Delivered Dishes = Dinner, Done!

Want a little respite from planning and cooking meals?  Why not have fresh healthful home-made food delivered directly to your office or home?  Plus, it’s vegan and gluten-free! That’s my Delivered Dish of the Week service in a nutshell.

I’ve been churning out all sorts of tasty dishes this summer and am now able to get lovely fresh produce from local farmers. Yay!

All you need to do is order online right here for any weeks you wish.  Easy peasy.  If you’ve never ordered before, do please read full description of Delivered Dish of the Week service first.

Here are the menus for the month of August: 

AUG 4 – 10, 2014
White Bean Succotash: A classic summer combo of organic zucchini & corn, this time with creamy white beans instead of fresh lima beans, plus fresh sage for fun. Good hot or room-temp. Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy.

Jambalaya: Short grain brown rice with the Cajun trifecta of celery, green peppers and onions and spices. I may even throw in some crunchy stir-fried okra. Tastes better when heated up. Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy. 

AUG 11 – 16

Balsamic Green Beans (photo by Brad Dahlgaard)

Chickpea & Oat Berries Pilaf w/ Tomatoes, Olives & Mint: Based on a terrific recipe from Splendid Table. Clients love this chewy toothsome pilaf. This time I’m using Oat Berries instead of Barley — they’re basically interchangeable. Good hot or room-temp. Has gluten. Vegan, no added sugars or soy. 

 

Balsamic-marinated Green String Beans: One of my go-to salads, year round. Simple but so, so good. Vegan, GF,  Paleo, no added sugars or soy. 

AUG 18 – 24
Spicy Millet & Lentils w/ Harissa Sauce: Millet is an under-utilized whole grain that is high in protein. And, it’s gluten-free. Here I add protein-rich lentils and zing it up with home-made Harissa sauce. Pls note, millet dries out quickly, so add a bit of water when you reheat. Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy. 

Big, dappled Spanish Tolosna beans (pic Purcellmountainfarm.com).

Heirloom Bean Salad: This will feature farmers’ market veggies, organic heirloom beans from local Encore Farm and a nice tart vinaigrette.  Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy. 

 

 

 

 

AUG 25 – 31 ( Pre- Labor Day)
Both these salads are perfect to serve at holiday BBQs & potlucks!

Hominy Salad (my pic)

Hominy Salad in Lime Cilantro Pesto: Chewy hominy (dried corn) and crunchy seasonal veggies makes an interesting and filling side dish.  Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy. 

“Aunty Oxidant” demos Firecracker Slaw.

Firecracker Slaw in Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette: My ever-popular fiber-rich slaw of crunchy shredded cabbage, kale, carrot and beet (yes, raw beets), spiked with a surprising vinaigrette. I often demo this at Farmers’ Market & other community events. It converts even beet-phobes! Vegan, GF, Paleo, no added sugars or soy. 

 

 

 

 

 

SEP 1 – 7
Zucchini “Linguine” in Raw Tomato Basil Sauce: Carb-less zucchini noodles can satisfy that pasta craving and have even fooled folks.  And there’s nothing like fresh tomatoes from the farm. Vegan, GF, Paleo, no added sugars or soy. Pls note, pureed raw tomatoes spoil faster due to its high sugar content, so this doesn’t last as long as my typical salads. Eat within 4-5 days.

Romesco Beans & Rice: Romesco is a classic and addictive Catalan pesto of pureed roast red peppers & garlic. However, I’m leaving out the traditional ground almonds to make a thinner sauce that will flavor this great vegan main dish. Vegan, GF, no added sugars or soy.

ORDER ONLINE RIGHT HERE!  I’ll confirm you as a new client and send delivery info. I also send out weekly confirmations of orders.

September menus will be posted in a couple weeks. Look for Gazpacho, Thai Farmers’ Market Chowder and Roasted Ratatouille, among other harvest-based goodies.

Utilitarian Does Not Mean Boring

This is why those dishes I choose to share here and link to on my FB page lean toward the utilitarian and not the drool-inducing “gourmet” ones, gorgeously illustrated in all those columns/blogs/newsletters that I receive weekly from Splendid Table, Mark Bittman (NYT), etc. My cookbooks lean that way, too.

Of course, those recipes & photos make me sigh with desire. But, sorry, I am not going to run out to the store for artichokes, broccoli rabe, hazelnuts or creme fraiche. So if they call for such ‘fancy’ ingredients, I use them for inspiration instead of following them exactly. 

