Movin’ On Up to April Menus

Moving on from March, here’s the online order form for DDoW April 2015. Please go to the DDoW Order page, scroll down to the embedded form and fill out what you’d like. Here’s a quickie summary of what’s cookin’.

April 6 -10th
1) Organic Tempeh & Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes in Black Bean Sauce (v gf)
2) Sesame-seasoned Organic Brown Rice & Bok Choy (v gf)

April 13-17th
1) Organic White Bean & Kale Soup with Sage (v gf)
2) Organic Quinoa, Red Bell Pepper & Cuke Salad in Dill Dijon Vinaigrette (v gf)

April 20-24th
1) Caribbean Coconut Curry of Organic Lentils & Plantains (v gf)
2) Organic Millet & Spinach (organic) Pilaf (v gf)

Roast Beets & Cabbage Salad (my photo).

April 27 -May 1st
1) Organic Chickpea & Barley w/ Kalamata Olives (v, not gf)
2) Roast Beet & Fresh Cabbage Salad in Horseradish Vinaigrette (v gf). An antioxidant powerhouse. Bam!

 

 

And, We’re Movin’ On Up

I am moving to a new house in St Paul !  Please note my new home & business address effective April 20th: 620 Desnoyer Ave, St Paul 55104. [One Dish at A Time’s base of operations remains at GIA Kitchen.]  Well, there are no sofas but I do have a fabulous new dining table and cool chairs. I have my priorities, you know.

Other “Moves”:

• Just taught a community ed cooking class titled “Power Up with Beans & Greens”. The students and I made 5 dishes. They took home lots of practical tips, several recipes and food samples to share. One student wrote:
  

  “It was a great class. I’m already putting some of the principles to work and have been enjoying the dishes I brought home and doing interesting things with them. I combined the white beans and kale dish with chicken broth and cut-up chicken — it was delicious. “

• I’m scheduling private cooking lessons with a new cooking coaching client to help her adjust to a vegan diet. More about my lessons.

• I’m currently planning menus for catering gigs in May, including an engagement party, a graduation picnic and a volunteer dinner.

  I’m available for more catering this summer, so please kindly refer me to your social networks! 

 

 

 

SLURP IT UP

It’s Soup Season!  My latest Delivered Dish of the Week menus feature soups nearly every week. The great thing about soups — and all my autumn & winter dishes in general — is that you can freeze them in small containers to enjoy later. Furthermore, ziploc bags of soup, frozen flat, can be stored vertically to save freezer space.

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

MENUS FOR DDOW OCT 27 – DEC 1ST

Week of Oct 27th

Beautiful Beet Soup (my photo)

Blood Red Beet & Lentil Soup w/ Ginger
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars. A satisfying fiber-rich soup for Halloween, to counteract any candy.  Very popular with beet-lovers plus a natural source of iron.

Fried Brown Rice w/ Shredded Cabbage & Carrots flavored with Coriander, Mustard & Fennel Seeds.
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars. One of a hundred easy variations on fried rice.  I add stronger spices here to spark up organic brown rice. A great way to use up left-over rice, too. Sauteed cabbage w/ fennel seed is a lovely, mild side dish by itself and, so easy to make at home –– try it.

Week of Nov 3rd
Squash Soup w/ Red Chile & Mint
Vegan GF, Paleo, soy-free, no added sugars. Spicy red chile & cooling fresh mint adds a nice twist on a classic autumnal soup. Dollop with queso fresco or yogurt to dress it up.

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Red Chile & Mint (Splendidtable.com)

Beans & Greens Tamale Casserole w/ Tomatillo Sauce
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars; contains corn. Clients voted this an all-time favorite!  I always add chopped dark greens to beans for added nutrition and fiber. The mild tangy sauce disguises the taste of greens, too, if you have fussy eaters. It comes in a mini-loaf foil pan.

Week of Nov 10th
Minestrone w/ Rice Pasta
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo option. Rice elbow noodles, kidney beans, green beans and other veg in a light tomato broth. I like Tinkyada brand rice pasta. You can request no pasta & no beans for Paleo diets.

 Roast Ratatouille w/ Lentils
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo option. I adore ratatouille. Period. Especially when made of garden-sourced veg. I roasted & froze this in Sept for a wonderful infusion of summer days gone by. And it’s incredibly versatile: plop it on mashed pots for shepherd’s pie, spread on pizza, fill burritos, add to pasta sauce, et al.  You can request no-beans for Paleo version.

