by Sam Tackeff | Oct 25, 2015 | Meal Planning
The season is winding down at the farm, and I picked up my last regular season share on Friday. After the next one, I’ll have two winter pickups (mostly root vegetables) before Stearns closes up shop for the year.
It’s been a while since I’ve written out an actual meal plan – I go through phases where I’m completely sure about what I want to eat, and then ones where I’m finicky and can’t plan in advance. I still manage to feed myself wholesome meals (most of the time), but it really helps to have things organized.
When in doubt, I opt for a protein and two vegetables, and go from there. Sometimes it’s chicken, brussels sprouts, and a salad. Other times it’s eggs, tomatoes and potatoes. Occasionally, and very rarely, it’s no vegetables at all. But when that happens – you know, it’s okay! Because sometimes you just need Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese and lobster.
Vegetables I’l be eating from the farm share:
Acorn squash, cabbage, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, peppers, carrots, bok choi, broccoli, potatoes, kale, daikon, and mixed greens.
Things I’ll be cooking this week:
:: A big green salad with grilled chicken thighs, fennel fronds, roasted peppers, roasted acorn squash, feta, nuts, and whatever else needs to be used in my fridge.
:: Some tomato sauce to freeze, with the last of my summer tomatoes. I haven’t decided which recipe to use yet, but I want something relatively basic that will go well with different flavor profiles and cuisines.
:: I’m tweaking a Turkish red lentil soup recipe for my forthcoming quick weeknight meals e-book.
:: Some
pickled daikon and carrot salad from Elizabeth Andoh’s
Kansha cookbook. I made this for an event at Omnivore once, and it was a total hit.
:: Beets! Beets! Beets! I’m going to make a twist on the
Veselka Borscht , and
quick pickled beets with cumin and coriander.
Treats I want to try: I make my pumpkin chocolate chip cake at least once a season! This week is going to be the week.
What’s cooking in your kitchen this weekend?
by Sam Tackeff | Sep 13, 2015 | Holidays, Meal Planning
Tonight is the eve of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, so I celebrated with friends and family, and partook in some of my favorite foods: Tsimmes, a dish of braised beef, carrots, and sweet potatoes, my grandmother’s potato kugel, blueberry cheese pie (what we call cheesecake), and my mom’s carrot cake!
My aunt pulled out all the tricks. She always has a great wine selection (and hard liquor – clutch for any family situation.) And the evening starts with a well curated cheese board, and chopped liver for us traditionalists. Cooper, the lab, was sniffing around for crumbs, but feeling under the weather, so alas, I couldn’t share with him any of my generous cracker schmears. Not that I’d ever do something like that.
We also had salmon, beef tenderloin, a deconstructed cabbage roll casserole, green beans, and vegetarian lasagna. And then dessert: the aforementioned cheese pie and carrot cake, a Venezuelan layered dessert called Marquesa, lemon meringue pie, apple crumble, and fruit.
So it’s possible that I won’t need to eat for a few days, but I’m still on the hook for a healthy meal Monday through Thursday this week. On Friday, I’m running Reach the Beach (a 200 mile relay through my home state of New Hampshire, so my meal will likely be some American Chop Suey served to me in an elementary school cafeteria around midnight!
Here’s what’s on the docket this week. The weekly cook-up, which, in addition to my dinners make up my breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the week:
– cook a large batch of greens
– hardboil eggs
– braise green beans with tomato
– make fennel salad (this holds!)
– chop peppers for snacks
– make pesto
Monday: grilled jerk chicken with fennel salad
Tuesday: pork tenderloin with pesto and zucchini noodles
Wednesday: roasted fish with sticky roasted tomatoes and garlic
Thursday: steak and potatoes with green beans.
And here’s a closing note for you of my favorite evening ritual: a pot of herb tea. I’ve been alternating between fresh mint, and dried lemon verbena. I took a good portion of my mom’s plant, and have been supplementing my habit with the leaves from Stearns Farm.