Consequently, my take on utilitarian has become more broad yet still economical through keeping many spices & herbs on hand and trying different recipes with basics like rice, barley and beans. Whether you’re eating vegan or Paleo, you’ve got to keep it interesting.

See Spice is the Variety of Life blogpost for 8 easy, different rice-based dishes.  Another example: at this week’s Paleo Basics class at Mazopiya Natural Foods Market, I demo’d Moroccan Chermoula paste, a “pesto” of fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, ground cumin & paprika. Then I gave the students samples of it with sauteed collards, with chicken AND as a creamy dressing thickened with avocado. One great condiment equals oodles of combos!

I also stock up on organic, frozen pre-cut veggies from Sno-Pac, a MN company, which I buy wholesale via my Buying Club. (You can do this, too — contact me to find out how.) Having these veggies on hand saves me much time and money, and besides, they’re organic. 

Several dishes in this Delivered Dish of the Week menu cycle is based on this Sno-Pac supply. In general, I hope the dishes described below give you some ideas about cooking basics in versatile ways!  Order here. More about DDoW service.

DDOW MENU FOR FEB 17 – MARCH 24

Feb 17 – 23

Barley Roast Carrot Pilaf  Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars. Contains gluten; you can order Brown Rice for GF option. Simple and hearty, with rosemary.

Super Green Split Pea Soup Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars.  Another green soup, it will look like last week’s Kale Yam soup but features split pea & spinach and sports a “meaty” flavor courtesy of smoked paprika.

Feb 25 – Mar 1

Cooked kasha, aka buckwheat groats.

Indian-style Kasha & Cabbage Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars. Kasha is a common term for Buckwheat Groats, a gluten-free grain. It’s like an earthy brown rice. Here I flavor it heavily with Indian spices cumin, coriander & mustard seed, and add lightly braised shredded cabbage for sweetness and texture. It’s terrific with spicy roasted almonds. 

4-Jewel Dal w/ Spinach  Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars.   A lovely recipe from cookbook queen Madhur Jaffrey that uses a variety of dal legumes including small brown lentils, split yellow lentils and split white pigeon peas. Each adds a slightly different texture.

Mar 3 – 9

Basic garbanzo & veg salad. This week’s will have only or mostly cukes. (Photo by Brad Dahlgaard.)

Turkish Tomato Wheat-berry Stew   Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars. Contains gluten; choose no wheat-berry for GF option.  Thickened with red lentil dal & eggplant and brightened with fresh mint & parsley. Very popular!

Garbanzo Cuke Salad  Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars. A substantial marinated salad flavored with Middle Eastern zatar spice mix and lemon juice. (I got the zatar at Holy Land Deli grocery in NE Mpls, a mecca for interesting spices.)

Mar 10 – 16

Veg & Bean Mole Stew  Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars.  Organic red bell peppers & beans dominate this rich concoction. I discovered online a passable, much simplified recipe for mol-eh sauce based on raisins, cacao and tomato paste. I first made it with the kids at the Arboretum Cooking Camps last summer and they liked it.

Quinoa Corn Salad in Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars. A light refreshing complement to the hearty mole stew, with organic quinoa and organic sweet corn.

Mar 17 – 23  PALEO WEEK

You can quickly make zucchini ‘noodles’ with a spiralizer. It’s a great pasta substitute.

Carrot Coconut Soup  Vegan, gluten-, soy-free, no added sugars. Thai flavors such as lemongrass & ginger make this basic combo interesting. I was inspired by a pumpkin soup recipe in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Living mini-mag (I think). 

Veggie Noodle Salad in Ginger Peanut Dressing  Vegan, gluten-free, no added sugars; contains soy (tamari). Lovely crunchy No-Carb salad with ‘noodles’ made of carrots, zucchini and daikon, plus bean sprouts, in everybody’s favorite dressing.

Mar 24 – 30

Ruby Barley Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars; contains gluten. A brilliantly hued beets & barley dish from Moskowitz’ Appetite for Reduction vegan cookbook.

Black Bean Veg Salad Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars. Spiked with citrus & crunchy veg to complement the earthy & soft barley dish.

 

To Market, To Market

Fresh peppers, eggplant, tomatoes & zucchini ready for making Ratatouille (my photo).

