I hate to throw produce (or really any food for that matter) out so have been adding leftover veggies that are threatening to wilt in the fridge into my salads here and there and while the oven is nice and hot for most dinners, roasting off other veggies. Tonight I sliced some leftover sunchokes really thin, tossed them with just a tad of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and had sunchoke chips. Yum yum! I’m still on a cleanse, right? Sometimes it sure doesn’t feel like – which I suppose is sort of the point!
Notes from today:
• To see original recipes from Bon Appétit, click on the link for the recipe in the titles below. Any changes I’ve made are reflected in the recipes below.
• To spare my husband the meatless dinner menu I swapped so that we could enjoy the chicken last night and I would go vegetarian/vegan tonight when I was on my own. I would say that this has been my least favorite dinner so far – and no, not because it’s meatless. It just didn’t seem to pack the flavor punch that the rest did. I guess it was a good night for my hubby to miss dinner at home.
• The breakfast quantity seemed really generous this morning – that could have been cut back a bit and still been plenty. Loved it though! The crunch of the apples and walnuts was really nice against the warm grains. Next time I’ll add more cinnamon.
• The lunchtime salad was crisp and delicious and I saw my coworkers eyeballing it!
Ok! Time to go make my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow! See you then!
BREAKFAST
- ¼ cup red quinoa
- ¼ cup steel-cut oats
- ½ cup almond milk, plus more for serving
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
- 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- ½ apple, shredded
- Rinse quinoa thoroughly and drain. Combine oats and quinoa in a medium saucepan and cover with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in almond milk, salt, and cinnamon and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until quinoa grains are tender, 8–10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 4 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Top quinoatmeal with apple, walnuts, and more cinnamon, if desired. Drizzle with almond milk.
LUNCH
- 1 leftover Lemongrass Chicken thigh, shredded
- 1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
- ½ mango, chopped
- ½ cup leftover Black Rice with Coconut
- 2 Tbsp Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Combine chicken, cabbage, mango, black rice, and vinaigrette in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Garnish with sliced green onions.
DINNER
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled, seeded, cut into 1″ wedges
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper or hot paprika, plus more to taste*
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup Red Pepper–Walnut Relish
- *Ingredient Info: Aleppo pepper, a slightly sweet Syrian pepper with a moderate heat level, is available at some specialty foods stores and wholespice.com.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with oil on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange in a single layer; season with ¾ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. Aleppo pepper. Roast, turning wedges halfway through, until golden and tender, 30–35 minutes. Toss squash with balsamic vinegar and season with salt and Aleppo pepper. Reserve ½ cup roasted squash for Squash and Mustard Greens Salad. Serve squash with red pepper spread.
- 2 Tbps olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or hot paprika, plus more to taste*
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 1½ fps kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 cup green lentils
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (for serving)
- *Ingredient Info: Aleppo pepper, a slightly sweet Syrian pepper with a moderate heat level, is available at some specialty foods stores and wholespice.com.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and 1½ tsp. salt and cook until rice begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Stir in lentils and 4½ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until lentils and rice are tender and water is absorbed, 35–40 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes. Add vinegar and fluff pilaf with a fork. Reserve ½ cup pilaf for Squash and Mustard Greens Salad.
- Serve pilaf topped with cilantro.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch Pinch of Aleppo pepper or hot paprika
- 2 bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 Tbsp The Greenest Tahini Sauce
- Kosher salt
- Lemon wedges (for serving)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and Aleppo pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale and 1 Tbsp. water. Cook, tossing, until kale is wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Toss with tahini sauce, season with salt, and serve with lemon wedges.