Getting started on dinner plans, it didn't take much thought to know what will be on tonight's table; with today's one-day sale on Whole Foods' fine organic whole chickens, it will be a simple roast chicken. I'll just roast a pan of sliced winter veggies along with it, including parsnips, yams, red onion wedges, and acorn squash slivers, and dinner will be a feast. If you'd prefer to get fancier, the Whole Foods blog includes recipe suggestions to go along with the sale.
While on a comfort food roll, I'm going to go out on a limb tomorrow and attempt a pasta dish that is so simple, it can probably only be successfully pulled off in the hands of a master, which I certainly am not. The dish is called bavette cacio e pepe (bavette with cheese and pepper), and hails from Mario Batali's magnificent NYC restaurant, Lupa. Although it was some time ago that I had it there, I could swear the pasta was wider than a linguine shape. In any case, the Pearl Street Whole Foods carries cacio di Roma in its cheese department, and since I'll be there for the chicken sale, I'll take the plunge, get the cheese, and try this recipe too. When a recipe consists basically of pasta, cheese, and ground pepper, I just know I'll blow it with too much pasta water, overcooked pasta, and who knows what else. But if you ever have a chance to try it as done by the masters at Lupa, you just might have a pasta epiphany.
For Sunday, we'll return to the comfortable world of fool-proof cooking with a stew, and the sales on shrimp at Sunflower and haddock at Sprouts are suggesting my spin on smoky shrimp and halibut stew from Bon Appetit. I find haddock or cod substitutes perfectly well in this, and that using halibut in such a stew is a waste of a pricey fish. With a salad and a loaf of fresh bread on the side, a good dinner is guaranteed, as we'll probably be attempting to forget the disaster that tomorrow night's pasta experiment will be.
Which will get us through to the weekday dinner planning.
Showing posts with label vegetarian recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian recipes. Show all posts
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
If it's Sunday, it's time to get planning the rest of the week's dinners. In addition to our natural grocery store sales, several other factors are motivating my planning this week: the need to keep working on my herb pots, enjoying as much fresh, local corn while we still can, and incorporating some freshly roasted green chiles somewhere. With those factors in mind, let's get going.
We'll want a pasta dish by tomorrow, and I have one in mind that will hit both the herb pots and the corn enjoyment: pasta with corn, zucchini, and tomatoes, from Mark Bittman in the New York Times. As Bittman notes, this is a very flexible recipe, so instead of the tarragon called for, I'll harvest mercilessly from my herb pots, so basil will be the dominant herb. As I've previously noted, my herbs will also go into my homemade buttermilk salad dressing for the side salad. The corn will obviously be fresh from Munson's, and yesterday, I saw organic roma tomatoes for $1.99 a pound at the Pearl Street Whole Foods, a low price for them. (And no, this isn't the same pasta with corn dish I made last week - that one had bacon, while this is purely vegetarian.)
Tuesday is our usual day for a reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is the soupe au pistou, with that vitalizing glob of pesto from my basil plants plopped on top.
With that much vegetarian dining, we can hit the red meat by Wednesday. With 100% grass-fed, organic ground beef just $3.99 a pound at Sprouts through then, I'm going to make my own green chile burgers, inspired by the delicious prepared ones I've previously bought at Whole Foods. All you have to do is incorporate some (or lots of) diced roasted green chiles from the Farmers' Market, Sunflower, or Whole Foods into the burgers. Since Whole Foods has some beautiful organic heirloom tomatoes on sale for the quite good price of $3.99 a pound, and they also have whole one pound logs of Crave Brothers fresh mozzarella for an astonishing $5.99 each, that calls for a caprese salad on the side, with more basil from my herb pots. No recipe really is needed for something that simple, but the current issue of Bon Appetit shows you the outine (although using unusual cherry tomatoes) with heirloom tomato caprese.
There should be a fair amount of that pound of Crave Brothers mozzarella left, and since we haven't had a rice-based dish yet this week, I'll take one more whack at my herb pots to invent my own risotto with herbs and mozzarella for Thursday. This goes well with a bit of smoked ham (like Black Forest) added to it as well.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
We'll want a pasta dish by tomorrow, and I have one in mind that will hit both the herb pots and the corn enjoyment: pasta with corn, zucchini, and tomatoes, from Mark Bittman in the New York Times. As Bittman notes, this is a very flexible recipe, so instead of the tarragon called for, I'll harvest mercilessly from my herb pots, so basil will be the dominant herb. As I've previously noted, my herbs will also go into my homemade buttermilk salad dressing for the side salad. The corn will obviously be fresh from Munson's, and yesterday, I saw organic roma tomatoes for $1.99 a pound at the Pearl Street Whole Foods, a low price for them. (And no, this isn't the same pasta with corn dish I made last week - that one had bacon, while this is purely vegetarian.)
Tuesday is our usual day for a reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is the soupe au pistou, with that vitalizing glob of pesto from my basil plants plopped on top.
With that much vegetarian dining, we can hit the red meat by Wednesday. With 100% grass-fed, organic ground beef just $3.99 a pound at Sprouts through then, I'm going to make my own green chile burgers, inspired by the delicious prepared ones I've previously bought at Whole Foods. All you have to do is incorporate some (or lots of) diced roasted green chiles from the Farmers' Market, Sunflower, or Whole Foods into the burgers. Since Whole Foods has some beautiful organic heirloom tomatoes on sale for the quite good price of $3.99 a pound, and they also have whole one pound logs of Crave Brothers fresh mozzarella for an astonishing $5.99 each, that calls for a caprese salad on the side, with more basil from my herb pots. No recipe really is needed for something that simple, but the current issue of Bon Appetit shows you the outine (although using unusual cherry tomatoes) with heirloom tomato caprese.
There should be a fair amount of that pound of Crave Brothers mozzarella left, and since we haven't had a rice-based dish yet this week, I'll take one more whack at my herb pots to invent my own risotto with herbs and mozzarella for Thursday. This goes well with a bit of smoked ham (like Black Forest) added to it as well.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
Well, the Rapture has come and gone, and I'm still here, so I guess the drumbeat of dinner planning resumes, darn. To start tomorrow's weekday dinners off, we'll go with a spring favorite, risotto with sausage and spring greens from Bon Appetit. I bought a bag of Cure Organic Farm's fabulous braising mix at yesterday's Boulder Farmer's Market, and it's perfect for this recipe. I prefer chicken for the sausage, and all sausage is on sale for $2.99 a pound at Sprouts, but is pretty cheap everywhere.
Tuesday is usually our reheat of something big made over the weekend, and this week that's New England seafood chowder from Bon Appetit, with fresh bread and salad on the side. And I'm hoping to find a little time to research the history of curry in New England food, to see if all those commenters crying heresy are right. Sure, curry isn't found in contemporary classic New England chowder. However, with New England's time as a British colony and history of whaling around the world, I wonder if curry might have an authentic culinary place. Regardless, it's delicious.
