So much for my plans...

I could easily cook for the sake of cooking.  But I never like wasting food.  Its a struggle between creativity, fun and function.  So alas, my menu planning this week has gone to crap.  I knew it would happen quickly, just not THIS quickly.  But that's what happens when the MIL prepares fab meals on a Monday night, the left-overs just last and last.  It ALSO doesn't help that my husband office bought them all Double Doubles and Milkshakes from In and Out Burger today.  The hubby put in a direct request for a "light meal" this evening and would like the brisket tomorrow night.  My hands and recipes have been thrown up in the air and the pages are slowly drifting back down to the ground.  So scratch everything I wrote for this week. Here's the NEW plan:


Wednesday (Tonight):


Potato Onion Pierogis (Mrs. T's Frozen, yet delicious)
Chicken Apple Sausage (if it's still any good -- must check expiration date) - for husband
Lemon Dijon Pacific Salmon - (Waterfront Bistro Frozen, also quite good anyway) - for me
Salad 


Thursday


Baked Tofu Wrap with Avocado and Vegan Cheese
Brisket Panini with Caramelized Onions 


Friday


Creamy Asparagus Soup
Zucchini Angel Hair Pancake
Pomegranate Chicken and Tofu (Click on the link to see my previous blog about this recipe -- its tried and true and really good). 
Challah (not baking it this week)

Week of August 5th, 2011 - Menu Planning

As fate would have it, the calendar and my MIL put a wrench in my menu planning plans...all in good ways though!  Not only did the hubby and I get an extra weekend day but the MIL bought a pressure cooker! (She bought a Cuisineart Pressure Cooker from Bed Bath and Beyond) It looks oh so like a little R2D2.  So yesterday, being a holiday and all, we had to try out the new cooking tool.  She picked the menu, and did all the prep work, I just had to make sure nothing exploded.  She made a recipe from the book that came with the machine -- Mediterranean Brisket along with a Kale Salad and an Indian Potato/Bean dish.  I forgot to take pictures, and I could only really pick out the potatoes from the Indian dish so not a lot of commentary from my end but everyone seemed to enjoy the meal a great deal and it looked delicious.  

So the menu planning for this week starts today (not for tonight, there are plenty of leftovers from last night) for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Shabbat).  I got to go the Farmers' Market on Sunday (YAY!) so a lot of my dishes are based on the goods I bought from there.  


Wednesday
Very Vegetable Gumbo (from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson), I'm adding Eggplant to the recipe for even more vegetables.
Baked Tofu
Chicken Apple Sausage
Brown Rice

Thursday
Roasted Beet Salad (My own recipe)
Cedar Planked Salmon with Maple Glaze
Left over Brown Rice

Friday aka. Shabbat!
Creamy Asparagus Soup
Left over Gumbo and Salmon for me
Zucchini Angel Hair Pancake
Chicken Dish (TBD - I can't find the cookbook I want to use, so when and if I find it I'll let you know).  


Saturday
Left Overs Galore. 

{YUM!} Wednesday 8/31/11 - Gazpacho, Chicken Burgers with Garlic Rosemary Mayo and Baked French Fries

So...YUM!  Last night's dinner definitely made up for the botched bok choy.  So it was supposed to be Gazpacho and Chicken Burgers with Garlic Rosemary Mayo (Salmon Patty instead for me) but, like I said, I went to Farmers' Market and the menu changed a little.  Oh, and I had to make one additional trip to the grocery store for tomato juice (what I was trying to prevent with this whole menu planning thing--but I'm getting there).  Once I was at FM I saw these adorable just out of the ground long golden potatoes and I thought to myself, "Those would go lovely with tonight's dinner" so, menu add-on!


As an aside, if I'm not in the mood to make from scratch salmon burgers I'll heat up some Trident Seafoods Salmon Burgers (they're healthy, and made from wild salmon), I get them from Costco and really easy.  

Gazpacho (From Food Network, Alton Brown)


I've made this gazpacho before...but this time I did things a wee bit differently.  Instead of regular tomatoes I bought yellow heirloom tomatoes.  They were perty and I wanted to try something different.  AND I got as much juice out of them as possible instead of relying solely on the store bought tomato juice.  Also, I blended more then the recipe said.  Two thumbs way up from the husband...two thumbs way up from me too!  


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• Tomato juice
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.

Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

Chicken Burgers with Garlic Rosemary Mayo (From Food Network,Giada De Laurentiis)

These puppies were delicious but it was all thanks to the Garlic Rosemary Mayo.  I used low fat mayo instead of the real thing (they probably would have been out of this world with the real thing) and the most exciting part is I took fresh rosemary from my own herb garden!! (I will post later on said herb garden).  Boy, on the burgers and as a dipping sauce, that stuff is good shizznat!  Addictive really.  Also, I didn't grill the chicken burgers, I cooked them in a bit of oil in a pan at medium heat for about 5 minutes per side.  Alas, my apartment building does not allow barbecues on our balconies (poo on that!).  

Ingredients

Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill panover medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with 1/4 cup of arugula and finish with the top half of the bun.

Baked French Fries

I winged it with these.  I preheated the oven to 375F.  After washing the potatoes I sliced them into strips (with the skin on) and spread them out on a foil lined baking sheet.  I poured on some canola oil (not too much, wanted to keep it reasonably healthy, probably 2 tablespoons) and tossed the potatoes.  I baked them for 10 minutes, took them out, seasoned them, tossed them and then baked them for about 10 minutes more.  I tossed them again and then cooked them for a final 10 minutes.  They were tasty...not terribly crispy though, gotta figure out how to crisp them up more (probably involves broiling).  

