Ingredients

• 1 med clove garlic, finely minced (about 1 tsp)
• 1/2 shallot, minced (about 1 tsp)
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• pinch salt
• 1 tin white kidney beans, rinsed and well drained (low/no salt)
• 1 tin flaked tuna, drained

Method

1. Mix garlic, shallot, capers, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well to make a simple vinaigrette
2. Add beans & tuna and mix well
3. Let sit for 15-20 minutes for the flavours to meld a bit

Serve as a side dish or just as a simple meal. Squeeze more lemon juice over if you’re into that sort of thing.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp chives, minced
• 2 tbsp tarragon, minced
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 4 filets of sole, no skin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 med shallot, minced
• 1 tin white kidney beans, well rinsed and drained
• 1 tin diced tomatoes (low sodium)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Heat oven to 325.
2. Mix the parsley, chives, tarragon, lemon zest, and half of the garlic together in a small bowl.
3. Heat a saute pan over med heat and heat the olive oil. Toss in the shallot, thyme, and the rest of the garlic & saute for a minute or two.
4. Add the beans to the pan and continue sauteing for 3-4 mins. Add the tomatoes and heat until simmering. Stir in the lemon juice, and some salt and pepper to taste. These should simmer for 8-10 mins or so while you’re preparing the fish bundles.
5. While the beans and tomatoes are simmering, lay filets out on a cutting board, skinned side up. Spread the dijon over each in a thin layer (this should use up all the mustard). Sprinkle the herb/zest mixture over the filets. Drizzle the garlic butter over the filets, including all the garlic. Roll the filets up into bundles, starting at the tail end, and secure with 2-3 toothpicks each.
6. Pour the tomatoes and beans into a glass* 8″ x 8″ baking dish. They should be in an even layer and slightly soupy.
7. Nestle the 4 sole bundles into the tomatoes and spoon tomatoes and beans over each so the fish won’t get dried out. Grate fresh pepper over it all and bake for 20-25 mins.

Fish is cooked through when it’s 130-140 on an instant read thermometer, or opaque all the way through. Serve in pasta bowls, removing the toothpicks, with plenty of the tomato & bean mixture.

* glass is vital for baking anything with tomatoes in it — a metal pan or dish will just taste weird and tinny and don’t do it. Don’t be like me.

To avoid last minute grocery dashes (and crowds) as much as I can, I’m planning the next couple of week’s worth of menus now. This is what the current working list looks like:

Big fancy dinners

• Turkey breast roast & all the fixin’s
• Beef tenderloin roast, sauted mixed wild mushrooms, garlicky bitter greens, potatoes gratin

Regular ol’ workaday dinners

• chili & toast
• beef curry, rice, channa dal
• roast chicken w/ lemon & thyme, cauliflower & broccoli gratin, wild rice
• pork loin roast, braised brussels sprouts, baked potatoes
• ground pork & cabbage szechuan noodles
• seafood chowder
• carnitas, guacamole
• baked salmon w/ lemon & capers, spinach, boiled new potatoes
• spicy shrimp stir fry w/ snowpeas and cashews
• pan-seared rib eye, salt-baked potatoes, caesar salad

Lunches will largely be made up of leftovers, and breakfasts probably be more extravagant/leisurely than normal, including stuff like bagels w/ smoked salmon, baked french toast, frittata w/ spinach and mushrooms, etc etc.

Made this for dinner tonight (blurry, oversaturated pic courtesy my iPhone). Tasty, but feel free to adjust the garlic and red pepper flakes as you see fit. We like us some garlics.

Ingredients

• 2-3 mild or hot Italian sausages
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1-2 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 med zucchini, chopped into rough chunks
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped into rough chunks
• 1 med red onion, chopped into rough chunks
• 1-2 tsp fresh oregano (or 1/2-1 tsp dried)
• 1 large tin diced tomatoes (796ml, 28oz)
• Fresh ground pepper
• Penne or other chunky pasta
• Fresh shredded parmesan to serve

Method

1. Fry the sausages in a saute pan over med heat. When done, slice and throw the slices back in to the pan to brown up a bit more. The trick here is to get all sorts of nice brown bits all over the sausages because that makes ‘em yummy.
2. Leave the sausage rounds in the pan and add the olive oil. Then toss in the minced garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes. Saute that all together for a couple of minutes.
3. Throw in the zucchini, pepper, and onion. Saute those for a couple of minutes, then add the oregano and a few gratings of fresh pepper. Stir a few times, then add the diced tomatoes with all the juices and stuff.
4. Bring up to simmer, and let that go for 10-15 mins…the idea is to let the tomatoes cook down and become more of a sauce. This is a matter of taste, really, so you can cook it for as long as you like, just don’t totally overcook the veggies.
5. While the sauce simmers, bring a big pot of water up to boil and cook your pasta when the sauce is almost done.
6. Serve in big ol’ pasta bowls with lots of parmesan cheese and fresh pepper.

