Etsy Shop for oakling

Blackberries, Bread Pudding, and Black Bean Soup

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

It's Southwestern Week! I am especially proud of this one because I worked hard to find recipes that were authentic, rather than the faux-Mexican dishes that didn't seem to truly reflect the region's spirit.

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Capirotada (7 breakfasts)
Fantastic stuff. You get to have bread pudding for breakfast - and it's still high in protein! I really emphasize protein because The Diet Cure (a book about healing our bodies from the artificial, low-fat foods, binge eating, and starving ourselves we do) suggests that many of us need 20 grams of protein per meal in order to keep our moods stable. Our brains use the amino acids from different proteins to produce important stuff like serotonin. See? You don't get just a meal plan here, you get an education! Also: bread pudding.

Black Bean Soup (4 meals)
This is a wonderful, flavorful soup spiked with cilantro. Of course, you cilantro-haters can skip it and get sour cream instead! Or why not both?

Chile con Carne (6 meals)
A spicy stew to warm your belly during these icy winter months. (Australians and New Zealanders excepted. And Argentineans. And....)

Posole (4 meals)
Seasonal fun: posole, or pozole, is a New Mexican holiday tradition. This "ranch ratatouille" is a mix of Anasazi, European, and Mexican cooking which celebrates all of life's blessings during the holidays. But don't let that stop you from making it - and enjoying your blessings - year-round!

Wo-Japi (6-8 desserts)
Whoa what? Wo-japi is simple and delicious: blackberries boiled down with sugar and sometimes cornstarch to make a berry pudding. One common recipe comes from the Cheyenne River Sioux, but many Native American nations have a variation on this dessert.

The beautiful pictures of blackberries up there are from ThreeLayerCake on Flickr!

Southwestern Meal Planning Kit

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

Mustard, Ginger, and Mace - Unusual Spice Substitutions

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week continues our month-long exploration of different spices! I think it's really fun to think about how different herbs and spices are similar, and trade them out in unexpected ways. Like, if lemon-poppyseed muffins are great, why not lemon-fennel seed?

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Coconut Muffins

These little darlings use coconut milk instead of cow milk, to amp up the balmy tropical flavor that the shredded coconut brings to the party. And instead of some "traditional" muffin spice like cinnamon or nutmeg, we use mace! "Traditional" depends on where you are, of course: in northern Europe, especially in Scandinavian countries, mace is de rigeur in baked goods!

Hot Dogs with Lemon-Onion Chutney

Some people like sauerkraut - some DON'T. Lemon-onion chutney brings that tart, savory-sweet flavor to your hot dogs without fermenting first. It goes really well with the vinegary sweetness of ketchup, and it's full of mustard seeds so it can pair well with mustard too - or you can just replace all your condiments with this lovely slather!

Chickpea Salad with Sumac and Parmesan

Seriously, YUM. This is a variation on a very popular dish: the sumac replaces the more labor-intensive lemon zest that often garnishes the chickpeas. Sumac is a beautiful purple color and (to me) tastes chickeny and savory and tangy and good. (And it's YOUR recipe packet - why not make it both ways and have a taste-off?)

Gingered Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is such a magical thing. It looks like squash, and after it's cooked you attack it with a fork for about ten seconds and suddenly you have spaghetti! But super-healthy spaghetti, and in this case with a fantastic ginger kick to it. Screw cinnamon or even tomatoes - ginger is where it's at!

The lovely golden spaghetti squash photo is from semarr via flickr. The ginger is by vieux bandit, the mustard seeds by zoyachubby and the coconut muffin by yomi955. Used with permission, as always.

Nigella, Caraway, Cardamom, and Saffron

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week continues our month-long exploration of the world of spices! These recipes highlight nigella, caraway, cardamom, and saffron. Each packet includes not only your recipes but also information about what these spices taste like and how they are used around the world.

