SUNDAY
Herb~Butter Roasted Chicken | Haricots Verts & Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing
MONDAY
Chicken & Wild Rice Salad
TUESDAY
Pasta with Sautéed Greens, Bacon & Mustard Seed
WEDNESDAY
Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds
THURSDAY
Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce | Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
FRIDAY
Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes, Peppers & Onions
My weekly trip to the San Francisco Farmer’s Market did not happen this week. There was no leisurely morning ferry ride across the bay and no milling about the market stalls picking out picture perfect produce to serve as inspiration for our weekly dinner menu. Instead, the alarm went off yesterday at 5:00 am {not a welcome sound on a Saturday morning}, kick starting what would be a very busy day. Mallory and I were the first ones up and, after a quick breakfast, packed a picnic hamper with a myriad of fresh fruit, a few hard boiled eggs, a generous supply of our favorite Olive Oil & Maple Granola and plenty of water. Tuffy in tow, we drove North to Petaluma to hook up our trailer and load her horse, Clarissa, before heading back South to the small town of Woodside {just a bit South of San Francisco} for a day of cross country schooling at The Horse Park. Needless to say, both horse and rider had a blast!
Meanwhile, back at home, Michael {who arrived home Friday evening from business meetings in both France and Brussels earlier in the week} took over football duty getting Max to, and cheering the team on, at his high school junior varsity football game. Here is Max {as starting Center} ready for action…
We were all reunited shortly before 7:00pm…exhausted, Mallory & I covered in dirt, Max icing an injured hand, Michael opening a favorite bottle of wine…so, so happy to be home! Certainly a fun day for everyone which, however, left me with absolutely no clue as to a dinner plan for this week.
I was prepared to wing it this week when, with a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand, I sat in front of my computer this morning and started poking around the archives here at The Dinner Concierge. In no time at all I had jotted down some favorites which turned into our dinner plan for the week.
A few notes on this week’s dinner menu…
SUNDAY: Nothing says Sunday supper to me more than a roasted chicken and, despite our warm afternoons here in the Bay area, the sun is retreating earlier each day making the option of roasting something in the oven a bit more attractive. We haven’t had a roast chicken in a while and, with the over abundance of herbs {especially rosemary} in my garden right now, this Herb~Butter Roasted Chicken sounded perfect…
The side dish to our Sunday dinner was one that we tried last week and really loved…Haricots Verts & Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing…the Freekeh has a wonderfully nutty flavor and we all preferred its texture to that of quinoa {note: I used the cracked version of the grain as I have read that uncracked Freekeh can require a longer cooking period and still be a bit tough}. I substituted toasted pine nuts in place of the walnuts called for in the original recipe, as a matter of personal preference, and it turned out so well we are having it again tonight.
MONDAY: Left over meat from last night’s roasted chicken will be added to a salad of cooked long grain and wild rice, dried fruit {either raisins or cranberries} and chopped red onion, all tossed with the Dijon Vinaigrette from this post. A super easy dinner perfect for a Monday night.
TUESDAY: We will be getting our fair share of greens this week beginning with this Pasta, Sautéed Greens, Bacon & Mustard Seed. Both kale and spinach are featured in this easy pasta dish that comes together in about 30 minutes…
WEDNESDAY: As I have said before, when I serve a salad as our main {and only, in this case} dinner entree it has to satisfy on several levels…namely texture {tender & crunch} and taste {sweet & sour}. Hearty spinach is always filling and it is the foundation of this extremely satisfying dinner salad…
THURSDAY: Asian-style food is a favorite in this family and tonight’s dinner satisfies that craving with a healthier option to traditional take~out. Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce is wonderful served either warm or cold {so they can be made in advance} and the Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls are a super tasty and healthy alternative to the fried version found in restaurants. The filling comes together easily with just a bit of chopping and using pre~made egg roll wrappers from your local market make this meatless side even easier to prepare…
FRIDAY: This evening’s dinner is a staple on our Super Bowl Sunday menu…a favorite among Max’s friends who tend to gather at our house each year to watch the big game. I am making up a big batch of these Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes, Peppers & Onions to serve at Max’s football team dinner tonight…
Have a wonderful week everyone!
