Weekly Menu: September 8-15

Woah! It's the 3rd week of school and I am already busy! Not to mention some interesting home projects underway.  Don't worry, we are still eating well in Des Moines... and now that I have already made one of the dishes, you get  a little more information about it!  Win win, readers.

This menu is driven by a trip I took to the farmer's market on Saturday morning. I woke up early and decided to head out before it got crazy.

Thai red curry inspired by these amazing long beans I picked up at the farmer's market for $1.

 Yes I used a prepared curry base.  It didn't seem to have any scary ingredients in it.  Taste and add more curry paste as needed. The recipe I found on the product website said 1 Tablespoon, I used a total of about 4.  Oh, and I was out of normal white or brown rice so I dipped into my special reserve of red rice I brought back from France.  It made this dish even more special!

Also on the weekly menu:

dinner with friends:  eggplant parmesan (I'll be making this for the first time!) Using Mark Bittman's recipe from How to Cook Everything (I cannot find a good link for that right now). Side dish of okra from the market...

homemade pizza

roasted beet and goat cheese salad! I am very excited for beets again... haven't had them in months.

black beans, rice burritos

Cooking with Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes! This summer is the first time I've ever cooked with garlic scapes. They are everywhere at the farmer's market right now and I've been cooking with them all week.Garlic scapes are the curly green top of a growing garlic bulb. These are trimmed away early in the season so the actual bulb grows bigger. I've been using them in cooking wherever I might use garlic. I find that one finely chopped garlic scape is about the same garlic-y-ness as 2 cloves of garlic.
Here are some ideas for using garlic scapes with some of our kitchen table favorites:Chop up one or two scapes with your Kale Pesto, instead of garlic. Spread over fresh grilled zucchini and sprinkle with paremesan cheese.Add to egg dishes, like quiche or Allison's frittata.Chop up and sprinkle over homemade pizza with mushrooms and red onions.Saute in a little oil with beet greens, sunflower seeds, and a dash of soy sauce.

Enjoy!

xx Cara