Japanese Udon Noodles with Snow Peas: Monday, November 11, 2024

Delicately flavored Japanese-style noodles grace your table tonight.  Snow peas are the center of attention and are surrounded with shredded cabbage, red bell pepper, red onion and mushrooms.   All of this is bathed in a bouillon/miso broth with a touch of wasabi.       

The bowl is finished with chopped green onion, peanuts, fresh cilantro and lime juice.  

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Meatloaf with Quinoa Polenta: Sunday, November 10, 2024

Meatloaf with Quinoa Polenta! It’s November and cooler weather calls out for old-fashioned comfort food.   It’s Sunday and you may have a bit more time to prepare “Comfort Food” dinner today!

You’ll make an ever-dependable meat loaf. I recommend plant-based ground meat product, but you may also use lean ground beef. A homemade barbecue sauce topping is just the ticket to finish the loaf.  Quinoa Polenta and lemon-butter roasted cauliflower will round out the menu.

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Roasted Beet and Marinated Garnet Yam Dinner Salad: Friday, November 8, 2024

Color, texture and layers of flavor will complete your plate tonight as you enjoy this satisfying dinner salad. It’s anchored with rich, earthy-flavored maroon-red beets while marinated garnet yams add a flavor nuance. The dinner salad is completed with a garden-fresh celebration of tender green lettuce, snapping fresh cucumber, thin-sliced red bell pepper and halved cherry tomatoes. The savory richness of thin-sliced hardboiled eggs and toasted sliced almonds add yet another dimension to round out the flavor and texture profile. The salad is dressed with a sweet and savory homemade honey/mustard dressing.
You may have roasted the beets and yam earlier so they’re just patiently waiting in your fridge. If not, allow an hour early in the day today to roast the beets and yam before you start making the salad. It’s worth the extra time.

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Curried Kale and Pineapple with Bulgur and Lentils: Thursday, November 7, 2024

Another cold weather variation of kale awaits. These greens can be traced back 2,000 years to Austria/Hungary and they are a not-so-distant relative to broccoli and cauliflower. The villagers called it “capuzzo.” We call it kale.

Tonight, you’ll return to one of my favorite versions of kale preparation. It combines homemade Masala curry spice mix with pieces of sweet, fresh pineapple. It’s served over hearty bulgur with a scoop of savory lentils.

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Potato Quesadillas with Mango Salsa: Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Here’s a meal that originated in the simplest of kitchens.  Tonight you’ll experience time travel as you reach back to the 1500’s and transport quesadillas back to your dinner table.  These potato and cheese delicacies feel pretty authentic as they’re served with new harvest potatoes and cheese as they might have been in the 16th century.  Dress them up with some 21st century mango salsa and serve them with some chili-spiced beet greens.

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