Wednesday, March 3, 2010

What's for Dinner?

So I've mastered chicken breasts and ground turkey.  That's all we've eaten for our first 4 1/2 years of marriage.  And I'm breaking out!

Watch out world.  Here I come.  Watch out pork and fish and vegetables and gourmet cheeses.  I'm coming to get you.

Alex is relieved, I'm sure.  How many different ways can you cook a chicken breast?  Let me tell you...

So for 2010, I have decided to cook 1 fish dish and 2 vegetarian dishes a week.  And, no more bulk chicken breast buying.

It's been fun and yummy already.  Talapia with lemon and a dill sauce, rice, and asparagus makes a delicious and nutritious meal.  I killed the shrimp and grits I made last week.  Perfect landing! (Shout out-Margaret)  And, chili rubbed salmon got some compliments.

But what's next?  Black bean tacos can't be my only veggie meal.  I can only cook red beans and rice every other week.  So, I need ideas.

Do you have any?

What makes your tummy tickle these days?

10 comments:

gwen said...

How about pinto beans & cabbage with corn bread? Yum!

Unknown said...

As far as vegetarian meals go, you can't go wrong with a good veggie chili, especially in the wintertime. I like mine with three different types of beans, lots of veggies and some Quorn to add more protein. Stir-fries are also tasty and easy, plus they adapt to whatever you have on hand. I like them with shrimp or tempeh. Have you used tempeh before? It's one of my favorite non-meat protein sources and so easy to prepare.

As far as seafood goes, tilapia, salmon and shrimp are my faves so you are right on the nose there. I also like seared tuna steaks.

There are tons of yummy vegetarian cookbooks out there. I'll have to look over my stash when I get home.

Molly said...

quinoa and couscous and barley... oh my! many vegetarian dishes exist in the world. portobello burgers, egglplant parmesan, and veggie lasagna. good luck on your new cooking pursuits. I recently made a quick beef bourginon that was delicious and a pork chop dish. if you get real simple magazine, they always have good veggie dishes.

Millie Wamsted said...

I LOVE this lentil soup recipe. It's easy, hearty, and YUMMY!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=7039586

Alex and Emily said...

Thanks everyone! Great ideas! I'll try some and let you know how it goes. It's so hard to keep it fun and exciting at dinner time.

JLal said...

Brazilian Stew!!

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1/4 pound chorizo sausage, chopped
* 1/3 pound cooked ham, chopped
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 (1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
* 1 large red bell pepper, diced
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
* 1 small hot green chile pepper, diced
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the chorizo and ham 2 to 3 minutes. Place the onion in the pot, and cook until tender. Stir in garlic, and cook until tender, then mix in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes with juice, chile pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.
2. Stir the beans into the pot, and cook uncovered until heated through. Mix in the mango and cilantro, and season with salt.

SF Larges said...

The Deborah Madison book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has great recipes. Even if you only use it for inspiration and to get ideas for what goes well with what, it's great. For a quick vegetarian meal at any time of the day, I love a frittata, and you can just thrown in your leftover veggies chopped up and even your grains.

Alex and Emily said...

Yes, the Deborah Madison book is fantastic! It's like the encyclopedia for veggies.

You guys are setting my menu for the next few weeks. Yea!

Averitts said...

We do homemade pizza on Fridays...veggie pizza is a great way to use up all the extra veggies you didn't use throughout the week. I make the crust in large batches, and freeze enough for two months of pizza!!!
Please share any great recipes you find!!!

Alex and Emily said...

This is grand! I ask and you answer. Thanks everyone!