Week of Nov 17th

Ripe, medium ripe and green plaintains (web photo). Called the pasta of the Caribbean.

Caribbean Coconut Curry
Vegan GF, Paleo, soy-free, no added sugars. From Isa Moskowitz’s Appetite for Reduction cookbook and featuring naturally sweet steamed plantains. Mildly spiced. Really yummy.

 Quinoa Pilaf w/ Spinach & Cilantro
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars. A nice green pilaf that complements the curry.

 Week of Nov 24th: Impress your guests! Terrific with turkey.
Polenta w/ Sage
GF, soy-free, no added sugars; contains corn and dairy unless you request no dairy. Smooth polenta makes a great gluten-free side. For a stuffing substitute, brush slices w/ olive oil and broil til crispy on top, then chunk it up. Yes, it’s fab with turkey & gravy on top.

Wilted Kale & Roasted Beet Salad in Tahini Dressing
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo. Two super foods in one dish to complement (and dare I say, counteract) starchy holiday meals. Creamy tahini softens raw kale’s texture while sweet roast beets balance its flavor. Sprinkle seeds or nuts on top, and/or go more even gourmet w/ dollops of goat cheese.

Week of Dec 1st
Smoky Split Pea Soup
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars. I always add chopped collard greens and puree the whole thing to hide it. Sometimes I add nori seaweed as well for extra umami (savoriness); it melts away. Smoked paprika provides that “ham” flavor.

Puerto Rican Rice
Vegan GF, soy-free, no added sugars. Another easy variation on rice w/ green bell peppers, sweet peas , tomatoes and some tumeric for color. However, it won’t be exactly the national dish of Puerto Rico as I’m omitting the grandule verde (pigeon peas) and using brown basmati instead of white.

New Demo Videos

Tracy sautees kale

Tracy compares cooked and raw kale

Tracy berates dull knives

Tracy demos “rocking” cutting

Check out these little videos!  Thanks to Lane Rapp of Growing West Side, here I am captured for all eternity at last Sat’s cooking demonstration at their “Bean Summit”.

It was a terrifically educational session, starting with a show-and-tell of many kinds of heirloom beans, followed by growing tips from heirloom bean farmer Paula Foreman of Encore Farms, and lastly, my demo, where I made 3 different organic bean dishes (all vegan and gluten-free, no added sugars and no soy, of course).

1.  Jacob’s Cattle Bean & Veg Salad in Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette
2. Cassoulet of Black Beans, Green Kale & Cherry Tomatoes in Red Pepper Sauce
3. Smashed Garlicky Black-eyed Peas with Spinach & Sage (great as bruschetta topping or sandwich filler)

Paula Foreman of Encore Farms on bean irrigation

Growing West Side’s mission is “Building community by supporting local gardening and sustaining a healthy neighborhood” in St Paul’s funky West Side. Among its many activities, it

• runs a small Sat morn Farmers Market in the Icy Cup parking lot at corner of George and Stryker Sts, so you can buy veg and eat ice cream simultaneously (very smart);
• offers free Scarlet Runner bean seeds for “Beans on the Boulevard”, a program to beautify the ‘hood;
• offers classes on topics from Growing Small Fruit Orchards to Chickens 101;
• has established a free Seed Library at the Riverside Library on George St.

Another fab organization that offers similar programs & resources in St Paul is Frogtown Gardens in the Frogtown neighborhood that stretches north of University Ave between Lexington and Western Aves. 

 

Orange is the New….

Fight off the flu with veggies & fruit

Spring colds & flu have been rampant lately (fell victim myself), so be sure to pump yourself full of antioxidants in whatever way you can. I’m fighting back with blueberry & super green powder smoothies, lots of spinach & kale and juicy oranges.

The next 7 weeks of DDoW Menus features, in fact, lots of orange-colored dishes to herald spring and boost our Vitamin A levels, ranging from Ethiopian Millet & Sweet Potatoes to Butternut Squash Soup. And green too, of course.

Orange ya glad I said orange?

Without further ado, here’s the menu cycle. To order any of those weeks’ dishes, go to the Order Form on the Order page. Learn more about DDoW.

DDOW MENU FOR MARCH 24 – MAY 12

Mar 24 – 29 – PALEO WEEK

A ‘spiralizer’ makes awesome noodles out of veg & fruit!

