This Week for Dinner – Weekly Meal Plans, Dinner Ideas, Recipes and More!: eat less meat

Category: eat less meat

Wednesday, January 26

Lettuce Wraps

Not only did I actually get my grocery shopping done this week, but I finally made the lettuce wraps I’ve been planning for two weeks. Yea!

These lettuce wraps were TASTY. We loved them and I’m so glad I finally tried my hand at lettuce wraps. I followed my friend Kristen’s recipe over on Dine and Dish, except I made a chicken mix instead of using ground beef. I also used green onions as a topping at the end, rather than cooking them into the meat. You could easily take either approach.

I feel like most restaurants where I’ve had lettuce wraps serve them with iceberg lettuce. Kristen’s recipe called for Boston bibb or butter lettuce, which I liked better…it still had some crunch, but the leaves are more maleable and didn’t break when you wrapped them up.

Our girls loved putting their lettuce wraps together. I let them spoon the chicken mixture onto their lettuce and sprinkle their green onions over top. They thought that was really fun. In terms of actually eating the wraps, well, Anna loved the filling, and Cate liked the lettuce. But I was able to get Cate to eat her chicken filling as well, she just didn’t love it as much as Anna. Bottom line, they’re a little tricky to eat as wraps for kids, but overall I think a mostly kid-friendly meal.

Lettuce Wraps
Modified from Dine and Dish (the Dine and Dish recipe uses ground beef, which Kristen says is delicious…so head on over to Kristen’s site for the ground beef version)
- Boston bibb or butter lettuce leaves (one head), rinsed and patted dry and set aside
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into small cube-sized pieces (if you want to make this vegetarian, substitute the chicken for diced tofu)
- 1 can water chestnuts, diced into small cube-sized pieces
- Handfull of shiitake mushrooms, diced into small pieces (I actually didn’t add mushrooms this time around, but it’s an option)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 onion, diced into small pieces
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pushed through a press
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
- 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add chicken, onions and mushrooms (if using). Saute until chicken is cooked through. I lightly sprinkled some salt evenly over the chicken during this step.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with ground ginger. Add garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the chicken mixture and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts and sesame oil and heat through. (If you want to cook the green onions into the meat, add them with the water chestnuts and cook until the onions are just wilted.)

Serve over lettuce leaves, topped with green onions, soy sauce and chile sauce.

Speaking of chili sauce, I picked up this bottle of Maggi Sweet Chile Sauce at Safeway and it is YUMMY. It’s got some heat and a nice sweet flavor. So glad I stumbled on it at the store!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:17 am 31 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, main dishes, Recipes, the goods
Thursday, January 6

Caprese Paninis, Garlic Basil Mayo and How to Make a Panini without a Panini Maker

I love paninis. I’ve written about making them before, and I’m going to write about them again, just to prove my love. Paninis are simple to throw together, the variations are endless, and my girls {almost always} eat them. It’s a tasty, simple dinner option that I frequently turn to. Plus, I’m a sucker for any hot sandwich you put in front of me.

My personal favorite panini is of the caprese variety. On this week’s menu post, Amanda asked if I would share the recipe. So, here we are!

In addition to my “recipe” for caprese paninis (which, by the way, is not really a recipe nor anything all that original…but certainly tasty!), I have another “recipe” for some pretty darn yummy garlic basil mayonnaise, as well as how I make paninis without a panini maker {it can be done!}. This is a whopper of a post. Get ready.

First, Caprese Paninis.

Caprese Paninis
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- Panini bread or any delicious sliced bread
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- Fresh basil, chiffonaded (is that word?)
- Tomatoes, your favorite variety, sliced
- Olive Oil and/or Balsamic Vinegar and/or Garlic Basil Mayo (recipe below)
- Salt & Pepper

Place your sliced mozzarella cheese, basil and tomatoes on a slice of bread. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar, or spread the bread with Garlic Basil Mayo before putting ingredients on the bread. Top sandwich with second slice of bread and cook in a panini maker or on the stove in a skillet with another skillet on top (see below for my oh-so-fancy technique) over medium heat. When side 1 is lightly browned, flip and cook until side 2 is browned and the cheese is melted.

Second order of the day – Garlic Basil Mayonnaise. The inspiration for this comes from Cafe Borrone. When tomatoes are in season, they have this to-die-for Basil Melt, which is basically an open-faced caprese panini. They use a flavored mayonnaise that really puts this sandwich over the top. Tonight, I attempted to replicate the mayo. I’m certain it’s different, but it was still awesome and made for the best caprese panini I’ve made yet! (Note as of 10/2011: the menu this year says they use a thyme mayo, so next time I make this I’ll try throwing in some thyme!)