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Nigella-Infused Algerian Flatbreads

"Nigella" often brings to mind the food writer Nigella Lawson, but oddly enough she was named after a bunch of tiny black seeds! These lovely flatbreads are infused with other warming spices as well, and can be freshly baked right before breakfast each day or made ahead.

German Red Cabbage

Caraway ahoy! These sweet, almost citrusy "seeds" are actually the fruit of the caraway plant. Here, they flavor a classic German vegetable dish to bring you tons of vitamins to weather the winter!

Berbere-Spiced Potato Wedges

Mmm. Berbere is a classic North African spice mix. I think the best part about making berbere is getting to smell, see, feel, and even taste each spice you add and discover how it changes the mix. Best of all is when you grind or toast some before adding them - that's what really brings a spice's true nature out! And the mellow golden flavor of a roasted potato wedge is the perfect pairing.

Saffron Soup

Sometimes the simple treatment is the best! This soup showcases toasted saffron, the spice that has most captivated human imagination over the centuries. It even appears in 50,000-year-old cave paintings! Drink up the golden broth and link yourself to humanity's ancient past.

Cardamom Tisane

Oh my yes. I picked this recipe out as a little extra fun, because I didn't think that cardamom was getting the attention it deserved here. But I couldn't tell from the recipe how good this was going to be! This herbal drink is amazing: sweet, creamy, a little citrusy, and deeply comforting. I love it!

Thanks to zoyachubby on Flickr for these beautiful spice photos!

Sweet Potato Croquettes and Other Gold Rush Recipes

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of historic Gold Rush-era recipes!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Hashed Browns (7 breakfasts)

Crispy outside, creamy inside. Yeah, this recipe has apparently stood the test of time! I wonder what other historical menus it could appear in?

English Monkey (Not so unlike a Welsh rabbit - 4 meals)

That's also known as a "Welsh rarebit," "Scotch Woodcock," and probably a lot of other wacky names. It's bread and melty cheese and... not quite grilled cheese, not quite fondue, but totally savory and tasty!

Colache ("A rancho ratatouille" - 6 meals)

There are so many variations on this dish! This one is a flavorful sort of vegetable stew - zucchini, tomatoes, all kinds of good things. Who knew that the fortyniners could eat so healthily?

Sweet Potato Croquettes (4 meals)

Much like a sweet potato patty. Easy, filling, and tastebud-pleasing! I love sweet potatoes. And I love how packed with vitamins and antioxidants they are. But mostly I just love the flavor.

Switchel (many refreshing cups)

SWITCHEL! Okay, I am a bit of a sucker for foods I have never tried with names I have never heard before. SWITCHEL?!? What could that possibly be?! Turns out it is a quirky, tart, sweet, refreshing drink. Odd ingredients like light molasses and vinegar (yes, vinegar) and ginger, and... I won't give it all away, but it reminds me a little of ginger ale or sarsaparilla. You know - it cools the blood! And all the other great things people used to say. I think that it's important for my own meal plans to include something I've never tried before, and this surely fit the bill!

Yam pic by Robyn Gallagher; English monkey pic by bunnicula on Flickr.

Chocolate Recipes, Savory and Sweet, All Week Long

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:48 -0500

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals, once you buy the ingredients, will be about $25-$35!)

Your menu planning kit contains a week's worth of exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week is Valentine's-themed, which means CHOCOLATE WEEK!

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Pressed Chocolate Panini (7 breakfasts)

I first discovered the idea of a chocolate sandwich at Cafe Cacao, which used to be part of the Scharffen-Berger chocolate factory on Berkeley. They put dark chocolate squares between slices of artisan bread and grill it! The result is a golden, melting sandwich, a little salty and savory and a lot chocolatey. And it is so easy to make yourself!

Cocoa-Curry Chicken (5 meals)

Not at all dessert-y. Here the cocoa works a little like a molé: it's just another savory, smoky, flavorful ingredient to kick the flavor of your chicken legs into the stratosphere.