What’s on your dinner table this week?
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 3, 2015 | Meal Planning, Seafood
Happy weekend! Welcome to another installment of the weekly meal plan! Maybe it’s the new year, but I’m feeling particularly productive in all aspects of my life, and I hope the inspiration lasts for a good long while. There’s a recipe at the bottom of the post for these scallops with Thai scented pea purée, which were a smash hit tonight for dinner.
It’s been a low key weekend so far – we went to see the final Hobbit this afternoon, which was beautiful, but honestly a bit of a let down. I grew up obsessed with Tolkien, and I think I’m still just bitter about the creation of Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel for the movies – a lackluster female character who definitely is not in the book, and devised for romantic tension with an all too good looking Kili. The whole thing irked me. But I was certainly glad to have seen a movie in the theaters – it’s been all too long!
This weekend I’ve also been playing around with a new app that my culinary crush Jamie Oliver is collaborating on. (Other teenagers had their favorite pop stars hanging over their beds, I had a picture of a smarmy Jamie Oliver sitting in a bathtub that I had clipped out of the TV Guide. I was completely devastated when he married Jules, but I digress.) The new app is called the YOU-app, and every day it gives you daily photo prompts to encourage simple micro-actions to make a better life. Yesterday’s action was to address your fridge – empty it, clean up, and take stock. I managed to toss a good number of things that were past their prime. Here’s the slightly more tidy version right now.
The Meal Plan: Week of December 28th
Now that you’ve seen me bare all – it’s not looking as bad as I’d worried it would, here are the things to use up in my kitchen: a little bit of cheese, some potatoes in chicken broth, a little bit of leftover tomato coconut sauce from the Moqueca (perfect for simmering an egg or two), the leftover vegetable tops from my spiralizer, some beets which I plan on pickling, some coconut milk.
Saturday: scallops and thai scented pea puree. The recipe for this one is below! I was originally planning this for last week, but life happened. Served with a Trader Joe’s potato pancakes, and a fried sardine for the cook.
Sunday: grilled chicken and winter fennel salad. I made this salad a month ago for a dinner party, and I’ve been craving it ever since. Recipe to be posted shortly!
Monday: ground beef and tomato-rice soup. My version of a stuffed pepper soup, with a Turkish twist. It’ll likely get a dollop of yogurt on top, and I’ll use up the leftover dill.
Tuesday: chicken sausage and egg shakshuka. These are all leftovers in my fridge that need to be used. I might sprinkle with some of the extra feta that needs using up as well.
Wednesday: black beans and rice. I haven’t been eating too many beans lately, but Samin got me thinking about beans with her push for ‘bean month’ this January. And I still happen to have about a dozen varieties in my house from my Rancho Gordo year of beans subscription.
Thursday: pork chops with brussels spouts. Just something simple to use up some of my CSA pork chops. I’m not sure I’ll have anything interesting to do with them – this pork is so good just on it’s own.
Friday: Out!
Scallops with Thai Scented Pea Puree
serves 2
I’ve adapted this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s original one – replacing her creme fraîche with coconut milk, and adding some extra fresh herb (mint) to the peas. Thai basil would also be good here. I use Thai Kitchen Green Thai Curry Paste, which you can find in most supermarkets now. If we’re feeling hungry, or the price of scallops is exorbitantly high, I’ll reduce the number of scallops to two, and serve the meal with some Trader Joe’s frozen potato pancakes. To cook this dish, start by putting out all of your ingredients, because you’ll want to put together this dish quickly, and eat it while hot!
16 ounces frozen peas (I get the 1 lb. petit pois from Trader Joes)
1 to 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
flaky sea salt
1 pound wild sea scallops, about 3-4 large scallops per person
flaky salt
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lime
Start by prepping your scallops – dry them well, and season with a pinch of flaky salt on both sides. Then, start the mash. In a large bowl in the microwave, heat the peas until hot, stirring every minute or so until warmed through, about three minutes. (You could also do this on the stovetop.) Stir in the green curry paste, coconut milk, and chopped mint leaves, and season with a good pinch of salt, and set aside.
