Menu - Week of 1/31/10

On the menu for the week:

Israeli Couscous & Mushroom Pilaf with Spiced Tofu
(A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, Bishop)
with a green salad

Wehani & Wild Rice Stew with Cremini Mushrooms, Winter Squash and Kale
(Fresh Food Fast, Berley)

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Kale
(The Healthy Hedonist, Kornfeld)

Orecchiette with Spicy Broccoli
(The Complete Italian Vegetarian, Bishop)

Whole Wheat Pizza with Asparagus and Assorted Vegetables
(Crust from The Healthy Hedonist, Kornfeld)
with a bean salad

Lunch - January 30, 2010

I created a make do lunch. I am going to call it Quick Tomato Pantry Soup.

1 large shallot finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
2 tbsp basil chopped

Saute the shallots in the olive oil in a chef's pot. Add the tomatoes and bring to a low boil. Mash tomatoes with a tomato masher. Add the chick peas and corn and heat through. Add the balsamic and salt and pepper. Stir in the basil and serve.

I am going to say this was 3 servings and tasted pretty good.

Dinner - January 29, 2010

From my meal plan for the week we have Black Bean Tostadas with Cherry Tomato Salsa from Berley's Fresh Food Fast. We have liked this recipe for years and have served it to guests.

This night I tried reducing the lime juice in the salsa to half and doubling the black beans in the black bean and seitan mixture. I rounded the measures on the spices to compensate for the extra beans. I used a potato masher to smash some of the beans while they were cooking. I put about half of the seeds and core from the jalapeno in the salsa and that was plenty hot for me.

I think these adjustments are improvements. Next time I think I will try and make a little more salsa to balance the increase in the bean mixture.

I made up all ten of the tortillas in the package into tostadas. Two is probably a meal but I think someone ate four.

Dinner - January 18, 2010

We have two dishes here based on the memory of some recipes. The roasted vegetables are based on Immer's Spicy Roasted Cauliflower and Okra. The beans are based on the white beans from the Pork Tenerloin with Pistachio-Gremolata Crust recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.

For the vegetables I substituted bell peppers and zucchini for the okra. I varied the spices and used whole mustard seeds.

For the beans I used lime in place of the lemon, cilantro in place of the parsley, and avocado in place of the nuts and breadcrumbs.

I found the meal satisfying. We were looking for a meal with no pasta or rice and this fit the bill. For a refrigerator clean-out meal I will call it a success.

Dinner - January 17, 2010

This is a variation on Immer's Linguine with Walnuts, Arugula, and Olives. Here we have broccoli rabe in place of the arugula. I blanched the chopped rabe in the pasta water before I cooked the pasta. I also used 50% whole wheat spaghetti in place of the linguine and left out the cheese.

Checking my notes it says that I used two bunches of broccoli rabe and chopped them into 2 inch pieces. I blanched them for 1 minute and then sauteed.

We loved this dish. These are strong flavors so I would be reluctant to serve it to most guests but I think those that really love food will appreciate it.

Lunch - January 9, 2010

I made a last minute trip with my mom down to see my sister and her family before I started my new job. I took three recipes with me from Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist. One was the standard Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry. The second was this salad, Asian Chicken Salad with Crisoy Wonton Strips, that can be made with the same Glazed Tofu. The third was Spinach-Tofu Wontons which is a version of ravioli in red sauce. I picked them because they were three very different dishes that were tied together by several ingredients.

Matt and I had enjoyed this salad before with the tofu. On this day we tried it with the chicken. I didn't have breasts on the bone with skin but rubbed some boneless, skinless breasts with olive oil. I also opted to replace the watercress with arugula. Both of these substitutions worked well. I think I do like the dish better with the tofu because you add a little sweetness.

Menu - Week of 1/24/10

Here are my menu ideas for the week.

Black Bean Tostadas with Cherry Tomato Salsa
(Berley's Fresh Food Fast)

Quinoa with Brussels Sprouts, Tempeh, and Toasted Almonds
(Berley's Fresh Food Fast)

Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, and Basil
(Bishop's Vegetables Every Day)

Linguine with Walnuts, Arugula, and Olives
(Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine)

Tofu and Vegetable Stir-fry
(Kornfeld's Healthy Hedonist)

Breakfasts will be smoothies or oatmeal with fruit. Lunches will be leftovers with green salads.

My Shopping List (since I already have some ingredients):
1 pint - cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes
1 jalapeno
3 yellow onion
2 clove garlic
2 head romaine
3 red bell pepper
1 lb brussels sprouts
1 lemon
1 lb green beans
1 small package basil
1 box arugula
6 oranges
10 bananas
3 apples
3 lb grapes
1 head red lettuce

1 package of seitan, 8oz
1 gallon unsweetened soy milk

1 package wheat tortillas
1 can black beans, 15 oz
1 can chipotle in adobo
1 can chopped tomatoes, 14 oz
1 jar black olives, pitted
1 can chickpeas, 15oz
1 box whole wheat linguine, 12 oz
1 jar maple syrup

frozen cherries
frozen blackberries
frozen smoothie fruit

Dinner - January 4, 2010

My purple cauliflower turned blue and helped me create this red, white, and blue meal. I say it is pretty damn American for not containing any beef.

This is Braised Tempeh with Curried Coconut Sauce from the Healthy Hedonist. I used hard cider for the apple juice and some of the water. I had to fake the spices and skip the dried coconut garnish. I also substituted half the amount of full fat coconut milk for the light type. I guess this is really not all that close to the recipe.

I enjoyed it but was not that impressed. I did keep going back for more so it worked well in a comfort food kind of way. I do think the tempeh ended up a little too salty.

I will not be making this for anyone else but when the ingredients end up in my refrigerator, I would try it again.

Dinner - September 27, 2009

Can you name this vegetable?

This was a vegetable that I got at the Farmers' Fair in Newport. This was a great little festival where they paired local growers with local chefs and sold tastes of some great dishes for rather low prices. The next day they did a traditional farmers' market.

I don't remember what this vegetable was called. I was told you could put it in salad or cook it. I went in between and used it like I use bok choy in the Eating Well salad Asian Slaw with Tofu & Shiitake Mushrooms. The recipe can be found here.


To go with this dish it looks like I tried my hand at making Szechuan Green (and yellow) Beans. I recall we liked this dish but I haven't found my notes on how I did it. I think this was a mixture of recipes I found on the internet.


This is the last picture from my old camera.

Dinner - Sepember 26, 2009

I am now recalling that the ratatouille that I made the day before had jalapenos in it that were very spicy resulting in a lot of left overs. Here I served it with some rice, re-fried beans, sauteed corn, and fresh salsa to mellow it out a bit. I believe we thought this was great. The roasted vegetables added that fajita flavor to the meal.

Dinner - September 25, 2009

I am guessing we have oven roasted ratatouille here. I suppose it is really not so surprising that in January I can not remember what I cooked in September. I hope this post will remind me to tend to my cooking notes promptly.