Bento Bento Bento

I’m back from my little break and possibly with some new recipes as well since it looks like I didn’t add my shrimp recipe, luckily I’m in the mood for shrimp so I’ll be sure to get that up.

This week’s CSA contained: onions, tomatoes, squash, cantaloupe, kiwis, bok choy, carrots, cucumbers, corn, and peaches

Friday
Lunch – Leftover Chili and Peach
Dinner – Tacos (out)

Saturday
Breakfast – Pancakes with Jam
Lunch – Veggie Stir Fry
Dinner – Chili Lime Shrimp over Green Beans

Sunday
Breakfast – Cereal
Lunch – Squash Soup and Roasted Corn
Dinner – Chicken Vindaloo

Monday
Lunch – Leftover Vindaloo and Cantaloupe
Dinner – Mac and Cheese

Tuesday
Lunch – Sandwhich and Kiwi
Dinner – Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday
Lunch – Grilled Cheese and Kiwi
Dinner – Pasta with Veggies

Thursday
Lunch – Leftovers and Leftover Fruits
Dinner – Omelets w/ Veggies

Still not that interesting I guess but I can post my Vindaloo too :p

~Keep cooking!

Time seems to be getting away from me this week but still need to eat no matter what.

This week’s CSA contained: spinach, basil, onions, grapes, zucchini, peppers, carrots, potatoes, peaches, and apples

Saturday
Breakfast – Pancakes with Jam
Lunch – Noodles w/ Vegetables in Broth
Dinner – Gyros

Sunday
Breakfast – Eggs
Lunch – Chicken Chili
Dinner – Shrimp w/ Green Beans

Monday
Lunch – Leftovers, Peaches
Dinner – Mac and Cheese

Tuesday
Lunch – Sandwhich and Apple
Dinner – Chicken and Potatoes

Wednesday
Lunch – Couscous w/ Veggies
Dinner – Omelets w/ Veggies

Thursday
Lunch – Soup and Peaches
Dinner – Tacos

Very boring week but I’m not feeling very creative or interested in cooking. Maybe that’ll change over the course of the week though?

Taking a mini posting break this weekend while I work on cleaning and having fun instead of cooking.

Hopefully get some more pictures and recipes together for future posts though!

Just the usual menu for the week and two links for recipes I’ll be using. If the cookies come out good I’ll have that recipe up as well later next week.

Friday
Lunch – PB and apicot-jam, kiwi
Dinner – Stir Fry

Saturday
Breakfast – Oatmeal with Peach
Lunch – Carrot Soup
Dinner – Fritatta

Sunday
Breakfast – Eggs
Lunch – Sandwhich and fruit
Dinner – Gyros

Monday
Lunch – Fritatta, peach
Dinner – Pasta with Veggies

Tuesday
Lunch – Couscous with veggies, grapes
Dinner – Aloo Gobi

Wednesday
Lunch – Aloo Gobi, apricots
Dinner – Tacos

Thursday
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – eating out

Aloo Gobi: http://www.imadedinner.net/2010/03/25/true-signs/
Gyro Sauce recipe: http://letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/tzatziki-sauce.html

We’ve been getting quite a crop of fresh apricots this year and I wanted to try my hand at making an impromptu jam out of it.

Apircot Jam

5 apricots
3 peaches
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Gently wash all the fruit, de-pit, and chop into small pieces
2. Over medium heat add all the ingredients together
3. Stir every few minutes while cooking for about 30 minutes
4. You’ll know it’s done when the fruit is only soft small pieces, and the jam is thin but not watery
5. Fill your canning jars and let cool before capping.

It made exactly 2 pints for me which is just enough to have one with toast, scones, and cookies and another for the winter when stone fruits aren’t available. You can replace the sugar with honey if you prefer but I wasn’t 100% it was going to work and I get honey from a local farm, I’d really hate to waste it!

I imagine this would work for any fruit with a varying amount of water and sugar.

This Chili is easy, quick and hassle-free. The only thing you need to do is chop an onion. You can decide to chop the chicken before or simply shred it with two forks after it’s cooked. This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is simple and healthy.