Roasted Tex-Mex Veggies with Cocoa Spice Rub (4 meals)

Chocolate just goes so well with all kinds of spices that I had to include another spicy cocoa recipe here. This one incorporates a ton of amazing herbs and spices for a very healthy meal. I recommend tossing in a little sliced mango!

Fairy Pasta with Chocolate-Proscuitto Breadsticks (5 meals)

"Fairy pasta" is sweet and lemony and light, with parmesan cheese to balance the sweetness. It's even easier to toss together than these breadsticks! The breadsticks are an amazing combination of sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy - you just have to try this.

The picture of chicken is by Justin Taylor, bludgeoner86 on flickr; chocolate by Stuart Spivack; capellini (angel hair pasta) by Joyosity; and the chocolate sandwich from a shot by Jordan Klein.

Root Chakra Recipes

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes that are good for your root chakra!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Sweet Potato Eggs

Sweet and savory? I admit that combo makes me nervous, but many people swear by it! Try it here for an easy entree into that exciting world. It's a great, energy-packed way to start the day.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Garlic makes everything better. Shrimp are no exception. I love the creamy, almost sweet flavor of shrimp; here they dance with spices and fire. Literal fire!

Root Chakra Salad

This is the most beautiful salad I have ever seen, I swear. It's like a kaleidoscope, with all these shifting, overlapping circles of red and purple and orange and... well, whatever other colors you might be inspired to throw in! Incredibly nutritious for both the body and the spirit.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Basic and lovely. Is there anything better than properly roasted and seasoned potatoes? Sure, potatoes appear twice in this list of recipes, but the red potato and the sweet potato are extremely different beasts. Plus, this one has a surprise guest: asparagus!

You also get information on how to buy sustainable shrimp, meditations for opening the root chakra, and ideas for dressing up different recipes and feeding the root chakra in other ways.

Flickr creative commons licensed photo credit goes to: Foodistablog for the red potatoes; Phillie Casablanca for the root veggies; Clay Irving for the carrots; and wEnDaLicious for the shrimp skewers.

Incredible Edible Eggs

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes that use up leftover hardboiled eggs from holidays like Easter and Passover!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic. (Or less if you have a lot of eggs on hand!)

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, fun egg-dyeing activities, and a bonus recipe for spicy pickled eggs ("boneless chicken dinner"!), this kit contains the following recipes:

EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS "SOLDIERS"

Soft-boiled eggs with strips of buttered toast called
“soldiers” are an English breakfast mainstay. Here,
we make it even healthier by using roasted
asparagus soldiers instead!

CHINESE TEA EGGS WITH CHICKEN WINGS

These make a great snack too! Savory, sweet, and fun finger food. The longer they soak, the more flavorful and colorful the eggs will be inside. (If you are using dyed eggs they will already be colorful on the outside!)

THAI SON-IN-LAW EGGS

Sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy! We're traveling around the world this week. These are especially good for you because of all the antioxidants, B vitamins, and other nutrients in the tamarind paste.

JAPANESE ODEN

Fishcakes, fishcakes, roly-poly fishcakes! This recipe is a marvel. It combines different kinds of fishcakes (bought pre-made) and crunchy radishes as well as eggs. The different textures and flavors are so much fun for your mouth. Eat 'em up, yum!

Flickr creative commons photo credit goes to: Woodley Wonderworks for the basket of undyed eggs, RichardBH for the colorful eggs, Douglas Cootey for the udon, and Craig Hatfield for the egg with asparagus soldiers.

Strawberries, Spinach and Sacral Chakras

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes that are good for your sacral chakra! The sacral chakra is located in the lower abdomen and is associated with creativity of all kinds, from
making art to making babies.

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, info about buying sustainable tuna, and article about chakras and healing, this kit contains the following recipes:

STRAWBERRY PARFAITS

Great just as they are given here, but especially great with Greek yogurt. My favorite brand - unpaid, unsolicited endorsements here - is Fage, which can be found probably-cheapest at Trader Joe’s and is insanely rich and creamy.