For the scallops, heat the butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. When hot, add scallops, making sure not to crowd the pan, and let scallops cook for 3 minutes without touching them. Check to see if they’re golden on the bottom, and if they aren’t let them go another minute. Flip. Cook three minutes on the other side.
While the scallops are finishing their last three minutes, puree the pea mixture with an immersion blender (A regular blender will also work, but will take a little bit more effort – if you use a regular blender, you may want to do this before cooking the scallops.) Taste, and add any extra salt and pepper you’d like. Plate the purée, and take the cooked scallops out of the pan, and nestle them on the purée.
To finish, make a quick pan sauce: squeeze the lime in the hot pan juices, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any golden brown bits that have all the flavor! Stir for about a minute, and you are done. Pour pan sauce over scallops and mash, and eat while hot!
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 29, 2014 | Meal Planning, Seafood
Well hello there! If you’ve come looking for the recipe for this gorgeous Brazilian fish stew, it’s at the bottom there for you. But first – my week! I spent a lot of time thinking about the months past. I’m a sucker for resolutions, vision boards, and planning the future, but I try to make a really earnest effort to look back at the year, take stock, and feel thankful for the opportunities that I’ve experienced, people I’ve met, and things I’ve achieved.
This was also a week of rest and rejuvenation. We continued to listen to Serial, this time as we headed to IKEA for some post holiday shopping, which is code for (we’ve run out of their crack-meatballs). I ended up taking home another Lack coffee table, only to put it together and find that the color (white) totally clashed with our living room. So it ended up repurposed as part of my photography station in the kitchen. Speaking about that – I’ve been working on my photography (both with my DSLR, and iPhone – and sharing regularly on my Instagram account!) – skills that I want to continue to focus on in the new year. I also got myself an extra Lowel Ego light to take pictures in the evening – or in New England, any time after 3:30 pm. And I got another cutting board from Ikea to take photos on. And I spray painted some foam core as a photo board, but I will tell you that that experience was a little bit of a bust. I’ve also been listening to the Tim Ferriss Podcast from the very beginning, and I’m currently on the episode with Chase Jarvis, one of the co-founders of CreativeLive – an excellent resource for creative courses online.
And I must tell you about my incredible luck: last week I got a huge shipment from Chronicle Books – a few weeks ago I entered a giveaway over at SF Girl By Bay (one of my favorite blogs), and I ended up winning! Chronicle is another of one my favorite publishers, so this had me smiling for days. Some of these were in my collection already, so a few lucky people got some cookbooks this holiday season!
The Meal Plan: Week of December 28th
I’m already over the gluttony of holiday eating, and looking to get back on track. Healthy in this house is always delicious, and you won’t find any plain chicken breasts for dinner, but I do like simple meals! Things to use up in my kitchen: almost everything from last week: chopped Buddha’s hand citron, some chicken basil pesto sausage, a little bit of cheese, peppered turkey, dill. I have some cooked borlotti beans, boiled potatoes, celery, some beets, and a little bit of tomato sauce left as well.
Saturday: Whole Foods Salad Bar Night! I try to cook us meals to share, but some nights we’re craving different things, which is a perfect excuse to go and pick out our own meals. Have you tried their zucchini and tomato with garlic? It’s very good. I also came home with a maple kefir from Butterworks Farm.
Sunday: Brazilian Fish Stew inspired by my Cook Smarts subscription. (Recipe Below). I love this coconut seafood dish.
Monday: rack of lamb with pesto and roasted vegetables. My freezer currently has a bit of a storage problem – a rack of lamb came flying out at me when I opened the door this weekend, so it ended up defrosting in the fridge for Monday night dinner. The vegetables are all actually leftovers from my spiralizer sessions. I put them in a small tupperware until I have a few cups to roast.
