Week of March 10 - 16

Saturday:

• North African Vegetable Stew, Fields of Greens, p. 192
• Israeli toasted couscous
  

Sunday:

• Enchiladas Rojas, Fields of Greens, p. 244
• Grilled asparagus
• Benjamin: Perhaps it was the recipe, perhaps our lack of skill with rolling tortillas, but this turned out more like a casserole than an enchilada dish. Tasted good though.
• Carrie: Yup, the tortillas fell apart during baking. We tried the blue corn variety - maybe they don't hold up as well?
  

Monday:

• Tomato-Fennel Pizza with Provolone Cheese, Fields of Greens, p. 172
• Coleslaw, Moosewood, p. 72
• Benjamin: We actually made two pizzas -- one from the tomato-fennel recipe above, one improvised from ingredients we had on hand (fresh basil with black olives and roasted pine nuts). The dough we made in advance with the bread machine, using the Fields of Greens recipe with one substitution -- one tbsp of buckwheat flour (which we had) in place of the called-for one tbsp of rye flour. Both pizzas were delicious!
• Carrie: Love the bread machine - set it and forget it! And the pizzas even tasted great when I had some slices cold for lunch the next day.
  

Tuesday:

• Simple Potato and Green Pea Stew, Krishna, p. 209
• Salad
  

Wednesday:

• Leftovers

Thursday:

• "The Rustler" Pizza (bbq mock duck, pineapple, banana peppers) from Pizza Lucé
• Benjamin: Yes, this was our second pizza dinner of the week, but we were feeling lazy and had wanted to try out one of the vegetarian selections at the new Pizza Lucé that opened near us recently. What we ordered was good, though I have to say that I thought the pizzas we made ourselves on Monday were better.
• Carrie: BBQ mock duck was awesome!
  

Friday:

• Fettuccine w/Chard, Currants, Walnuts and Brown Butter, Fields of Greens, p. 130
• Bread
• Salad
• Benjamin: We couldn't get our butter to brown for this (perhaps because we used salted butter rather than unsalted...details matter) and couldn't find the called for golden raisins at Whole Foods, but the dish turned out well -- rich, with a hint of sweetness.
• Carrie: This was such a dish. I felt it had a great "comfort food" quality while not being too heavy or smothered in sauce.
  

Week of March 3 - 9

This week, we are choosing recipes that use ingredients we have on hand in our over-stuffed pantry.

Saturday: Event: Michelle R's Birthday

• Barley Soup with Caramelized Onions and Pecorino Cheese, Everyone, p. 223
• Salad
  

Sunday:

• Potato, Fennel, and Leek Gratin, Fields of Greens, p.210
• Kale
• Benjamin: Another recipe in which the fennel blended nicely into the whole, giving an interesting kick to the flavors without overwhelming the other ingredients.
  

Monday:

• Fettuccine with Spicy Raw Tomato, Herb, and Caper Sauce, Med. Vegan, p. 104
  
• Broccoli
• Benjamin: This was very flavorful and easy to prepare -- it'll be even nicer in the summer when fresh tomatoes are better and less expensive.

Tuesday:

• Minestrone (with pinto beans, carrots, pasta, celery, and Parmesan), Classic Italian, p. 66
• French bread
  

Wednesday: Event: the Chieftain's

• Indian night
  

Thursday:

• Leftovers
  

Friday:

• Baked Manicotti (1/2 recipe), Cooks Illustrated #84, p. 13
• Green Salad
  
• Benjamin: There was a bit of a 'sophomore slump' dynamic at work here -- this was the second time we made this particular manicotti recipe, and it didn't come out nearly as well as the first. But it's still tasty enough that I'm sure we'll try again.
  

Week of Feb. 24 - Mar. 2

Saturday:

• Curried Cabbage with Tender Whole Mung Beans, Krishna, p. 200
• Flatbread
• Carrie: Tasty! And quite simple - just takes some planning in purchasing and soaking the mung beans. We have several Asian grocery stores up on University Avenue, so all sorts of things that I considered "exotic" are readily available. But we have to find a better bread. Flatbread is fine for certain things, but it's no substitute for Indian bread.
  

Sunday:

• ad-hoc Thai Eggplant Curry with Baby Bok Choi and Basil, with reference to:
• Eggplant Curry
• (Thai Eggplant) Curry
• Thai Red Curry Paste
• Carrie: After going to the trouble of making our own curry paste, I was surprised that this dish wasn't more spicy-hot. But it was flavorful and nice to use some great Asian vegetables that we had picked up at the market when we got the mung beans for Saturday.
  

Monday:

• Rebaked Potatoes, Enchanted, p. 227
• Broccoli
  

Tuesday:

• Black Bean Skillet Casserole with Cornbread Topping, Sass, p. 190
• Salad
• Carrie: Delicious and easy! We didn't have corn meal on hand, so Ben improvised with polenta and masa harina.
  

Wednesday:

• Crimson Risotto with Pine Nuts and Currents, Sass, p. 155
• Grilled Fennel, Fields of Greens, p. 68 (reference)
• Carrie: This was actually a golden risotto since we used golden beets instead of the traditional red. But it turned out wonderfully - and so easy in the pressure cooker! The fennel was really good. I was fearful that the licorice notes would be overbearing, but they were much more subtle.
  

