Menu for June 29-July 3

Oops. I missed last week - it was pretty uninspired cooking wise - I wanted to bulk up majorly on vegetables and dial down my grain intake - especially rice and rice pasta. I only eat whole grains except for occasionally at restaurants, but i do eat a lot of short grain brown rice and brown rice pasta. When I'm pressed for time and in a rush it's easy to build every meal around that and edge out some veggies. So last week I steamed tons of mixed veggies, in a menu reminiscent of something that I used to get at my fave veggie hippie restaurant in Toronto, Annapurna - cauliflower, greens, carrots, steamed to tender and drizzled with tahini sauce (sesame butter thinned with water, with a little herbal salt.) Delish, and I feel much better. Gonna repeat the experiment this week, and add some moong dahl, which has cooling and damp draining properties, perfect for the suddenly warmer weather and to help me deal with the water retention I always get in hot water.

The farmers market is really where it's at these days, as the full flush of summer is here in socal and every stand looks like something from a postcard. As we walked away with bags groaning this morning, I said 'I didn't get figs!!' Something to look forward to for next week!

M: L: Oven roasted chicken thighs, green beans with aburaage, kabocha squash.
D: I'm going out to a friend's talk - I will bring some food though, enough to share with her: moong dal, steamed gui lan with tahini

T: L: moong dal, gui lan with tahini
D: chicken thigh, green beans aburaage, squash
(make some curried tofu, (I just cube and stirfry tofu with patak's curry paste) cucumber salad)

W: L: gui lan (we really bought a lot!) with chicken
D: curried tofu and cukes

Th: L: whatever's left! probably tofu

Fri: holiday!

Snacks on deck are carrot sticks, heirloom cherry tomatoes, jicama, and lots of beautiful fruit from the market: pluots, strawberries, melon, nectarines.

Have a great week!

Menu week of June 15

Oops! Last weekend I was out of town so this past week was major cobble-it together food. Brown rice pasta with tuna and tomato sauce, tofu simmered in ready to go thai curry sauce, etc. But a new week is here and we did up our menu yesterday and here it is: let the eating begin!!

Monday L: Fried Rice (brown rice with leftover ham from Sunday diner bfast, frozen peas, egg)
D: mini muffin tin meatloaves (from Weight Watcher Magazine. It's not exactly this recipe but it's close. It's a great way to make meatloaf.). I'll steam some asian greens to go with them, and probably some millet or bulgur. I am trying to break out of the brown rice rut. Last week I made millet in the rice cooker and it was a success and a nice change of pace.
Task: panfry some tofu for tuesday dinner

Tuesday: L: mini meatloaf with greens and a grain
D: pan fried tofu with greens and grain
Task: soak some beans for soup

Wed: L: meatloaf
D: pasta with tomato sauce and tuna
get bean soup ready in crockpot for the next morning. The link is for the basic idea of what i'll make. I'll probably stir some cooked grain/pasta as well as shredded kale into it before serving. If i had ham i'd put that in too, but we used it in the fried rice.

Thursday:
AM task: plop crockpot insert in and turn it on!
L: pasta or meatloaf, depending what's left!
D: bean soup baby!

Fri: L: bean soup
D: either date night or cheesy oven fries (TJs frozen wedge cut potatoes in the toaster oven with grated cheese melted on them. yum.

That's it! have a great week!

Menu, Week of June 1

Quick and easy this week - back in town yesterday and leaving again on Friday! It's hazy and cool here in LA, as we move into the 'June Gloom', so planning on some easy, cheap comfort food. I am reading (FINALLY) In Defense of Food. It's not really new information for me, but is put so well in Pollan's characteristic readable style. I'm halfway through, and keep having to stop to go "Oh my God it's so TRUE!!". Pick it up if you haven't yet.

Monday: L: Chickpea curry (can of chickpeas with curry paste, a tomato and some raisins), brown rice and cucumber salad (thinly sliced cuke marinated in rice and umeboshi vinegar) with yogurt and chutney
D: Greek lemon chicken thighs and potatoes (from Weight Watchers Magazine. I made them two weeks ago and they were a hit). I'll steam some asian greens with them.

Tuesday: L: curry
D: chicken thighs

Wednesday: L: Chicken Thighs
D: Brown rice pasta with marinara, tuna, and kalamata olives

Thursday: L: pasta
D: out for date night

Friday L: whatever is leftover at this point!

That's it! Have a great week!