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

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

Mar 31 – Apr 5

“Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Moskowitz.

Scarlet Barley. Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars; contains gluten. A brilliantly hued beets & barley dish from Moskowitz’ Appetite for Reduction vegan cookbook. Factoid: beets have 6 times the iron of carrots. Women, eat your beets!

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

Apr 7 – 13

Ethiopian Millet & Sweet Potatoes.  Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars.   Another dish adapted from Appetite for Reduction cookbook. This millet pilaf has an interestingly spiced tomato sauce, reminiscent of an Indian curry but not quite. Sweet potatoes add sweetness and moisture. Not spicy hot. [Millet dries out fast, so sprinkle some water on it before you reheat.]

Green Beans & Lentil Cassoulet.  Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars.   A lightly braised combo in a light broth with a bit of ginger that won’t overwhelm the Millet dish.

Apr 14 – 20

Garbanzo Piccata w/ Spinach (my photo).

Garbanzo & Mushroom Piccata.  Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars. Also from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. Guess it’s Moskowitz Month!  I was very happy with this dish last year — substantial yet not heavy, in a light wine sauce brightened with lemon, capers & parsley. This time I’m adding mushrooms.

Green Rice.  Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars. Eco-farmed brown rice mixed with chopped organic spinach & green peppers.

Apr 21 – 27  PALEO WEEK

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Red Chile & Mint (Splendidtable.com)

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Red Chile & Mint. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo. Got this lovely and interesting recipe from the Splendid Table newsletter with which to use up my stock of Sno-Pac frozen organic squash. 

Cabbage & Carrot Slaw in Grapefruit Ginger Vinaigrette Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo. A light, crunchy & refreshing complement to the silken soup and, packed with vitamins and fiber.

Apr 28 – May 3 

Sweet Red Pepper Soup – Paleo.  Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo. This popped up in my inbox from Vegetarian Times newsletter. More orange & red!  And only 120 cal per serving. It’s meant to be garnished with a swirl of basil cream, but I’ll do a basil pistou instead. You can add some basil pesto, cream or yoghurt yourself.

Wheat Berry & Veg Salad. Vegan, soy-free, no added sugars; contains gluten. A toothsome marinated salad featuring chewy wheat berries, crunchy veg and some dried cranberries.

May 5 – 11  

Chicken Mafe Stew w/ Spinach. Sub beans for meat.

Black-eyed Peas & Green Beans in Mafe Sauce. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars; contains peanut butter. A traditional West African stew in a tomato-based sauce that is mild and comforting. Mafe sauce has been repeatedly approved by kids, so if your kids can get over the beans & veg, they’ll like it.  Not spicy.

Millet & Greens. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars. Millet is a staple of Africa and therefore the perfect complement to Mafe Stew. And, it’s very high in protein. If you’ve never cooked millet, try it! It comes out like a nutty-tasting couscous. 

May 12 – 18

Potato, Leek & Minted Pea Soup – Paleo. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars, Paleo. Here’s a nice comfort soup with a twist — a nod to spring in anticipation of the beginning of our harvest season. Unfortunately, it won’t have locally grown peas and mint b/c it will be too early. 

White Beans w/ Carrots, Kale & Sage. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no added sugars.  A simple mixture w/ orange & green veg, aromatically seasoned with sage.

May 19 – 25  VACATION 

To order any dish, submit the easy form on the Order page. 

Classy Kale

Right now I’m teaching classes which highlight fresh kale in ‘classy’ ways.

Here are photos from a free cooking class I led at Baker Community Center in Westside St Paul on Feb 1st. With the help of young volunteers, I threw together 2 easy healthful salads: Kale Salad in Avocado Dressing and Asian Veggie “Pasta” in Ginger Peanut Dressing. 

I made a Kale salad with Tahini dressing at a class last Friday and am reprising the Kale Avocado Salad in another one this Tues at Mazopiya Natural Foods Market in Prior Lake. I’ll report on that session later this week.

Muhammed strips kale while I chop.

Muhammed massages balsamic vinaigrette & avocado chunks into kale.

Fresh Kale & Pepper Salad in Avocado Dressing

Kale & Cuke Salad in Lemon Tahini Dressing.

Learning to use the spiralizer to make zucchini “noodles”.

Veggie “noodles” for Asian “Noodle” Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing.