I think that’s it. I just kinda make these up as I go, so feel free to riff on this. Sometimes I’ll add a tin of white kidney beans, or other veggies, etc.

Over the past couple of years I’ve developed what I call my Generic Universal Grocery List. It covers breakfasts, lunch, and dinner for two people for a week (give or take), and allows for enough flexibility to make a whole bunch of different things. Note: we both work from home, so we prepare and eat the vast majority of our meals there.

This list evolved over time, really — I started by doing meticulous menu plans then cobbling together lists based on those, etc. I started to notice patterns developing, so rather than building a from-scratch list every week, I’d pull up the previous list and just edit that. Finally I made the GUGL, and I’ve been using it every week for a few months. It works for us, but it’s still an ongoing work in progress — we still end up throwing away more produce than we should, so I’m still tweaking things.

How to use the list

It’s important to realize that we don’t buy everything on the list every time. We:

    1) Make a fresh copy of the list each week
    2) Go through and delete stuff we don’t want or need this time around
    3) Check and add any needed staples (oils, vinegars, flour, etc)

So, here’s the pre-edited list with some inline notes. Where there are multiple items separated by a slash, we’ll pick one of those and delete the rest. This is also ordered according to where things generally are in our grocery store, if you’re wondering why it seems a bit random at times.

Generic Universal Grocery List

Produce (enough for 6 meals, snacks & sandwiches)
* coleslaw (pre shredded cabbage mix)
* baby spinach/salad greens
* lemons
* limes
* apples
* bananas
* blueberries/raspberries
* avocado
* tomatoes
* zucchini
* scallions
* leeks
* potatoes
* onions
* shallots
* garlic
* ginger
* mushrooms
* peppers
* napa cabbage/bok choy
* squash/yams

Sandwich stuff, Dips, Pasta (mostly lunches)
* sandwich meats & cheese
* fresh tortellini/ravioli
* parmesan cheese
* hummus

Bakery
* sandwich/toast loaf/panini buns
* english muffins
* pitas/tortillas

Meat (usually 3 meats + eggs)
* salmon/shrimp/scallops
* chicken/turkey
* pork/sausages
* beef/veal
* bacon
* eggs

Dairy
* butter
* milk
* yogurt (plain)
* yogurt (flavoured)
* cottage cheese
* shredded cheese
* cheddar
* orange juice
* apple juice/cider

Staples & Other
* coleslaw dressing (can’t be bothered making my own)
* olives
* diced tomatoes
* tinned beans
* rice/quinoa
* dried pasta
* chicken stock
* beef stock
* cereal/oatmeal
* coffee cream
* maple syrup
* sugar
* ginger beer

Non-food (mostly reminders to see if we need ‘em)
* tinfoil
* parchment
* coffee filters
* laundry detergent
* dishwasher detergent
* dish detergent
* garbage bags (blue)
* garbage bags (green)
* paper towels
* toilet paper
* handsoap

Ingredients

• 2 salmon filets
• 1 lemon
• 12-16 cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• fresh ground pepper

Equipment

• 2 sheets of tin foil, each large enough to fully & loosely wrap a filet
• Baking sheet

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375.
2. Lay the two sheets of tinfoil out on the counter, and pour a bit of olive oil in the center of each.
3. Place the salmon skin-side-down on the oil.
4. Grate fresh pepper over the salmon — not a whole lot.
5. Slice the lemon so you have 8 slices, not including the end bits. Put 4 slices across the top of each bit of salmon.
6. Slice the tomatoes in half and put those on top of the lemon slices, cut side down.
7. Carefully fold the tinfoil up to contain everything, and tightly seal the edges so steam and liquid won’t escape. It’ll end up as a sealed packet with air inside over the salmon.
8. Place these on the baking sheet and cook for 25 mins or so — the salmon should be opaque all the way through. I tend to err on the side of slightly overcooking these, so don’t worry about it too much.

And that’s it. If you want to get fancy you can toss in a sprig or two of tarragon, or maybe a couple of basil leaves. Serve with steamed spinach or a salad.

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs, cut in half
• 9-12 cloves garlic, smashed and rough-chopped
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 sprigs fresh oregano
• 10-12 dried chilis
• 2-3 tbsp black peppercorns
• Water
• BBQ sauce of your choice (Mad Dog Original, here)

Method
Heat oven to 300 (275 if you have more time, 325 if you have less).

