Moot Thoughts & Musings

I'm glad a few people have expressed interest in sharing menus.
To find other menus look at these blogs (I'll add as they get posted):
MrsCrumley at crumleydotorg.
Joanna at In Search of Lost Time
menu exchange is as follows (sorry, my extended entry option doesn't work):

For breakfast, we keep it simple. Cereal, toast, yogurt. That kind of thing. Cereal is expensive, though. So in the winter, I eat oatmeal everyday. I like it, so I eat it. It's simple, yummy (to me), and cheap. In the summer, I make my mom's granola recipe.

Granola
6 c oatmeal (rolled oats, I buy in bulk at Whole Foods)
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. sugar (I use white, because I think it's less clumpy, but my mom said brown)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (I throw in a dash of nutmeg, too)
1 c shredded coconut (we usually get unsweetened shredded coconut)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional) (like walnuts or almonds)
you can throw in other fun things, too, like dried fruit, sunflower seeds, etc. or top with fresh fruit.

Mix ingredients together in a bowl, bake on 350 for 15-20 min or so, until golden around the edges.

Lunch?
Egg salad: boiled eggs mashed with enough mayo to make it stick, a dash of mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, dill, finely chopped celery.

I'm eager to try chickpea sandwiches, too. Like egg salad above, but with mushed chickpeas instead of eggs, and paprika and cumin (instead of dill).

When I was growing up a favorite summer lunch was fresh tomato slices, canteloupe, and corn on the cob. Depends on if you have good produce handy.

Dinner?
1. Mustard baked chicken.
Make a marinade of about 1/4 c. mustard, a couple TBS of olive oil, minced fresh thyme leaves, and crushed garlic cloves. This works for about 4-ish pieces of chicken (i actually just sort of guess every time). Marinate, then bake chicken accordingly.
Serve with a ratatouille. My simplified version ends up being chopped zuchini, yellow summer squash, eggplant, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, sage, thyme, and basil. Sauteeing onions and garlic first, then add zuchini, squash, and eggplant until tender, then add tomatoes and herbs, and simmer all together 'til like a stew.
Or, non-cook option, serve with tabbouleh (which I make with couscous or quinoa instead of bulgar as this recipe indicates).

2. Taco Salad!
(It wouldn't be a week here without taco salad, summer or winter)
For the sauce:
Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, green bell pepper (optional), jalapeno pepper (optional).
Add drained black beans. (I'm scared of cooking beans, so I always buy canned)
Add can of diced tomatoes (or fresh if in season) with juice. (may need a little tomato sauce if use fresh tomatoes)
Add about sprinkle each of cumin, paprika, chili powder, and perhaps a (small!) dash of cayenne pepper, depending on how hot you like it. Salt and pepper to taste.
finely chopped fresh cilantro if on hand.
Simmer until sauce-like.

Assemble salad thus. Tortilla chips on bottom (we love blue corn tortilla chips), then lettuce, sauce, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, whatever you like...

Vegetarian option: Skip the ground beef, add more black beans and some white corn.

3. Baked Zucchini Stuffed with Couscous
This is a new favorite of this summer, adapted from the Joy of Cooking recipe.

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil a baking dish. Trim stems and halve lengthwise however many zucchini you are cooking. (About one zucchini per person). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place zucchini cut side down in the baking dish. Bake until cut side is lightly browned (10-15 mins), then reduce oven heat to 350.
Take zucchini out and let cool slightly. Turn over zucchini and scoop out pulp leaving about 1/4 inch thick shells. Finely chop pulp.
In skillet, sautee finely chopped onion and garlic. Add chopped zucchini along with couscous (about 1/3 c couscous per 2 zucchini). Stir, then add chicken broth (about 3/4 brother per 1/3 c couscous), use vegetable broth if making the dish vegetarian. (I also added finely chopped fresh parsely)
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 5 min. Uncover, stir, and let cool a bit.
Stir in toasted pine nuts.
Scoop mixture back into zucchini shells. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Bake until heat through (about 15-20 mins).

Meaty option: Add some ground turkey in the mixture. A bit of leftover filling makes a yummy lunch tomorrow.

Serve with fruit salad.

4. Gazpacho. (recipe from Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup, which I love and use all the time, no matter the season)
One of my summer faves, because...no cooking!!!
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cucumber, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 fresh red chili, seeded and roughly chopped
2 c roughly chopped ripe plum tomatoes
3 3/4 c. tomato juice
2 TB red-wine vinegar
2 TB olive oil
1 TB sugar (which i usually leave out)

Throw it all in the blender or food processer and process. Or use my favorite kitchen appliance ever, the hand-held blender. Garnish with crushed ice or reserved finely chopped peppers, or a little cilantro or lime. whatever.

Serve with quesadillas.

5. Basil, red pepper, zucchini chicken Pasta
Sautee onion and plenty of garlic.
Add diced chicken breast. And sautee until chicken is cooked.
Add red pepper cut into thin slices.
Add grated zucchini and chopped fresh basil.
Simmer until water cooked out of zucchini. (but don't overcook)
Serve over angel hair pasta with freshly grated parmesan.

Vegetarian option: add more zucchini? use chick peas instead of chicken? Haven't tried either, but perhaps I may...
Seafood option: use shrimp instead of chicken.

A nice lettuce salad is a nice accompaniment.