Garlic Basil Mayonnaise
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- Mayonnaise
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh garlic clove
- Fresh chopped basil, a few leaves’ worth
- Thyme (haven’t tried this yet, but see note in the paragraph above)

For three good-sized paninis, I simply scooped out about three spoonfuls of mayonnaise into a bowl. I threw in some basil, two shakes of salt, two shakes of pepper, and 1/2 of a garlic clove pushed through a garlic press. Mix together and spread on bread for Caprese Paninis.

Last order of business…what to do if you do not have a panini maker. I’ve thought about buying one. My friend Jen who went to culinary school and is an amazing cook loves her panini maker almost as much as her knives. But, fact is, my non-panini-maker technique works fine, so whatever. Maybe one day I’ll get the real deal, but until then, here is what I do.

I get two skillets that are the same size. (You could also use two different sized skillets and have the smaller one on top, but I’ll continue explaining the technique assuming you’re using two of the same size and explain why I like it.) I heat the pan over medium heat (my stove runs hot, so I actually do one tick lower than medium), with the second pan resting on top. Once the pan is heated, I place my sandwich in the bottom pan, then place the second pan on top of the sandwich and press down until the pans are resting on one another. This is why I like using the same size pans, the top pan just sort of rests in the right spot. I try to make sure the top pan stays parallel to the one below so my sandwich “squishes” evenly.

I used to use two medium sized pans flat pans, but last summer I got two 12-inch Calphalon skillets, one of which is a grill pan. Now I can get those fun ridges in the sandwich. And I can cook two paninis at once. Love it!

There you go, more than you ever wanted to know about how I make paninis. Bon Appétit!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:49 pm 25 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, featured recipes, Kitchen Tips, main dishes, Recipes
Tuesday, January 4

My New Year’s Resolution: Join a CSA
It’s the beginning of the year, which for many of us is a great time to make new (or revive old!) goals. Cate’s Kindergarten class even made resolutions for 2011. Cate came home from school with this completely adorable New Year’s Bell, with the following resolution: “In 2011, I will listen to my parents more.” Needless to say I am excited about her choice! (I love the illustration of her ear actively listening.)

I’ve been thinking for weeks about what I want my 2011 New Year’s resolution to be. Last year’s resolution Eat Less Meat went really well, which puts a lot of pressure on this year’s resolution. Yesterday it finally hit me what I want to do: join a CSA. I’ve been thinking about doing this for years and am finally going to take the plunge. The great thing about this year’s goal is that it supports last year’s goal very nicely, so I can continue on my theme of eating more plants, less meat and less processed food. CSA stands for community-supported agriculture. Basically, a local farm or group of farms delivers produce weekly to a drop spot near your home. You pay a flat rate and get whatever happens to be in season. It’s a great way to eat seasonally and locally! Click here for more detailed info.

Perhaps I should give a quick report back on last year’s Eat Less Meat goal, which was not about going vegetarian but about reducing our family’s demand for meat and processed foods. I feel like it was super successful and is something I have been able to incorporate into my daily life. I buy so much less meat than I used to, which has been beneficial to my pocketbook and my health. I am much more thoughtful about how I use meat and I really appreciate it when we do eat it. The resolution definitely has changed how I think when I buy food, and I am constantly aware and thoughtful about where my food comes from. I’m not perfect. Trust me. But I have made changes and I continue to do so in a sustainable and meaningful way.

And to continue on with that success…CSA here I come! My goal is to not only join a CSA, but really learn how to use all the wonderful fruits and veggies that I will get each week. I’ve been scared to do it in the past because I know there will be produce that I don’t have experience with. But it’s going to be good for me to expand my horizons!

Time for you to share some thoughts on resolutions. You know I love hearing from you!
- If you participated with Eat Less Meat, let us know how it went!
- If you are going to join a CSA like me, let me know – I don’t want to be alone on this journey!
- If you’ve made any New Year’s resolutions, tell us about them – no matter what they’re about! Declaring a goal publicly definitely helps in keeping it. (The only reason I am so diligent about a weekly meal plan is because I have all of you watching!)
Happy New Year!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:08 pm 41 Comments
Categories: CSA, eat less meat, Healthy Eats
Monday, November 8

“The Food Matters Cookbook” Giveaway Winners

First off, LOVED all your comments for the Mark Bittman giveaway. I wanted to respond to so many of them but just ran out of time. So, just want to say how great I thought they all were!