On to Wednesday, we'll need something vegetarian by then, and a pasta dish should be on deck by then also. With organic roma tomatoes just $1.49 a pound at Alfalfa's, I'm going for linguine with spicy leek and tomato sauce from Bon Appetit. Instead of one of the leeks, mine will have glorious Egyptian walking onions bought yesterday from Red Wagon Organic Farm at the Farmer's Market.
By Thursday, we'll want something rice-based, and stir-fried beef, broccoli, and yams over brown rice should fit the bill. That's yet another recipe from Bon Appetit, so I seem to be on a Bon Appetit roll this week. Sunflower has both organic broccoli and organic yams on sale for the excellent price of 99 cents a pound through Wednesday. And don't forget Sprout's fantastic gluten-free sale also running through Wednesday, which includes packages of Lundberg rice (stock up!). For the beef, I shortcut by using pre-cut stew beef, which is never very expensive anywhere.
And that will get us through to Friday's planning. I guess the next end of the world isn't expected until next year, so I better keep going on the dinner plans, darn.
Tuesday is usually our reheat of something big made over the weekend, and this week that's New England seafood chowder from Bon Appetit, with fresh bread and salad on the side. And I'm hoping to find a little time to research the history of curry in New England food, to see if all those commenters crying heresy are right. Sure, curry isn't found in contemporary classic New England chowder. However, with New England's time as a British colony and history of whaling around the world, I wonder if curry might have an authentic culinary place. Regardless, it's delicious.
On to Wednesday, we'll need something vegetarian by then, and a pasta dish should be on deck by then also. With organic roma tomatoes just $1.49 a pound at Alfalfa's, I'm going for linguine with spicy leek and tomato sauce from Bon Appetit. Instead of one of the leeks, mine will have glorious Egyptian walking onions bought yesterday from Red Wagon Organic Farm at the Farmer's Market.
By Thursday, we'll want something rice-based, and stir-fried beef, broccoli, and yams over brown rice should fit the bill. That's yet another recipe from Bon Appetit, so I seem to be on a Bon Appetit roll this week. Sunflower has both organic broccoli and organic yams on sale for the excellent price of 99 cents a pound through Wednesday. And don't forget Sprout's fantastic gluten-free sale also running through Wednesday, which includes packages of Lundberg rice (stock up!). For the beef, I shortcut by using pre-cut stew beef, which is never very expensive anywhere.
And that will get us through to Friday's planning. I guess the next end of the world isn't expected until next year, so I better keep going on the dinner plans, darn.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
Time to start thinking about some easy meals for weekdays. For tomorrow, I'm thinking exceptionally easy, wanting to take advantage of the large cinque formaggio pizza that's just $7.99 at Whole Foods through Tuesday. This is good on its own, or dresses up well with additions like mushrooms and Yves veggie pepperoni to keep it a vegetarian dish. For the side salad, Alfalfa's has red, green, or romaine lettuce for $1.50 a head, and I think I might have seen an unadvertised sale at Whole Foods, too.
We always have something big made over the weekend that serves as an easy midweek reheat, and for Tuesday, it will be potato and yam soup with bacon and spinach, again with a side salad, and maybe some fresh bread from either Alfalfa's or Whole Foods' bakeries.
Catching some reasonably priced asparagus (Whole Foods' $1.99 a pound sale runs through Tuesday), and looking for a rice dish, we'll turn to seasonally-appropriate spring risotto from last month's issue of Cooking Light. This would also be great with any remaining spring greens from the Farmer's Market tossed in as well.
For Thursday, I plan to pick up the ground pork that's $2.99 a pound through Wednesday at Sprouts, since that would be perfect for my new fascination with a dish variously called laap, larb, or laab, which hails from Thailand and also possibly Laos. The spicy ground meat can be wrapped in lettuce leaves for a very satisfying, diet-friendly meal.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
We always have something big made over the weekend that serves as an easy midweek reheat, and for Tuesday, it will be potato and yam soup with bacon and spinach, again with a side salad, and maybe some fresh bread from either Alfalfa's or Whole Foods' bakeries.
Catching some reasonably priced asparagus (Whole Foods' $1.99 a pound sale runs through Tuesday), and looking for a rice dish, we'll turn to seasonally-appropriate spring risotto from last month's issue of Cooking Light. This would also be great with any remaining spring greens from the Farmer's Market tossed in as well.
For Thursday, I plan to pick up the ground pork that's $2.99 a pound through Wednesday at Sprouts, since that would be perfect for my new fascination with a dish variously called laap, larb, or laab, which hails from Thailand and also possibly Laos. The spicy ground meat can be wrapped in lettuce leaves for a very satisfying, diet-friendly meal.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
It might be Easter, but the rest of the week's dinner plans are calling. Actually tonight's beautiful Beeler ham from Alfalfa's is going to make the rest of the week's planning a cinch.
For tomorrow, since tonight's feast will be heavier than usual, we'll counter with a vegetarian dish, celebrating spring with a risotto of spring veggies. It can be easily improvised, starting with a base of sauteed shallots, leeks, or onions (too bad there was no green garlic at yesterday's Farmer's Market!), rice added on top of that and cooked with broth, then veggies of choice added when they'll just barely get cooked, topped with a bit of grated parmesan. For a more structured approach, you could do something like risotto alla primavera from Bon Appetit.
Our Easter ham will make for an easy reprise on Tuesday, with slices heated on the grill pan or saute pan. For variety, we'll bake yams in lieu of russets on the side (organic yams are 99 cents a pound at Sunflower), with some other green veggie also going on the side (organic chard is $1.50 a bunch at Alfalfa's). While the grill pan is out, we might give a quick heating to some pineapple slices to go with the ham (conventional pineapples are $1.25 each at Sunflower).
For Wednesday (the last day of the current sales at Sprouts and Sunflower), we'll divert to Asian cuisine. Looking to finish off my giant bag of spinach from the Farmer's Market (only about half will fit in tomorrow's spring risotto), I'll turn to a recipe in the current issue of Cooking Light, stir-fried rice noodles with beef and spinach. It calls for a hefty amount of green onions, which were all over yesterday's Farmer's Market and are also on sale for just 50 cents a bunch (organic of course) at Alfalfa's. You can slice the top sirloin as instructed (top sirloin $5.99 a pound at Sprouts) or take a speedier and cheaper approach, using pre-cut stew beef instead ($3.99 a pound at Sunflower).
To finish off the planning through Thursday, I expect the remainder of tonight's wonderful ham will still be haunting me, and a good way to finally finish it off will be a spin on Mark Bittman's more vegetable than egg frittata from the New York Times, adding in diced ham along with the veggies. If you're looking to minimize the cholesterol impact of this, although it only calls for a couple of eggs, a product like Nulaid's cage free ReddiEgg makes a fine substitute. I've found it every time I've looked for it in a natural grocery store in town.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning. Enjoy the day and hope for more rain tonight!
For tomorrow, since tonight's feast will be heavier than usual, we'll counter with a vegetarian dish, celebrating spring with a risotto of spring veggies. It can be easily improvised, starting with a base of sauteed shallots, leeks, or onions (too bad there was no green garlic at yesterday's Farmer's Market!), rice added on top of that and cooked with broth, then veggies of choice added when they'll just barely get cooked, topped with a bit of grated parmesan. For a more structured approach, you could do something like risotto alla primavera from Bon Appetit.
