yummy french wine

Dh and I enjoyed two French Burgundys for Valentine's Day. His is the red 2006 Fixin Crais de Chene and mine is the Puligny-Montrachet both recommeded by the best wine guy ever at finewine in Gaithersburg. This guy knows his French wine. Both were very delicious- smooth, elegant, and complex. I made a paella for Valentine's dinner- and the wines went very well with this dish. Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic was also rec to go with the red as well as mushroom risotto. 5 flamingos for both!

Menu for the week of Feb 7

Sun

Mon
black beans and rice
steamed dinosaur kale
salad

Tues
at friends- brought Black Bean-Quinoa Salad with Basil-Lemon Dressing- cl

Wed
spaghetti
salad

Thur
Classic Thai Fried Rice- Seductions of Rice

Menu for the week of Feb 1

Sat
Panang Curry- adapted from the Curry Book- posted the recipe yesterday
greens
vegan eggrolls from whole foods for an appetizer

Sun
superbowl party at a friends
she makes the best guacamole!
veggie pizza :)
celery and carrot sticks

Mon
Red Lentil-Chickpea Burgers with Spicy Peanut Sauce- The Healthy Hedonist
salad

Tues
Pad Thai- Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet

Wed
working late this week so prob bocca burgers for dh and a nice big salad for me

Thurs
Indy's 12th birthday :)
sushi and champagne for us
treat for Indy
he loves cherry pie so maybe WF cherry pie for dessert or pupcakes from Joe's blog- Culinary in the Country

A delicious vegan Panang Curry

This is soooo good, almost as good as my Thai restaurant but definitely vegan and so quick and easy to prepare. What more needs to be said.

Panang (Beef- not!) Curry with Peanuts and Fresh Basil
heavily adapted from The Curry Book by Nancie McDermott

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons red curry paste, divided
I 14-oz pkg firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons mushroom flavored dark soy sauce, divided
1tablespoon soy sauce
1 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into long, thin strips
fresh Thai basil leaves, sliced

Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a small bowl. Place the tofu cubes in a medium bowl and spoon the curry paste-soy sauce mixture over the tofu. Let sit for about 15 minutes or so.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, combine the oil and remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons curry paste. Cook 3-4 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep the paste sizzling gently without popping and splashing,mashing and scraping the paste to soften and warm it. Add the tofu and cook 2-3 minutes, separating the pieces to coat them with the paste.

Stir the coconut milk well and add 1 cup to the frying pan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep it simmering gently.

Add the remaining coconut milk, remaining dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and peanuts. Cook gently about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red pepper strips and stir them into the curry. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or sugar as needed.

Transfer to a small, shallow bowl and gently mix in some of the chopped basil. Garnish with a basil spring if desired. Serve hot or warm.

I added some shiitake mushrooms and served mine over greens. YUM!!!
The thai basil makes all the difference in this dish.

Menu

sat
homemade pizza- mine had kalamata olives, sauteed mushrooms broccoli and sweet red peppers, hot pepper flakes

sun
sandwiches- avocado, spicy sprouts, tomatoes, hummus
DH is having nachos

mon
Mu Shu in Moments- Happy Chinese New Year!
steamed greens

tue
black beans and rice- homemade black beans this week
steamed kale

wed
working late on report cards- will order chinese

thur
pad thai
salad

Primanti Brothers sandwich

The homemade Primanti Brothers sandwiches were a hit! I loved mine!

My sandwich was layered with

Italian bread

on the bottom slice of bread- spread some diced cherry peppers

half of an avocado lightly sprinkled with salt
French fries
Cole slaw- recipe below adapted from epicurious.com

a few slices of thinly sliced onion
Sliced tomatoes lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper

Serve with a dill pickle on the side

If Whole Foods starts to carry Field Roast again, then I would add a few slices of it inbetween the bottom slice of bread and the cherry pepper spread. I considered adding some fakin' bacon but loved this sandwich as prepared.

Carolina Cole Slaw

adapted from Bon Appétit March 1996
Caroline Belk: Richmond, Virginia

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar- I used a heavy 3

6 tablespoons vegetable oil- I u sed 3 as suggested in the notes

2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 medium cabbage (about 1 1/4 pounds)

Combine vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard and celery seeds in non-aluminum medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and dressing comes to boil. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.
Combine cabbage and dressing; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate until cold, tossing occasionally, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep refrigerated.)
Yield: Serves 8

menu for the week of Jan 18

sun
homemade Primanti Brothers sandwiches- go Steelers!
dill pickle
roasted brussels sprouts

mon
out for lunch
leftovers for dinner

tues
samosa quesadillas- cl
apple or cherry pie- Whole Foods make delicious vegan pies
the first dish represents the multicultural/fusion aspect of America, what needs to be said about apple pie :) , cherry pie and the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, maybe some Knob Creek bourbon for cocktail hour- named for Lincoln's birthplace or margaritas- DH's recipe came from Rick Bayless' website- the Obamas are reported to love his restaurant (as did we!)

wed
black beans and rice
salad
steamed kale

thurs
fettucini with finger licking peanut sauce- cl
salad
leftover steamed kale