Second, I had one reader email me with a concern. Basically, she feels a lot of the food discourse lately attacks hardworking farmers and ranchers. We had a good, constructive and positive email exchange. I told her that for me this isn’t about meat vs. no meat or conventional vs. organic. It’s much more complicated than that. In fact, after watching Food Inc., I was furious on behalf of the farmers…the system (and the big companies controlling it) have so much control over these farmers, it’s infuriating.

Mark quoted some other famous person at the event in San Francisco saying, “Organic junk food is still junk food.” I loved that! For me it’s all a message of moderation. It’s not that eating meat is bad. It’s just that the demand for meat per capita has increased significantly over the last generation. It is simply not sustainable environmentally. The reader who emailed mentioned that they purchase a whole beef each year from a local, conventional cattle farmer. I think that’s wonderful! Oftentimes local will have more of an impact than organic. ANYWAY…I’m blabbering and could go on all day. Bottom line – processed food takes a toll on the environment and our bodies, and we’re demanding more meat than we need. I haven’t cut meat completely, but I am much more thoughtful about how much we eat, how it is produced and/or where it comes from. Also, I really think a lot about packaging nowadays. One small example, I try to buy mushrooms in bulk rather than in a container with plastic wrap.

I’m going to stop now. We could talk for days on the topic, and there are facts and opinions on both sides. For me it boils down to moderation and thoughtfulness. And cooking! The clearest message from Mark Bittman and Ruth Reichl the other night was people need to cook and not be afraid to cook. Amen to that!

I think it’s time to announce the two lucky winners of “The Food Matters Cookbook” giveaway!

Jessica Lee, who said, “Oh wow! I want this book. I love cooking, and have come to realize that food from a box is horrible for you! I do all that I can to eat from scratch and to have a book help me along the way would be great.”

and

Kaitlin, who said, “Oh, I would probably geek out too if I were to talk to Mark Bittman. Or Ruth Reichl. Or several other folks in the food writing industry. As for more sustainable eating…it’s incredibly frustrating, because my mother “knows” best. And so, when she tells me that it isn’t worth buying garlic from the farmer’s market or having our eggs delivered by someone we know, it is frustrating. But then, she came for Thanksgiving (in Canada…we’ve had ours already!), along with my father and my in-laws (all six of them), and I cooked. And I cooked some more. I made dishes from local brussel sprouts and potatoes, and made the pumpkin filling for the pumpkin cheesecake from scratch (ie. from a real pumpkin, not a can). And it was so fulfilling, the process. But, it was mostly fulfilling when I mentioned this all to my mother and she said it had been the most delicious Thanksgiving meal she had eaten and perhaps maybe eating with a conscience wasn’t such a bad thing. Perhaps this isn’t so much about how I came to eat more sustainably, but how I’ve helped her to do the same?”

Congratulations, ladies! And thanks to everyone else for entering!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:08 am 3 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, Giveaways
Friday, October 22

Call for Recipes: Preserving Apples and Tomatoes
I know I put you to work only a week ago with sharing your best bean recipes, but I have to do another Call for Recipes today. It’s a necessity. Because I suddenly find myself with 12 pounds of pippen apples and 20 pounds of roma “mariana” tomatoes.

My friend Gudrun sent an email earlier this week saying that her CSA would be selling tomatoes and apples in bulk and anyone could buy them. I decided to take the plunge. And now I need to do something with my beautiful produce!

Gudrun conveniently wrote a post today about preserving tomatoes, which is super helpful. And she said she’s going to make a few pies to freeze before baking…making Thanksgiving that much easier! Can you see why I love Gudrun? She’s so resourceful and full of delicious ideas!

I would also love to get some ideas from you! Here’s what I’m looking for:
- Tomato Sauce Recipes. I make homemade tomato sauce frequently, but it’s only ever been for one meal at a time. I’ve never done it in bulk this way, so an honest-to-goodness recipe would be very helpful.
- Apple Sauce Recipes. I’ve never made apple sauce, so I need recipes AND advice on how to store it.
- Apple Pie Recipes. I know there must be apple recipes out there that you’re willing to bet the house on. Please share!
- ANY ideas for preserving my loads of roma tomatoes and pippen apples!
For purely selfish reasons I’m grateful for this blog…I can just put something out there and get a deluge of great advice. Love it! Thank you in advance!!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:49 am 42 Comments
Categories: call for recipes, eat less meat, Healthy Eats
Wednesday, October 20

‘North Bay Farmers Markets Cookbook’ Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed. But you should keep reading because it’s a great book…and the pictures are pretty.

