Week of Dec. 23 - 29

Saturday: in Davenport

• Sweet potato and roasted corn chowder (Southwestern)
• Corn muffins
• Salad
  

Sunday: return to Saint Paul (late)

Monday: Christmas at home!

• Raclette
  
• Salad
  

Tuesday: Travel to New Hampshire

Wednesday: in New Hampshire

Thursday: in New Hampshire

• Potato Patties with Roasted Peanuts, Lord Krishna's Cuisine p. 550
• Spiced Creamed Spinach, Lord Krishna's Cuisine p. 258
• Hamburgers
• Cuban Black Bean Soup, Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook p.25 (from the Harman cookbook collection)
• Ben: My mother and Doug gave me "Lord Krishna's Cuisine" for Christmas, so we decided to try out some of the recipes. The potato patties were excellent, though perhaps too soft to work well as veggie burgers. I also need to work on my frying technique, to avoid making such a mess and avoid burning myself! The spinach recipe was outstanding -- rich and flavorful. We paired these recipes with burgers (for the carnivorous crowd) and a nice soup recipe from one of my mother's cookbooks.
  

Friday: in New Hampshire

• Roasted garlic and walnut pasta, New Basics p. 148
• Roasted Vegetables, Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook p. 197 (from the Harman cookbook collection)
• Ben: Lots of garlic fans here, so we thought this recipe would get a good reception. The roasted vegetables made a filling and flavorful accompaniment.
  

Week of Dec. 16 - 22

Saturday:

• Marinated artichoke quiche (Enchanted, p. 129) with pre-made frozen crust
• Salad
  

Sunday:

• Soupe à la Victorine, Mastering Vol. 2, p. 22
• Braised carrots with herbs, Mastering Vol. 1, p. 477
  
• French bread
  

Monday:

• Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas, AllRecipes.com
• Frozen corn
  

Tuesday:

• Macaroni Smothered with Onions, Everyone p. 461
• Spinach
  

Wednesday:

• Leftovers!
  

Thursday: Travel to Davenport

Friday: Travel to Davenport

Week of Dec. 9 - 15

Saturday:

• Indian veggie burgers (served on hamburger buns with fixings)
• Spinach with ghee
• Ben: These were some of the veggie burgers I made a huge batch of a couple of weeks ago. For that first dinner, we prepared them as part of an Indian menu, but tonight we heated them up in the toaster oven and tried them out in place of the store-bought black bean burgers we usually have on "Burger Night". They're more substantial and also a bit spicier, but I think they worked quite well.
  

Sunday:

• Tamales
• Salad
• Ben: The tamales were delicious, as they've been each time Carrie has made them, and the search for dried corn husks brought us to El Burrito Mercado in the neighborhood across from downtown Saint Paul for the first time, which was well worth the visit.
• Carrie: I tried something a little different with the tamales. Instead of using shredded cheese and mixing it in with the chiles and onion filling mix, I used cubed queso blanco and kept it separate. Then, I assembled the tamales: spread masa base, add scoop of chiles filling, then add 3 cubes of cheese; spread a dab more of masa on top and fold up the corn husk (hojas de maiz, in Spanish). The tamales probably should have cooked a bit longer, but they tasted as good as always!
  

Monday:

• Potato Leek & Fennel Soup, Vegetarian Times Nov/Dec p.
  
• French bread
• Brie
• Olives
• Ben: The soup was simple to prepare and, while not spectacular, served nicely as one component of a varied menu.
• Carrie: Yummy and lots for left-overs!
  

Tuesday:

• Roasted garlic and walnut pasta, New Basics p. 148
• Grilled Asparagus
• Ben: Four heads of roasted garlic! It would be have been hard to go wrong from there, but the walnuts made it even better.
• Carrie: So good, I added it to our Allrecipes private recipe box to have it easily accessible! Very hearty without leaving you feeling over-stuffed. A great winter dinner!
  

