Menu planning

Some people have asked me why on earth I make a menu plan.
Well, here’s what happens when I don’t.

We got this nice batch of veggies last week.

Amelishof organic CSA loot, week 41 (2010)

• leek
• bok choy
• curly red leaf lettuce
• pears (Conférence)
• choggia beets
• basil

But after picking up our new vegetables yesterday, we still had to use most of previous week! Yep, even the fresh basil. Beetroot. Lettuce. Pak-choi cabbage. Some pears. And except for the fruit it all has to fit together in our refrigerator — which is not an American-sized model ;)

Amelishof organic CSA vegetables, week 42 (2010)

• endive
• red Batavia lettuce
• fennel
• grapes
• green beans

So, after a delicious lunch of toast with fennel-tomato salad with fresh basil & black olives, I set myself to the task of making this week’s plan including as many of the greens as possible.

Menu plan for October 21st – 26th

• Stir-fried bok-choy, greens bean salad with sesame dressing, noodles & egg [today]
• Fennel soup with green bean tortilla and eggplant-lentil salad [weekend]
• Indian potatoes, Indian takeaway leftovers and spicy beet salad [weekend]
• Eastern beet soup, toemis andijvie (Indonesian stir-fried endive), nasi goreng (fried rice with leek)
• Veggie burger, sweet ’n sour beets with dill, endive-couscous rolls with goat’s cheese
• Friday: eating at my mother-in-law’s (so no need to plan anything :)
• Lunch today: my favourite tomato-fennel salad with fresh basil & olives, with some added lettuce for the occasion (although it’s better without)

Recipes are coming from several of my vegetarian cookbooks and 1 or 2 websites.

Fennel-tomato salad with fresh basil & olives

This may sound weird to you but I’m not really a fan of fennel. Still, this salad with tomato, fresh basil & olives is awesome! And darn easy. Just throw together the following ingredients:

• some cleaned and chopped up fennel,
• sweet tomatoes (the original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but any ripe sweet tomato will do),
• fresh basil,
• black olives,
• ground pepper,
• and (white) wine vinegar.

You may choose to add some salt, depending on how salty your olives are. You can also sprinkle on a bit of extra virgin olive oil but there’s really no need.

Just a note on the side: eat this salad right away, do not let it sit for too long.

Enjoy!

I’ve submitted this post to Midnight Maniac’s Meatless Mondays!

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