Salmon green plate special. 10/3/22

Salmon with avocado, cabbage, edamame, and cucumber

We definitely have a division of labor when making this dinner. John does all things fish and I do all things vegetable. Here is how he prepares the salmon. First he chooses similarly sized pieces, in this case 3/4 of an inch thick. He brines the fish for 20 minutes in a solution of two tablespoons of table salt in a quart of water. Then he puts a scant layer of kosher salt in the bottom of a frying pan and puts the fish in skin side down. The salt in the pan acts as “ball-bearings” so the fish does not stick. It does not actual salt it. There is no fat in the pan and there is no flame under the pan to start. Once the fish is in the pan he turns the burner on to low and cooks the fish on low for 15 minutes. Then he flips the fish over for two minutes and removes the skin.

I usually have all my green vegetables cut up by the time he starts cooking. To make this mono-chromatic salad I use avocado, edamame, cabbage, cucumber, jalapeño, scallions, and either basil or cilantro. I make an almost no-oil vinaigrette from about equal parts of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, a few drops of sesame oil, and minced garlic, ginger, and scallion. After dressing the salad with the vinaigrette I drizzle on a good olive oil. We usually eat this dish with rice or riced cauliflower.

Posted in Asian, Fish, Legumes, Methods, pescatarian, rice, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vegetable extravaganza! 10/2/22

Roasted vegetables with riced cauliflower and kale

On Sunday nights everyone in the family is on their own to make whatever appeals to them. I knew we had bits and pieces of vegetables and I decided to roast broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots. I tossed all the vegetables in a bag with olive oil and salt and then laid them out on a foil-lined and sprayed sheet pan. In a pre-heated 425F oven on the convect setting, it took about 20 minutes to cook everything to slightly brown and tender. I put some raw kale in a bowl followed by microwaved riced cauliflower and then the veg on top. An extra drizzle of olive oil and a little more salt and it was a perfect dinner for me!

Posted in American, Easy, Methods, Sheet pan, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. October 3-9, 2022

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Red lentils, riced cauliflower, and kale. 10/1/22

Red lentils, riced cauliflower, and kale

Delicious, healthy, and inexpensive red lentils are the stars of this dish.

Posted in Afghan, Easy, Legumes, Recipes, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Autumn soup, hummus, and tabbouleh 9/30/22

Autumn soup garnished with bacon

Tonight we dressed up our leftover Autumn soup with a strip of bacon each. I made a double batch last week which makes about 10-12 servings. The recipe below is the full fat version. I use about 1/4 of the butter and cream recommended and it still tastes delicious.

In addition to our bowls of soup we also had some store bought hummus and pita plus I made a tabbouleh salad.

Hummus and pita with tabbouleh

Posted in Grains, Hot weather meals, leftovers, Mediterranean, Methods, Middle Eastern, Recipes, Salad, soup, Special occasion, Vegetables | 1 Comment

Shrimp tacos, pinto beans, arugula and golden beets. 9/29/22

Shrimp tacos, spicy pinto beans, arugula and golden beet salad

When we have tacos I like to make a condiment bar on the kitchen counter that way everyone can fix their plate the way they like. John cooked the shrimp and warmed the tortillas while I cut up the taco accompaniments. (I know that arugula and golden beets do not go with tacos but the beets were left over from Sunday and I needed to use them!)

Taco bar

In the back row are arugula, avocado, and sliced golden beets. In the middle are crema (yogurt mixed with salt and cumin), a small bottle of spicy avocado sauce (just bought this today. It is good!), salsa, and shredded cabbage. The lone item in the front is cilantro.

Dinner was a success! John cooked the shrimp perfectly as usual and the salsa, crema, and avocado sauce worked well on everything.

Posted in American, Easy, Hot weather meals, leftovers, Legumes, Mexican, pescatarian, Salad, Shellfish, Southwest U.S., Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fettuccine with zoodles and mushrooms 9/28/22

Fettucine with zoodles and mushrooms

While I will never be fooled by vegetables parading as pasta, if you mix zoodles with actual pasta what you get is a very tasty dish that takes a while to eat. I am definitely a fan of a big bowl of food.

I bought my hand zoodler back in June and am glad that I remembered to use it on Wednesday. I sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic seasoned with red pepper flakes and oregano and then waited until the pasta was ready to join the vegetables to put the zoodles in. If you try cooking them you are liable to end up with mush. A little olive oil, basil, and pasta water was all that was needed to make a light sauce.

Posted in Easy, Italian, Kitchen tips, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Tofu and vegetables over rice. 9/27/22

Marinated tofu with cabbage, edamame, avocado, cucumber, Serrano chile, cilantro, and rice

I made the vegan version of the sesame bowls I have been making. The bowl pictured here is waiting for its scallion-ginger-soy vinaigrette. We have one of these almost every week rotating through tofu, shrimp, and salmon. My daughter mentioned today that avocados are on sale this coming week. I rejoined that I could not make the same thing over and over again. She said why not? Good question! The bowls are simple to make and delicious!

Posted in Asian, Easy, Hot weather meals, Legumes, rice, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Turkey sausage with sheet pan veggies. 9/26/22

Turkey sausage with roasted cauliflower, cabbage, and butternut squash

Super simple, easy dinner tonight! After shaking the vegetables in a bag with olive oil and salt I laid them out on a foil-lined and sprayed sheet pan for a 25 minute roast in the oven pre-heated to 425F convection. The vegetables got some good browning and were done when I could pierce them with a knife easily. As soon as the vegetables were done I microwaved my piece of turkey sausage for 90 seconds. I made a combo of Dijon and whole grain mustards to dip my sausage into. Yum!

Posted in American, Easy, Methods, Poultry, Sheet pan, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. September 26 – October 2, 2022

This week’s menu includes five vegan or vegetarian meals, one shellfish, and one turkey sausage dinner. Including more plant-based meals now seems like the norm and I am very happy about that.

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