Tuesday 8/30/11 - Citrus Salmon, Coconut Jasmine Rice, Bok Choy and Salad CONTINUED FROM PREV POST

So, survey says...  Salmon = Excellent  Bok Choy = FAIL! A big fat FAIL!  Salad was good, rice was good.

Okay, so, moral of the story?  Do not bake Bok Choy! Saute it, boil it, perhaps grill it (I'm not sure about that one) but the baking did it no favors.   Absolutely blech.


The salmon, though, was delicious.  I'm a big fan of Wild Coho Salmon, its environmentally sound and better for you and most importantly has a lot of flavor and it really works well if you're baking Salmon in a simple sauce/marinade.  Husband's request was more sauce on the side with dinner.  He's not a big fish fan though, its got to be slathered every which way for him to enjoy it.


The coconut rice was a perfect compliment to the citrus mustard sauce and the salad...well, at least everyone got SOME vegetables with their dinner and didn't have to *gulp* attempt to eat the bok choy.

Off to the Farmers' Market for my gazpacho vegetables, flowers and fun :).  Have a lovely Wednesday everyone.

Tuesday 8/30/11 - Citrus Salmon, Coconut Jasmine Rice, Bok Choy and Salad

So, the MIL (Mama in Law just in case you need some catching up) walked me through the salmon recipe I'll be making later this evening.  Just so we have it (for future reference), here it is:


Citrus Mustard Salmon


Ingredients:
1/2 Bottle of Waterfront Bistro Citrus Mustard  (You can find this sauce at Pavilions/Safeway grocery stores)
1 tablespoon Minced Ginger
2/3 cup chopped cilantro 


Recipe:
Mix the sauce and ginger and poor over the salmon then sprinkle on the cilantro.  Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the salmon is flaky.


And that's it!  I look forward to cooking it tonight. I'm looking here to figure out how to cook the bok choy. 


As usual, let me know if you have any questions!  

Monday 8/29/11 - Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu FIngers, Baked Sweet Potatoes

I planned, I shopped, I cooked.  So far, I've been keeping to "the plan".  I went shopping for this week's ingredients (sans what I will get tomorrow at Santa Monica Farmers' Market) and last night I made Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu Fingers and Roasted Sweet Potatoes threw together a little salad on the side (simply leafy greens, cucumber, celery, crispy onions and Craisins with pre-made dressing).  The chicken fingers recipe is from the chefs at Miraval Resort (they have a slew of their recipes online).  You can also see my post about Miraval here.  Their recipes, like the spa, are focused on healthy and sustainable living so mainly contain healthy ingredients and tend to stay under 400 calories.  The restaurant and chefs at the spa are really quite incredible so I love that they give you the opportunity to recreate the food at home (though it is not nearly as good as when you're on vacation ;) ).  


The Crispy Honey Chicken and Tofu are only about 250 calories and both tasted very light. I made about half the amount of chicken and sliced up the tofu to about the same size as the chicken and baked them both together. Of course I dipped the tofu in the honey/water and cornflakes before I did the chicken as to not spread any raw chicken guck to the tofu.   The recipe was actually perfect for a warm summer day like yesterday.  It could have used a dipping sauce though.   Maybe a mustard of some kind.  I know that Sweet Potatoes tend to be more of a fall food but I thought that they would compliment the chicken well and they did just that.  


I'm an idiot and I didn't have my memory card in when I took pictures of the meal, so, alas, no images. But next time! I promise!  

Meal Planning - Week of 8/29/2011

In an attempt to save money, time and trips to the grocery store I am going to attempt menu planning for the week.  As I attempted to write out my menus yesterday I quickly realized this was going to be no easy task.  The first thing I would need is a chart/planner of some sort to write out my menus and grocery list soooo, I designed one!  And I've decided to design a little meal planning diary, each page will have a space to write in each day's menu, a place for a grocery list and finally a list of all the fruits and veggies in season that month.  Each month is going to be a different color.  I'm also going to design a section for event menu planning.  As soon as its done I'll post pictures but here's the meal planner page prototype:

Once the planner's done, if you want one I'll send it to you!  


So, menu planning...there's a saying, "Man plans, g-d laughs"...I'm sure some situation or another will put a wrench in my plans and change up the whole week but for now we'll see how this goes and if I can save a little dough.  Also my Wed/Thurs/Fri and weekend menu may change depending on the Wednesday Farmer's Market (though I will make an effort to go to the Sunday FM from now on).  


One of these nights I completely intend to make a dessert as well but I have no idea what that will be yet (hey, I'm still getting used to this whole menu planning thing).  


Without further ado, Menu for the Week Of August 29th, 2011


Monday
Crispy Honey Chicken/Tofu Fingers (Miraval Resort and Spa)
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Salad


Tuesday
Citrus Salmon (My MIL's Recipe, will post tomorrow)
Coconut Jasmine Rice
Bok Choy (Cooked with Salmon)
Salad


Wednesday
Gazpacho
Chicken Burgers with Garlic Rosemary Mayo
(Salmon Burger for me)


Thursday
Leftovers 


Friday
Date Night e.g. out on the town


Saturday
(TBD)