SPRING SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES

If you happen to have flavored or candied cashews, or flavored vinegar, so much the better! But this salad is also sweet and tart and crunchy and good all on its own.

BAKED APPLES

Baked apples are weird and wrinkly and smooshy, but sooo good. A sprinkling of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger would go great here as well!

SESAME-SEARED TUNA

I love the touch of sweetness that the quick marinade gives this tuna, and the slightly chewy-crunchy texture of the sesame seeds. Plus, we all need more omega-3s and more protein on our plates, n'est-ce pas?

Flickr creative commons photo credit: Strawberry spinach salad by Plat, seared tuna by Rebecca Farmer, strawberry parfait by Lisa Cericola, baked apple by Sleepyneko.

Cheesy, Golden Gut-Loving Goodness

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes for your solar plexus chakra! This energy center is in your upper abdomen, two finger-widths above the bellybutton. It’s where your gut sense of a situation resides, where fiery determination arises, where the digestive system is most influenced.

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, information on the solar plexus, and a bonus article on four fabulous good-for-you fats, this kit contains the following recipes:

ORGANIC POLENTA WITH SAVORY GOAT CHEESE

This is so easy and just amazing. The polenta is creamy comfort food and the goat cheese gives it a tangy, complex twist.

SIMPLE PARMESAN PASTA

This is barely a recipe, but so tasty! You can choose
pasta of the texture and width you like best.
Capellini, or angel hair pasta, is the very thin light
kind; fettucini and linguini are broad flat slurpy
ribbons, and everyone knows spaghetti. Not
everyone knows that some brands of spaghetti
seem to cook up particularly round; look for thick
smooth noodles in the box.

GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

A basic framework within which you can create amazing cheese combinations. Creamy brie with some sharp cheddar! Garlic cheese curds with mozzarella! The possibilities are endless and the protein is packed!

LAMB TAREKO

This Nepali dish is full of tasty spices which also
happen to fire up your digestive system - as do the
probiotic bacteria in the yogurt! Doesn’t that sound
tasty? Well, crispy, well-seasoned lamb sure is!

Flickr creative commons credit goes to: Ann Larie Valentine for "They're Happy Because They Eat LARD", Rafael Garcia-Suarez for the creamy polenta, Robert Brook for the parmesan pasta, and Kristen Taylor for the grilled cheese.

Heart-y Recipes

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes to strengthen your heart chakra!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, the magic of cacao butter, a heart meditation video, and how to do an inventory of anger and fear to transform your whole life, this kit contains the following recipes:

ASPARAGUS WITH PESTO

I never heard of such a thing! I am used to putting green things on pale things to healthy 'em up. Green on green? That's madness! But such tasty madness - savory, cheesy, with the complex bittersweet zing of basil and the warm comfort of asparagus. Yum!

MINT-GREEN SOUP

Not mint like peppermint candy - mint like a handful of fresh mint leaves to perk up this broccoli soup and make it taste sparkly and growing just like springtime.

LEMON BROCCOLI MEDLEY

Lemon has a warmth to it that nicely complements the creamy warmth of the chickpeas in this recipe - and gives them a little oomph. Lemon, in fact, is the perfect partner to everything else here - broccoli, garlic, green beans... Tossed together and left to meld, this recipe is a fantastic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK

The English equivalent of colcannon or rumbledethumps. What great names! Or is this the British equivalent of latkes? You make big thick pancakes out of mashed potatoes, with extra fiber and sweetness from our friend cabbage. And what would potatoes be without a little garlic and cheese? Nothing, that's what, so in they go.

Flickr creative commons photo credit: Broccoli heart by Colin Ross, soup by avlxyz, asparagus by me, broccoli salad by Laurel Fan.