Scatter half the onions, garlic, thyme, oregano, peppercorns, and chilis on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place ribs in pan, overlapping slightly. Fill pan with water until ribs are 2/3rds submerged. Scatter the rest of the onions, garlic, thyme, oregano, peppercorns, and chilis over the top of the ribs (it doesn’t have to be tidy). Cover roasting pan tightly with 2-3 layers of tinfoil (or cover, if your pan has a cover…mine doesn’t).

Put ribs in the oven for around 3 hours. They will be fully cooked and fork-tender when they’re done.

Remove ribs from pan, leaving behind basically all the other stuff. Let cool a bit, then slather with BBQ sauce and grill to caramelize. Do a few coats of the sauce and take your time, it’s worth it. You’re worth it.

Serve with Bourbon baked beans, Fennel-cabbage coleslaw, and beer. Then watch some hockey.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated (a microplane grater is a wonder here)
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest (see above re: microplane grater)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey (or brown sugar, mirin, etc…something sweet)
• Dash salt

Directions are simple: put everything into a bowl, bottle, or jar and whisk or shake to combine.

The fennel & celery salad is insanely simple:

• 2 bulbs of fresh fennel (aka: anise), sliced as thinly as you can manage
• Roughly the same amount of thinly sliced celery
• An ounce or so of parmagiana cheese strips (make these by using a vegetable peeler on a hunk of the cheese — long, thin strips)

Toss these with the vinaigrette. Ta dah.

Ingredients

• 4 c chicken stock or water
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 c polenta (corn meal)
• 1/2 c ricotta cheese
• 2 oz shredded parmagiana cheese
• 3 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Bring chicken stock to a low boil in a medium sauce pan.
2. When boiling, whisk in the polenta, pouring it into the stock a little at a time and whisking well — do this slowly to avoid lumps. Note: it will thicken quickly…do not be alarmed.
3. Once the polenta is all stirred into the chicken stock, turn down to low (pretty much as low as your burner will go), and cover. Whisk vigorously every 10 mins.
4. After 20 mins, whisk in the milk. Continue to cook on low, stirring every 10 mins for another 20 mins.
5. At this point, grab a spoon and taste the polenta. Depending on how coarsely ground your cornmeal is, it could be done now, or you might need to keep cooking it. If it’s grainy, keep cooking. It should be soft and creamy.
6. Stir in the ricotta cheese, then, once that’s well blended, stir in the parmagiana cheese. After that’s all incorporated, stir in the butter.
7. That’s it. Fantastic as a bed for braised meat, sliced steak, mushroom ragu, etc etc etc. Keeps well, and solidifies (like jello!) when cool so it can be sliced and fried or grilled. Yum!

I really have no idea whether this can be properly called “zdir” since I’ve been unable to locate an actual recipe (or any other information) about it. Either way, it’s crazy tasty with a good solid spicy punch. If you don’t care for spicy food, skip the harissa and chilis. If you do like spicy food, you have to try this.

• 2-3 dried red chilis (I used 2 Sanaam chilis)
• 1 oz olive oil
• 3-4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp harissa (this is a lot, I might halve this next time…it’s potent stuff)
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground caraway
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tin diced tomatoes + juice (28fl oz)
• 1/4 c water
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon, chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 tbsp olives, chopped
• 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp dried mint (or to taste)

1. Soak chilis in a bit of water for 15-20 mins. Chop finely.
2. Pour olive oil into a pot and heat over med-low, when warm add garlic + let steep for 5 mins or so. Don’t saute the garlic…just let it warm through and flavour the oil.
3. Turn up the heat a bit and add tomato paste, harissa, and a bit of the tomato juice. Whisk together well and simmer for a few mins.
4. Add chilis, caraway, and coriander to the paste. Simmer another few mins.
5. Pour in diced tomatoes with their juices and the extra 1/4 cup of water. Add chopped sundried tomatoes, and mix well. Simmer over low/med-low for 20 mins or so. Add more water if needed.
6. Optionally, if you have an immersion stick blender, use that now to chop up the tomatoes a bit. If you prefer a chunkier soup, or if you don’t have an immersion blender, just skip this part.
7. Quickly rinse the chopped preserved lemon, capers, and olives (just to get rid of the excess vinegars/etc). Stir these into the soup. Let sit on low to heat through for another 10-15 mins.
8. Remove from heat, stir in dried mint, serve.

Dinner this evening, sticking with the “meatless” theme, is a very simple soba noodle salad topped with grilled tofu.