Thursday:

• Sweet Pea Soup with Fresh Ginger and Ground,Toasted Almonds, Once Upon a Tart, p. 74 (reference)
• Bread and Cheese
  

Friday:

• Provançale Potato Pizza, Fields of Greens, p. 174
  
• Wilted Spinach with Lemon and Pine Nuts, Fields of Greens, p. 256
  

Cookbooks We've Explored

Here's a reference list of cookbooks we've borrowed from the library or elsewhere and used in our menu planning (in alphabetical order by title):

• Fields of Greens, by Annie Summerville, 1993
  
  
• Lidia's Italy, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, 2007
  
  
• Once Upon a Tart, by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audure, 2003
  
  
• The Silver Spoon, by Phaidon Press (U.S. Edition), 2005
  
  
• Vegan with a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, 2005
  
  
• Vegetables Every Day, by Jack Bishop, 2001
  
  
• (A) Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, by Jack Bishop, 2004
  

Week of Feb. 17 - 23

Saturday: Event: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

• Leftovers
  

Sunday: Chinese New Year

• Spicy Peanut Eggplant & Shallot Stew
• Tofu Egg Rolls from Hmong American Institute for Learning (HAIL) fund-raiser
• Carrie: Even though we screwed up this recipe (shallots were a bit over-cooked, I got crushed tomatoes instead of diced), it was very forgiving and turned into a delicious, full-bodied stew with wonderful nutty spiciness. And the leftovers are great for lunch. The egg rolls were fabulous! All the better that we donated to a good cause.
  

Monday:

• Ziti with Sharp Cheddar and Mushrooms, Everyone, p. 463
• Broccoli
• Ben: Not bad, but blah -- an unusual outcome when we cook from one of Deborah Madison's recipes.

Tuesday:

• Provençal Tian of Chickpeas, Eggplant, Tomatoes and Olives, Med Vegan p. 164
• Mixed salad
  

Wednesday:

• Burger night
  

Thursday:

• Frozen Indian delights!
  

Friday:

• Beet Soup with Three Legumes, Everyone, p. 223
• Ben: Deborah Madison redeems herself -- a wonderful soup with unexpected flavors.
• Carrie: I whole-heartedly agree! This was such a fabulous soup, I had three bowls of it! This is a prime example of Deborah at her finest. The garnish for this soup was onions sautéed with fresh mint, cayenne, and turmeric - not something I could ever have dreamed up, but the flavors were heavenly.
  

Week of Feb. 10 - 16, 2007

Saturday:

• Seitan-Portobello Stroganoff, Vegan with a Vengeance, p. 163
• Steamed broccoli
• Ben: We made our own seitan for this (though starting with wheat gluten rather than flour) and the results were more lively in terms of both flavor and texture than store-bought.
• Carrie: I loved beef stroganoff as a kid. We tried veggie version earlier, but it was not flavorful at all. This was was fantastic! And so fun to make our own seitan! Not hard at all when you start with vital wheat gluten.
  

Sunday:

• Gingered Chickpeas with Eggplant, Spinach & Tomato, Krishna, p. 203
• Basmati rice
  
• Mixed green salad

Monday:

• Huevos Rancheros, americastestkitchen.com
  
• Refried Beans, americastestkitchen.com (with vegetarian modifications)
• Ben: Thumbs up! The homemade salsa that the eggs poached in really made the dish, but all the components were tasty.
• Carrie: We saw this on Saturday's "American Test Kitchen" show on PBS and thought it looked so fresh and tasty. Ben roasted the veggies for the salsa the night before, so it was a quick meal to prepare. I think this should make it to our favorites page!
  

Tuesday:

• Locro de Papas, orangette.blogspot.com
• Grilled asparagus
  

Wednesday: St. Valentine's Day

• Ancho Lentil Soup With Grilled Pineapple, postpunkkitchen.com
• Emeril's Molten chocolate cake, foodnetwork.com
• Ben: What's more romantic than cooking a wonderful meal together?
• Carrie: Wonderful! And this was the easiest chocolate cake recipe. Plus, it's just the right size for two. We picked up some inexpensive ramekins at Target and made four - two for this night and two for the next.
  

Thursday:

• Ethiopian Seitan and Peppers, Vegan with a Vengeance, p. 167
• Basmati rice
• Carrie: We made this dish with our left-over seitan from Saturday's menu. It was almost like a braise: a tasty, spicy, thick sauce over the seitan and baked. I didn't think it paired too well with the rice, since there wasn't enough sauce, but I think this would be wonderful in a wrap. The seitan was crisp but still tender.
  

Friday: Carrie's PhD Dissertation Defense

• Spinach deep-dish pizza from The Italian Pie Shoppe
  

Ideas & Possibilities

• Cream Braised Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Potato Biscuits


• Tarte Tatin


• Shaved Fennel Salad with Mushrooms and Parmesan


• Provencal Tomato Soup with Orange, Saffron, and Pasta


• Truffled Chanterelle, Celery Root and Potato Gratin


• Rustic Potato Chowder


• Spicy Chipotle, Portobello, and Hominy Chowder


• Spinach-Potato Knishes, Vegan with a Vengeance, p. 76
  


• Vegetarian Posole Stew (also here)

• Poached Eggs in a Red Wine Sauce, epicurious.com
  
  
• Venetian Spinach Pasta Roll, Olive Trees & Honey, p. 407