Monday, 5/4/26

 I did not do as much prep over the weekend as I would have liked (at least it was for fun reasons!), but I quickly marinated some chicken from the freezer before work and we had grilled chicken sandwiches. A hodgepodge of toppings: pickled red onion, cherry tomatoes, Calabrian chilis, spinach, avocado and roasted red peppers. Quick and good and used up a couple of orphan grinder rolls from the freezer.

Sunday, 5/3/26

 Repeat of roasted carrots with whipped feta (from Hettie Lui McKinnon; recipe in email). I think I made the exact changes I did last time: only one can of chickpeas, swapped out the harissa for Calabrian peppers, and left out parsley and cinnamon. Served with some pita bread. Super tasty.

Saturday, 5/2/26

 Happy Pride! Started the day with tasty brunch items (kudos to whomever brought that tater tot and sausage casserole), walked down to watch the parade, Jen ordered pizza for a late lunch, and then we stuck around to have dinner. 3 Blue Aprons! One didn't have its instructions, but "chili chicken verde" seemed pretty obvious and if I didn't do it as planned, I still made a damned tasty stew. Also a Moroccan chicken with carrots, couscous and dates, plus a Lebanese-ish ground beef situation on pita with yogurt and tomato-cucumber salad. all delicious as always. Tried to make it a fairly early night so we were home before 10. 

Friday, 5/1/26

 I was not excited to eat some frozen enchiladas from the freezer, since I hadn't really liked them the first time around. However, Jason and I were both pleasantly surprised that they had somehow improved? Soggy, yes, but far more flavorful. Maybe it was all the extra pepperjack I added? Anyway, it was actually a good dinner. We may or may not have eater a pint of ice cream after.

Thursday, 4/30/26

 We found a bag of barley at Deals & Steals for only 99 cents, and we had some sweet potatoes that were on death's door, so barley bowls for dinner. Roasted the sweet potatoes, and sauteed some zucchini with garlic and canned green chiles. Served with some cotija cheese and some quick pickled radish (also saved from a certain death), jalapenos, and red onions. Both satisfying and yet not too heavy.

Wednesday, 4/29/26

 Jason and Jodi had some project they were working on, so I cooked dinner from the cans of beans and tomatoes and a box of pasta that Jodi provided. I decided to go in a Mexican direction, so I sauteed up onion and garlic, added the black beans and tomatoes, and seasoned with lime juice, cumin, coriander and chile powder. I tossed the pasta in and it was a bit chili pasta thing? Served with hot sauce and grated cheese and it wasn't half bad. Jason brought over some farm lettuce but I couldn't be bothered to try it (Jodi never has good dressings) even though it looked nice.

Tuesday, 4/28/26

Tried out a new tofu recipe from the NYT: Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini. Well, I didn't have chickpeas, but they weren't missed. I also found the directions overly complicated (maybe I was still tired from my trip?) so I streamlined it by marinating the tofu for a few hours and then roasting it along with the cherry tomatoes (note: use lots of tomatoes!). I used some of the marinade as a dressing for spinach, and then served everything over rice. So tasty, even if I did forget the garlic in the tahini (also thought the tahini would have benefited from a little yogurt or sour cream). A keeper.