Fourth of July Recipes

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:08:47 -0500

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes from 1776!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, a bonus article and dessert made with tansy, and a story about Independence Day in Native American nations, this kit contains the following recipes:

PEANUT SOUP

Creamy, salty, savory peanut soup. It's hard to sell this as a positive dish of the time period, because it was brought over by slaves from West Africa and became a popular Colonial dish for everyone else while they were still enslaved. Truly a taste of its day....

MOLASSES DUMPLINGS

Amazing and strange food. You cook the dumplings... and then drop them in boiling molasses. Did they do this with other food? How would it be with baby carrots?

FLAMENQUINES (Pork Rolls)

Pork on top of pork, rolled all up together - magical! I think this would be particularly good with pancetta instead - not the cubed kind, the delicious fatty slices.

PEASE POTTAGE

Old-tymey pea soup. With bacon! Don't forget that lard, contrary to popular belief, is one of the healthiest fats there is - with the antioxidants of olive oil and the salty deliciousness of PORK.

APPLE TANSY

In the old days, people used tansy in quiches and omelettes so much that tansy became a synonym for each of these dishes. This one is like a sweet quiche, with apples and cream and herbs.

Flickr creative commons photo credit goes to JJ W for "Judy's Pea Soup", Juan Fernández for "Flamenquines Caseros", Carl E. Lewis for "Tansy", and Mr Magoo ICU for "Fireworks NYE2005".

Year of Recipes

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:12 -0400

$175.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts.

For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle!

This listing is for a one-year subscription. That means that for a WHOLE YEAR, you'll get a mini-cookbook, in PDF format, emailed to you every week. No more worrying about what to make!

The groceries for each week will cost $20-$30 per person, depending on where you live and how much you buy organic. You can use each cookbook over and over again, saving yourself even more dough.

Makes a great housewarming, newlywed, or new parent gift!

Flickr creative commons credit for the pomegranate picture used above goes to the fabulous Joe M500.

Garlicky Polenta, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and More

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:12 -0400

Garlic, Caraway, Nigella, and More Spice Delights

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:12 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week begins our month-long exploration into the world of spices. Garlic is common but incredibly versatile: it tastes totally different raw, roasted, sauteed, aged, fried... yum! Asafoetida is less common in the West. When toasted, it takes on scents of garlic and onion which elevate any savory dish. You can find it online, or in many Indian and even Middle Eastern grocery stores if you live near some! Caraway is actually a fruit, even though it looks like a seed; this sweet spice helps with digestion, especially colic. Nigella isn't just the name of a famous food writer, but a tiny tasty seed that can go in cookies, breads, meatballs, and almost anywhere else!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, suggested meal plan, information about different spices, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Tadka Dal

The "dal" part of an Indian dish refers to lentils. The food blog So Minty calls this "a full-flavoured lentil dish", while "Hooked on Heat" says it "is one that me and hubby crave for after every couple of days. It hardly takes any time and effort, but yet still feels like a meal fit for a King. Afterall, are we no less?"

Nigella Seed Chicken with Beet Salad

Sounds simple, but so gorgeous. Ruby jewels tossed with smoky green leaves of arugula and savory bits of goat cheese or feta, succulent chicken highlighting unusual spices... delish!

Sopa de Ajo

Garlic soup! In this case, a wonderful Mexican garlic soup with a little spicy kick to it. You can also poach eggs in it for fabulous added texture and protein. I could drink gallons of it!

Caraway-Lentil Soup

Two soups, but in cold weather that's good for you, right? This is a very different beast from the garlic one, or the lentils in the dal. Here they turn creamy and have a tangy-sweet flavor lent by the caraway. It's an adventure in a bowl!

The photo of garlic soup was taken by Andrew Bossi on flickr, the beet salad by Stu Spivack, and the nigella seeds by zoyachubby.