I took a stroll through the Menlo Park Farmers Market on Sunday morning. I haven’t been to a farmers market in quite a while. And I have to tell you, I’ve been missing out. I can’t believe what a great mood that visit put me in. I can’t explain it. I felt inspired and happy all day.

Our friend Brian from San Diego emailed me one day and said I needed to connect with his friend Amelia, who was from the Bay Area and supposedly had a great cookbook. Well, I got in touch with Amelia and Brian was right…her cookbook is great, and it’s all about wonderful farmers markets! Once Amelia and I connected, she and Brigitte (her co-author) immediately sent me a lovingly signed copy of North Bay Farmers Markets Cookbook. And then…it sat on my shelf for months - it’s been such a crazy year! But I finally pulled it out this week and it’s wonderful. Lots of inspiring information about farmers markets and oodles of great recipes, peppered with stories of individual farmers from the North Bay. It’s a lovely read. And the book inspired my acorn squash yesterday. Which ended up being delicioso!

The book also inspired my little visit to my own farmers market this past weekend. Farmers markets are always invigorating for me. I love interacting with the farmers themselves, knowing that the food is local and oftentimes organic. And, more than anything else, FRESH. Nothing beats fresh, in-season food. Nothing.

Brigitte and Amelia want to share their book with you, so they are giving away FOUR copies of the book! If you’d like to enter for your chance to win North Bay Farmers Markets Cookbook, please add a comment to this post by Midnight PT on Sunday, 10/24. Four winners will be randomly-selected and announced on Monday, 10/25. And it doesn’t matter if you live in the North Bay or not…I don’t, and the book is still applicable to my life, as it will be to yours!

As you know, I’ve thought a lot this year about how the way we eat affects the environment. I love seeing the growth of farmers markets across the country and an increased interest around eating locally and seasonally. It gives me great hope!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:03 pm 135 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, Giveaways, the goods
Tuesday, October 19

Simple Roasted Acorn Squash with Shallots

I am so happy the weather has finally turned cool. So happy. If we have any more hot days, I just don’t know what I’ll do! Shake my fist at the heavens and curse the weather gods, I suppose. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Since it’s finally autumn and it’s okay to have my oven on for an hour at a time, I made this squash the other night. It was super easy and darn tasty. The salty sweet butter mixed with delicious shallots complements the squash nicely and makes it pretty much impossible to resist. I was inspired by a recipe in a book that I’ll be sharing with you tomorrow…but it’s a surprise. And who knows, maybe we’ll have a few copies to give away. Just maybe.

Until then, enjoy some roasted acorn squash with my most favorite member of the onion family, shallots.

Simple Roasted Acorn Squash with Shallots
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- Acorn Squash
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Chopped shallots
- Cinnamon
- Salt & Pepper

Cut the acorn squash in half. One half of a squash will feed one person, so do as many squashes as you need.

Sprinkle the following ingredients into each squash, in the following order: Shallots (maybe 2 teaspoons or so), 2 pats of butter, a teaspoon or so of brown sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon over the tops of all the squash.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for around 45 minutes (until the squash is easily pierced by a knife). Sprinkle with coarse salt and some pepper. Eat!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 7:17 am 16 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, Recipes, side dishes, simple side dishes
Thursday, October 14

Call for Recipes: Beans!

As I’ve reduced the amount of meat in our diet, I’ve discovered a new found appreciation for beans. They truly are a wonder food. High in fiber, protein, complex carbs, folate and iron, they offer a serious nutritional punch. I’ve tried adding beans to our food where I think it makes sense, but I still feel like a bean novice. In fact, I have a few bags of dried beans that have been waiting very patiently in my pantry for, well, months now. Every time I ignore the dried beans and grab a can instead, I can hear Mark Bittman in my head telling me I should have gone with dried. Yup, I hear voices in my head when I’m cooking. Don’t you?

Today’s Call for Recipes is all about beans. Dried, canned or otherwise! Please share your best recipes and tips that involve beans. Whether it’s a simple, “This is how I cook dried black beans” tip or a deliciously complex recipe where beans are just a player in the game. You get it. If you’re talkin’ beans (canned or dried), then I’m happy. Feel free to share recipes with our without meat!