Grilled Tofu

• 2-3 1/2″ slices of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (sweet sake)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• Splash sesame oil

1. Mix soy, mirin, vinegar, and oil in a shallow bowl. Add tofu slices and marinate for 15-30 mins or so. Note: mirin is optional — it adds a notable hint of sweetness which may or may not be wanted. I’ll probably skip it next time.
2. Heat a ridged grill pan over med-high heat until hot enough to instantly sizzle water. Grill tofu 3-4 mins per side (it will smoke and should develop good grill marks). That’s it.

Soba noodle salad

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Splash sesame oil
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 oz soba noodles (uncooked)
• 1/3 c frozen edamame (out of pods)
• 1/4 c thinly sliced carrot
• Small handful baby spinach

1. Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, and ginger. This is a simple lemon/ginger vinaigrette.
2. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for 4 mins. Before draining, add edamame and let cook for another minute or so, then add carrot slices and baby spinach and let stand for 20-30 seconds. Drain well and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain for 4-5 mins.
3. Put salad in a shallow pasta bowl, top with grilled tofu slices, and pour over vinaigrette.

Very tasty and very filling. This is what I made for one (me) and I couldn’t finish it.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, but tasty)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 med carrots, sliced into 1/2″ rounds
• 2 lg stalks celery, sliced
• 6 small potatoes, quartered
• 1 md zucchini, sliced
• 1 c cabbage, sliced
• 1 19oz tin diced tomatoes, including juice
• 1/2 c water or vegetable stock
• 1 14oz tin white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 c cooked barley (hulled, not pearled)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute for a couple of minutes. Add carrots, celery, and sliced cabbage, and saute for a few more minutes. Toss in potatoes, saute for a little longer.
2. Pour in diced tomatoes and juices, and add water. Heat to just boiling, then turn down to med-low and simmer for 30 mins or so (until everything is cooked through).
3. Add drained and rinsed kidney beans and cooked barley, stir and leave on low for another 10-15 mins to heat everything through.
4. Salt & pepper to taste. Optionally serve with freshly grated parmagiana cheese (it’s yummy).

• Soba noodle salad with edamame and tofu
• Chickpea & spinach curry (Channa Masala)
• Double oatmeal cookies with cranberries and walnuts
• Leek + potato soup
• Wild rice and quinoa salad
• Black bean and sweet potato soup
• How to make a yummy vinaigrette
• Basic arrabiata sauce
• Tzatziki sauce
• Blue cheese, walnut, and apple salad
• Sweet potato and chickpea curry
• Spinach-Hummus recipe
• Easy asparagus soup
• Sunday veggie soup
• Pasta with savoy cabbage
• White Bean Soup
• Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce
• Wicked Bean Salad
• Nutty Brown Rice

I’ve decided that I’m going to try an experiment in going without meat for the next two weeks. I say “without meat” rather than “vegetarian” because there are shades of grey in the world of vegetarianism, and I fully intend to cook with animal products such as eggs, milk, cheese, and butter. Just no beef, pork, fish, chicken, shrimp, etc.

The reason for this is simple. We’ve been working on eating less meat on average for the past couple of years, but we still eat more than we should. To eat less, we need to expand our repertoire of recipes for meatless mains. We have the cookbooks, we just need to use them and try more new things.

Two weeks gives me a chance to try around 10-15 new recipes. More if I get inspired and energetic, but probably not because I’ve got a cold and “inspired” is just about the last thing I feel right now. I’ll probably start with some sort of vegetarian stew or chili and go from there. If I remember, I’ll take pictures and blog it all.

If there are particular meatless recipes you think I should try, leave a comment!

It’s a “prototype” because you can use this recipe and include whatever combination of vegetables, meat, and carb you like, but the foundation stays the same. Here it is.

Ingredients

• Static
• 1-2 tbsp peanut (or other) oil for frying
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1″ or so of fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp (or more) of hot red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (the regular stuff, lower sodium is better)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp mirin (japanese sweetened sake)

• Variables
• 6-8 oz meat (enough for 2 people, trimmed and thinly sliced)
• 4-6 c sliced/chopped vegetables
• Some sort of rice or noodles, cooked

1. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, and mirin in a small bowl and reserve.

2. Pour oil into a wok or big saute pan and heat to medium-high. Toss in garlic, ginger, and hot pepper flakes and fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add meat to the pan and cook through, stirring frequently.

4. Once the meat is just about done, add the vegetables. If you’re using more than one type of vegetable, add them separately and in order of how long they will take to cook. Broccoli will take a minute or so more than spinach, and so forth.

5. When the vegetables are basically done (it won’t take long), pour in the soy/vinegar/mirin mixture and fry for another minute, stirring well. If you have noodles, you can dump those in now as well so they heat through and absorb some of the sauce.