Our Easter ham will make for an easy reprise on Tuesday, with slices heated on the grill pan or saute pan. For variety, we'll bake yams in lieu of russets on the side (organic yams are 99 cents a pound at Sunflower), with some other green veggie also going on the side (organic chard is $1.50 a bunch at Alfalfa's). While the grill pan is out, we might give a quick heating to some pineapple slices to go with the ham (conventional pineapples are $1.25 each at Sunflower).
For Wednesday (the last day of the current sales at Sprouts and Sunflower), we'll divert to Asian cuisine. Looking to finish off my giant bag of spinach from the Farmer's Market (only about half will fit in tomorrow's spring risotto), I'll turn to a recipe in the current issue of Cooking Light, stir-fried rice noodles with beef and spinach. It calls for a hefty amount of green onions, which were all over yesterday's Farmer's Market and are also on sale for just 50 cents a bunch (organic of course) at Alfalfa's. You can slice the top sirloin as instructed (top sirloin $5.99 a pound at Sprouts) or take a speedier and cheaper approach, using pre-cut stew beef instead ($3.99 a pound at Sunflower).
To finish off the planning through Thursday, I expect the remainder of tonight's wonderful ham will still be haunting me, and a good way to finally finish it off will be a spin on Mark Bittman's more vegetable than egg frittata from the New York Times, adding in diced ham along with the veggies. If you're looking to minimize the cholesterol impact of this, although it only calls for a couple of eggs, a product like Nulaid's cage free ReddiEgg makes a fine substitute. I've found it every time I've looked for it in a natural grocery store in town.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning. Enjoy the day and hope for more rain tonight!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Weekend Dinner Plans, Including Easter
If it's Friday, it's time to get going on some dinner plans. For tonight, I'm hoping to do an "Alfalfa's surprise," some impromptu idea I expect to get while surveying the goods at the grand opening of the new Alfalfa's sometime today. Failing that (which I doubt), I'm also thinking about the haddock that's on sale for $5.99 a pound at Sprouts. It would make a fine scrod, and with so many runners in this town returning from the Boston Marathon earlier this week, scrod strikes me as a suitable way to fete them. It could be done in a pretty classic New England style, such as scrod with herbed breadcrumbs from Bon Appetit. I'm also intrigued by a heretical spinoff from Gourmet, scrod with chipotle butter and black beans baked in parchment, which is a hilarious play on the classic fish with a side of baked beans.
Moving on to more solid plans for tomorrow, I'm doing a preemptive strike against a potentially heavy Easter dinner Sunday by going vegetarian with Cooking Light's much lightened, yet very delicious version of fettuccine Alfredo. With a quick side salad, you have a wonderful dinner.
For Sunday, we're thinking of going with a classic ham, although where it's coming from I haven't decided yet. (I'd love to do a price smackdown across stores on hams, but that might not happen, between time constraints and the number of choices each store will offer. Just remember to check the labels for potential preservatives, if that's a concern for you, as they can be found in some of our natural stores.) Cooking the ham should require no further guidance than checking the label or consulting a basic cookbook like Bittman's How To Cook Everything or even my antique Joy of Cooking. For the sides, I'm planning on golden potatoes with caper brown-butter crumbs from Gourmet magazine. This is equally fabulous with organic russets instead of the Yukon Golds called for, and you can find russets on sale at both Sunflower and Whole Foods this week (cheaper by the five pound bag at Sunflower this week, details here). I'd never (sigh) make it with the stick of butter called for either, substituting Earth Balance as a great no-cholesterol alternative to lighten it up. I'm also considering asparagus with balsamic tomatoes from the current issue of Cooking Light, and radish, arugula, and red onion salad with tangerines from the current issue of Bon Appetit. Arugula will certainly be available at tomorrow's Farmer's Market, and maybe radishes will have made their appearance as well (failing that, the stores will serve just fine for them). Since dessert doesn't figure much into our plans (see this post for help in that direction), that will get us through the weekend.
More to come soon for weekday ideas.
Moving on to more solid plans for tomorrow, I'm doing a preemptive strike against a potentially heavy Easter dinner Sunday by going vegetarian with Cooking Light's much lightened, yet very delicious version of fettuccine Alfredo. With a quick side salad, you have a wonderful dinner.
For Sunday, we're thinking of going with a classic ham, although where it's coming from I haven't decided yet. (I'd love to do a price smackdown across stores on hams, but that might not happen, between time constraints and the number of choices each store will offer. Just remember to check the labels for potential preservatives, if that's a concern for you, as they can be found in some of our natural stores.) Cooking the ham should require no further guidance than checking the label or consulting a basic cookbook like Bittman's How To Cook Everything or even my antique Joy of Cooking. For the sides, I'm planning on golden potatoes with caper brown-butter crumbs from Gourmet magazine. This is equally fabulous with organic russets instead of the Yukon Golds called for, and you can find russets on sale at both Sunflower and Whole Foods this week (cheaper by the five pound bag at Sunflower this week, details here). I'd never (sigh) make it with the stick of butter called for either, substituting Earth Balance as a great no-cholesterol alternative to lighten it up. I'm also considering asparagus with balsamic tomatoes from the current issue of Cooking Light, and radish, arugula, and red onion salad with tangerines from the current issue of Bon Appetit. Arugula will certainly be available at tomorrow's Farmer's Market, and maybe radishes will have made their appearance as well (failing that, the stores will serve just fine for them). Since dessert doesn't figure much into our plans (see this post for help in that direction), that will get us through the weekend.
More to come soon for weekday ideas.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Weekend Dinner Ideas
Friday comes around so quickly, time to get going on dinner plans. For tonight, since grilling looks possible, we'll opt for salmon on the grill, simply done with a squeeze of lemon on the side. Bearing in mind my post just below about the state of the wild salmon population, we'll go for the certified sustainable Alaskan coho on sale at Whole Foods for $12.99 a pound. If you can use lots of lemon, Whole Foods has two pound bags of organic ones for $2.99 each. With organic zucchini a good deal this week ($1.50 a pound at Lucky's, $1.99 a pound at Whole Foods, just $1.29 a pound for "Italian squash" at Sprouts), we'll include a favorite side from Bon Appetit, shaved zucchini salad with parmesan pine nuts. For tomorrow, we'll put one foot back into winter with a nice warming chowder inspired by the current sales on organic leeks and potatoes, making potato and root vegetable chowder with bacon from Bon Appetit. I'll trek north to Lucky's to stock up on organic leeks for just $1.50 a pound, and organic russets are on sale at good prices at both Sunflower and Whole Foods (russets work just fine instead of the Yukon Golds the recipe calls for). Tomorrow's farmers' market will surely give us some spring inspiration for the side salad, with baby spring greens, arugula, and spinach, plus there's also the organic lettuce sale at Sunflower for $2 a head (both leaf lettuce and romaine). For Sunday, we'll use more of those sale organic potatoes and leeks for a quick Sunday supper, experimenting with a new recipe from the current issue of Cooking Light, fingerling potato-leek hash with Swiss chard and eggs. Organic russets again should be a fine substitute. All Sprouts brand eggs are 20% off right now, and I'm hoping to find young Swiss chard at tomorrow's farmers' market (if not, organic is available at all our stores). And that will get us through the weekend plans, with the rest of the week still to come.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
If it's Sunday, it's time to get planning again. For tomorrow night, I'm looking for a pasta dish, and something vegetarian would be a nice change, so with organic romas a fantastic mid-winter price of $1.49 a pound at Whole Foods, we'll go with pasta with winter squash and tomatoes from the New York Times. The organic butternut squash for it will come from Sprouts, where it's 99 cents a pound.