Wednesday:

• Tofu Tikka Masala over rice
• Steamed green beans with ghee
• Ben: We bought the Tikka Masala (Sharwood's) back when I'd made the Indian veggie burgers, thinking we might use it as the accompanying sauce, though I'd ended up making a tomato sauce from scratch. So tonight we just used the "Chicken Tikka Masala" recipe from the label, substituting tofu "cutlets" for the chicken breasts. It doesn't really fit with our "cook from scratch" approach to buy jarred sauces, but if we do it again I'd certainly go for this one -- very tasty.
• Carrie: This was a great recipe for mid-week! So easy and flavorful!
  

Thursday:

• Spinach Quesadillas, Veg Suppers p. 190
• Salsa Cruda with Avocado, Veg Suppers p. 118
• Spicy black beans
• Carrie: Although this recipe required quite a bit of chopping, the final assembly was quick and easy. I heated the tortillas two at a time, one on one skillet, one on another (as suggested by Debra M.), added the cheese to one, let the cheese melt some, then added the spinach filling and put the second tortilla on top. Then I cut them and kept the quesadillas warm in the toaster oven as I assembled the rest. Ben assembled the Salsa Cruda in the meantime. It all came together so well! We added chopped onion, some adobo sauce, and a little beer to the beans. Yum!
  

Friday:

• Couscous with peas, lettuce and mint (Mediterranean Vegan p.99)
• Brocco-flower with garlic butter
• Tunisian olive mix (Kowalski's olive bar(
  
• Carrie: The couscous turned out nicely and had quite a mild flavor. It seemed a bit bland to me, but was nice accompanied by the more flavorful sides. The brocco-flower (hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower we found at Kowalski's) was wonderful with the garlic butter! The olives had a spicy kick since they came mixed with red chiles - yum!
  

Week of Dec. 2 - 8

Saturday:

• Breton Galettes with Pont-l'Évêque cheese
• Grilled asparagus
• Pommeau!
  

Sunday:

• Tunisian Chickpea Soup, Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p. 52
• French bread
• Peppered chevre (goat cheese)
  

Monday:

• Burger night
• Green Beans
  

Tuesday:

• Ditali with Cauliflower, Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p.102

Wednesday:

• Provençal Zucchini-Rice Soup with Winter Pistou, Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p.63

Thursday:

• Fettucine with Green Beans and Tomatoes, Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p.104

Friday: Dinner at 20-21 and the British Advertising Awards at the Walker

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Nov. 25 - Dec. 1

Saturday:

• Winter Vegetable Stew Baked in a Clay Pot, Savory p. 134
  
• French bread
  
• Pecan-Coffee Tart, Savory p. 368
• Ben: The inaugural dish using the Romertopf (Roman Clay Pot) that I got for my birthday turned out superbly: the veggies had a nice roasted flavor and the gravy prepared from the veggie liquid was superb.
  

Sunday:

• Provencal Pizza (Pissaladière), Cook's Illustrated recipe
  
• Herb Salad with Red Pepper Vinaigrette
• Ben: This was a very tasty recipe -- no cheese, just carmelized onions, niçoise olives and capers (substituting for anchovies) along with some spices, of which fennel was the most prominent in the result. And, as it turns out, this was the swan song for our old Tappan range, which had a carbon monoxide problem that we hadn't noticed until getting insulation blown into the outside walls. Our new range (and microwave and refrigerator) are on order, but in the meantime we can use only the stove.
  

Monday:

• Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p. 112
  

Tuesday:

• Egyptian-Style Lentil Soup, The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen p. 53
• French Bread
  

Wednesday:

• Leftovers!
  

Thursday:

• Indian night!
  