6. You probably don’t want all the sauce in your bowls, so lift the food out of the wok with tongs or a slotted spoon rather than pouring it out. If you didn’t use noodles, serve over rice. And that’s it.

Flavour Combinator
Pick two or three ingredients from cols I + II, and serve with a carb from col III.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 4 oz soba noodles (uncooked)
• 1 c edamame (out of pods)
• 1-2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 package of firm tofu, cubed
• 1/2 c green onions, sliced
• 1/2 c baby carrots, sliced
• 2 tsp white or black sesame seeds

1. Whisk together oils, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, and ginger. This is really just a basic vinaigrette with soy and ginger. I just dump it all into a mason jar and shake like hell. Taste and adjust as necessary.¹

2. Cook soba noodles until they’re at the texture you want. When done, rinse under cold water to stop them cooking any more.

3. Cook the edamame — I just cook it in boiling water (from frozen) for 2-3 minutes. Rinse under cold water until cool.

4. Put peanut oil into a shallow pan and heat. Dump in the tofu and fry ’til a bit crispy (this part is optional…you don’t have to fry the tofu, but it adds to the texture). Let cool.

5. Divide noodles into two big ol’ bowls, top each with edamame, tofu, green onions, and carrots. Pour 2-3 tbsp of the vinaigrette over each and a tsp of sesame seeds.

Eat!

¹ = I don’t actually remember the precise ratios for the vinaigrette, so this might not be quite right. Feel free to modify to taste.

• 1 tbsp cardamom seeds
• 1 2″ long cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp black cumin (shahjeera)
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp dried coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp mace powder (javantari)
• 1 piece star anise
• 1 long bay leaf

Roast all the above spices lightly on low-flame for about 2 mins. Now powder them in a clean, dry spice grinder until smooth. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 4-5 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tin diced tomatoes, including juice
• 5oz or so baby spinach

1. Heat oil over medium in a 4qt pot. Saute onions and garlic for a 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add spices and stir well. It’ll be weird and a little lumpy, but don’t worry about that. Cook for a few more minutes.

3. Add lemon juice, stir well, then add the chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer, and cook uncovered for 20-30 mins. Remove from heat, and stir in the baby spinach until it wilts. Serve with brown rice or a tasty grain medley.

• 3 fresh hot italian sausages
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, green + white parts only, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1.5 cup mixed cooked grains*

Method

1. Cook sausages in a 4 qt (or so) pot until done. Remove to a plate and slice into bite-sized pieces. Set aside for now.
2. Add oil to the pot and heat over med. Toss in the leeks, onion, garlic, celery, pepper flakes, and thyme. Saute for 7-8 mins.
3. Return sliced sausages to the pot, and saute for another 2-3 mins.
4. Add diced tomatoes with juice. Heat until simmering then turn down to low. Simmer on low for 30 mins or so.
5. Add beans and grains and continue to simmer for at least 20-30 mins. Longer is better.

That’s it. Excellent vehicle for cholula sauce and crusty buns.

* I do a 2:2:1 combo mixed grains of quinoa:hulled barley:wild rice. It’s crazy yummy and useful for lots of things.

Grilled hoisin salmon

• 2 salmon filets, however big you think you can eat. We tend to get one normal size one and cut it in half.
• 2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil

These are crazy simple. Preheat your grill (yes it’s winter and there’s snow, but we just grill all year) to 350-450 degrees…lower is better because hoisin sauce tends to carmelize quickly so a lower heat gives you more room for error.

Spread the olive oil on one side of a sheet of tinfoil (to keep the fish from sticking). Spread half the hoisin sauce on one side of the salmon filets, put those hoisin-sauced-side down on the tinfoil, then spread the tops with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Plop the whole thing (fish + foil) on the grill for 15-20m — no need to flip them or anything, just let ‘em sit. Try to avoid seriously overcooking them, but it’s hard to screw these up too badly.

Spicy cabbage noodles

• 1-2 tsp canola or peanut oil
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp (or so) red pepper flakes
• 2-3 c shredded napa cabbage
• Chinese egg noodles (ramen, enough for 2 people)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Cook egg noodles according to directions then rinse under cold water until cool (to stop them from continuing to cook and get all mushy). I tend to undercook them slightly since they’ll cook more when being stir-fried.

Heat oil in a wok or saute pan until hot but not quite smoking. Throw in the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and stir fry those for 2-3 mins. Toss in shredded cabbage and stir fry until wilted, another 3-4 mins. Add in cooked noodles and continue stir-frying until those are heated through. Add soy sauce and vinegar, toss until everything is coated and yummy.

