken tofu topped with soy sauce, grated ginger, and sliced scallions (if time, dust the tofu with starch and fry to make agedashi tofu)
- Pickled cabbage, cucumber, carrots
- Mains:
- Vegetarian sushi
- Miso-ginger-glazed sweet potato fries
- Chanko nabe, with noodles (ramen, soba, udon) -- keep in slow cooker
- Stir-fried veggies and mushrooms, optional noodles (ramen, soba, udon) and protein (tofu, tempeh)
- Dessert: green tea ginger tea cakes
- Beverage: green tea
- Thai-inspired Menu:
- Early courses:
- Papaya salad (requires unripe, green papaya not available in conventional supermarkets)
- Spring rolls
- Mains:
- Pad Thai
- Basil fried rice
- Dessert: Mango sticky rice
- Beverage: Jasmine tea
- Mediterranean Diet Inspired Menu:
- Early courses/sides:
- Pita and hummus and/or baba ganoush
- Garden salad with lemon juice and olive oil
- Cabbage salad
- Tabbouleh
- Mains:
- Falafel
- Vegetable kebabs (zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, tofu, etc.) grilled or roasted, with olive oil and rosemary or zaatar
- Faux chicken cutlets, roasted or skillet cooked with olive oil
- Rosemary olive oil skillet bread, with olive oil and balsamic for dipping
- Desserts:
- Fruit salad topped with coconut flakes
- Halvah
- Persian-inspired Menu:
- Early courses:
- Pita and hummus
- Persian cabbage salad
- Osh/aush
- Mains (keep in slow cooker):
- Fesenjān
- Ghormeh sabzi
- Shirazi
- Saffron basmati rice
- Komaj
- Beverage: cardamom-infused tea
- Raw Shabbos Menu (yes, all of these items are raw, vegan, gluten-free unless noted otherwise, and delicious!):
- Early courses:
- Apples and pomegranate seeds with raw almond butter
- Virtually any salads you can think of, topped with plenty of nuts and seeds and avocado for added calories, fat, protein
- Mains:
- Zucchini lasagna
- Zucchini pad-Thai
- Walnut "taco-meat" in lettuce "tacos"
- Sprouted bread (not gluten-free) and toppings (e.g., freshly ground nut butters)
- Desserts:
- Raw cheesecake
- Raw carrot cake
- Raw chocolate mousse
- Banana "ice cream"
- Strawberry sorbet
- Beverages:
- Fresh-pressed juices
- Fresh-pressed nut milks, including warm cashew milk with maple and cinnamon