Friday:

• Indian Vegetable Burgers, The Vegetarian Table: India p. 118
• Ben: This recipe took awhile to prepare, but was worth the effort. As promised, and despite various estimated amounts, omissions and substitutions, it made 24 burgers on the button, of which only 5 were consumed tonight. The rest are in the freezer to provision future dinners (possibly future burger nights), but these we prepared with the suggested Indian accompaniments: gingered tomato sauce and wilted greens. The result was spicy, but -- unlike most of my forays into Indian cooking -- not too hot.
  

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Nov. 18 - 24

Saturday:

• Squash and leek lasagna, Eating Well
  
• Edamame succotash
  

Sunday:

• Mescu-iuà, Silver Spoon p. 227
• Spinach salad
• Ben: I realized that we'd made a version of the mescu-iuà from one of Deborah Madison's cookbooks in the last few months, but this variation was more satisfying I think. It had a very earthy, elemental flavor and seemed like a very sustaining meal.
  

Monday:

• Once-Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé, Suppers p. 133
• Wine-Braised Lentils with Spinach, Suppers p. 195
• Ben: The soufflé turned out very well -- light and flavorful -- and matched well with the rich lentils.
  

Tuesday:

• Ben: We ate something, I'm sure of that, but didn't write it down, so of course by now I've forgotten.
  

Wednesday:

• Four Cheese Risotto, Silver Spoon p. 337
• Ben: Perhaps treating this recipe as a "stone soup" (or stone risotto) to use up the odds and ends of cheese and the last bits of various bags of rice (mostly not arborio) wasn't such a grand plan: the results were disappointing, though I think it had more to do with the quality of ingredients than with the recipe itself.
  

Thursday: Event - Thanksgiving with Anne and Bruno

Our Contributions

• Three Sisters Casserole, Vegetarian Times Nov/Dec 2006 p. 61
• Celery Root and Apple Salad w/Mustard Vinaigrette, Deborah's Everyone, p. 156
• Apple-Port-Cheese Pie, Broccoli p. 246
  

Friday:

• Red Sweet Potato Curry with Tofu, Bok Choy & Carmelized Shallots, Suppers p. 104
• Ben: Excellent!

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Nov. 11 - 17

Saturday:

• Sweet Potato Gratin, Suppers p. 27
  
• Brussels Sprouts with Almonds, Silver Spoon p. 448
• Ben: The gratin was rich and flavorful, though it was more like comfort food than culinary adventure. The brussels sprouts dish was a lot of work for something that in the end didn't really come together: it tasted fine, but I don't know that I'd go to the trouble again.
  

Sunday: Event - Bettye LaVette at the Dakota

• Garbanzo Bean and Spinach Soup, Silver Spoon p. 230
• French Bread
• Ben: This was an easy, tasty soup -- even got an unprompted compliment from Nathan! And Betty LaVette totally rocked.
  

Monday:

• Eggs over Smoky Potatoes, Suppers p. 122
• Salad
• Ben: This one had promise, but I'd want to experiment with some alternative techniques when making this again. We tried prepping the potatoes on the stove top, then adding the eggs on top and baking, which worked OK, but I thought the eggs came out a bit dry (while looking undercooked, a strange combo). Next time, I'd try the stove top method for the egg step as well.
  

Tuesday:

• Pasta and Chickpeas with plenty of parsley and garlic, Suppers p. 67
• Broccoli

Wednesday:

• Green Rice with Chiles and Leeks and Avocado slices, Suppers p. 152
• Ben: Very tasty -- just the right amount of zing from the anaheim chiles.

Thursday:

• Mashed Potatoes and Turnips with Onions and Greens, Suppers p. 141

Friday:

• Tofu and Edamame in Lemongrass Broth, Suppers p. 102
• Ben: Very flavorful sauce, though perhaps more veggies and less tofu next time.

Ideas & Possibilites:

Week of Nov. 4 - 10

Saturday: Event - Overnight in Madison to visit Emily

• Dinner at the Vientiane Restaurant (Thai)
• Ben: Nice, but not exceptional, though the loop of Thai pop music videos projected on the back wall was a nice touch.

