Menu for October 9-14

This week little yellow potatoes, lots of carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, corn, lettuce, tomatoes from my parents garden and fennel from ours. We are making:

This beautiful broccoli salad
Japanese Curry
A carrot soup- maybe this smooth one or this chunky one
And lots of roasted things- like these carrots or these potatoes.
This broathy soup- I'm switching out the yuba skins for rice noodles.
Fajitas with this salsa

This carrot cake for dessert some night or maybe these carrot cookies. And a deep dish pear pie using this crumble crust recipe. I triple this zucchini bread recipe and freeze it. Also we just found the first of the cranberries at Winco so it's time to pick at the BYU-I apple orchard and make my favorite jam.

Menu for September 18-24

This week we got lots of broccoli, onions, little cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and avocados for vegetables. And for fruits we got apples, plums, two types of pears, grapes, bananas, and figs in our basket. We also have a ton of tomatoes from my parents garden. Here's what I'm doing with it.

Pico de Gallo(fresh. chunky salsa) Close to this. I double the onion and use a little tomato paste to bring it together.It would be fantastic with avocado.

Enchiladas I mix sauteed onions with rice, beans, corn, a little cheese, and seasonings for filling and top with the sauce of my choice. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and bake.

Refried beans Awesome recipe here if your up to it. I use beans I freeze after cooking and usually use a little butter or vegetable oil to fry mine. I also use all types of beans.

Broccoli and tofu stir-fry over sticky rice- I use this sauce recipe then put in whatever veggies I want.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes  I'll add a touch honey or sugar to mine for sweetness and cut some of the cream.

Zucchini Gratin- Cut down on the cheese here and maybe replace butter for a more heart healthy oil

Baked or boiled potatoes with chili and corn on the cob I used left over chili I froze

Poor man soup (Lentil and rice soup) Aka we need to go grocery shopping soup. I use all onions instead of shallots and throw in some garlic. We top it with whatever we have.

 And for lunches: Corn salad  recipe to follow, something like this pasta 

Corn Salad

• 4 ears sweet corn
• 1/2 cut fresh basil
• 1 c cucumber cubed
• 1 c tomato cubed
• 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• extra olive oil for grilling

Brush corn with olive oil and grill, either on a grill or under the broiler until kernels are brown and begin to pop. Slice corn off of cob and combine in a bowl with basil, cucumber, and tomatoes. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the salad with the sauce and refrigerate until chilled. 

 

Menu Planning for Sept 6-10

This week we just got back from a trip to Yellowstone and we are without a bountiful basket. So I planned this weeks menu according to what was available in my parents garden. Here is this weeks dinner menu:

Vegetarian chili (recipe to follow) and corn bread (I switched out the white flour with whole wheat)

Boiled/ Smashed potatoes with cheesy vegetable soup (making this one up as I go, but getting inspiration from here and here)

Egg and veggie fried rice (making it up) and gyoza (recipe to follow)

Butternut squash risotto and salad

Also I want to make this corn salad, and something like this to use up our zucchini. And as tomatoes come on I'll be canning whole tomatoes and I want to try this tomato jam.

Vegetarian Chili

Because this recipe call for lots of different peppers I just used all the peppers we had on hand from our garden and others gardens to equal about 1 cup. I also used a mix of dried beans I had boiled that day, so feel free to play around with this one

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers.. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder, brown sugar and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

 Vegetable Gyoza
Feel free to substitute your choice of vegetables for the filling. Bean sprouts would be really good.

• 1 package pot sticker wrappers
• 1/2 a block chopped tofu 
• 1-2 cups cabbage, finely chopped (green or bok choy)
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1-4 clove garlic chopped (how garlicky are you?)
• 1 tsp fresh ginger chopped
• 1 egg (optional)

Sauce-

• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar

Stir fry all filling ingredients in a hot wok or frying pan with a little oil until cabbage is wilted and veggies begin to brown. Transfer to a food processer and chop until mixture begins to stick together.  Add all sauce ingredients to the filling mixture. Put a small amount of filling in the middle of the pot sticker wrapper and seal with a little water. From here you may freeze them or, to cook, place them in a hot wok or frying pan coated with oil. Add a couple tablespoons of water and cover the pan. After a few minutes of steaming remove the lid and let them brown. Dip in your choice of sauce.