Packed Cold Dinners.

[T.H.]

Have you looked at coconut aminos? They are a soy-free soy sauce substitute. We found ours at Whole Foods, in the soy sauce section. Tastes about the same, cooks about the same. Slight difference, but workable.

We made fried rice from this to pack cold, also stir-fried veggies in this and ate cold, too. does well with a little added for a spring rolls, too.

Cold, salted roast beef or chicken did well, mixed with salads, or mixed with hummus if she didn't have it for lunch. cocktail shrimp is nice too.

gazpacho might work, if she's willing to eat it. I also recall seeing recipes for cold soups for summer, various places on the web, like raspberry and melon soups that looked really interesting.

Roasted chickpeas or squash seeds can work as a cold snack.

Marinated veggies do well for us, sometimes - usually the recipes we've liked the best used an oil, a vinegar, a sweetener (agave syrup or sugar), and a few herbs, then marinated overnight. We've done this with carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, cucumbers - lots of 'em. With a few lettuce leaves, or stuffed in mushroom caps.

...all I can think of off hand, that hasn't already been mentioned.

[Juliebove]

can someone tell me how you make pasta salad????

I start with tricolored quinoa pasta. It holds up better when cold. Cook it in boiling salted water and when just barely done, put cold water over it. Change the water a few times to stop the cooking.

Drain it well.

Mix in whatever raw veggies you like cut in bite sized pieces. We like cucumber, carrots, celery, radishes, bell peppers, green onions and grape tomatoes.

I add canned kidney and garbanzo beans after draining.

You can add cubes of cheese. Swiss is nice with this.

You can add cubes of ham or slices of dry/hard salami.

I also add drained, pitted black olives. I add stuffed green ones to my portion. Daughter won't eat these.

Dress with Italian dressing. I also like to add some black pepper and chopped fresh parsley.

The problem is this can make a ton of salad! Sometimes I buy the veggies from the salad bar or I wait until I have leftovers so I don't have a ton of salad. But if it's for a potluck, a ton is just what you need!

Another pasta salad that is good (but I can no longer eat it because of the egg allergy) involves a box (or more) of mac and cheese. Make it as directed and cool. Mix in cubed ham or canned tuna (drained), chopped celery, green onions and defrosted frozen peas. Mix in some mayo.

[Juliebove]

Onigiri (riceball) do not have to contain anything ('cept rice of course ). Basically, its just rice around the filling of your choice (this could be chicken or even pickled plums). It is also optional to wrap nori (seaweed) around the onigiri.

Thanks!

[Juliebove]

Vegetable Spring Rolls

10 minutes

The variations are infinite

[Juliebove]

Have you looked at coconut aminos? They are a soy-free soy sauce substitute. We found ours at Whole Foods, in the soy sauce section. Tastes about the same, cooks about the same. Slight difference, but workable.

We made fried rice from this to pack cold, also stir-fried veggies in this and ate cold, too. does well with a little added for a spring rolls, too.

Cold, salted roast beef or chicken did well, mixed with salads, or mixed with hummus if she didn't have it for lunch. cocktail shrimp is nice too.

gazpacho might work, if she's willing to eat it. I also recall seeing recipes for cold soups for summer, various places on the web, like raspberry and melon soups that looked really interesting.

Roasted chickpeas or squash seeds can work as a cold snack.

Marinated veggies do well for us, sometimes - usually the recipes we've liked the best used an oil, a vinegar, a sweetener (agave syrup or sugar), and a few herbs, then marinated overnight. We've done this with carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, cucumbers - lots of 'em. With a few lettuce leaves, or stuffed in mushroom caps.

...all I can think of off hand, that hasn't already been mentioned.

I have used the coconut stuff for teriyaki but it's very expensive.

Don't think she would eat gazpacho since she doesn't like tomatoes. I have had it and I don't like it. I don't know why because I like all that goes into it. She's not much into veggies either. I can get her to eat some, but too many would be pushing it. Thanks!

We only have a few weeks left of dance. Her summer classes won't have a break in there so no dinner needed. There will be a camp but that will only be for a week. We'll see about next year. I'm hoping if they keep the classes like they are this year, they will all be later, after dinner. So we can eat before she goes.