Sunday:

• Minestrone Soup (inspired by the Marcella Hazan recipe in Classic Italian Cookbook)
• French Bread
• Carrie: Fabuloso! I had leftovers of this soup just about every day this week and didn't get tired of it.
  

Monday:

• Burritos
• Corn
  

Tuesday: Event - Ben in Boston

• Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce
• Green Beans
  

Wednesday: Event - Ben stuck in Detroit!

• Frozen pizza
• Edamame
• Carrie: Since it was just me this night :( I decided to finally make the small frozen pizza that had been in the freezer for half a year. I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up one of my favorites to accompany it: edamame! Yum! Also, this meal christened our new toaster oven. A Krups model that has fantastically fast and hot heating elements. We said goodbye to the old Russell Hobbs brand, but I'm quite inclined to call the new one Russell as well.
  

Thursday:

• Jalepeno and cheese tamales
• Spinach
• Ben: This was a store-bought meal, so the only cooking excitement was the inauguration of our new pressure cooker, which we used to cook the frozen spinach: not a bold culinary adventure, but actually a task that we'd never used our old cooker for. With our microwave barely functional, this may be the best way to quickly thaw and cook frozen veggies.
  

Friday:

• Stir-fry Noodles with Seitan, Ginger, and Scallions, Sass p. 168
• Ben: Used soba noodles instead of the udon called for in the recipe, and also added snow peas and sprouts. Very tasty.
  

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Oct. 28 - Nov. 3

Saturday:

• Three Sister's casserole, Veg Times Nov/Dec 2006 p. 61
• Pumpkin Seed Pesto, Veg Times Nov/Dec 2006 p. 62
• Ben: Outstanding! This makes two polenta dishes in two weeks that have turned out winners. This could be an excellent Thanksgiving dish.
  

Sunday:

• Eggplant & Potato stewed with Cumin Seeds & Fresh Ginger, Savory p. 126
• Jasmine Rice
• Sliced Melon with Lime Juice
• Ben: Tasty, but much milder than I'd anticipated.
  

Monday:

• Spinach Deep-dish Pizza from the Italian Pie Shoppe
  
• Salad
  

Tuesday:

• Penne with Roasted Peppers, Basil & Saffron Cream, Savory p. 146
• Steamed Broccoli
  

Wednesday:

• Leftovers
  

Thursday:

• Indian night!

Friday: Event -- Minnesota Orchestra plays Bruckner at the Saint Paul Cathedral

• Crema di Ceci al Gratin, The Silver Spoon p. 217
• Patatine Novelle al Rosmarino, The Silver Spoon p. 526
• Ben: We didn't make it to the concert since I started feeling sick, and this affected my enjoyment of dinner as well, but the smooth soup and the crispy sautéd potatoes made a good combination, one I'd like to try again when I was feeling better. Strangely, though both dishes were made with fresh rosemary, the rosemary flavor was barely noticeable.
• Carrie: FYI, The cook book we used, The Silver Spoon, is one I checked out from the Highland Park library last Saturday on a whim. It's a behemoth of a book, but it has several excellent recipes. The book was a bit of a sensation when it first came out in book stores here a year or so ago because it was the first English translation of a traditional and very popular Italian cook book.
  

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Oct. 21 - 27

Saturday: Event -- David Sedaris @ the Orpheum

• Polenta Squares w/gorgonzola cream with braised greens and cannellini beans, Suppers, p. 145
• Ben: This was delicious! The polenta was straightforward to make despite our lack of a double-boiler, and the spring-form pan worked very nicely for cooling it off. Served with the gorgonzola sauce and the greens dish (we used a combo of kale and broccoli rabe), it was a quick and satisfying meal.
  