Finally, the Farmers Markets in the Twin Cities are chock-full and bursting!  Yay!  Enough for me to base Delivered Dish of the Week (DDoW) menus on nearly all locally grown produce. Everything looks gorgeous. Due to the late start, though, there aren’t enough weeks now left in summer to feature all the veg that is available, such as okra. Yeah, you’re making a face, but have you tried it crunchy and spicy, flash stir-fried with garam masala?!  

Anyway, here are the menus for the next 6 weeks of DDoW. To order, go to the online Order Form on this blog. You can order a bunch of dishes in advance or return to the form once a week, as you wish. Deadlines are Saturdays for deliveries the following week. See general info on Delivered Dish of the Week service.

PS: The Online Form lists the week, the name of each dish and its ingredients. These fuller Dish descriptions below are included on the DDoW Menu Archive page in case you want to find them again. Or, search this blog for “DDoW”. 

DDOW MENUS FOR SEPTEMBER 2013

SEPT 2 – 7

Roast Beets & Cabbage Salad  (my photo).

Quinoa Kale Salad in Horseradish Vinaigrette (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  Finely chopped kale and a crunchy market veg add color, substance and fiber to quinoa, and lemon and horseradish adds a kick.

Roast Beet & Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Tender ruby cubes and crunchy green strips, this time bound by a tahini dressing. My favorite summertime cookbook, Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein, matches beets with sesame dressing (among many others). I adore everything in this cookbook so I’m sure this combination will delight. 

SEPT 9 – 14

A bowl of whole kernel hominy (web pic).

Spicy Chile Verde with Beans (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  An opportunity to see why chef Crescent Dragonwagon in her book Bean for Bean insists there is no substitute for Santa Fe Green Chilies from New Mexico. With green bell peppers. 

Cuke, Corn & Hominy Salad in Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) As well as being the basis of Posole stew, chewy hominy (rehydrated treated white corn kernels) is surprisingly nice in salads. I’ll use raw sweet corn for added crunch and because it’s frankly easier than par-boiling. The local sweet corn has been great this season.

SEPT 16 – 21

Zucchini Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce (my photo).

Zucchini Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  Carb-free pasta! Fresh sage and oregano flavor the simple sauce. Super low-cal.

Heirloom Bean & Veg Cassoulet with Rosemary  (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  A lightly braised stew of market veg and giant heirloom scarlet runner beans (and regular red beans). Good with crusty bread, a glass of wine and thou; or all by itself. Cool beans!

SEPT 23 – 28

Romesco Beans ‘n Rice. Romesco is a nut and red pepper-based sauce from Catalan, Spain. (my photo)

Garbanzo Bean & Veg Za’atar Salad  (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  Za’atar, a spice mixture popular throughout the Middle East, comprises ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and salt, and also often ground sumac, which has a lemony tang. You might encounter it sprinkled on hummus at restaurants. Confession: I bought a large bag at Holy Land Deli on Central Ave, a local mecca of affordable spices. Run, don’t walk.

Rice Romesco  (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar; contains almonds)  Romesco sauce is a classic Catalonian simmered sauce of mostly red bell peppers mixed with ground nuts. The carrier here is organic brown rice. You can eat this dish cold or hot. By this week, inexpensive pecks of peppers should be all over the Farmers Markets (a peck is approx 8 dry quarts, with 4 pecks to a bushel). Take advantage of the harvest bounty and make a couple quarts at home to slather on everything (can freeze). 

SEPT 29 – OCT 4

Thai Coconut Veggie Chowder — comforting, simple & quick (my photo).

Thai Coconut Farmers Market Soup (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  Like a vegetable chowder but with Thai flavors and coconut milk. Simmering it with corn cobs add extra sweetness. Expect some chopped collards or kale.

Black Beluga Lentil Salad in Sesame Ginger Dressing  (V, GF, no added sugar; will contain a little soy)  These beautiful organic lentils were another fun special-order from Purcell Mountain Farms (Idaho). I’m hoping they don’t lose their jet black color when cooked.

OCT 7 – 12

Roast Ratatouille with Beans  (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar)  My all-time favorite late summer/ early autumn dish. Remember the animated movie, where the mean food critic finds his humanity and compassion after eating Ratatouille the rat chef’s ratatouille? It’s delicious cold or hot, by itself or mixed with grain pilaf, on pasta, in omelets, whatever. Freezes very well.