For Tuesday, it will be time to reheat the big pot of something made over the weekend, this time being the Mexican chicken soup, a big salad on the side (with more of those organic romas from the Whole Foods sale).
Moving on to something based on rice, I'm looking at the $2.99 a pound chicken sausage sales at Sprouts (apple or basil) and Sunflower (all varieties), and am thinking about sausage and lentils with spinach from Bon Appetit, served over brown rice. The chicken sausage needs to the thoroughly cooked of course, since it isn't a precooked variety, but that only takes a few minutes more.
To get us through Thursday, we'll do sirloin and vegetable stir-fry from Cooking Light, catching the the beef stir fry on sale at Sunflower (or the beef stew meat at Sprouts, a perfectly good substitute) and the organic broccoli on sale at Sprouts by the time those sales end Wednesday. The beef really can be bought any time, popped in the freezer, then taken out when you're ready for it, and broccoli has a pretty nice shelf life, as veggies go. I'd normally serve this over rice, but since that will have been on deck the day before, this will go over soba noodles, which cook in a flash and are whole grain, to boot.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
For Tuesday, it will be time to reheat the big pot of something made over the weekend, this time being the Mexican chicken soup, a big salad on the side (with more of those organic romas from the Whole Foods sale).
Moving on to something based on rice, I'm looking at the $2.99 a pound chicken sausage sales at Sprouts (apple or basil) and Sunflower (all varieties), and am thinking about sausage and lentils with spinach from Bon Appetit, served over brown rice. The chicken sausage needs to the thoroughly cooked of course, since it isn't a precooked variety, but that only takes a few minutes more.
To get us through Thursday, we'll do sirloin and vegetable stir-fry from Cooking Light, catching the the beef stir fry on sale at Sunflower (or the beef stew meat at Sprouts, a perfectly good substitute) and the organic broccoli on sale at Sprouts by the time those sales end Wednesday. The beef really can be bought any time, popped in the freezer, then taken out when you're ready for it, and broccoli has a pretty nice shelf life, as veggies go. I'd normally serve this over rice, but since that will have been on deck the day before, this will go over soba noodles, which cook in a flash and are whole grain, to boot.
And that will get us through to next Friday's planning.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Weekday Dinner Ideas
Happy game day everybody, but the rest of the week still requires attention. Since we're staying pretty healthy today with a vegetarian chili, for tomorrow we can indulge in Whole Foods' cinque formaggio pizza, currently on sale for $7.99 for a large one. This sale theoretically goes through the 15th, per the sales flyer, but the last time Whole Foods said they were doing a three week sale, they in fact replaced it after their usual two weeks. I'm therefore taking no chances; I'm getting my cinque formaggio pizza now! It's great embellished with some Yves veggie pepperoni, currently also on sale at Whole Foods (Pearl Street and probably elsewhere) for $2.50, plus mushrooms or whatever other veggie appeals.
Then of course we'll have an easy reheat dinner, and this week, there are two to choose from, Saturday's lentil soup with spicy Italian sausage or tonight's vegetarian chili. A big side salad, and cornbread leftover from tonight, and we're done.
With ground turkey 40% off at Sunflower through Wednesday, our experiment for the week will be a Lao dish (evidently it's no longer Laoatian, it's Lao), ground turkey laap from the current issue of Food and Wine magazine. I'm sure this is at least the second, if not the third, laap recipe I've encountered in the past couple of months, so laap seems to be a culinary rising star. Think I'd skip the first step of toasting and grinding one tablespoon of rice though - I can't imagine it would add enough flavor to justify the effort, especially in the middle of the week. Using lettuce or endive to roll up the laap is a great idea, and a little brown rice on the side would also be good.
Following Wednesday's experiment, we'll finish off the current planning with a simple standby, spaghetti with sausage, onions, and peppers, using the chicken sausage on sale at both Sunflower ($1.99 a pound) and Sprouts ($2.99 a pound) through Wednesday. Using bottle pasta sauce, this doesn't get any easier. Also, yesterday, Sunflower had excellent manager's specials on both Muir Glen organic pasta sauce for $2.99 a jar and Luigi Vitello organic whole wheat (or white) pasta for 99 cents a one pound package, although you can never tell how long a manager's special will hang in there. Regardless, it's a cheap and easy dinner.
And that gets us through to next Friday's planning. Happy game day, and enjoy our several days of snow.
Then of course we'll have an easy reheat dinner, and this week, there are two to choose from, Saturday's lentil soup with spicy Italian sausage or tonight's vegetarian chili. A big side salad, and cornbread leftover from tonight, and we're done.
With ground turkey 40% off at Sunflower through Wednesday, our experiment for the week will be a Lao dish (evidently it's no longer Laoatian, it's Lao), ground turkey laap from the current issue of Food and Wine magazine. I'm sure this is at least the second, if not the third, laap recipe I've encountered in the past couple of months, so laap seems to be a culinary rising star. Think I'd skip the first step of toasting and grinding one tablespoon of rice though - I can't imagine it would add enough flavor to justify the effort, especially in the middle of the week. Using lettuce or endive to roll up the laap is a great idea, and a little brown rice on the side would also be good.
Following Wednesday's experiment, we'll finish off the current planning with a simple standby, spaghetti with sausage, onions, and peppers, using the chicken sausage on sale at both Sunflower ($1.99 a pound) and Sprouts ($2.99 a pound) through Wednesday. Using bottle pasta sauce, this doesn't get any easier. Also, yesterday, Sunflower had excellent manager's specials on both Muir Glen organic pasta sauce for $2.99 a jar and Luigi Vitello organic whole wheat (or white) pasta for 99 cents a one pound package, although you can never tell how long a manager's special will hang in there. Regardless, it's a cheap and easy dinner.
And that gets us through to next Friday's planning. Happy game day, and enjoy our several days of snow.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Dinner Ideas Across Super Bowl Weekend
Time to get our plans set for today through game day, keeping everything light, natural, and sale-oriented as usual, even on Super Bowl Sunday.
For today, with fresh mahi mahi available at Sprouts for $7.99 a pound, I'm thinking fish tacos. Mahi makes the best tacos, and a good recipe to adapt it into is crispy snapper tacos from Gourmet magazine. Use taco shells straight from the package (no extra frying step, please!), and don't forget that Sunflower has avocados for just 49 cents apiece this week.