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

The fresh kale leaves are vigorously massaged with chunks of avocado and a little balsamic vinaigrette, then left to marinate a bit. Think Swedish massage. Really work it like stiff clay. Treating the greens this way wilts them down, reduces the bitterness and permeates sauce into every leaf. Besides, the more compacted the greens, the more you end up eating. You can use prepared guacamole, too. But, either way, be prepared to get your hands all goopy!

At Baker, I also showed folks how to use a Spiralizer gizmo, with which you can crank (literally) out long noodles’, “corkscrews” and thin slices from many veggies & fruits!  We made zucchini & carrot noodles for a carb-less salad, Asian style. The texture of the zucchini is like a slightly crunchy noodle. When I programmed a Zucchini “Linguine” in fresh tomato salsa for Delivered Dish of the Week (DDoW), several clients thought they were eating real pasta.

This gadget is a boon to anybody who wants to get more veggies into their diet — that’s everybody — and especially useful if you are trying out a Paleo, vegan or raw diet. It just makes it more fun. You could do apples and pear noodles like my nephew & niece; or try root veg curly fries and root veg chips. It’s inexpensive and available on Amazon.com.

 

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.

Get A March on Spring

Ok, I’ve finally decided March’s menus for Delivered Dish of the Week!  You can order online — for all 5 weeks, if you wish.

And, I’m bringing back meat options, which will be offered every 3-4 weeks. March 11th is Paleo Week b/c all dishes are Paleo-friendly!  [The “Paleo” diet trend emphasizes animal protein, nuts & seeds, tubers and green veggies, while discouraging grains and sugars, and, to a lesser degree, beans.]

MARCH 4 – 10
1) Curried Oat Groat/Barley Salad with Veg & Craisins (vegan, soy-free, contains gluten)
2) Lentils & Collard Greens in Smoky Paprika Sauce (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)

Pureed Parsnip Parsley Soup

MARCH 11- 17  PALEO WEEK
1) Green Parsnip Celery Soup (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
2)  Cabbage & Roast Beet Salad in Pink Horseradish Dressing (vegan, gluten-free, contains tofu in dressing but you can indicate a no-soy option)
3) Corned Beef w/ Sauteed Green Peppers (gluten-free, soy-free)

 

MARCH 18 – 24

1) Fava Bean Zahlouk w/ Chermoula Sauce (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)

2) Cajun Rice w/ Spicy TVP (vegan, gluten-free, the TVP is soy but is optional)

March 25 – 31
1) Thai Coconut Curry w/ Squash & Chickpeas (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
2) Kale Salad in Avocado Lime Dressing (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly)

Chicken Mafe Stew with sweet potatoes and spinach (photo Nicky Patnaude).

April 1 – 7
1) West African Mafe Stew w/ red beans and organic green beans (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free; contains peanut butter)
2) Quinoa & Carrot Salad in Citrus Ginger Vinaigrette (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
3) PALEO OPTION:  Mafe Stew w/ Chicken, sweet potato and green beans (gluten-free, soy-free; contains peanut butter)

April  8 – 14
1) Spicy Potato Salad w/ Harissa Dressing (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly)
2) TBA

 

If you’re curious about how I determine these menus, see last post. For a list of past DDoW menus, see the Menu Archive. 

 

 

 

 

Decisions, Decisions!

I’m working on March’s menus for Delivered Dish of the Week and having a hard time choosing only eight dishes! I guess I’ll move some into April, then.

My process is the same as how you might plan meals at home.

First, I look at what bulk items I have in stock and want to use up: garbanzo beans, fava beans, oat groats & barley, brown rice, quinoa, tofu and TVP; left-over beets, frozen organic green beans and butternut squash. I note that I haven’t featured collards or carrots in a while.

Second, I come up with a list of dishes that include those. Here I take care to choose a wide variety of flavors, balance the carbs between whole grains, beans and root veg, and balance cold dishes with hot. Third, I make sure vegetables are in all dishes. Some dishes are heavy on protein (beans), some are heavy on carbs, and some are mostly vegetable (therefore, paleo-friendly). 

Must-buy “Mediterranean Fresh” by Joyce Goldstein

Right now I find scads of inspiration from the drool-worthy and incredibly useful cookbook Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings, by Joyce Goldstein. I want to eat every single thing in it!  In fact, the mix-and-match method is exactly how I cook and eat. And, I adore her repertoire of Italian, Spanish, Tunisian, Moroccan, Turkish and French dishes. They are intense and authentic. Her Moroccan Chermoula Dressing has become a staple, and is reprinted on my Recipe page.