Lemon-Fennel Seed Bread and More Spice Remixes

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:12 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week concludes our month-long exploration of different spices! I think it's really fun to think about how different herbs and spices are similar, and trade them out in unexpected ways. Like, if lemon-poppyseed muffins are great, why not lemon-fennel seed? Fans of previous spice-themed kits will learn even more herein about how different spices influenced these dishes and how they change when we use berbere instead of caraway, za'atar instead of nigella, and asafoetida instead of garlic.

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Lemon-Fennel Seed Bread

I was thinking, if poppyseeds - tiny and kind of tasteless - are so popular in this, what else might we put in to increase the flavor? Fennel seed is naturally sweet and brings a nice minty-anisey taste with it to contest the lemony tartness.

Red Cabbage with Berbere

Berbere is a great North African spice blend with plenty of different flavors going on, from sweet to hot. It kicks this tangy cabbage dish up to match its vibrant color!

Flatbreads with Za'atar

Za'atar, by contrast, is a fabulous and much simpler Middle Eastern spice blend, fusing flavors like sesame seed and oregano to tease your tastebuds. Cheese is optional.

Asafoetida Boxty

"Boxty on the griddle, Boxty in the pan, If you can't make boxty, You'll never get your man...." This rhyme reflects the popularity of this Irish dish. It's a twist on potato pancakes, now flavored with a twist on garlic.

Popcorn with Curry Powder

If you haven't tried it, this golden and savory snack might just knock your socks off! Make your own curry powder, or buy it pre-made - or have a taste-off between different kinds for a real spicexploration.

The photo of fabulous lemon zest is by Dave Lytle on flickr; curry popcorn by Supafly; and lemon bread by Micah Sittig.

Garlic and Asafoetida kick off Spice Exploration Month

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:12 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week begins our month-long exploration into the world of spices. Garlic is common but incredibly versatile: it tastes totally different raw, roasted, sauteed, aged, fried... yum! Asafoetida is less common in the West. When toasted, it takes on scents of garlic and onion which elevate any savory dish. You can find it online, or in many Indian and even Middle Eastern grocery stores if you live near some!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, suggested meal plan, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Spiced Mushroom Pilaf

Ah... safoetida. This is great comfort food, while at the same time opening the door into a world of spices that many people have never tasted. The mushrooms only amp up the healthy goodness: did you know that most mushrooms are great at boosting your immune system?

Tadka Dal

The "dal" part of an Indian dish refers to lentils. The food blog So Minty calls this "a full-flavoured lentil dish", while "Hooked on Heat" says it "is one that me and hubby crave for after every couple of days. It hardly takes any time and effort, but yet still feels like a meal fit for a King. Afterall, are we no less?"

GOOP

Short for Garlic Olive Oil Plate. This showcases garlic in a beautifully simple way: golden roasted garlic with golden olive oil, sopped up enthusiastically with bread.

Sopa de Ajo

Garlic soup! In this case, a wonderful Mexican garlic soup with a little spicy kick to it. You can also poach eggs in it for fabulous added texture and protein. I could drink gallons of it!

The gorgeous soup pic is by Andrew Bossi on flickr, spices (asafoetida is the yellow one) by frenkieb, and dramatic garlic shot by Gio JL.

Cabbage Rolls, Cupcakes, and Other New Year's Treats

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:11 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week features New Year's dishes from around the world! Of course, we all celebrate New Year's at different times - which means you can enjoy this menu over and over throughout the year, right?

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $30-$40.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Fatt Goh (China - 7 breakfasts)

Moist, fluffy little cupcakes traditionally made with rice flour. If they puff up while steaming, you will puff up yourself with good luck and prosperity during the coming year! And hey, if not, you still have delicious cake to eat. For breakfast!

Hungarian Cabbage Rolls (Hungary - 4 meals)

So many of the dishes that different cultures use to celebrate their new year are aimed at bringing in the bucks. In this case, the cabbage leaves symbolize money, and the meaty, colorful filling symbolizes all the prosperity and abundance we want on other levels too.