Polenta with Chopped Greens  (GF, soy-free, no added sugar; vegan option available)  Polenta is basically a creamy corn pudding flavored with butter and parmesan/romano cheese. It’s the only DDoW dish I make with dairy; you can request a dairy-free version, too. Fairly bland, polenta is a perfect foil for any dish with sauce. I’m swirling in finely chopped sauteed leafy greens. Best hot or warmed. Polenta also freezes just fine! 

Note: V = vegan, GF = gluten-free. Paleo refers to a type of diet that recommends no carbs and no sugars.

GO TO ONLINE ORDER FORM NOW

Four Weeks of Flavors

Finally!  Delivered Dish of the Week Menus April 15 – May 10
Go straight to Order Form

Marinated Green Beans Salad (photo by Brad Dahlgaard)

April 15 – 20
Creamy Lentil & Mushroom Soup  GF, V, contains tofu
I might sneak some kale in there, you know I can’t help myself.

Greek-Style Green Beans & Rice  P, V, GF, SF
Green beans in a garlic-tomato confit with rice. Adapted from Crescent Dragonwagon’s “Bean for Bean: A Cookbook”. Who doesn’t want a name like that?

Carrot Radish Salad in Moroccan Orange Vinaigrette

April 22 – 27
Tart Pan-Roasted Chickpeas with Black Olives & Barley  V, SF   (Barley is optional for GF)  Recipe from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Splendid Table. She says serve this with a salad of arugula, oranges & red onion. Yes ma’am!

Carrot, Radish & Arugula Salad in Moroccan Orange Vinaigrette   P, V, GF, SF   Daikon, the white strips in the photo at right, is a mild Asian white radish (resembling a giant carrot) now found in many Twin Cities grocery stores and at Farmers’ Markets in summer. It’s very mild, not peppery at all. A kid-friendly source of fiber.

April 29 – May 4
Deconstructed California Roll Salad   V, GF, SF
I’m pretending it’s summer. This is exactly what you think: layers of sushi rice, pickled ginger, crunchy cukes, creamy avocado and nori strips. You supply the wasabi.

Super Slaw in Sesame Dressing  P, V, GF, SF
Lots of crunchy cabbage, kale, carrots, radish, possibly apples. If I can think of a complementary protein source, I’ll add it.

May 6 – 11
Potato & Cauliflower Salad w/ Harissa dressing  P, V, GF, SF
Harissa is an intense, addictive paste of peppers. I’ll try to make it mild-medium. Recipe from “Mediterranean Fresh” by Joyce Goldstein, to which I’ll add celery. See ‘Decisions Decisions” post for more about this ‘bible’ cookbook.

Black Bean Soup  V, GF, SF

Order here.

NEXT WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

• I’ll be serving up apps, talking about what goes best with grilled foods and brandishing knives at an FGI designers networking event being hosted by the award-winning landscaping design firm Phillips Garden in Mpls. We’re pretending it’s summer, too. 
• Come find AUNTY OXIDANT at the Brooklyn Center EarthFest on Sat April 20th! I’ll be demoing and handing out SuperFood Slaw. Brandishing knives, of course. 1pm – 4pm at Brooklyn Center High School, https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynCenterEarthFest
• If you attend Urban Arts Academy’s silent auction gala or We Can Grow Earth Day fundraiser at Hazel’s Northeast, you might see a gift certificate from One Dish up for bids!  You could go home with a private cooking lesson for 4 !  Better yet, get your friend to bid on it and then invite you.

Start Fresh: New Year’s and January Menus

Hoppin’ John, a traditional Southern dish served on New Year’s Day. Photo from Lanascooking.com. See her recipe/instructions.

Of course, being a fan of Black-eyed Peas the legume (not the band), I’m dishing up Hoppin’ John for New Year’s. This will be a vegan version of the ‘john’ traditionally served throughout the American South. It’s good luck to eat BEP on the first day of the New Year, therefore any kind of BEP is a MUST on New Year’s tables, from BEP salsa, “Texas caviar” or whatever. I’ll be making chef Bryant Terry’s take, from his fab book “Vegan Soul Kitchen” (his first book is The Inspired Vegan).

