Meal Planning - week two

So, I ended up planning meals again for the week and went to the grocery store last night and farmer's market today. I got all kinds of goodies - like a beautiful whole chicken and bosc pears and some HUGE sweet yellow onions. I also got some heirloom tomatoes and an avocado for sandwiches along with this oatmeal bread that I really love.

So... This week I've planned 4 meals again - mostly based around a roasted chicken. I'm thinking about maybe doing some homemade pizza on Saturday night if I'm around.

Tuesday (tonight) - Roasted salmon with a maple glaze served over garlicy grains and rice along with broccoli with olive oil and lemon zest.

Wednesday - Roasted chicken with fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme) and roasted bosc pears and shallots served with a spinach/arugula/radicchio, apple, and goat cheese salad and a honey balsamic vinaigrette.

Thursday - Open-faced roasted chicken, apple, and provolone sandwiches on oatmeal bread along with spinach, heirloom tomato, and cucumber salad with apricot/honey white wine vinaigrette.

Friday - Roasted chicken, fresh strawberry, goat cheese, and spinach salad with honey and shallot balsamic vinaigrette.

Yup, I really love making salad dressings from scratch. I mostly end up making a vinaigrette of some sort, but usually go with a balsamic vinaigrette that I love. When I was at the store I almost got a blackberry ginger balsamic vinegar for dressings and noticed an apple balsamic as well... Maybe next time. They both sounded really good.

Here's to good food.
- Cait

Meal Planning - week one

I've been busy actually doing things - so I haven't been updating this blog at all. Oops! Last week I started actually doing some meal planning... I wrote down what I wanted to make in a little pocket calendar and it went over pretty well... Sometimes my meals are planned, but it's usually a last minute - oh I need to run to the store to get _______ to make whatever it is for dinner. I guess I got a little inspired and decided to plan meals for most of the week. I only planned until Wednesday figuring there would be leftovers.

So...

Sunday night - Shrimp and corn chowder served with corn bread along with a spinach/arugula/radicchio salad with apple, goat cheese, and a balsamic fig vinaigrette.

Monday night - Meatloaf served with baked macaroni and cheese and sauteed green beans.

Tuesday night - Pear, sharp cheddar, and ham panini on fresh baked country bread along with a baby romaine and roasted beet salad with a balsamic honey vinaigrette.

Wednesday night - Old school chicken cacciatore served over creamy polenta.

So far, there isn't anything left over - the shrimp and corn chowder went over super well and the pot was scraped clean!

I used leftover meatloaf in amazing sandwiches - which my boyfriend loved and said how they were actually moist. I used fresh country bread sliced semi-thick which was toasted and rubbed with a garlic clove along with meatloaf slices, a pile of caramelized onions, topped with provolone cheese and placed under the broiler until the cheese was nice and gooey. I threw on some sliced heirloom tomato after the cheese was melted and topped it off with another slice of garlic rubbed country bread.

It was a good food week!

Here's to delicious food.
- Cait

Spotting Lunch - Pasta Salad Niçoise

When the weather is warm, I love pasta salads. I probably associate warmer weather with pasta salads because my dad would always make them in the warmer weather for dinner. My dad never made a pasta salad quite like the one I found on TasteSpotting posted by Gastronomer (Sorry Dad).

Photo from gastronomersguide

Pasta Salad Niçoise
via gastronomersguide

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces cavatappi
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 6-ounce cans solid white tuna in olive oil, drained
1 red bell pepper, trimmed and cut into 1-inch slivers
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Make garlic oil by heating 2 tablespoons oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Let cool.

To a pot of rapidly boiling, liberally salted water, add green beans. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and rinse with cold water. Drain.

Cook pasta in the same pot until al dente, a few minutes short of package directions. Drain.

In a large bowl make vinaigrette by combining garlic oil, 4 tablespoons oil, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk well. Add pasta, beans, bell pepper, tuna, olives, and capers. Toss gently to coat all ingredients with vinaigrette.

Yield: 6 servings.

To make this pasta salad even more special, you could get a nice fresh tuna steak at your local seafood counter and grill it. I love grilled tuna with just a bit of salt, pepper, maybe some lemon zest, and olive oil. Tuna is nice with any of your favorite herbs though.

Here's to fishes and full bellies.

- Cait