Sunday:

• Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, AllRecipes
• Salad (Napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, pecans) with home-made dressing
  

Monday: Carrie out to dinner as part of AFDO site visit

• Burger night (salmon for carnivores, black bean for herbivores)
• Corn
  

Tuesday:

• Stracciatella (Italian Egg Drop) Soup, AllRecipes (originally Veg Times Nov/Dec 2006, p. 46)
  
• Ricotta salata cheese
• French bread
  

Wednesday:

• Indian!
  

Thursday:

• Vegetarian Fried Rice
  

Friday:

• Tempeh Bourgignon, AllRecipes (Veg Times, Nov/Dec 2006, p. 83)
• Note: requires marinating for 1 hour prior to cooking.
  
• Rice
• Ben: I'd be game to try other variations on the "bourgignon" theme, but probably not with tempeh, which has a grainy texture that I'm not wild about. Seitan might work better, though all the meat substitutes share the same problem: they may carry the flavors of the sauce well, but don't really contribute anything of their own, unlike the beef in the original dish. Perhaps "vegetable stew bourgignon" would be the direction to try.
  

Ideas & Possibilites:

Week of Oct. 14 - 20

Saturday:

• Samosas, Moosewood p. 170
  
• Mushroom Curry, Moosewood p. 174
• Ben: First things first: the samosas were good, though the shell was more bready and less crispy than we're used to. These would be worth trying again. The curry, however, would not. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked out the recipe -- somehow I convinced myself that mushrooms, apples, coconut and curry spices would magically fuse into a delectable concoction. As I began cooking, though, I got a sinking feeling that the results might not even be edible. Fortunately the outcome was not so dire: the flavors were 'interesting', but too sweet and too fruity for my tastes.
• Carrie: Samosas were yummy! They took some time to make, but they weren't complicated at all. The dough was really nice -- I could see using it for other dumpling types, too. Yes, the curry was kind of odd -- mostly an apple flavor. We might want to consider a Thai curry with samosas next time, or something more Indian -- something with more sauce for dipping.
  

Sunday:

• Souffléed Bread Crumb Pudding, Everyone p. 294
• Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli, Moosewood p. 71
• Ben: The bread pudding is an old stand-by recipe and turned out as tasty as ever. The marinated veggies, though, was a recipe we were trying for the first time and came out superbly.
• Carrie: The marinated salad was excellent! I would consider this as a replacement to the "traditional" sweet potato dish at Thanksgiving -- it would add a flavorful dish that was cool and crisp, which would balance out the traditional hot dishes.
  

Monday:

• Leftovers!
  

Tuesday:

• Tacos
  

Wednesday:

• Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust, Moosewood p. 159
• Salad
  
• Carrie: The cauliflower-cheese pie was yummy! It really hit the spot. For future reference: may want to oil the pie plate a bit better and use a pie edge saver-type ring to keep the edges of the potato crust from getting over-baked.
  

Thursday:

• Pinto Bean Soup, Savory p. 113
• Mustard Greens with Tomatoes, Onions and Chilies, Savory p. 199
• Carrie: The soup was quite thin, which was a surprise. But it tasted good and the toppings really worked well together: green onions, pine nuts, and a bit of mint. The mustard greens were yummy (not quite as good as the kale with olives, though).
• Ben: Taste is paramount, but appearances do matter in food. The pinto bean soup had a pleasant flavor, but something about its color and consistency made me think of dishwater. When I tried pushing that image out of mind, what slipped in behind it was the movie scene where Oliver asks the heartless orphanage headmaster for "more gruel please". Neither association did much for my enjoyment of the soup.
  

Friday:

• Swiss Rarebit, Enchanted p. 120
• Green Beans
• Carrie: The rarebit was tasty! We added a bit more cheese than the recipe called for and that made it thicker and harder to serve. The rye bread had a good flavor but a bit too soft -- a heartier bread would be even better.
  

