A Peek in My Cart February 1 – 7

It’s a busy week so I rely heavily on frozen leftovers. Deep freezer to the rescue!

Monday – Chili baked potatoes

Well the plan was for chili baked potatoes. But I forgot how long baked potatoes take to cook so we eat the chili with bread and the baked potatoes make great lunches later this week.

The chili wasn’t really a chili, but a combination made from food in the fridge – a half-bottle of tomato sauce, mushrooms nearly going bad, most of a package of ground bison and an open can of kidney beans leftover from a demo on Friday. A creative way to use sup a fridge full of odds and ends.

Tuesday - Pasta with spinach and ricotta tomato sauce

This is another meal made from fridge odds and ends: the last of that open jar of tomato sauce, frozen spinach, and half a container of ricotta leftover from the orzo pie last week.

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday – KD with tuna and frozen peas

Friday – Akee and saltfish at the Reef

Friends are in town so we go for a fun, late dinner at the Reef. I chose the traditional caribbean dish and a rum-ginger cocktail.

Saturday – Quinoa stew and chocolate cheesecake

Between working and checking out the Olympic fun, I rely on frozen leftovers from a few weeks ago. Here’s the recipe again. Rounding out my Sat night dinner at home: a piece of chocolate cheesecake from Granville Island.

Peruvian Quinoa Stew

Adapted from: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Serves 4

This recipe is very fast cooking. Chopping the vegetables is the more time-consuming part of this recipe.

½ cup quinoa

1 cup water

2 cups onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)

1 large carrot, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup cubed zucchini or eggplant

2 cups un-drained chopped fresh or canned tomatoes

1 14-oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 cup water or vegetable stock (vegetable stock preferred)

2 teaspoons cumin

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch of cayenne (optional or add more to taste)

2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt to taste

Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, grated cheese (I like parmesan)

1. Using a fine sieve, rinse the quinoa well. Place it in a pot with the water and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until soft. Set aside.
2. While the quinoa cooks, in a covered soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the bell pepper, zucchini/eggplant, chick peas, tomatoes and water or stock. Stir in the cumin, chilli powder, coriander, cayenne, and oregano and simmer, covered, for 10 – 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  
3. Stir the quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste. Top with optional cheese and cilantro. Serve. 

Sunday - Quinoa stew, instant indian palak paneer,  and an apple

It’s a  bit of a makeshift dinner but it works and I enjoy it.