The chicken sausage sales at both Sunflower ($1.99 a pound) and Sprouts ($2.99 a pound) are providing inspiration for tomorrow, which will be lentil soup with spicy Italian sausage from Bon Appetit. Using the fresh sausage instead of the cooked ones called for is easy, so long as (obviously) you cook the sausage. I like this recipe because it also calls for our wintery parsnips, plus the fresh touch of spinach leaves.
Finally, on to Super Bowl Sunday. Hummus with raw veggies and Crunchmaster gluten-free crackers makes a great, light snack throughout the afternoon. You can make your own, like smoky chipotle hummus from Bon Appetit, or shortcut that by buying prepared hummus, which is on sale at both Sprouts and Sunflower this week. For more substantial food, I'm going to experiment replacing traditional hot wings with a lightened version of Buffalo chicken "fries." This recipe was originally published in Cuisine At Home magazine, and was posted by an enthusiastic sampler. I like its being based on boneless skinless chicken breasts, and the cholesterol can be cut significantly by using Earth Balance instead of the butter called for. As published, the Buffalo chicken is paired with a mac n' cheese soup that looks yummy but beyond redemption in terms of cholesterol, so I'm turning to a light chili instead. It will either be my favorite vegetarian (and veggie-packed) black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard from Bon Appetit, or a tofu chili such as this one from Whole Foods. Some variant of cornbread would be great on the side, and I'm thinking about cornmeal biscuits with cheddar and chipotle from Bon Appetit. (Witness my chipotle addiction - it appears in today's fish tacos, the hummus, and in these biscuits.) That recipe does look like a fair amount of work, so it might morph into a straight cornbread instead.
And that will get us through the weekend, including the Super Bowl! More thinking to come for the rest of the week.
For today, with fresh mahi mahi available at Sprouts for $7.99 a pound, I'm thinking fish tacos. Mahi makes the best tacos, and a good recipe to adapt it into is crispy snapper tacos from Gourmet magazine. Use taco shells straight from the package (no extra frying step, please!), and don't forget that Sunflower has avocados for just 49 cents apiece this week.
The chicken sausage sales at both Sunflower ($1.99 a pound) and Sprouts ($2.99 a pound) are providing inspiration for tomorrow, which will be lentil soup with spicy Italian sausage from Bon Appetit. Using the fresh sausage instead of the cooked ones called for is easy, so long as (obviously) you cook the sausage. I like this recipe because it also calls for our wintery parsnips, plus the fresh touch of spinach leaves.
Finally, on to Super Bowl Sunday. Hummus with raw veggies and Crunchmaster gluten-free crackers makes a great, light snack throughout the afternoon. You can make your own, like smoky chipotle hummus from Bon Appetit, or shortcut that by buying prepared hummus, which is on sale at both Sprouts and Sunflower this week. For more substantial food, I'm going to experiment replacing traditional hot wings with a lightened version of Buffalo chicken "fries." This recipe was originally published in Cuisine At Home magazine, and was posted by an enthusiastic sampler. I like its being based on boneless skinless chicken breasts, and the cholesterol can be cut significantly by using Earth Balance instead of the butter called for. As published, the Buffalo chicken is paired with a mac n' cheese soup that looks yummy but beyond redemption in terms of cholesterol, so I'm turning to a light chili instead. It will either be my favorite vegetarian (and veggie-packed) black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard from Bon Appetit, or a tofu chili such as this one from Whole Foods. Some variant of cornbread would be great on the side, and I'm thinking about cornmeal biscuits with cheddar and chipotle from Bon Appetit. (Witness my chipotle addiction - it appears in today's fish tacos, the hummus, and in these biscuits.) That recipe does look like a fair amount of work, so it might morph into a straight cornbread instead.
And that will get us through the weekend, including the Super Bowl! More thinking to come for the rest of the week.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Getting Started on This Week's Dinners
Time to get moving on dinner plans for the weekend. For tonight, with tilapia on sale at both Sprouts and Sunflower, I'm thinking a simple saute of fish, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or may I'll try sherry vinegar this time. Baked potatoes will go on the side (5 pound bags of organic russets are $1.99 each at Sprouts right now), and the green veggie will get dressed up with a simple recipe from Bon Appetit, sauteed kale with smoked paprika.
Moving on to Saturday, Sprouts and Sunflower are also dukeing it out with chicken sales, reminding me of a recipe I've been wanting to try from a recent issue of Food and Wine, chicken posole. It calls for dark meat, but I'd substitute either a mix or entirely white meat to lighten it up. A big salad and warm tortillas will go on the side.
To round out the weekend, it will be time for a pasta dish, and also time for something vegetarian. Cooking Light has a wonderful recipe for a lightened version of fettuccine alfredo that has amazingly rich taste despite its reduced fat and calories. Best of both worlds.
And that will at least get us through the weekend. Get ready for the super chilly temperatures coming at us by Sunday.
Moving on to Saturday, Sprouts and Sunflower are also dukeing it out with chicken sales, reminding me of a recipe I've been wanting to try from a recent issue of Food and Wine, chicken posole. It calls for dark meat, but I'd substitute either a mix or entirely white meat to lighten it up. A big salad and warm tortillas will go on the side.
To round out the weekend, it will be time for a pasta dish, and also time for something vegetarian. Cooking Light has a wonderful recipe for a lightened version of fettuccine alfredo that has amazingly rich taste despite its reduced fat and calories. Best of both worlds.
And that will at least get us through the weekend. Get ready for the super chilly temperatures coming at us by Sunday.
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Rest of This Week's Dinner Ideas
Time to emerge from the Christmas weekend food stupor and get some plans together to lead us up to New Year's Eve. After the excesses of the weekend, our dual themes will be simplicity and lightness. Having eased off the rib roast with a vegetarian chili last night, the black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard, we'll continue along those lines tonight with a rice-based vegetarian dish, a rice, cheese, and corn casserole. My version is from a cookbook classic, Jane Brody's Good Food Book, but Cat Cora has posted a pretty similar recipe. The chilies of course will be far better than canned, since the freezer is stocked with roasted chilies from this past fall's roasting season.
Then, speaking of roasting, it will be back to the roast, since there's plenty left. Baked organic russets will go on the side this time, still using my stock from Vitamin Cottage's excellent sale that recently expired. Also on the side will be Brussels sprouts with pancetta from Giada De Laurentiis, a dish I considered for Christmas dinner proper but didn't get around to making.
Continuing to laze through the week, Sunday's black bean chili will also do a reprise, making this an easy week indeed. It will also give us the third vegetarian dinner of the week as we hover between Christmas and New Year's excesses.
Finally, I plan to catch some of Sprouts' lovely stuffed chicken breasts while they are on sale through Wednesday, to make an easy Thursday dinner. Yup, more organic russets from the Vitamin Cottage bag will get baked on the side.
Then it's time to start thinking about New Year's Eve/Day. Enjoy today's sunshine, and just be glad we aren't on the east coast right now.
Then, speaking of roasting, it will be back to the roast, since there's plenty left. Baked organic russets will go on the side this time, still using my stock from Vitamin Cottage's excellent sale that recently expired. Also on the side will be Brussels sprouts with pancetta from Giada De Laurentiis, a dish I considered for Christmas dinner proper but didn't get around to making.