Divide cabbage noodles on to two plates and top with salmon filets.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1/3 c steel-cut oats
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c soft butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 c dried cranberries (optional)
• 1/3 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375F.
2. Mix dry ingredients together (everything up to and including salt).
3. Cream butter and sugars together for a few minutes.
4. Mix egg and vanilla into butter + sugar. Make sure they’re well blended…should be uniform and sort of fluffy and light.
5. Stir in oat mixture until blended.
6. Mix in cranberries and walnuts.

Drop in 2″ balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Leave some space between because they will spread out a bit. Bake for 5 mins, then turn the pans, then bake for another 6-7 mins (until golden brown). This made 20 cookies.

Cool on the pan for 2-3 mins, then on a cooling rack. Eat ‘um.

So, I plan. Nothing crazy obsessive-compulsive, just a rough idea of 5-6 main meals we can make, plus various things for breakfasts and lunch. Rob and I both work from home, so we eat in the vast majority of the time and only go out for lunch or dinner two or three times a week.

As an example, here’s the menu plan I cobbled together earlier today:

• Soba salad with spinach + edamame (dinner, leftovers for lunch)
• Beef curry (dinner, leftovers for lunch)
• Saag aloo (to have with beef curry)
• Ramen (w/ pork, scallions & bokchoy — dinner)
• Beef & mushroom stirfry with noodles or rice (dinner, leftovers for lunch)
• Leek & potato soup (dinner, leftovers for lunch)
• Chana masala & rice (dinner, leftovers for lunch)
• Bacon & Eggers (breakfast, weekend)
• Muslix & yogurt (breakfast, 2-3 times)
• Cereal w/ berries (breakfast, 2-3 times)
• Steel-cut oatmeal (breakfast)

And that pretty much gets us through the week, with a few cheese & cracker or toast snacks here and there, and enough produce to throw together an extra side or snack if needed.

The shopping list, not including stuff we already have on hand looks something like what’s below. I do organize it in order of where stuff is in the store because that just makes life easier:

• Limes (3)
• Spinach (lg pkg)
• Green onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Bokchoy or napa cabbage
• Shitake mushrooms
• Eggplant
• Onions (3lb)
• Potatoes (5lb)
• Leeks (2 pkg)
• Celery
• Carrots
• Blueberries or raspberries
• Bread for toast
• English muffins
• Bacon
• Beef brisket/flank
• Pork tenderloin
• Stewing beef (2 pkg)
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Frozen spinach (2-3)
• Sugar
• Tomato paste
• Basmati rice
• Beef stock (2-3)
• Coffee beans (2)
• Muslix

And there you have it. My grocery list for tomorrow. Exciting times.

Ingredients

• 3-4 sausages, whatever sort you like most — I use spicy or mild Italian sausages
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 yellow onions or leeks (white + light green parts only), chopped
• 2 med carrots, sliced
• 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 small/med zucchini, sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or, ideally, 6-7 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 1/4-1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 19oz tins diced tomatoes + liquid
• 1 tin chicken stock
• 2 19oz tins white kidney beans, drained
• Salt + pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat pot to medium or so. Brown + cook through the sausages in the bottom of a medium sauce pan or pot. I used my 6 litre enameled cast iron pot, which works wonderfully. Once cooked, remove to a plate and slice into sensibly-sized pieces.
2. Pour oil into the pot, then add onions and garlic. Saute these together for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add carrots, celery, and zucchini. Saute these for a few more minutes — 2-3, not long.
4. Put sliced sausage back into the pot and add thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Stir and saute for a few more minutes.
5. Pour in diced tomatoes with their liquid, and the small tin of chicken stock. Bring to low boil, then turn down to simmer for 30 mins or so, at least until the vegetables are cooked through.
6. Add drained + rinsed beans, and leave on low for a while to heat through.
7. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with crusty buns, real butter, and a nice beer.

I went to Costco first, but they didn’t have any (didn’t really think they would, but it never hurts to check). Also Costco on a Sunday is just ridiculous. There were about eighty million people in there buying…a lot. I wandered around and saw a few things I’d have picked up if the lines weren’t four thousand miles long, but I wasn’t going to stand in line for 30 mins to save $4.00 on 3 litres of olive oil I don’t really need. So I left, confusing the receipt/cart checker person on my way out because I bought precisely nothing.

Next stop brought victory…but with an unexpected twist. Homesense often carries Le Creuset factory seconds. If you’re willing to compromise on colour (I am) and be maybe flexible in terms of exterior finish, you can sometimes find a deal. Today there were 2 yellow 6 qt Le Creuset dutch ovens in stock…both seemed fine, and they were a relative deal at $169.00. “Sold,” I thought to myself, and turned to go get a shopping cart.

