menu #2 - 7/17-7/21
a love letter to the "kitchen odyssey"
menu and recipes
monday: sweet potato-chicken mole with rice and green salad
tuesday: mole sweet potato tacos with guacamole, black beans, and green salad (see instructions below)
wednesday: sesame crunch tofu with rice and steamed broccoli
thursday: pea soup with parmesan and sundried tomato focaccia with pesto (see instructions below)
friday: margarita pizza and green salad
about the menu
This week puts 2 of my favorite budget and ingredient stretching techniques, into play: we turn a single chicken into two meals (save the bones to make broth and make it three!)--first as a gorgeous chicken mole served simply with rice and salad, then as shredded chicken mole tacos, which we have with beans, guac, and salad. We're also going to turn a big batch of pizza dough into two easy meals (if you know me, you know this is kinda my jam).
I call the act of turning one ingredient or dish component into many meals a Kitchen Odyssey. The item starts out on its journey as one thing (a ball of dough, a roasted chicken, a pot of tomato sauce, etc.) and by the end of it, just like Homer, the Hobbit, and Milo and Otis, is completely transformed (focaccia, flatbread, pulled chicken tacos, tomato soup, and so on).
Speaking of tacos, if you happen to have a little extra time and patience this week, please allow me to evangelize you to attempt to make your own tortillas. Evan gave me a tortilla press for Hanukkah a few years ago, and I haven't bought the premade kind since. There's a little bit of a learning curve when you first get started, but once you get it down, it's super fast and easy, not to mention yields hot, fresh results which are soooo much more than the sum of their (very, very cheap) parts. I'll post a tutorial at some point, but in the meantime, Elise's recipe is fantastic.
The third dish of the week is sesame crunch tofu, my adaptation of Didi Emmons' recipe in her wonderful book, Entertaining for a Veggie Planet, plus steamed broccoli and rice, then one of my favorite summery soups--pea soup with parm, accompanied by a super flavorful pesto-sun-dried tomato focaccia made from simple pizza dough, which, of course, you can either make or buy.
My personal favorite night is pizza margherita on Friday night, because, 1) pizza, duh, but also 2) it's the easiest, fastest night of dinner. You've already made the dough, so all you have to do is stretch it, top it, and throw it in the oven while you toss a salad together with a fab pesto vinaigrette.
Before you head to the store (or open Instacart on your phone), take a good look at the pantry list, just to make sure you have everything on hand. There are a few less common items, depending on what you normally stock, so make sure you have everything before you start cooking.
As far as leftover ingredients, you'll have a few chipotle peppers, but those can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for at least a couple of months (mince them and whisk them into mayo for the best sandwich spread or sweet potato fry dip everrrrr). You may have a few sun-dried tomatoes too, but those will keep in their jar with the oil they come packed in for months.
Let me know how it all turns out. Here's to a delicious week!
groceries:
produce
1 head garlic
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh scallions
1 bunch fresh basil
2 ripe avocados
1 jalapeño or serrano chile
1 large or two small red garnet yams
2 large or 3 small bunches broccoli
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger
1 lemon
1 lime
1 16-ounce container/bag of salad greens of choice (baby kale, baby spinach, mixed greens, arugula, etc.)
refrigerated/dairy/eggs
1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu
1 8-ounce container fresh mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) low-moisture whole milk mozzarella
1 4-ounce piece Parmesan (or an 8-ounce container shredded Parmesan)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 16-ounce bags prepared pizza dough (if you don't want to make your own)
shelf-stable
12 corn tortillas (or make your own)
1 3-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes
1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo
meat/fish
1 roasting chicken or 1 whole chicken cut into parts
extra virgin olive oil
vegetable, grape seed, avocado, or coconut oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
chili powder
cumin
cinnamon
diced tomato
2 15-ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth (or use equivalent bouillon powder)
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans or equivalent dry beans
4 cups jasmine or other medium-grain rice
unsweetened creamy peanut butter (other unsweetened nut butters will also work)
2 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips (Tip: got 2 or 3 "fun size" dark chocolate bars left over from Halloween? They'll work.)
toasted sesame oil
soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
brown or coconut sugar
white sugar
all-purpose flour
cornstarch (optional - see tofu recipe)
instant or dry active yeast
sesame seeds
1/3 cup raw pine nuts (or use raw walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts)
instructions/notes
monday: sweet potato-chicken mole with rice and green salad: Prepare the mole as written, but reserve the chicken breasts and about a cup of the sauce for the next night. Cook 2 cups jasmine or other medium-grain rice according to package instructions and serve alongside the mole. For the salad, toss 1/3 of the bag of greens of choice with dressing of choice (I like olive oil and rice vinegar). Add other salad toppings if you're inspired, or leave it plain. The mole packs a punch flavor-wise, so I like to keep the rice and salad simple.
tuesday: mole sweet potato tacos with guacamole, black beans, and green salad: If using dry beans, start cooking them a couple of hours before you're ready to eat. About half and hour before dinner, shred the reserved chicken breasts with two forks and toss with the sauce. Simmer until heated through. Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas tightly in aluminum foil and heat in an oven at 350 degrees F until steamed and soft. While the chicken simmers and the tortillas heat, make the guacamole, rinse and drain the beans (if using canned). Season the beans as desired (I like salt, pepper, cumin, and a little chopped garlic or garlic powder), and let simmer over medium-low to incorporate flavor. Make the salad the same way as Monday's meal. Assemble the tacos in advance, or let people make their own by passing the shredded meat and tortillas at the table and serving with the sides and guacamole.
wednesday: sesame crunch tofu with rice and steamed broccoli: When I first started cooking this tofu dish years ago, I made it using AP flour, which is what I call for in the posted recipe, but now I prefer it with cornstarch in the coating instead. I find the finished dish to be lighter and crispier that way, though it's good with flour too. Trust me, this tofu will win over even the biggest soy skeptic (skoyptic?). If you have any leftover marinade, simmer it until thickened, and drizzle over the cooked crispy tofu.
thursday: pea soup with parmesan and pesto focaccia. Make the pea soup and pesto as written. To make the pesto focaccia, make double batch of my pizza dough (or your favorite pizza dough, or just buy a ball of it at the grocery store). Divide it in half. Store half in the refrigerator for tomorrow night. Make the focaccia as called for, except omit the rosemary and salt, and spread the pesto (all but 2 tablespoons) over the top of the dough before topping with the pesto and parmesan, then bake as called for. Reserve the leftover pesto in the refrigerator for tomorrow night.
friday: margarita pizza and green salad with pesto dressing: Pizza Friday! Make the pizza as written. To make the salad, whisk the pesto with white or rice vinegar to thin (1-2 tablespoons), and toss with the final 1/3 of the greens and any other salad toppings you'd like. If you have any focaccia left over from the night before, cut it into cubes and toast it in the oven to make croutons and add those too.
Wishing you a delicious week! See you next Saturday!
xoxo,
Gabi