It’s also de rigueur to serve greens with BEP on New Year’s — and for me, on any day. [Search previous posts on Beans & Greens.] Instead of my favorite standard Sauteed Collards with Red Peppers & Raisins, I’ve decided to do a Lacinato Kale & Pomegranate Salad, a very simple dish from “SuperFood Kitchen” by Julie Morris. Why? Simply because I was able to order a lot of organic Lacinato Kale and pomegranates and want to take advantage of the texture of fresh Lacinato. I’ll serve the collards another day, very soon.

These two cookbooks provide inspiration for my upcoming winter menus, along with “Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (The Post-punk Kitchen, Veganomicon) and “Everyday Paleo Family”by Sarah Fragoso (Everyday Paleo book and blog).

 Lots and lots of wonderful dishes and beautiful photos. For instance, from Amazon.com blurb on Vegan Soul Kitchen: “Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African-American and Southern cuisine—capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition…”.

So without further ado, here are Delivered Dish of the Week (DDoW) menus for the next several weeks.

DEC 31:
1) Hoppin’ John (vegan, GF, soy-free)
2) Lacinato Kale & Pomegranate Salad (vegan, GF, soy-free)

JAN 7 DETOX WEEK:
1) Super Green Split Pea Soup (vegan, GF, soy-free). Includes collards and a secret ingredient, nori, which lends a savoriness that replaces traditional ham hock.

2) Roast Celeriac, Beets and Cabbage Salad w/ Borscht Dressing (vegan, GF; dressing contains tofu). Let me know if you wish a soy-free dressing.

Gado-gado salad with peanut dressing (photo from http://www.minaina.com)

JAN 14:
1) Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) with or without tofu. (vegan, GF)
2) Gado Gado. Indonesian steamed vegetable salad with peanut dressing (vegan, GF, soy-free)

JAN 21:
1) Millet with Roast Rutabaga & Sweet Potatoes (vegan, GF, soy-free). Tinged with cinnamon so you can eat it for breakfast or whatever. And you should cuz it will fuel you for the day.
2) Chipotle Red Beans (vegan, GF, soy-free). Thick and hearty.

JAN 28:
1) Basil Quinoa w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes & Spinach (vegan, GF, soy-free)
2) Puttanesca Portabello & Lentils (vegan, GF, soy-free)

FEB 4:
1) Coconut Red Lentil Soup w/ Cardamom (vegan, GF, soy-free)
2) Cumin Kasha w/ Cabbage and Spiced Walnuts (vegan, GF, soy-free). Kasha is another name for Buckwheat Groats (berries). One of my favorite GF grain dishes.

FEB 11 (Chinese New Year):
1) Sesame Eggplant & Rice (vegan, GF, soy-free)
2) Spicy Broccoli & Edamame Salad (vegan, GF, contains soy)

 

ORDERING DDOW: 
You order, I deliver. I’ll be posting links to the online forms in the next couple days. See DDoW page. Btw, you can freeze all these dishes to “bank” up meals for later.

Cooking Camp in Northern Paradise

Sunset over Cass Lake, from Star Island.

I have a lot of blog-catch up to do!  First of all, I was very fortunate to have spent the last week of Aug leading healthful cooking sessions at Camp Unistar, located on Cass Lake’s Star Island.

The focus for the week was very concrete — make food & bread. Participants did exactly that, every day for 2 hours. The baker, Dee, and I alternated days.  I had 12 – 8 participants who made 4 vegan dishes or so per session, which we then served for lunch & dinner, as part of the meals the kitchen staff had prepared.

The participants were terrific!  They enjoyed themselves under my tutelage. Lots of laughing and smiles! All campers much enjoyed the results of our efforts. I’m gathering feedback and will share soon.

I had a wonderful time myself, as a teacher and as a camper. It’s impossible not to love this camp, tucked away on a small quiet island with no roads, and with clear waters and virgin pine forests beckoning you. And hammocks, too.

Also, Camp Unistar’s gleaming professional kitchen is excellent, as are the staff. When I liaised with the Food Service Director and found out she kept stores of quinoa and barley on hand, I just knew we’d get along! Then she told me about their local farm source and I became even more excited. More about this farm in the next post.

As with all my lesson plans, I focused on versatility of vegetarian ingredients, ease of preparation, and basic skills. Brought along my cute Grains & Beans Tool-Kit to show some of the many kinds of whole grains and legumes that are widely available now. This serendipitously turned out to complement the lectures on grains by baker Dee.

