East meets west tonight in this terrific Western-style stew with an Asian accent. Lots of plentiful root vegetables; sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, yam, rutabaga and onion inhabit this stew. It has fresh cilantro and basil with citrus overtones that are all worked into a European-style brown gravy. You’ll also make some delicious and hearty marinated/grilled tofu to add to this meal. Make it early in the day. You’ll find the recipe in “Tips and Time Savers”. Use commercially made Asian-style Baked Tofu if not making Marinated/Grilled Tofu.
It’s Saturday, January 25, 2025 and your time to play. First, here are the next two weeks of menus.
February Saturdays! It’s January 25th and we’re moving into February.
Menus and shopping lists for
January 26 – 31 and February 2 – 7
Another great week of dining lies ahead. It’s time to plan ahead and create your grocery orders.
Taco Salad: Friday, January 24, 2025
A mouth-watering taco salad will be the feature presentation. A shaped corn or flour tortilla cup filled with homemade taco filling plays the leading role. It sits atop a supporting cast of fresh greens with seared peppers and loads of fresh salad ingredients.
The salad gets topped off with homemade, Quick, Low-sodium Tomato Salsa and a garnish of grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Asian-style Chard with Mandarin Oranges, Tofu and Quinoa: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Tonight your dinner plate will feature chard. These dark leafy greens have been adopted and adapted as a food source by nearly every culture on earth.
You’ll serve it over quinoa, (pronounced “keen-wa”), an ancient grain from the Andes that is very high in protein.
This recipe also calls for Mandarin orange sections. Look for them under other aliases like Satsuma, tangerines or clementines making sure they’re the seedless variety. (You can also use canned Mandarin oranges.)
Borscht: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
If you’ve cooked ahead by roasting beets on Sunday, that’s great! If needed, cook them now.
Earthy, rich and colorful beets are the major feature in this famous root vegetable soup. This has been a staple food in Russian, Eastern Slavic and Jewish cultures for centuries. You’ll enhance the nourishment and interest with shredded carrots, red potatoes and cabbage.
Finish the meal with some cucumber salad and yummy artisan rye bread.
Mediterranean Tortellini with Hummus and Spinach: Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Turn your place into a fine neighborhood bistro tonight! You’re fixing a Mediterranean-style tortellini with hummus and fresh spinach. The service is great, the company is stellar and the price is right.
A mound of traditional hummus rises from the center of this serving of cheese tortellini swimming in a yogurt-based white sauce with sweet peppers and kalamata olives. The plate is finished with a wreath of dressed baby spinach and chopped tomatoes.