Tuesday: greens and eggs. I used to eat this meal once a week while Devon was taking his late night classes in Hayward. It’s still my favorite meal to go to when I’m craving all of the green things.
Wednesday: Mexican flavored meatballs? Baked potatoes with caviar? I feel like I should do something significant to usher in the new year, but as of yet, I haven’t figured out what. I’ll keep thinking about it!
Thursday: scallops with Thai scented pea puree A few years ago I bookmarked this recipe in Nigella’s Kitchen cookbook, and have kept coming back to it when I want something light. It’s always a nice treat!
Friday: Out! Or possibly eating more green vegetables.
––––––––––––––––––––––
Quick Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca)
Some notes – I’ve gone ahead and tweaked this recipe slightly from a traditional version – I like my onion and pepper texturally in a sort of smooth salsa-like paste before I cook them into stews. You could use any type of thicker white fish here, but I use cod. It’s also good with shrimp. You’d typically marinate the seafood in advance in lime juice, but for an easy weeknight meal, you don’t have to, and it still turns out delicious. Traditionally you would use full fat coconut milk and palm oil (which I spotted today in Trader Joe’s! – but I substitute olive oil, because that’s usually what I have in the house.)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small bell pepper
1 tablespoon palm oil (or olive oil)
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 good pinch of salt
1 pound wild cod, cut into chunks
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
juice of half a lime
lime and cilantro for garnish
In a mini Cusinart, chop onion, garlic, and pepper into a thick salsa-like consistency, alternately, you can chop these ingredients with a knife. In a heavy pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil, and cook the garlic, onion, and pepper mixture with the paprika, chile powder, and a large pinch of salt, stirring gently, for about five minutes.
Add tomatoes, coconut milk, stock, and another pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, until the onion and garlic are cooked, and have lost their harshness.
Add fish chunks, and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, turning the fish over after three minutes to ensure that they cook through. When fish turns opaque, take off the stove, stir in the lime juice, and taste for seasoning – you might need to add a little bit of salt. Serve over rice, with crusty bread, or with mashed potatoes. (This isn’t traditional, I’m just on a mashed potato kick.)
What are you eating this week?
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 21, 2014 | Meal Planning
I’ve started listening to Serial. I’ll freely confess that I should have started listening weeks ago, with the first of my friends’ qualified recommendations. But I was stubborn about it. Everyones doing it! Why should I do it? Of course I didn’t actually have any idea what it was about, and true crime is one of my favorite genres. Eventually I couldn’t escape hearing about it, so it was one of those things that I thought that I might as well start before everything is ruined for me. Now I’m a single episode in, and I’m already captivated. If you haven’t started listening, you probably should.
So what can I tell you about this coming week? The office was quiet on Friday, and will likely be until the end of the year, but I’m looking forward to heading in on Monday – somehow it always feels fun when there’s a small group of people there in it together – it’s like a snow day, but for adults. Except you manage to get a lot of work done? Okay, so I probably would have resented that as a kid. But I really like going to work!
There’s likely to be a movie – on Friday we learned that one of our coworkers has not seen the majority of influential movies from the late 70’s to the early 2000’s. Including Star Wars (any of them), Indiana Jones (really??), or the Princess Bride. (No, just no.) The list of must-see movies ended up about 84 long (we’re keeping a Trello board), so there might have to be some group encouragement to get this thing started. Last night I ticked off one of my own on the to-watch list: Grosse Pointe Blank, with the Cusacks, and Minnie Driver, known in this house as Petite Chauffeur. Super fun!
––––––––––––––––––––––
Week of December 20th
My Walden share arrived a week early this month, because of the holiday delivery schedule – which means that my freezer was overflowing, and I needed to pull out a bunch of meat to defrost. Things to use up in my kitchen: chopped Buddha’s hand citron, some chicken basil pesto sausage, a little bit of cheese, peppered turkey, dill.