Continuing to laze through the week, Sunday's black bean chili will also do a reprise, making this an easy week indeed. It will also give us the third vegetarian dinner of the week as we hover between Christmas and New Year's excesses.
Finally, I plan to catch some of Sprouts' lovely stuffed chicken breasts while they are on sale through Wednesday, to make an easy Thursday dinner. Yup, more organic russets from the Vitamin Cottage bag will get baked on the side.
Then it's time to start thinking about New Year's Eve/Day. Enjoy today's sunshine, and just be glad we aren't on the east coast right now.
Friday, December 24, 2010
This Weekend's Dinners
I usually get my dinner planning for the weekend started on Friday mornings, but this of course is an unusual week, so plans for today and tomorrow, Christmas Eve and day, have already been posted. That leaves us with figuring out Sunday for the weekend, and after the gluttony of today and tomorrow, we'll compensate with a delicious vegetarian favorite, black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard. It's a great time for buying winter squash, and Swiss chard in the stores has been looking beautiful recently, too.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Rest of This Week's Dinner Ideas
For our weekday dinner plans leading up to Christmas Eve, we'll continue trending towards simple and sometimes vegetarian to counter the feasting on the horizon. Tomorrow can't get any easier than a reheat of the weekend's smoky shrimp and halibut stew, with a big salad and some fresh bread on the side.
Next we'll opt for a big, vegetarian pizza, made super simple since Whole Foods has their lovely (and large) cinque formaggio fresh pizzas on sale this week for $7.99 each. I like to dress it up a bit with the addition of Yves vegetarian pepperoni, and maybe a few mushrooms.
Then, in a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself), the weekend's big baked rigatoni casserole will make a reappearance, this time as a side dish. Protein of choice will go with it on the plate, and I'm thinking of sauteing the chicken sausages on sale this week at Sprouts for $2.99 a pound.
Finally, for the day preceding Christmas Eve, we'll once again go light and easy with vegetarian baked stuffed potatoes, no recipe required. Just either bake or microwave some large russet baking potatoes (I stocked up at the fantastic Vitamin Cottage sale that recently ended) then mash the interiors with your choice of additions. Faves include light sour cream, chives, scallions, or shallots, and a bit of grated cheese (smoked cheese gives it that umami touch). An easy green veggie like sauteed chard or steamed green beans on the side, and you're done.
And that will bring us to the verge of Christmas Eve, with more celebratory fare.
Next we'll opt for a big, vegetarian pizza, made super simple since Whole Foods has their lovely (and large) cinque formaggio fresh pizzas on sale this week for $7.99 each. I like to dress it up a bit with the addition of Yves vegetarian pepperoni, and maybe a few mushrooms.
Then, in a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself), the weekend's big baked rigatoni casserole will make a reappearance, this time as a side dish. Protein of choice will go with it on the plate, and I'm thinking of sauteing the chicken sausages on sale this week at Sprouts for $2.99 a pound.
Finally, for the day preceding Christmas Eve, we'll once again go light and easy with vegetarian baked stuffed potatoes, no recipe required. Just either bake or microwave some large russet baking potatoes (I stocked up at the fantastic Vitamin Cottage sale that recently ended) then mash the interiors with your choice of additions. Faves include light sour cream, chives, scallions, or shallots, and a bit of grated cheese (smoked cheese gives it that umami touch). An easy green veggie like sauteed chard or steamed green beans on the side, and you're done.
And that will bring us to the verge of Christmas Eve, with more celebratory fare.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Getting Started on This Week's Dinners
On a slightly snowy (finally!) Friday morning, it's time to get going on dinner plans through the weekend. With lots of indulging surrounding us for the holidays, plus an elaborate Christmas dinner on the horizon, my thoughts are turning to simple and largely vegetarian dinner ideas this week as an antedote. With the snow outside, tonight's a good night for a big, hot chowder, and I'm thinking of an experiment with a favorite, smoky shrimp and halibut stew from Bon Appetit. As for adjustments to the recipe, first off, I never ever use the half pound of bacon it calls for, trimming that to two or three pieces for flavor. Sunflower has raw e-z peel large shrimp for $3.97 a pound so that part's easy. But sustainably fished halibut is likely to run you in the $20 a pound range, if you can find it, so I'll experiment with substituting the flash-frozen haddock that Sprouts has this week for $4.99 a pound. It won't hold together as well as halibut, but I bet it will be delicious.
Then, since Sunflower has winter hard squash for a stunning 27 cents a pound this week (it's conventional, but you're going to peel it or not eat the shell anyway, right?), that calls for a giant pan of roasted winter veggies. There are tons of recipes out there (like herbed roasted winter vegetables), but you don't really need a recipe for this. Just put winter veggies of choice on a greased baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil and herbs of choice, then roast in a pretty hot oven until they're done to your satisfaction. Any protein of choice could accompany them, including salmon on a grill pan (look to the left margin for prices), or even one of the already cooked chickens Sprouts has on sale this week for $4.99 each (stick it in that hot oven to rewarm it).
Then for the first vegetarian dinner of the week, we'll take advantage of the fresh ricotta that's $2.99 a pound at Sunflower to make a winter comfort favorite, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens from Cottage Living. It makes a big casserole, and I'm already planning ahead to how both this and today's stew will make second appearances later in the week. More on that to follow. Enjoy the somewhat wintery day out there!
Then, since Sunflower has winter hard squash for a stunning 27 cents a pound this week (it's conventional, but you're going to peel it or not eat the shell anyway, right?), that calls for a giant pan of roasted winter veggies. There are tons of recipes out there (like herbed roasted winter vegetables), but you don't really need a recipe for this. Just put winter veggies of choice on a greased baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil and herbs of choice, then roast in a pretty hot oven until they're done to your satisfaction. Any protein of choice could accompany them, including salmon on a grill pan (look to the left margin for prices), or even one of the already cooked chickens Sprouts has on sale this week for $4.99 each (stick it in that hot oven to rewarm it).
Then for the first vegetarian dinner of the week, we'll take advantage of the fresh ricotta that's $2.99 a pound at Sunflower to make a winter comfort favorite, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens from Cottage Living. It makes a big casserole, and I'm already planning ahead to how both this and today's stew will make second appearances later in the week. More on that to follow. Enjoy the somewhat wintery day out there!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Getting Started on This Week's Dinners
With this newly chilly weather, so many comfy stews and casseroles are coming to mind, I'd better pare the ideas down to avoid a refrigerator full of leftovers. Considering that, we'll have to start tonight with sockeye salmon simply done on the grill pan, since Sprouts has their very nice "flash frozen at sea" wild Alaskan salmon for $8.99/lb this week. A fitting side would be herbed rice from Boulder's own Happy Noodle restaurant, a recipe that appeared in last month's Bon Appetit (the issue that crowned Boulder as America's Foodiest Town 2010).
