Weekly Menu August 22 -28, 2022

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Beebamom

Why is Northern California the hottest in late August to the beginning of October when the rest of the country is beginning to cool off? I asked the internet this question and got an answer. “In September, the interior of California starts to cool off with the onset of autumn. This weakens the interior thermal low, ultimately weakens the marine layer, and allows coastal California to have warmer weather in September through mid-October than is typical in midsummer.” So the low pressure area over the Central Valley sucks in the marine layer and we usually have a pretty nice summer with a much hotter beginning to fall.

And this is why I am trying to find more no- or minimal-cook dinners again this week.

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Six ideas for hot summer nights’ dinners

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Beebamom
Herb-y marinated tofu salad

Cannellini beans with tuna

Gazpacho and avocado toast

Grilled hamburger with salsa slaw

Chicken or tuna Niçoise salad

Instant Pot chickpea stew over raw kale
Posted in Hot weather meals, Weeknight dinners | 1 Comment

Vegan split chickpea stew with cauli-rice and kale. 8/20/22

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Beebamom
Split chickpea stew over cauli-rice and kale

After eating mostly salads all week, I was ready for something a little more substantial. We decided on this chickpea stew (also known as chana dal) because we make it in the Instant Pot so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen so much and it is full of such good things that you feel healthier just looking at it!

We make ours with a combination of Indian spices, ginger, onion, and garlic, and cook it in a broth of vegetable broth with a can of spicy tomatoes (Rotel). The stew cooks under pressure for 18 minutes with a delayed release of 10 minutes. John makes some regular white rice for his base but I like the flavor of cauliflower rice. Then a layer of raw kale, the stew, and a garnish of cilantro.

We almost always make a double recipe but it is hard not to eat all of it. I think we only have a lunch portion left!

Posted in Indian, Instant Pot, Legumes, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | 1 Comment

(Chicken) Niçoise salad. 8/19/22

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Beebamom
Niçoise type salad with shredded chicken, green beans, potatoes, radishes, olives, tomatoes, eggs, pepperoncini, onions, and salad greens

Early in the morning while it was still cool I blanched green beans, boiled potatoes until tender, and hard-boiled a couple of eggs. The rest of dinner was just assembly. I had some rotisserie chicken that I shredded and quite a few of the rest of the components of the salad came from jars or bags. I thought the dinner was fine just not very exciting. The potatoes were the best part.

It has been difficult finding things to make for no-cook dinners. Unfortunately the hot weather shows no sign of abating. I will have to start scrolling through internet recipes to keep dinners cool. Hopefully I can find some new and interesting dishes.

Posted in Easy, Eggs, French, Hot weather meals, Methods, Poultry, Salad, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment

Grilled hamburger and salsa slaw. 8/18/22

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled hamburger with tomato, onion, and lettuce on bun plus salsa slaw

When I was growing up in New Jersey this type of hamburger was called a “California Burger.” I guess it was because it had produce on it. Now that I live in California we just call them burgers. LOL! Since this type of meal is infrequent on our table it seemed particularly wonderful.

John cooked the hamburgers outside on the grill. I sat outside while he was grilling just to smell the burgers cooking. It reminds me of summer. I put light mayonnaise on the bottom bun and ketchup on the top. We had a slice of one of our daughter’s tomatoes, a piece of crisp Romaine lettuce, and a slice of red onion. It was perfect!

I made salsa slaw. This consists of shredded cabbage and carrots plus thinly sliced onion. The dressing is a combination of medium fresh salsa and light mayonnaise.

Posted in American, Beef, Easy, Grilling, Hot weather meals, Methods, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 3 Comments

Vegan gazpacho and avocado toast 8/17/22

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Beebamom
Gazpacho and avocado toast

John could not stop raving about how good this dinner was! Seriously it is so simple to make that all the praise was rather embarrassing. In our week of hot weather meals gazpacho and avocado toast was the easiest and best dinner so far this week.

I garnished my bowl with sriracha while John used a bit more olive oil. You could be fancier and dice up some cucumbers or add a sprig of cilantro. Although you blend it until it is smooth there is still some texture which we like. You could strain it if you prefer.

Avocado toast is also very simple. Toast bread, mash up an avocado in a bowl with a little salt. Spread the mashed up avocado on toast. Done.

Posted in Easy, Hot weather meals, Mediterranean, Recipes, soup, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cannellini beans with tuna. 8/16/22

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Beebamom
Cannellini beans and juniper berries with tuna and pickled onions on kale

It is hard to know exactly what the temperature is going to be where we live. The San Francisco Bay Area is made up of many micro climates. It can be 105F 35 miles inland where we live and under 60F on the Golden Gate Bridge at the same time. So depending on shifting winds and the marine layer a lot of times the forecast is just wrong. Tuesday it was supposed to be hot. Depending on your weather app the temperature could be anywhere from mid 90s to mid 100s. We figured it was a good day not to use the cooktop or oven.

As it turned out the high was106F in the afternoon but about 60F around 7:30 AM. John and I played tennis in the morning but hunkered down inside in the afternoon. I had decided on tuna and beans for dinner. I am really glad I picked a no-cook dinner.


Dinner prep consisted of opening a couple of cans of cannellini beans, a can of tuna, quick-pickling half an onion sliced thinly, and making a vinaigrette. I also had John pulverize 12 juniper berries in a mortar and pestle. We like the taste of them with cannellini beans. We put our beans and tuna over a bed of raw kale.

This simple and easy dinner was a great way to have a tasty dinner without heating up the kitchen!

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Hot weather meals, Legumes, pescatarian, Salad, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Vegan herb-y marinated tofu salad 8/15/22

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Beebamom
Spinach and arugula salad with herbs and marinated tofu

As predicted it was HOT here on Monday. I think the temperature hit 102F. Since our house is built on a slab it is usually cool and if we get up early and open the doors to let the cool morning air in and keep the shutters closed during the hottest part of the day then we can use minimal air conditioning. Of course turning on the oven is not what we are wanting to do. So it is cool dinners until the heat wave breaks later this week.

Along with spinach and arugula in our salad we had basil, mint, tarragon, tomatoes, jalapeño, red bell pepper, scallions, and carrots. It was dressed with a soy vinaigrette and garnished with a sprinkle of slivered almonds. Thumbs up all around from the family!

Posted in Asian, Easy, Hot weather meals, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment

Vegetables and eggs 8/14/22

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Beebamom
Stir-fried broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, and garlic with cherry tomatoes and eggs

For this Sunday’s BFD (Breakfast For Dinner) I made an Italian flavored stir-fry. In addition to salt I seasoned with dried oregano and red pepper flakes. My garnish was a drizzle of olive oil. The fresh cherry tomatoes were a nice textural and temperature contrast to the vegetables. As usual I topped the veg with soft scrambled eggs.

I love the bright colors of tonight’s dish. All the different vegetables gave me a different bite with every forkful. This same dinner could easily be transformed into a different cuisine by adding spices and herbs from a different cuisine. The possibilities will lead me to a different take on this dish next week!

Posted in American, Breakfast For Dinner (BFD), Easy, Eggs, Italian, Kitchen tips, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu August 15 – 21, 2022

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Beebamom

After weeks of nice weather it is supposed to be really hot this coming week, 90s and 100s hot. So we are going to be making mostly no-cook kinds of meals or meals where we can make the cooked components early in the day before it gets too hot. Obviously that means a lot of salads, a cold soup, hamburgers on the grill, and an Instant Pot dinner that we can reheat later in the microwave. August and September are the hottest summer months here in Northern California and we have been really lucky with moderate temperatures, but not this week!

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