“Real cooking is more about following your heart than following recipes.”
I love to cook. I find it therapeutic. Dinnertime is sacred and I start by lighting a candle and playing music. Chopping and sauteeing , wrapped in the warmth of the kitchen. In the moment, immersed in the scents and flavours, immersed in my world. Today I thought I’d share what I typically cook in a week. I guess typical shouldn’t be the word because I’m all about trying out new recipes so let’s just say this is what I cooked this week.
I pre-plan a menu for the week so that when I shop I buy exactly what I need and nothing goes to waste. I’m so lucky to have a farmers market in my neighbourhood. Every Thursday I stock up on all of my organic produce there; heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers. Whatever is available. I then create meals around what I’ve purchased.
Cooking in batches and freezing meals is something I like to do as well. This way if there’s a day in the week or weekend that I’ve been out all day or am just feeling lazy, I pull something out of the freezer and voila, a home cooked meal in minutes.
This is what’s on my menu this week.
NIGELLA’S RAMEN NOODLE SOUP
There’s something about a warm bowl of noodles to slurp up that fills me with joy. This recipe is from Nigella Lawson who is one of my favourite chefs. Since this photo was taken we’ve stopped buying eggs at home because my husband is allergic but you can’t really go wrong with adding ingredients: bamboo shoots, seaweed or a slice of meat of your choice. The Recipe HERE.
MEZZE PLATTER WITH FALAFEL
We try to eat Vegan or Vegetarian as much as possible and this Mezze Platter is so satisfying. Homemade Falafel, salad, warm pita bread, homemade pickles and hummus. Pictured here is a slice of fresh goat Feta cheese. You can also add chopped veggies like carrots and cucumbers and homemade Tzatziki. The Recipe HERE
LENTIL DAHL WITH SAFFRON RICE
Curries are a favourite of mine to make. I have another recipe which I’ll add a link to HERE for my “Everything but the kitchen sink curry” which I’ve aptly named because I make it whenever I have scraps of veggies that need to be used up in the fridge. This Lentil Dahl is very flavourful, packed with fragrant spices and coconut milk, I serve mine on saffron rice or with a nice garlic naan bread. The Recipe HERE.
GALICIAN TUNA EMPANADA
When I’m running low on groceries I shop my stockpile. My pantry is ready for the Apocalypse (lol!) and I keep a healthy supply of bulk ingredients including cans of tuna. This empanada is originally from Northern Spain and served during Easter (when Catholics don’t eat meat, but can eat fish I guess). We’re not religious at home so I make this dish for the mere pleasure with from-scratch pastry and a large veggie salad. I usually use half of the filling since it’s only 2 of us at home and freeze the rest for a rainy day. The Recipe HERE.
SLOW COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP
I pulled the slow cooker out this week which means it’s officially Fall in my mind (I know it’s not until the 22nd but let a girl dream). Once a week I do a big general clean of the house and popping the slow cooker on allows me to do all my chores AND have dinner ready on time. The Recipe HERE.
PIEROGI WITH SAUTEED CABBAGE AND ONIONS
I made Pierogi from scratch for the first time 2 weeks ago and they came out so good!. Stuffed with fluffy mashed potatoes and cheese, I froze 1/2 of them so we’ll enjoy them again this week. This is a great recipe to freeze and if you do this, place the fresh made pierogi on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours, then transfer them to a bag. This way they won’t stick. The Recipe HERE.
MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SPICED COUSCOUS SALAD
We’ve taken a trip around the world with my menu this week: Japan, Middle East, India, Spain and now Morocco. I have 4 chicken thighs in my freezer which I will use for this spiced chicken and couscous salad. You can make this one as spicy (or not) as you like and a really nice touch for the salad (if you can find them) is pomegranate seeds. They give the couscous a lovely flavour and pop of colour. The Recipe HERE.
What I’m listening to while I cook.
Thank you so much for joining me today. You can find these and all of my recipes in my IN THE KITCHEN section of the blog. Autumn cooking has got me very excited so the list should soon be growing.
I love sharing my content with all of you and so appreciate your support.
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Until next time.
Love
Jennifer