Then with snow possible for tomorrow into Sunday, it's on to the real comfort food. A big, warming soup would be good, so I'm thinking sweet potato and butternut squash soup from the New York Times (one of their "recipes for health" - how very Boulder also). Organic yams are 99 cents a pound this week at Sprouts, and I'd just peel the conventional butternut that's a mere 39 cents a pound at Sunflower. Three choices of organic lettuce are available at both Sprouts and Sunflower for 99 cents a head for the side salad, and toss a 3 for $1 avocado from Sunflower on top of it. Since the soup is vegetarian, a protein treat would be to start with shrimp cocktails from today's one-day sale on cooked shrimp at Whole Foods, half off at $5.99/lb.
To finish off the weekend with another comfort food, with chicken tenders $1.97/lb at Sprouts, I'm thinking of chicken paprikash from Cooking Light. This belongs served over big egg noodles, which pack a cholesterol wallop, so if you're watching that, I've recently discovered that Pappardelle's carries a beautiful variety of pricey but cholesterol-free pastas, including the lovely wide noodle that is their namesake. They've been regulars at the Boulder Farmers Market, and should be there again tomorrow, unless the cold weather scares everybody away.
Stay warm, think comfort foods, and start planning for Thanksgiving.
Then with snow possible for tomorrow into Sunday, it's on to the real comfort food. A big, warming soup would be good, so I'm thinking sweet potato and butternut squash soup from the New York Times (one of their "recipes for health" - how very Boulder also). Organic yams are 99 cents a pound this week at Sprouts, and I'd just peel the conventional butternut that's a mere 39 cents a pound at Sunflower. Three choices of organic lettuce are available at both Sprouts and Sunflower for 99 cents a head for the side salad, and toss a 3 for $1 avocado from Sunflower on top of it. Since the soup is vegetarian, a protein treat would be to start with shrimp cocktails from today's one-day sale on cooked shrimp at Whole Foods, half off at $5.99/lb.
To finish off the weekend with another comfort food, with chicken tenders $1.97/lb at Sprouts, I'm thinking of chicken paprikash from Cooking Light. This belongs served over big egg noodles, which pack a cholesterol wallop, so if you're watching that, I've recently discovered that Pappardelle's carries a beautiful variety of pricey but cholesterol-free pastas, including the lovely wide noodle that is their namesake. They've been regulars at the Boulder Farmers Market, and should be there again tomorrow, unless the cold weather scares everybody away.
Stay warm, think comfort foods, and start planning for Thanksgiving.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Getting Started on This Week's Dinners
Since it's Friday already (yeah!), it's time to get started on the dinner plans. I hate to be so predictable, but Sprouts' flash frozen salmon has been excellent in my experience, and since it's $8.99/lb this week, it's on deck for tonight. And with temperatures pushing towards 80 this afternoon, it's going on the grill one last time for the season, albeit in the dark. With avocados just 49 cents each at Sprouts, and organic apples on sale everywhere, invent your own salsa, tossing in some chopped roma tomato, parsley or cilantro, lemon or lime juice, whatever you feel like. I'll be roasting an assortment of winter veggies on the side, chunks of acorn and/or butternut squash (49 cents/lb for conventionals at Sunflower, 69 cents/lb at Sprouts), along with some parsnips, organic baby carrots ($1.25 a 1 lb bag at Sprouts, $1.50 at Sunflower), and organic onion wedges ($1/lb at Sunflower).
For tomorrow, to capitalize on the chicken breasts on sale at Sprouts for $1.97/lb, we're planning to try a recipe from the current issue of Bon Appetit, quick coq au vin. Wow the reviewers have given this recipe four forks out of four, which is a real rarity. Although it has "quick" in its name, appears in the Fast, Easy, Fresh section of the magazine, and purportedly takes 45 minutes to make, this looks complicated enough to be a weekend dinner only, at least in this household. To me, a 45 minute estimate translates to well over an hour in reality.
Then what for Halloween? I'm thinking a seasonal favorite, black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard, will be perfect. This recipe proves beyond a doubt how delicious a vegetarian dinner that's full of veggies can be. Since the butternut gets peeled, I'll probably opt for the conventional squash that's only 49 cents a pound at Sunflower this week, and a big salad will go on the side (organic red or green leaf lettuce $1 a head at both Sunflower and Whole Foods).
And that at least will get us through the weekend, and through Halloween!
For tomorrow, to capitalize on the chicken breasts on sale at Sprouts for $1.97/lb, we're planning to try a recipe from the current issue of Bon Appetit, quick coq au vin. Wow the reviewers have given this recipe four forks out of four, which is a real rarity. Although it has "quick" in its name, appears in the Fast, Easy, Fresh section of the magazine, and purportedly takes 45 minutes to make, this looks complicated enough to be a weekend dinner only, at least in this household. To me, a 45 minute estimate translates to well over an hour in reality.
Then what for Halloween? I'm thinking a seasonal favorite, black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard, will be perfect. This recipe proves beyond a doubt how delicious a vegetarian dinner that's full of veggies can be. Since the butternut gets peeled, I'll probably opt for the conventional squash that's only 49 cents a pound at Sunflower this week, and a big salad will go on the side (organic red or green leaf lettuce $1 a head at both Sunflower and Whole Foods).
And that at least will get us through the weekend, and through Halloween!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Getting Started on This Week's Dinners
I know, summer's officially gone, and I should be celebrating the arrival of fall with menus centered on things like acorn and butternut squash. But unlike spring and summer, when we cherish the arrival and sometimes brief seasons of things like pea shoots or sugar snap peas, when the winter squash arrives, we know we'll be looking at it for a long, long time. Since it keeps well in a cool place, stock up now with the good organic winter squash sales currently going on at Lucky's, Sunflower, and Whole Foods, but don't expect to find it in this week's menus, because I'm just not ready to go there.
So to get started with tonight, I'm betting on more fresh, local corn while we can still get it. A big corn chowder would give us something for our midweek quick reheat dinner too, but we've already done at least two formal versions of corn chowder in the past few weeks, so I'm thinking of a different spin this time. Sprouts has cod this week for $5.99/lb, which would make for a great cod chowder with fingerling potatoes from Bon Appetit (easily skipping the saffron if you choose). But wait, that chowder is looking a whole lot like the base for a corn chowder, so let's just toss in some corn kernel scraped off some fresh ears from Munson Farm while we can still get them. Voila, cod and corn chowder. And if corn unexpectedly disappears for the season, you still have dinner.
Next, fresh, wild salmon is another item we need to enjoy in these last few days we can. With all those good sale prices over on the left, pick some up to put on the grill for an early fall bbq. Perfect with just a squeeze of lemon. While the grill is going, consider grilled corn succotash from Cooking Light. I like this recipe with edamame instead of lima beans (edamame currently on sale at Sunflower but should always be in your freezer anyway).
For Sunday, with our cooler temperatures, we can get back into comfort food coming from the oven, but I'm just not ready for it to be winter squash. To enjoy the eggplant that you'll find everywhere right now, I'm trying a recipe for eggplant parmesan that's in this month's issue of Cooking Light. Love the idea of coating the eggplant with panko and baking it first, instead of working with greasy fried slices. This will also incorporate some of my bumper crop of basil.
That at least will get us through the weekend, with more planning to come.