My cooking lesson students learn this mix-and-match method hands-on. For instance, with just brown rice, a pantry of spices & herbs, plus a few vegetables and/or beans, you could make a different hearty rice dish every night of the week (and still not have exhausted the possibilities).  See Nov 2012 post “Spice is the Variety of Life” for details.

How else would I be able to come up with 24 different vegan dishes for a 3-month seasonal menu?

OK, so back to March menu options list. It includes some of my tried-and-true, and recipes from Goldstein.

Blanched Carrot & Kale Salad in Orange Ginger Vinaigrette (my recipe). Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free.

• Garbanzo, Peppers & Capers salad w/ spicy Harissa dressing  GF, V
• Fava bean Zahlouk Salad (cauliflower, chermoula, moroccan olives) — a rice version was FAB. GF, V
• Potato, Cauliflower & Artichoke Salad w/ Harissa dressing  P, GF, V
• Potato & Green Bean Salad w/ Lemony Horseradish Vinaigrette  P, GF, V
• Curried Barley/Oat Groat & Veg Salad w/ craisins (very popular)  V
• Quinoa, Carrot & Kale Salad w/ Citrus Ginger dressing (see Recipe page) GF, V
• Hearty Kale Salad (avocados + Tahini dressing) — Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris  P, GF, V
• Jambalaya w/ spiced TVP, Garbanzo and peppers  GF, V
• Butternut Fava Bean Thai Curry  GF, V  
  
• West African Mafe Stew w/ beans, turnip greens (tomato & peanut butter sauce)   P,GF, V
  
  

  Chicken & Sweet Potato Mafe Stew w/ Spinach. Sub beans for meat.

• Braised Collards w/ Raisins & Butternut Squash  P,GF, V
• Beets w/ either Harissa or Tarator dressing (tahini + nuts)   P, GF, V
• Cauliflower Squash Red Lentil Soup — thanks Denise!   P, GF, V
• Green Parsnip Soup  — b/c I love it   P, GF, V 

  And then there’s the Paleo list featuring animal protein: 

• Corned Beef and Roasted Cabbage P, GF, V
• Cauliflower, Collards & Bacon (pasture-fed)  P, GF, V
• Sweet Potato Frittata  P, GF, V
• Salad Nicoise w/ tuna mayo dressing P, GF, V   (first ate ‘tonnato” sauce on cold beef in Florence, sigh….)

P = Paleo-friendly, ie no grains or beans
GF = Gluten-free
V = Vegan

See what I mean?!  Decisions, decisions….!

Cooking Classes at Valley Natural Foods Co-op

I’m teaching 2 classes on easy vegetarian meals at Valley Natural Foods Co-op in Burnsville in the next 5 weeks. 

Both are hands-on. This means bring your own knife and be prepared to get busy! You’ll take home samples of each dish we make. All dishes are vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free, soy-free, with no added sugars and no processed carbs. Just veggies, legumes and lots of flavor! 

CLASS #1: This Thursday, Feb 21, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm: Beets and Lentils. $26-30.

We’ll make 4 different dishes using the same ingredients. All are easy to make, full of nutrition and keep for a week+.  Roast Ratatouille Provencal; Beet Carrot Slaw; Roast Beet & Lentil Salad; Eggplant & Lentil Saute.

Roast Beet & Lentil Salad in Balsamic Vinaigrette (photo by Alicea Rose Photography). Vegan & Gluten-free.

CLASS #2: Thursday, Mar 21, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm: Beans & Greens. $26-30. 
Basic White Bean & Greens Cassoulet; Beans & Greens Bruschetta; Braised Kale or Collards with Red Peppers & Raisins; Sauteed Garlicky Turnip Greens with cherry tomatoes OR Wilted Kale Salad w/ Tahini Dressing.  All these are beloved staples of my Delivered Dish of the Week and Catering menu.

This price is a STEAL for 2 hours of instruction and $15 worth of food to take home!  Sign up here!  Send your spouse, your “I’m a vegetarian now” high-schooler, your colleague who’s embarked on a no-dairy or no-sugar diet…. Tell your peeps in the southern burbs! 

PS: if you want to make Beans & Greens on your own, see my Recipes for a couple variations.