The game plan in a nutshell was:

This is how I would have served the left-over Ratatouille from Day 1, if there had been any left-overs: topped with fried egg, black olives & feta.

Day 1: Veg Raw and Roasted
Raw Beet Salad, Firecracker Slaw, Roast Beets & Lentil Salad, Roast Ratatouille w fresh basil, 2 vinaigrettes.

Day 2: Herb Pestos, Vinaigrettes & Dips; Marinated Salads
Cilantro paste and creamy vegan herb dip; Curried Barley Salad (Curry Vinaigrette); Blanched Carrots & Kale in Orange Ginger Vinaigrette; Minted Asian Cukes & Radish Salad (Mint vinaigrette); Red Quinoa & Porcini Mushroom Pilaf. (Total 4 vinaigrettes & a dip.)

Red Bell Peppers & raisins sweeten sauteed fresh collards or kale, and make a beautiful dish.

Day 3: Beans and Greens
This day we made the entire lunch: Red Lentil & Squash Soup w/ Cardamom & Coco Milk; Braised Kale with Red Peppers & Raisins; Kale & Black-eyed Peas “Masala”; Sauteed Cabbage with Fennel Seeds; Cuke Radish Cilantro Raita (yogurt condiment). Plus, Moroccan Chermoula Marinade for that night’s grilled chicken supper.

As you can see, we cooked all sorts of dishes each day, some planned and some not. “Cross-fertilization” is the point. The Orange Ginger Vinaigrette was in their recipe packet but I had’t planned to necessarily use it. However, since we had extra, fat garden carrots and all that kale on hand, we quickly pulled together a brightly flavored, brilliantly colored Blanched Carrots & Kale Salad. This turned out to be one of the campers’ favorites.

By the way, everything we made was vegan (dairy-free) and gluten-free with the exception of the barley salad. I’ll post more soon about these camp sessions, with photos and recipes.

Church Basement Ladies Beware

Sorry,  no beige food on Dec’s menu — or ever — and the flavors are amped up, so beware, church basement ladies (CBLs), beware!  Get thee hence! Image of me holding a wreath of garlic, warding off plaid-aproned zombies clutching cans of cream of mushroom soup…. (Pls note I myself am a “church lady” so I am not castigating CBLs universally.)

And, if they would try them, I think even Lutherans would like the modesty of the mild, nutty black-eyed pea (legume) that was featured last week. But naturally I added  sauteed fresh turnip greens and a heckuva lot of garlic. You can use frozen turnip (or any) greens too, but it won’t have the slightly crisp texture as sauteed.

"Cuban" Pork Pot Roast (green olives, sweet peppers, carrots). Incredible sauce.

I’m having fun coming up with super-flavorful “Paleo” meat dishes, like the Cuban Pork Pot Roast pictured below, the Oxtail Soup and the Coq au Vin from previous weeks. Slow-cooked meats are such a comfort, and the broths / sauces produced are life-giving. You must use meat with bones for the stock to be flavorful and nutritious; and the meat will be more tender as well.

I am likely going to serve this Pork Roast for an upcoming family celebration that I am catering after Xmas. The client likes Mexican flavors. Ideas include: Roast Sweet Potatoes w/ lime, Cilantro Rice, Cuke Jicama & Fennel Salad, Mini-Tamales, Corn Quinoa Casserole w/ Queso Blanco.

Notice this menu is gluten-free! 

More news and menus will be posted soon!

Dishes of the Week

SEP 26 – OCT 1 

Farmers Market Chowder with Coconut Milk & Lemongrass

1) Thai Farmers’ Market Chowder. Vegan & gluten-free. Will contain corn. A take on a milk-based chowder, but with coconut milk and lemongrass. Serve with rice, quinoa, etc.

2)  “Laab” Thai Noodle Salad with TVP. Vegan; contains gluten. OK, I’m breaking down and using spaghetti* for the first time in 2 years, b/c spaghetti doesn’t get smushy over time like rice noodles in sauce or dressing. “Laab” is a delicious tangy spicy Thai meat & lettuce wrap dish. (See photo & post “Fabulous Summer Luncheon”). Client Sue H says “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life!”.