And that’s when I noticed something new. Something different. Something not only that I had never seen before, but that I didn’t realize existed: Mario Batali-brand enameled cast iron cookware. There was a deep orange 6 qt dutch oven, a deep red 4 qt dutch oven, and a green 9×13 extra deep lasagna pan (which, oddly, is something I actually need), all in new-looking boxes. Prices: $80, $70, and $50 respectively. I paused. I paused for a long time. I became one of those people in stores who hunker down on the floor and take things out of boxes and examine them carefully and at length. I read the use and care manual. I did a side-by-side comparison between the Batali 6 qt and the Creuset 6 qt.

I bought all three Batali pieces. They may be factory seconds for all I know (I don’t think they are), but they look fantastic (save for the handles on the lids — I will probably replace those), and they come with a 1 yr warranty. So, that’s my little shopping revelation and victory for the day – Mario Batali (who I actually like rather a lot) apparently endorses a line of high-quality enameled cast iron cookware that you can pick up at a discount at Homesense.

I’ll post a review when I’ve actually cooked something with ‘em. Not today — today is a BBQ day.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 med onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 small (or 2 lg) potatoes, rough dice (unpeeled)
• 3 med leeks, white parts only, sliced + washed super well
• 3-4 c low sodium chicken stock
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt butter in a med stock pot over medium heat + toss in the celery and onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add sliced up leeks and saute for a few more minutes, stirring well. Add pepper + potatoes, stir.
2. Add chicken stock and bring to a low boil, then turn down to med-low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through (30 mins or so, it’s not a precise science here…they just need to be soft).
3. Salt to taste if needed and either leave all chunky or blend with a stick blender until it’s at the chunky level you prefer. Yum.
4. Optional: add 1/4-1/2 c of cream or milk if you want, but it’s really not necessary.

That’s it!

* Seasons, in order of perference: autumn, early summer, early winter, spring, late summer, late winter. February is right out.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c wild rice (before cooking), cooked and cooled
• 1/2 c quinoa (before cooking), cooked and cooled
• 2 ribs celery, sliced thinly
• 1/3 bulb fennel, sliced thinly
• 3-4 scallions, sliced thinly
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Splash of white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method
After cooking and letting the wild rice and quinoa cool, mix them together in a bowl. Add celery, fennel, and scallions, and mix.

Now put shallot, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper in a jar and shake well to make a basic vinaigrette. Pour all of this over the stuff in the bowl, and mix well.

Ideally, you’ll make this a few hours in advance so the flavours can blend, but you can just serve it immediately if necessary. Leftovers keep well and taste even better the next day. x

Ingredients

• 2 19oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 med onion, diced fine
• 1 med carrot, diced fine
• 1 rib celery, diced fine
• 1 med sweet potato, peeled and diced to 1/2″ or so
• 1/2 tsp salt (and more to taste, later)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp (or so) chile powder
• 3-4 c chicken or vegetable stock
• Juice from 1-2 limes

Method

Put oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute, stirring frequently, for 10-15 mins or so. As the sweet potato gets soft, brown bits will start sticking to the bottom of the pot. That’s fine. By the time I finished this part there was a good thick coating of browned stuff on the bottom.

When sweet potato is mashably soft, turn the heat down to medium-low and use a potato masher to turn it all into a nice chunky puree right there in the pot. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue cooking for two or three minutes, stirring. Pour a cup or two of the chicken stock in and let that heat for a minute or two to loosen up the brown stuff that’s stuck to the bottom of the pot, then scrape all that up into the soup (brown stuff = flavour, it’s tasty stuff).

Add the beans and enough of the remaining chicken stock to cover, then stir well to combine. There should be enough liquid to make it soupy, but the mashed sweet potato should thicken it slightly. Turn heat up to high, bring soup to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or so.

After it’s simmered for a while, get the potato masher and mash some of the beans in the pot. I probably mashed just over a third of the beans, stirring frequently to check the consistency. The mashed beans will thicken the soup, so just mash and stir until it’s thick, but still more a soup than bean puree. Continue simmering on low for another 5 or 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, squeeze in the juice from one or two limes. The potato adds a level of sweetness that you’re looking to counteract here a little. I ended up using the juice of 1.5 limes. Just add the juice a half-lime at a time and continue tasting and adjusting until it’s nice and bright without being too powerfully citrusy. Taste again then add salt if needed. I had to add about another 1/3 to 1/2 tsp of salt at this point.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a few gratings of fresh ground pepper on top, and sharp cheddar cheese and tortilla chips on the side.

Notes

Next time I make this I will probably increase the cumin and chili powder by a full tsp each, maybe using a blend of regular chili powder and chipotle chili powder. The nice smokiness would work well here, I think.