Ideas & Possibilities:

Week of Oct. 7 - 13

Saturday: Event — Willy Porter at the Cedar✓

• Ben: Dinner was a bit rushed (in fact, we switched our weekly plan around so we could fit dinner in before the show) but the concert was excellent. We'd seen Willy Porter solo at the Minnesota Zoo and he put on a great show, but with a three-piece band (drummer, basist, keyboardist) the arrrangements were much richer and there was an added element of musical interplay. Neither of us had been to the Cedar Cultural Center before: I was somewhat dismayed at first to find folding chairs rather than permanent seating, but the acoustics were good and there isn't a seat in the house farther than 40 feet from the stage.

• Felafel with Walnut Sauce & Garnishes, Savory p. 274
• Carrie: I thought the felafel was yummy, but the sauce wasn't worth the trouble, as far as I'm concerned. It was a good sauce, but I thought a creamier sauce would be better. The concert was awesome! As Ben said, the venue is very basic, but nicely intimate and good viewing. The Summit on draft and various other drinks were a bonus!
  

Sunday: ✓

• Soupe a l'Oignon, Mastering I p. 43 (takes 2 1/2 hours)
  
• Endive Quiche, Mastering I p. 152
• Ben: Both elements of the meal turned out very nicely, but the surprise for me -- simply because I'd never made it from scratch before -- was the Onion Soup, which had a wonderful complex flavor. We couldn't find endive for the quiche, as we'd originally planned, so we substituted mustard greens and leeks, with excellent results.
• Carrie: Fantastic! The soup had none of the over-the-top richness that you get when you order it in restaurants. It was nicely complex, as Ben says. The quiche turned out quite well -- even the crust, which I made from scratch and was a bit uncertain of as I was making it. The quiche wasn't overly heavy or rich either. It makes me wonder what restarurants are doing to these recipes that make you feel uncomfortably full after you eat their versions.
  

Monday: ✓

• Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant & Garlic Sauce, Savory p. 152
• Carrie: This would be a great meal for a crowd! We doubled the recipe and made it in our gratin dish and it came out wonderfully.
  
• Green Salad

Tuesday: Note — Ben in Racine✓

• Burgers
• Green beans
  

Wednesday: ✓

• Indian!
  

Thursday: ✓

• Tofu & Steamed Cabbage with Rice & Peanut Sauce, Everyone p. 604

Friday: ✓

• Bean, Corn & Barley Soup, Savory p. 102
• Ricotta Salata Cheese
  
• Crusty bread
• Ben: The soup was a hearty, satisfying meal: a bit of a chewing workout, but tasty. I might look for a more tender bean than red kidney to try with this if we were to make it again.
  

Ideas & Possibilites:

Week of Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

Saturday: ✓

• Country Vegetable Cassoulet, Veg Meat & Potatoes, p. 179
• Ben: This turned out very nicely, though we took the precaution, based on prior experience with recipes from Robin Robertson's cookbooks (of which we have three), of adding some ingredients that would provide a bit of zing: in this case, a dollop of mustard and a tablespoon or so of capers.
  
• Garlic cheese biscuits, Allrecipes.com and FoodNetwork-Tyler Florence
• Ben: Carrie made these from scratch, and improvised a bit to combine elements of different recipes. The results, though "vertically challenged", were very tasty.
• Carrie: Now that I know how easy these biscuits are to make, I think we should have them more often!
  

Sunday: ✓

• Goat Cheese Enchiladas w/Corn and Red Molé, Everyone, p. 292
• Black Beans w/Chipotle and Tomatoes, Everyone, p. 317
• Pickled Red Onions, Veg Suppers p. 169

• Ben: A very good combination: the enchiladas were flavorful without being too hot (though Nathan resented the inclusion of raisins); the molé was not as thick as I'd expected, but made a nice spice contribution; the black beans were a big payoff for minimal effort; and the onions added a kick.
• Carrie: Wonderful! The flavor of the enchiladas was great, and not too heavy. There was more filling mix than we needed, so I would cut back the goat cheese to just 1-1/2 cups instead of 2. The tortillas were very briefly fried (4 seconds/side) to make sure they held up to the stuffing without over-crisping them -- that worked well.
  