OCT 2 – 7

1) Tangy Turkish Wheatberry & Chickpea Soup. Vegan; contains gluten. If you want it gluten-free, pls notify me in advance. A very hearty, multi-textured, tomato-based soup with eggplant and lots of lemon & mint. You can add fresh or frozen chopped greens (spinach, collards, etc) too. A good one-dish meal that freezes well.

2)  Cuke & Daikon Salad with Orange-Tahini Dressing. Vegan & gluten-free. Sorry, had planned on zucchini but today there was very little at market. It’s done. So I’ll use cukes & daikon instead. That may be it for cukes, too.

OCT 8 – 14

1) Gingery Lentil & Carrot Stew. Vegan & gluten-free. Simple and comforting, this dish highlights flavorful market carrots. Collard greens will add more texture and nutrition. (That’s two super foods, if you’re counting.) This stew is very easy to make and to freeze. Lentils are quick to cook (15 min) and so versatile.

2)  Millet with Curried Apples, Squash & Caramelized Onions. Vegan and gluten-free. I am adapting a couscous recipe from 101cookbooks.com blog by Heidi Swanson, author of “Super Natural Every Day” and “Super Natural Cooking”. Heidi says curried apples + couscous is a super fast dish to make. But, as you know, I don’t offer couscous (pasta product) and was looking for a millet recipe. The lentil stew and this millet will be lovely together, as well as fine on their own.

NEXT: Beets. Can’t go a month without beets. Besides they’re all over the markets right now. So are tomatillos. If they’re still there in 2 weeks, I’ll do a tomatillo bean tamale pie.

See all past Dishes of the Week from 2011 at the DDoW Menu Archive.

Crunchy, Chewy, Smooth, Tart, Tangy, Spicy…

That’s what your mouth has to look forward to in the next few week’s of Delivered Dishes of the Week! As usual, nearly all offerings are vegan, low-fat and gluten-free. Menus are based on what’s available at the Farmers’ Market; grains and beans are organic and from the co-op.

Sep 6 – 12

1) Deconstructed “California Roll” Salad. Vegan, no gluten. Refreshing marinated cukes, carrots, daikon, pickled ginger and avocado layered with sushi rice. Crunchy, chewy and low-fat.

2) Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Sesame Dressing. Vegan, no gluten. Simple and lovely, with a more delicate texture than the larger eggplants.

Roasted beets, onions & sweet potato (photo Brad Dahlgaard)

Sep 13 – 19

1) Roasted Beets with Mild Wasabi Dressing (on the side). Vegan, no gluten. An interesting twist on beet salad.

2) Black Bean & Peppers Salad in Chipotle Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. Vegan, no gluten. The Southwest thing. Add a cheese quesadilla and you’re set.

Sep 20 -26

1) Roasted Cauliflower with Roquefort Dressing. No gluten. A popular dish from this winter reprised with locally grown cauliflower.

2) Curried Barley & Veggie Salad with Cranberries & Coconut. Vegan. Another hit from May’s DDoWC that received raves from summer catering clients. Barley contains the same cholesterol-lowering, water-soluble fiber as oatmeal, but is more versatile. It’s terrific in salads, pilafs, risotto and hot cereal. not just in soup. Please note, barley contains gluten.

Round the World in 3 Weeks

UPCOMING DELIVERED DISHES OF THE WEEK

MAY 16 – 22

1) Minty Greek Garbanzo & Cucumber Salad. Will most definitely have kalamata olives and bell peppers, but, no tomatoes, which make chopped salads too soggy. You can add fresh ones and crumbled feta before serving. Vegan, no gluten.

2) Lemony Asparagus & Potatoes. I get to use my fab new microzester wand. Vegan, no gluten.

MAY 23 –  29

1) Nigerian Kidney Bean Stew. A creamy tomato sauce similar to the popular Mafe sweet potato stew dished up earlier this spring. An occasion to say “unctuous”. I might add tofu. Vegan, contains peanut butter, no gluten.

2) Not Soggy Collards. With lots of garlic and lime to offset aforementioned  unctuousness. Vegan, no gluten.

MAY 30 – JUNE  5

1)  Carrot Salad in Citrus Cinnamon Dressing. Doesn’t that sound divine? Possibly with local peas if they are readily avail at farmers’ market. Vegan, no gluten.

2) “Casual” Persian Rice w/ Lentils & Raisins. A fried rice sort of treatment instead of the elaborate party stunner pictured in all the cookbooks.

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