Since I should probably be the one to get this party started, here is one of my bean recipe favorite finds this year, Pasta with Arugula and White Beans. I do have more recipes on my site with beans, but this isn’t about me. I want YOUR recipes! Ready, set, GO!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:15 am 48 Comments
Categories: call for recipes, eat less meat, Recipes
Wednesday, October 6

Preparing for La Petite Soirée…and a lunch filled with curry and veggie goodness!

Doesn’t this food look good? It is. And I’ll get to it in a moment…but first, a little about what I’m up to this week!

On Friday, I’m heading up to the BlogHer Food conference, and that night I’m also co-hosting La Petite Soirée, a party for food bloggers. I will be co-hosting this little shindig with some amazing fellow bloggers: Helene Dujardin from Tartelette, Kristen Doyle from Dine & Dish, and Stefania Pomponi Butler from City Mama and Clever Girls Collective. It’s been a dream team, no question.

Did I mention, our party is going to be awesome? For food, we’re going to have a bunch of San Francisco food carts serving their delicious eats, and Chef Elizabeth Faulkner of pastry and Top Chef fame will be making cupquettes for the party (thanks to Scharffen Berger!), served alongside wine and drinks. The party is going to be held at a photography studio, which is the perfect venue for a bunch of camera-toting food bloggers! Speaking of those bloggers…we have an amazing guest list, with really talented and wonderful food bloggers and cookbook writers included. I’m giddy with excitement!

I always end up killing myself stuffing bags for all the parties I throw…La Petite Soirée is no exception! In fact, swag for the bags has completely taken over my patio and garage. And my back hurts a little. But it’s worth it! Here’s a little sneak peak.

One of the best parts of getting into blogging is the truly amazing people I’ve befriended along the way. Gudrun Enger from Kitchen Gadget Girl definitely falls into that category. I met Gudrun at BlogHer in Chicago last year and, lucky for me, she only lives 2 miles away! She took pity on me today and came over to help organize and stuff swag. Not only did she help me tremendously with party preparations, she brought me lunch! She kept saying, “It’s just leftovers.” But, uh, yeah, her leftovers ROCK and way kick my usual peanut butter and honey’s sandwich patootie.

Which brings us to the food from the beginning of this post. Gudrun brought Cauliflower Curry, a Delicata Squash and Pumpkin dish, brown rice and naan bread. Mmmmmm. Gudrun is one of my cool friends who is part of a CSA and does a great job using up all the fresh grown food she receives each week. I’ll get there…one day!

Click more to see the recipes from my delicious lunch!

(more…)

Posted by Jane Maynard at 4:27 pm 6 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, featured recipes, La Petite Soirée, side dishes
Tuesday, September 28

Creamy Pesto Fettuccine with Mushrooms & Tomatoes

Last week when I made the Pesto Tortellini Soup I had on my menu, I ended up with 7 ounces minus 1/4 cup of pesto left over. The next night we had Easy Peasy Bean Tacos, which resulted in a half a container of leftover grape tomatoes. The next night (are you liking this painful play-by-play?) I swung by the store on the way home from a playdate and saw a $2 package of fresh fettuccine that inspired me. I grabbed a half pint of cream, a package of sliced mushrooms and went home to throw dinner together as quickly as possible.

The result was a simple and fast recipe that was molto delicioso. The best part? My girls ate ALL of their dinner and then some. And I have another meatless recipe to add to the arsenal.

Buon appetito!

Creamy Pesto Fettuccine with Mushrooms & Tomatoes
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- 9 oz. fresh fettuccine (or whatever past you have on hand)
- 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
- Couple handfuls of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced or smashed through a garlic press
- 1/2 pint cream
- Prepared pesto (I used 7 ounces MINUS 1/4 cup since the pesto was leftover from the soup recipe, but I think a 7-ounce package will work just fine…no need to subtract out that 1/4 cup…although you could make the Pesto Tortellini Soup the same week to coordinate!)
- 2 handfuls fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus some for garnish
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- Olive oil for sautéing

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and drizzle with a bit of butter or olive oil to prevent sticking.

While waiting for water to boil for the pasta, start working on the other stuff. Sauté the mushrooms in a tablespoon or two of olive oil until softened. Add garlic and tomatoes and sauté a few minutes more. Add cream, pesto sauce and salt; simmer to reduce until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted.

Pour sauce over pasta and serve, sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil if you have it.

A few things I think would be good to add, but I haven’t actually tried yet:
- A shallot sautéed with the mushrooms
- Spinach
- White beans

Posted by Jane Maynard at 7:00 am 18 Comments
Categories: eat less meat, featured recipes, main dishes