Boxty (Ireland - 6 meals)

"Boxty on the griddle,
Boxty in the pan,
If you can't make boxty,
You'll never get a man."
Whether or not that's a goal of yours, boxty is a delicious, hearty way to ring in the New Year. Besides, potatoes stave off scurvy. You don't want scurvy, do you?

Hoppin' John (American South - 4 meals)

The black-eyed peas symbolize coins, and the dark leafy greens simmered alongside them represent riches and good luck. A little bacon or other pork product tossed in for flavor symbolizes prosperity. Oh yeah - and it all tastes great too! I especially love how creamy the black-eyed peas get; it makes such a good contrast with the slight crunch of those greens.

Thanks to Uberculture, Jetalone, and SheKay on Flickr for their beautiful cabbage and cabbage roll pictures!

Yam Fufu, Black Bean Blessings, and Other New Year's Treats

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:11 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This week features New Year's dishes from around the world! Of course, we all celebrate New Year's at different times - which means you can enjoy this menu over and over throughout the year, right?

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $40-$50, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $50-$60.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Herring in Sour Cream (Germany - 7 breakfasts)

Eating herring at midnight on New Year's is supposed to be good luck - so save one just for that! The omega-3s and omega-6s packed into these little fish are bound to bring you good health, too.

Cotechino con Lenticchie (Italy - 4 meals)

So many of the dishes that different cultures use to celebrate their new year are aimed at bringing in the bucks. In this case, the round green lentils symbolize money, while the delicious sausage symbolizes the abundance and good fortune you must have to be eating sausage whenever you like!

Sanshu-zakana (Japan - 6 meals)

This is just part of the elaborate boxes of New Year's dishes that people eat at this time: the o-sechi, a ton of food in three or four lacquered boxes that allow people to go for several days without having to cook! (Hey... a lot like using these meal plans!)

According to the Japan Times, the kuromame (a black bean dish) is "for the blessings of health and the ability to work; seasoned dried small anchovies, tazukuri — for fertility in the field; and prepared herring roe, kazunoko — [are] for maternal fertility and abundance of generations."

Yam Fufu with Stew (Western Africa - 4 meals)

As a local restaurant review put it, "the fufu reaches a soft, fluffy consistency between mashed potatoes and whipped cream. You eat it by using your right hand to pluck morsels off the mound in your bowl. Then you dip the fufu into the stew and delicately flick it into your mouth. Don't chew, just swallow. 'Once you get used to it, it's a very sensual food,' [Ghanaian food expert] Osseo-Asare says."

In "Things Fall Apart," Chinua Achebe writes lyrically of the fall Yam Festival, when "old things of the past year are ritually discarded and thrown out in anticipation of a new yam and new year." Different cultures in Ghana and Nigeria celebrate this in slightly different ways; for example, in Ghana it is also known as the "Homowo" or "To Hoot at Hunger" Festival. Yam fufu is, of course, a highlight of this celebration.

Fatt Goh (China - just for luck)

Moist, fluffy little cupcakes traditionally made with rice flour. If they puff up while steaming, you will puff up yourself with good luck and prosperity during the coming year! And hey, if not, you still have delicious cake to eat.

The fabulous picture of kuromame is by _e.t. on Flickr; the red yams are by Robyn Gallagher, also via Flickr.

Peach PIes and Protein, From the Gold Rush Era

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:11 -0400

Tomato Cilantro Soup, Braised Baby Artichokes....

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:11 -0400

Spooky Sweet Potatoes, Slime Soup, and More Halloween Fun

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:41 -0400

Chicken and Egg Over Rice, Clam Soup, Recipes From China and Japan

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:41 -0400

Turkey Transformations

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:41 -0400

$5.00
(On sale this week marked down from $10 to $5 - so your total cost for this week's meals will be even cheaper than stated below!)

Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly Menu Planning Kits with meal plans, exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

Americans often find ourselves with a lot of leftover turkey on hand, especially in the holiday season. This meal plan helps us use it in fun, delicious ways.

