Summer Bounty

 Week 6

Now that I don't have dietary restrictions, I feel like reveling in some seasonal ingredients and trying out some of the recipes that have been accumulating in my Pintrest boards.  I also have a habit of reading cookbooks like novels and marking the bits I mean to return to, so this week I've picked a couple recipes by Nigella Lawson from her book Nigella Express.  

Witness the many bookmarks!

 

I'm also returning to alternating salad days--it's just too hot to be cooking every day!  In addition, although I apparently don't have an issue with gluten, eggs, dairy, & soy, I found that reducing the amount in my diet did reduce bloating--so I'm going to continue to limit those when I can (though obviously ice cream is a necessity this time of year!) and aim for more balance in my diet.  This is the goal.

Menu (9/7-9/13)

M--Steaks w/ fries & zucchini (festive dinner for Labor Day, pretending we are on vacation & at a nice restaurant)

T--Moroccan Salad w/ white beans

*Lunch is inspired by Nigella's Green Eggs and Ham.  Really, it's an herbed crepe w/ ham inside.  :)  I substituted turkey & swiss cheese for the ham filling.  It was lovely.  I ate it too fast to get pictures.  However, we seem to have lots of basil this year, so I may make this again soon.

W--Baked chicken legs w/ peas, onions, & rice (inspired by this dish) 

*Review: admittedly, I used drumsticks instead of thighs, but the peas & garlic became burned and some of it completely desiccated.  I should have known better.  I did, in fact remove the chicken to a separate tray after about 1/2 hour, taking the veg out of the oven and continuing to cook the meat--but it was not soon enough.  Nigella, you have led me astray.

*note: Thursday's tomato pie is to be cooked at the same time as the chicken dish to avoid having the stove on two days in a row.

R--Salad(green) & Smitten Kitchen's tomato pie

F--burgers from Tops Diner

*We have had heavy smoke from the surrounding fires for the past couple days.  I could have (should have?) come up with something healthier, but we needed some comfort nosh. 

Sat.-- Sausage w/ peppers, onions, & potatoes

Sun.--Leftovers & sammies 

*Pro tip: work in a leftover day every now and then (every 2 weeks is great) and make sammies, salads, or tapas out of all the odds and ends that have accumulated in the fridge.