Monday: ✓

• Re-baked potatoes, Enchanted Broccoli Forest, p. 227
• Kale with olives, Everyone, p. 381
• Carrie: This was fantastic -- I wanted more!
• Ben: For future reference, we made this with two bunches of kale "lacinata" -- aka "Dinosaur kale" -- which I find much easier to work with than the normal frilly variety.
  

Tuesday: ✓

• Noodle stir fry, see Sass p. 168 for basic reference
  
• Hot Thai-style Broccoli, Sass p.244

Wednesday: Event — Nathan's Birthday Celebration ✓

• 
  

Thursday: ✓

• Vegetarian Stroganoff, Recipe Zaar
• Carrie: Not quite as good as the stroganoff of my childhood, but still yummy!
  
• Wide egg noodles
  
• Salad
  

Friday: Event — John Hodgman at the Fitzgeral Theatre, 8 p.m.

• Quick Chick Pea Curry, Sass p. 180
• Basmati rice
  

Ideas & Possibilites:

Our Cookbooks

Our current cookbook library. Current titles are linked to descriptions on Amazon.com and those crossed out are titles we've gotten rid of. Each title has been given a short-hand title, in brackets, for use in our posts.

• Africa News Cookbook edited by Tami Hultman, 1986 [Africa]
  
  
• Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon by Claudia Roden, 2006 [Arabesque]
  
  
  
  
  
• Baking Illustrated by Cook's Illustrated Magazine, 2004 [Baking]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Betty Crocker's Cookbook by General Mills, 1969 [Crocker]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Bread Machine Baking by Lora Brody & Millie Apter, 1996 [Bread Machine]
  
  
• Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook by Claire Criscuolo, 1994 [Corner Copia]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni, 1985 [Classic Indian]
  
  
  
  
  
• Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan, 1986 [Classic Italian]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Complete Vegetarian Kitchen by Lorna Sass, 1992 [Sass]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup by Debra Mayhew, 2003 [Soup]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Craig Claiborne's Kitchen Primer by Craig Claibourne, 1969 [Claiborne]
  
  
• Crepes Cook Book by Better Homes and Gardens, 1976 [Crepes]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Culinary Journey Through China by Martin Yan, 1995 [Yan]
  
  
• Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen, 1995 [Enchanted]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Flavours by Donna Hay, 2000 [Flavours]
  
  
• Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson, 2004 [Slow]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, 1998 [Everything]
  
  
• Indian Vegetarian Cook at Your House by Sunetra Humbad, 1995 [Indian House]
  
  
  
  
  
• Jump Up and Kiss Me: Spicy Vegetarian Cooking by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, 1996 [Jump Up]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Le Meilleur de la Cuisine Vegetarienne by Jean Montagard, 1999 [Cuisine]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Lidia's Family Table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, 2004 [Lidia]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi, 1987 [Krishna]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, 2005 [Mastering I]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two by Julia Child, 2005 [Mastering II]
  
  
  
  
  
• The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein, 2001 [Med Vegan]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin, 2005 [Med Veg]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, 1992 [Moosewood]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, 1989 [Basics]
  
  
• Olive Trees and Honey by Gil Marks, 2005 [Olive]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Rigdon Family Favorites Cookbook by the Rigdon Family, 1995 [Rigdon]
  
  
• Savory Way by Deborah Madison, 1990 [Savory]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Shaker Cook Book by Caroline Piercy, 1953 [Shaker]
  
  
• Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey by Najmieh Batmanglij, 2002 [Silk Road]
  
  
  
  
  
• Southwestern Vegetarian by Stephan Pyles, 2000 [Southwestern]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, 1992 [Splendid]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Still Life with Menu Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, 1994 [Still Life]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, 2007 [Veganomicon]
  
  
  
  
  
• Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without by Mollie Katzen, 2007 [Dishes]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Vegetarian Chili Cookbook by Robin Robertson, 1998 [Veg Chili]
  
  
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, 1997 [Everyone]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook by Robin Robertson, 2002 [Meat & Potatoes]
  
  
• Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison, 2005 [Veg Suppers]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Vegetarian Sushi Made Easy by Hiroko Fukuhara & Yasuko Takahata, 2002 [Veg Sushi]
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Vegetarian Table: India by Yamuna Devi, 2000 [India Table]

Week of Sept. 23 - Sept. 29

Here's our experiment: design a menu for each week to try new things and eat more healthfully. This is our first week, trying out what works and what doesn't.

Saturday: ✓

• Roasted Sweet Garlic & Thyme Risotto with Toasted Almonds and Breadcrumbs
  (Food Network print-out, recipe by Jamie Oliver)
• Brussels Sprouts with Walnut-Lemon Vinaigrette from EatingWell.com
• Suggestion: omit the lemon zest
• Pick up walnut oil from Breadsmith
• Ben: This was excellent -- the best Brussels Sprouts dish I've ever had (admittedly a small sample set, but this really blew away the competition)
  

Sunday: ✓

• Crustless Chard and Cheese Quiche from Allrecipes.com
• Carrie: Excellent! This "quiche" didn't have a dough crust, but used sliced potato instead. The potato made it substantial without being too heavy -- making it good comfort food. The chard turned out well -- not too stringy, not too mushy. But it was the tangy, flavorful goat cheese that really brought this dish together. We made it in a glass pie plate and that worked well, and it was surprisingly easy to cut and serve -- just enough eggy custard to hold it all together. A winner!
• Celery Root and Apple Salad w/Mustard Vinaigrette, Deborah's Everyone, p. 156
• Carrie: This was really good! It was a great accompaniment to the "quiche", with a lovely crispness to the celery root and the apple and a great vinegar tang. Yummy!
  
• Dense and Delicious Chocolate Cake, Vegetarian Times, Sept 06, p. 32
• Carrie: Too tired to fix this, moved to tomorrow.

Monday: ✓

• Whole Wheat Penne with broccoli, green olive, and pine nuts; Veg Suppers, p. 56
• Ben: Good, but didn't have nearly as much zing as the ingredient list led me to believe.
  
• Salad
• Dense and Delicious Chocolate Cake, Vegetarian Times, Sept 06, p. 32

Tuesday: ✓

• Perfect Hominy White Bean Chili, Veg. Slow Cooker, p. 69
• Ben: Nicely flavored, but lacking something: with the addition of some chunky vegetables, it would have worked better as a chili; adding some brown sugar would make it a good baked bean dish.
• Carrie: Agreed!
  
• Cornbread muffins - packaged mix (like Bob's)
  

Wednesday: ✓

• Indian!
  

Thursday: ✓

• Masa Crêpes, Vegetarian Suppers, p. 76
• Carrie: Yum! The crepes were a bit hard to make -- kept sticking to the pan. But the overall flavor was excellent.
  
• Spicy Black Beans, FoodNetwork.com recipe - amended
• The recipe is for fajitas, but contains a sub-recipe for black beans.
• Ingredients are separated, but instructions are not; cooking instructions start with "Add another teaspoon of oil..." in the middle of the 4th paragraph.
• Carrie: Good flavor and great accompanyment to the masa crepes.
  

Friday: ✓

• Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton, Allrecipes.com private recipe
• Suggestion: to make tough squashes easier to peel, try putting them in a microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to soften the rind.
• Carrie: The strange thing about the soup is that it had a very mild flavor, almost to the point of no flavor at all. But, of course, this was just the thing for the stilton! The soup served as a base for the stilton crumbled on top. Together, they were great.
  
• Crusty bread from Breadsmith
• Salad
  

Ideas & Possibilities:

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