The groceries you will need for this kit (not counting the turkey) cost about $40-$50, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic - which makes your total food cost for a week's worth of meals (for one person) $50-$60.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, and fun activity or story, this kit contains the following recipes:

Pumpkin Soup with Bacon Whipped Cream (3 breakfasts)

Yeah, I said bacon whipped cream. Whipped cream infused with bacon! This recipe is innovative, tasty, and so incredibly simple to make. The most involved part is whipping the cream, if that gives you any idea.

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake (4 breakfasts)

Not really a recipe. With all those leftovers you are using, you can afford to go get yourself a store-bought treat to vary your breakfasts this week! Sweet, crumbly, and tasty.

Garlic-Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Patties (4 meals)

YUM. Who first thought of combining garlic and bacon? The bacon here keeps the turkey moist (or, with enough bacon, moist-ifies overcooked leftovers) and adds a ton of flavor so you can't get bored. Super-simple to put together, too.

Amish Bean Soup (6 meals)

This is a little twist on regular bean soup and a really easy way to hide turkey. Plus, what's better than a warm filling soup when it's cold out?

Turkey, Proscuitto, and Gorgonzola Sandwich (4 meals)

Amazing! This is a great gourmet sandwich, with such awesome premium ingredients that nobody could mind it includes turkey. Kills leftover complaints - dead. Who doesn't love proscuitto? Salty, a little fatty, and so incredibly flavorful. Same goes for gorgonzola, and they are beautifully balanced out by the more subtle turkey flavor here. The recipe holds a few other surprises, too!

And of course, if you happen to be drooling over this meal plan with no turkey leftovers on hand, there's a killer recipe for flavorful, easy roasted turkey at the end. We've got your back!

Oh, and the fabulous bacon-wrapped picture here is by Alex Roberts, via Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/bovinity.

Sojourner Truth Cookbook

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:40 -0400

$5.00
Do you often find yourself well past mealtime with no real food in the house, or no idea what to make? Even those of us who cook regularly can fall into not-so-healthy ruts. For everyone who wants to save money on groceries, expand their repertoire, or is simply too busy to plan meals ahead, I create weekly cookbooks with exciting recipes, fun activities or stories, and grocery lists organized by aisle.

This one offers a week of recipes from 1851, the year of Sojourner Truth's famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech!

The groceries you will need for this kit cost about $20-$30, depending on your area and season and whether you buy organic.

Along with your grocery list organized by aisle, feminist and abolitionist history, and hilarious housekeeping advice from over 150 years ago, this kit contains the following recipes:

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

In the "New World" people had to adapt their recipes to cook over fireplaces instead of ovens. So this bread is neatly steamed in a coffee can! It goes perfectly with....

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

A classic, slightly sweet dish with tons of fiber and tons of flavor. Oh: and bacon! Yum.

FRICASSEED EGGS

Tons of protein and crucial amino acids for your brain; a satisfying savory meal for your body. I assumed that this would mean "scrambled eggs," but it's actually breaded! (Also: not at all scrambled. I don't think that would be a good combo.)

WHORTLEBERRY PUDDING

You can also use bilberries, huckleberries, or blueberries, which are from the same family. Packed with antioxidants, and steam-cooked in the traditional way.

FRIED EGGPLANT

I kid you not, the original 1851 recipe says that this dish tastes like "soft crabs." I can't get over that! Do I just not know what a soft crab tastes like? Well, this is delicious in its own right, whether it tastes like crab or not. Plus it comes with a bonus recipe for stuffed eggplant with marinara.

Flickr creative commons photo credit goes to: Mwri for the whortleberries; Battle Creek CVB for the Sojourner Truth statue; Marcelo Träsel for the Boston baked beans; John Morgan for the eggplants; and Nic McPhee for the fricassed egg.

Pina Colada Cooler, Pumpkin Soup, Risotto, and More

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:41:11 -0400

Garlicky Goodness

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:41:11 -0400