Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend and is recovering from the holidays nicely. I'm trying some new dishes this week. I love trying new things and expanding my food knowledge. Drew loves it too. I love hearing him praise me and my food when I make something he loves, it is very rewarding. Here is my weekly menu plan. Please remember that we always always always cook with as much organic, local, and vegetarian/pescatarian ingredients as we can. Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for more menu plans.

MON- Slow cook Italian Vegetable Soup I substituted vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and added about 3/4 cups of diced potatoes.

TUES- Vegetable Stir fry

WED- Tufo Pot Pie

THURS- Dinner at Kelsey's new apartment here in Tualatin!!!!

Kelsey is making Vegetarian Chili. I am making Cornbread and

Chocolate-Covered Brownie Bites (only 38 calories per bite)

FRI- DATE NIGHT!!! Our son will be with Grandpa and Grandma for dinner.

SAT- Baked Salmon, roasted veggies, and Parmesan whole grain cous cous

I will also be making the Dark Vegetable Stock this night in preparation for Sunday's soup.

SUN- French Roasted Onion Soup*, Popovers*, and fresh green salad

* Recipes from cookbooks:

French Roasted Onion Soup (from the cookbook , Moosewood Resturant: Soups & Stews)

Ingredients:

4 or 5 large Spanish onions, cut lengthwise into thin slices

8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 to 1 cup dry white wine

8 cups of Dark Vegetable Stock*

2 tablespoons soy sauce

salt and ground back pepper to taste

Croutons

Grated Gruyere, Swiss, or Parmesan cheese (Gruyere is the best with this soup)

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 375. In two shallow, nonreactive backing pans large enough to accommodate all of the onions in a single layer, combine the onions, garlic, salt, oil, bay leaves, and thyme. Roast for 45 to 50 mins, stirring every 15 minutes, until the onions have softened and lightly browned. Remove from the oven, add the wine to the baking pans, and stir well with a wooden spoon to deglaze.

Transfer the roasted mixture to a soup pot. Add the stock and soy sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Find and discard the bay leaves and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with croutons and grated cheese.

Popovers (from the cookbook, Moosewood Resturant: Soups & Stews)

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing the muffin tin

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups of milk

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (mixture of chives, basil, and oregano is nice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin.

When the oven reaches 450, heat the empty muffin tin for 5 mins. It should be smoking hot; a very hot pan is the key to high-rising popovers.

While the muffin tin is getting hot, place the flour, milk, eggs, oil, and salt in a blender and puree until smotth. Stir in the herbs by hand.

When the pan is hot, immediately fill each muffin cup three-quarters full and bake for 15 mins. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for another 15 mins. Serve hot.

Dark Vegetable Stock (from the cookbook, Moosewood Resturant: Soups & Stews)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 unpeeled garlic cloves, smashed with the bread side of the knife

10 cups water

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large potato, scrubbed and coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks with leaves, chopped

8 large button mushrooms or 1 portabella mushrooms, incuding firm, clean stems, chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 whole cloves

1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (optional)

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook until lightly browned, 8 to 10 mins. Add all of the remaining ingredients, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 50 mins, until all of the vegtables are very soft. Strain the stock through a sieve or colander. Use the stock right away, refrigerate it in a sealed container for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 6 months.

Enjoy cooking & eating!

"No mean woman can cook well. It calls for a generous spirit,a light hand, and a large heart."~ Paul Gauguin