101 Cookbooks – I love this site. Phenomenal, inspiring, healthy, and straightforward food accompanied by great writing and fantastic photography. This is one of the first sites I will hit when searching for inspiration or recipes.

A Full Belly – It’s a little scattered in terms of content and frequency, but I keep it in my feed reader because it serves up bite-sized and interesting bits and pieces along with a smattering of recipes.

Arroz y Frijoles – This is the latest find, recommended by Melissa (who is basically awesome in all the ways someone can be awesome). It’s all about Cuban food, and while I’ve only dug through a smattering of the archives I can already tell it’s a keeper.

breadbasketcase – Marie started this blog on Dec 25th, 2005, in her attempt to bake her way through Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. Upon completing that noble and worthwhile goal (which I have considered doing myself), she continued blogging and baking and making all sorts of lovely food.

Chocolate and Zucchini – This is one of the A-List elite food blogs, and is worthy of the accolades. Clotilde Dusoulier, the author, has gone on to write and publish two books (a growing trend among food bloggers) and her blog continues to inspire.

Coconut & Lime – Every post is a clearly written original recipe with some minimal post-script chatter and usually at least a photo or two. A handy page lists the published recipes by category if you’re just digging around trying to figure out what’s for dinner.

Culinate – This is a multi-author mega-blog that does recipes, interviews, articles, and all sorts of other stuff. Usually good for at least 2-3 good posts per day, and absolutely worth checking out.

David Lebovitz – Cookbook author with a penchant for desserts but who writes about all sorts of food and life in Paris, among other things. From his Amazon.com mini-bio: “David Lebovitz was named one of the top five pastry chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle and nominated for an IACP/KitchenAid Award for his book Room for Dessert. He has been featured on Today, as well as in Bon Appetit, The New York Times, People, Cooking Light, and Gourmet. David lives in Paris, leads chocolate tours, and teaches cooking around the world.”

Epicurious.com – This site is from the more traditional/corporate side of things, having partnered with Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, but those partnerships are what makes it worth subscribing to, with its veritable barrage of recipes and interesting articles.

Frugal Cuisine – Cooking inexpensively doesn’t mean cutting quality. I don’t subscribe to this blog because of it’s money-saving tips, however, it’s just full of great, simple recipes, often with an Asian bent.

New York Times Dining and Wine Section – It’s all great and one of my must-have sites (this goes for the NYT site in general, if they ever tell me I have to pay for it, I will (within reason, mind…don’t get crazy)). The star of this particular show, in my opinion, is Mark Bittman, the “Minimalist” who wrote How to Cook Everything, which I turn to constantly for recipes and information. I have the original hard-back yellow-cover version of the book but will probably pick up the newly revised 10th anniversary red-cover version, as well.

Passionate Eater – This blog, as the title suggests, is really more about eating than cooking, but it’s well written and a fun diversion.

Michael Rhulman – Not just a food writer, but one of the great food writers. His best-known book is probably The French Laundry Cookbook (which someone actually cooked through at home, blogging all the while), with the more recent Charcuterie bringing up a close second. His blog is great and anyone interested in food and cooking should read it.

Serious Eats – Another multi-author mega-blog that publishes piles of interesting articles and recipes on a daily basis. Today’s surprise bit of wisdom? Animal Style Fries at In-and-Out Burger. Dear lord.

Smitten Kitchen – Akin to 101 Cookbooks and Chocolate and Zucchini, Smitten Kitchen is a beautiful blog with great writing, great recipes, and gorgeous photography. One of my favourite single-author food blogs. I am so making the Almond-vanilla rice pudding this weekend. Yum. Oh, and the Squash and chickpea Moroccan stew is on the menu as well. This is one of those food blogs you have to be careful about reading idly — it will make you hungry, even if you just ate.

Stone Soup – Posting is infrequent, but still worth subscribing to so you can catch the articles when they do come.

The Bitten Word – A couple of guys with a minor addiction to food magazines. The premise of this blog, in their own words: “We love food magazines and subscribe to Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Cook’s Illustrated, Food & Wine, Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Living. Over the last year, we only rarely put the magazines to use, instead allowing them to form a not so tidy pile in our apartment. Inspired by this post on Serious Eats, we’re resolving to put our food magazines to work this year, cooking at least one recipe from each magazine. We’ll post our results, and show you how it turned out.”

Zaiqa – All about Indian (specifically authentic Hyderabadi) cuisine. I’m trying to learn more about Indian cooking, and this blog is a great introduction that often goes beyond the recipes to talk about life and food in Hyderabad.

So, that’s what I have in my feed reader right now. There are tons and tons and tons of great food blogs out there, I just don’t have the time to follow them all. Do you have some favourites? Leave a note and a URL in the comments!