So to get started with tonight, I'm betting on more fresh, local corn while we can still get it. A big corn chowder would give us something for our midweek quick reheat dinner too, but we've already done at least two formal versions of corn chowder in the past few weeks, so I'm thinking of a different spin this time. Sprouts has cod this week for $5.99/lb, which would make for a great cod chowder with fingerling potatoes from Bon Appetit (easily skipping the saffron if you choose). But wait, that chowder is looking a whole lot like the base for a corn chowder, so let's just toss in some corn kernel scraped off some fresh ears from Munson Farm while we can still get them. Voila, cod and corn chowder. And if corn unexpectedly disappears for the season, you still have dinner.
Next, fresh, wild salmon is another item we need to enjoy in these last few days we can. With all those good sale prices over on the left, pick some up to put on the grill for an early fall bbq. Perfect with just a squeeze of lemon. While the grill is going, consider grilled corn succotash from Cooking Light. I like this recipe with edamame instead of lima beans (edamame currently on sale at Sunflower but should always be in your freezer anyway).
For Sunday, with our cooler temperatures, we can get back into comfort food coming from the oven, but I'm just not ready for it to be winter squash. To enjoy the eggplant that you'll find everywhere right now, I'm trying a recipe for eggplant parmesan that's in this month's issue of Cooking Light. Love the idea of coating the eggplant with panko and baking it first, instead of working with greasy fried slices. This will also incorporate some of my bumper crop of basil.
That at least will get us through the weekend, with more planning to come.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
More Dinners For This Week
Moving on to the rest of the week, we're fans of chicken sausage and also love our fresh spring and summer greens, so we might once again enjoy sausage risotto with spring greens from Bon Appetit. The sausage will come from the sale at Sprouts, and the choices for the greens are everywhere, from the Farmers Market to my favorite farmstands to the nice bulk bin of braising greens that the Pearl Street Whole Foods store maintains.
Then as usual, we'll capitalize on the lengthier weekend cooking with a quick reheat for a midweek dinner, this time rewarming the sweet corn chowder with hot-smoked salmon from Cooking Light, with a big salad on the side. The bread from Whole Foods' Bakehouse will come out of the freezer, much as I'd prefer to have it fresh from the store. You can only make so many trips a week to get your fresh ingredients.
We'll be looking for a seasonally appropriate pasta dish next, and something vegetarian would be nice, so we'll turn to a great Mark Bittman recipe from the New York Times, pasta with corn, zucchini and tomatoes. This recipes lends itself to all kinds of adaptations, depending on the types of tomatoes and squash available and your inclination regarding the seasonings. I like to play it with a southwestern spin, using chili powder and cilantro instead of the tarragon.
Finally, time to get back to some meat, and with beef stew beef $3.99/lb at Sunflower ($4.49/lb at Sprouts), I'm thinking sirloin steak with tomato and cilantro sauce from Bon Appetit. Okay, so stew beef isn't sirloin steak, but it works just as well in this recipe. It produces the most delicious sauce, and typically would be wrapped up in tortillas, but it has been a while since we've had potatoes on the menu, so this time we'll serve it over microwaved "baked" potatoes. That's a very good combination as well.
And that does it for the rest of the week.
Then as usual, we'll capitalize on the lengthier weekend cooking with a quick reheat for a midweek dinner, this time rewarming the sweet corn chowder with hot-smoked salmon from Cooking Light, with a big salad on the side. The bread from Whole Foods' Bakehouse will come out of the freezer, much as I'd prefer to have it fresh from the store. You can only make so many trips a week to get your fresh ingredients.
We'll be looking for a seasonally appropriate pasta dish next, and something vegetarian would be nice, so we'll turn to a great Mark Bittman recipe from the New York Times, pasta with corn, zucchini and tomatoes. This recipes lends itself to all kinds of adaptations, depending on the types of tomatoes and squash available and your inclination regarding the seasonings. I like to play it with a southwestern spin, using chili powder and cilantro instead of the tarragon.
Finally, time to get back to some meat, and with beef stew beef $3.99/lb at Sunflower ($4.49/lb at Sprouts), I'm thinking sirloin steak with tomato and cilantro sauce from Bon Appetit. Okay, so stew beef isn't sirloin steak, but it works just as well in this recipe. It produces the most delicious sauce, and typically would be wrapped up in tortillas, but it has been a while since we've had potatoes on the menu, so this time we'll serve it over microwaved "baked" potatoes. That's a very good combination as well.
And that does it for the rest of the week.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
More Dinners For This Week
So what's with this heat today? Where's the cooling thunderstorm we were supposed to get? We nearly ditched our plans for pizza tonight, morphing the sausage into a cooler Italian saute of sausage, fennel, peppers, and tomatoes, but the pizza idea eventually won out. Besides, I want leftover pizza for later in the week, and leftover sausage saute just doesn't have the same cachet.
So moving on to tomorrow, and keeping with our theme of celebrating the arrival of local corn, we'll opt for shrimp and corn pilaf from Bon Appetit, using the shrimp on sale at Sunflower for $3.97/lb. Our corn will be fresh from Munson's farmstand. Don't know what you might find, but yesterday the display of California corn for 10 cents each at Sunflower had been decimated.
Continuing with the summer corn theme and looking for a pasta dish, we'll follow with linguine with summer succotash, also from Bon Appetit. That will give us at least one vegetarian dish for the week as well. The side salad will come from the most huge head of organic green leaf lettuce I've ever seen, which I just picked up at Whole Foods for only $1. Even the cashier commented on how big it was.
Then for an easy midweek reprise, we'll have all that sausage pizza waiting for the quickest of reheats. And another set of salads still won't make a dent in that head of lettuce.
Finally, I'll grab some organic steaks from Sprouts while their sale on organic beef goes on through Wednesday. Midweek isn't our usual grilling time, but they would do find cooked in a grill pan also, accompanied by baking potatoes zapped in the microwave, and, dare I suggest it, maybe more sweet corn. Can't get enough of the stuff.
And that does it for the week.
So moving on to tomorrow, and keeping with our theme of celebrating the arrival of local corn, we'll opt for shrimp and corn pilaf from Bon Appetit, using the shrimp on sale at Sunflower for $3.97/lb. Our corn will be fresh from Munson's farmstand. Don't know what you might find, but yesterday the display of California corn for 10 cents each at Sunflower had been decimated.
Continuing with the summer corn theme and looking for a pasta dish, we'll follow with linguine with summer succotash, also from Bon Appetit. That will give us at least one vegetarian dish for the week as well. The side salad will come from the most huge head of organic green leaf lettuce I've ever seen, which I just picked up at Whole Foods for only $1. Even the cashier commented on how big it was.
Then for an easy midweek reprise, we'll have all that sausage pizza waiting for the quickest of reheats. And another set of salads still won't make a dent in that head of lettuce.
Finally, I'll grab some organic steaks from Sprouts while their sale on organic beef goes on through Wednesday. Midweek isn't our usual grilling time, but they would do find cooked in a grill pan also, accompanied by baking potatoes zapped in the microwave, and, dare I suggest it, maybe more sweet corn. Can't get enough of the stuff.
And that does it for the week.
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