Saturday: Shake Shack! For as often as I cook at home, we aren’t saints when it comes to diet – and Shake Shack is one of my very favorite treats. There’s something about those crinkle fries (back, finally!), potato buns, and that Shack sauce that make the trip special. And right now, because it’s in season, the salted caramel hot chocolate. (Just get it. Get it now.)
Sunday: Italian sausage, zucchini noodles, and marinara. Whole Foods is having a madness sale on Rao’s Marinara right now, $64 for a case of 12. I couldn’t pull the trigger, but I adore this sauce.
Monday: roast chicken and potatoes. I got my first chicken from my CSA this week! The difference between a chicken from the supermarket and a pasture raised chicken is pretty huge – the farm chicken just tastes better.
Tuesday: pesto zoodles. Are you surprised at how many zucchini noodles I’ve eaten in the past few weeks? I have mixed emotions about eating vegetables that aren’t in season, but if it means that our entire household inhaling vegetables with glee, I’ll buy them.
Wednesday: Chinese food? Something Christmas-y? After seven years, we’re still trying to figure out some of our family traditions. Growing up, Chinese and a movie was de rigeur for most Jewish families (still is). Usually we were in Florida for the occasion. With our mixed household, we’re still trying to determine how best to do holidays when we don’t travel to family.
Thursday: Christmas day! One year, I spent Christmas in New Jersey with my dear friend Julia, and we had these formidable waffles at her cousin Holly’s house. (I still have this memory shining bright it my mind.) I love the idea of waffles, but we don’t have a waffle maker anymore. I’ll still try to do brunch! We might also do a late afternoon dinner – I have some lamb shanks defrosting.
Friday: out! Or possibly eating more green vegetables.
What are you eating this week?
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 13, 2014 | Meal Planning
Hello! I should be heading to sleep – I’m running Yulefest tomorrow! – but HGTV is on in the background, and it’s always so hard to shut off the calming voices of Canadians talking about open concept living spaces and income properties.
I wish that I could say that this week was relatively uneventful, but it was a difficult one for me. My grandmother Sterra lost her dear best friend of 81 years, and hearing her give Betty’s eulogy was so terribly, deeply sad. Think about that for a second. 81 years of friendship – longer than many people live in a lifetime. My heart is broken for her.
––––––––––––––––––––––
Week of December 13th
After getting my new Paderno spiralizer in the mail this week, I’ve had vegetable noodles on the mind! It was a serious upgrade from noodles made with my Mouli by Moulinex (which is still one of the most useful tools in my kitchen) – these noodles are really quite pasta-like.
Things to use up in my kitchen: cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, a sweet potato, 1/2 jar of Rao’s, shredded carrot, celery.
Saturday: zucchini noodles, leftover Rao’s tomato basil sauce, Italian chicken sausage. To my surprise, zucchini noodles this week were a huge hit. So much so that they were requested not two days later, and who am I to turn down a request for zoodles?
Sunday: coconut milk shrimp (from Sunset) over sweet potato noodles. I bookmarked this recipe the second I opened the new Sunset. (I’m still grieving that Time just sold off the Sunset gardens and HQ. This is another terribly sad week for food magazines.
Monday: Turkish kapuska – cabbage and meat stew. I’ll make this on Sunday, as it always tastes better day two. Here’s a recipe, similar to the one I use (which I’ll get around to writing up one day soon.)
Tuesday: spiced Indian beef over carrot noodles. A riff on Jamie Oliver’s Indian Carrot Salad that’s always a hit in the house.
Wednesday: Devon’s office holiday party. Hopefully I’ll have a real meal at some point, but it’s likely going to be grabbing something on the way over.
Thursday: Turkish tomato eggs (menemen) – using this recipe from my blog.
Friday: out!
What are you eating this week?
–– Sam