Chicken Crock Pot Chili

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1 onion, chopped roughly
1 lb chicken
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (or corn if you prefer)
1 cup pasta sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
2 tablespoons of homemade taco spice (recipe below)

1. Place all items in crock pot
2. Cook for 3-4 hours on high in a 5-6qt crock pot OR 6-7 hours on low

That’s it! Here’s a bonus recipe for the taco spice that I use. I use it in burritos, enchiladas, chili, and sometimes just on top of rice and beans or with couscous.

Taco Spice Mix

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipolte peppers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Try it sometime~!

Saturday
Breakfast – Eggs with Veggies
Lunch – Carrot Soup
Dinner – Crockpot Chili

Sunday
Breakfast – Tea and Oatmeal
Lunch – Eating out
Dinner – Chicken Tikka Masala

Monday
Lunch – Sandwhiches, Blueberries, and Garlic Chard
Dinner – Squash Lasanga

Tuesday
Lunch – Squash Lasanga, Scones with Jam
Dinner – Roasted Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes

Wednesday
Lunch – Leftovers, Grapes
Dinner – Pasta with Veggies

Thursday
Lunch – Soup and Bread, Scone with Jame
Dinner – Pizza

Making a fritatta is a simple way to use up your bits and pieces of unloved vegetables. You can pretty much throw anything into it as long as you have your eggs, cheese, and spices. If you’ve got a lot of watery vegetables make sure to pat them dry or saute them so that the end product doesn’t turn out runny.

You can make this with or without crust but since it’s pretty rich I don’t like it with the crust.

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Ricotta Frittata

1 cup milk
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup cheddar
5 eggs
2 cups of veggies (any combo though I usually like to have onions in there)
salt/pepper
a pinch or mix of each: oregano, basil, chives, cayenne pepper, mustard, parsley, thyme or any other spice that goes well with savory flavors

• Chop your veggies as finely or roughly as you like, as well as grate the cheese.
• Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until mixed thoroughly and the eggs are broken up.
• Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into a greased baking pan (8″ cake pans will do). Note: If you’re using a crust grease the pan, line it with crust and poke holes in the crust then pour in the mixture.
• Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until the eggs have set (or the crust is golden).

For this fritatta I used onions, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and chard but nearly any combination of vegetables works even a little cooked meat (ham or bacon) would go with this.

Bon appetite.

Nothing shouts warm and comforting than an Apple Crumble. Apple Crumbles are like the pie without having to make a crust meaning that it’s the perfect food in the summer (served cooled and with ice cream) or in the winter (pipping hot). Here’s a simple crumble that you can put together in no time.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
4-5 medium apples
1 cup cut oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbps cinnamon
a dash of salt
2 sticks butter

1. Chop your apples into small 1×1 pieces
2. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and add in the oats, sugars, flour, cinnamon and salt
3. Place the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften slightly
4. Add the butter to the mixing bowl and incorporate all the ingredients by hand or with a large spoon
5. Pour the mixture into a large glass baking pan (or small ramekins if preferred)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until it is completely browned and the fruit is soft
7. Serve warm or cold with ice cream if desired.

What could be better?~Mab

I realized I haven’t posted a recipe in quite a while and I’m hoping to rectify that with some old favorites and new recipes I’ve made. Kicking it off is this great carrot soup which is simple and very satisfying. It’s creamy and light at the same time perfect for a quick meal.

Simple Carrot Soup

8-10 medium sized carrots carrots chopped roughly into 1″ pieces
1/2-3/4 c vegetable stock
1/8 tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp oregano
pinch of salt and some pepper
a pat of butter or a dollop of sour cream

Makes about 2 big servings (or 3 normal sized ones).

1. Put carrots and spices into a sauce pot and pour enough stock to just cover the carrots.
2. Let cook at medium heat on the stove for 20-30 minutes until soft but not mushy.
3. Use an immersion blender or food processor to smooth and cream the soup.
4. Adjust seasoning.
5. To serve add either a small amount of butter or a bit of sour cream for extra creaminess.

This is a pretty cheap, quick and easy dinner that’s very satisfying. Hopefully you can enjoy this from fresh, organic carrots for full flavor.~Mab