Be a Builder

Fact: you have more time to cook a meal on the weekend than during the week. Obviously if you go away for a weekend, or have some sort of tournament or event to attend all weekendlong, then you're just as crammed for time to cook on the weekend as the weekday. But, your average Saturday or Sunday yields much more time to prep and cook food. So why not take advantage of that time and cook some of your weekday food on the weekend? Make a couple of dishes on Sunday evening and then build on these dishes during the week - that way you're not eating the same two things over and over and over...Save yourself the headache and trouble of cooking a meal, from scratch, at 8:30pm on a Wednesday night, after a long day of work. Instead, make the more time-consuming recipes on Saturday or Sunday, and make no-hassle side dishes (or add to the original recipe) during the week. Last week I tried to lead by example, so here's what I made (recipes at the bottom of this post):


Monday night (it was a holiday, so I had time to cook. Normally this would be done on Sunday): 
1. Salmon with Herb Salsa Verde 
2. Brown Rice with Charred Onions & Kale







I ate these two dishes together as my Monday night meal. Then, I started to build:


Tuesday lunch: Brown Rice w. Charred Onions & Kale (add nuts & cheese - 2 tablespoons of each)
Tuesday dinner: Salmon with Herb Salsa Verde and Leafy No-Lettuce Salad


Wednesday lunch: Salmon Sandwich (spread salsa verde on 2 slices whole grain bread, add leafy greens & salmon)
Wednesday dinner (right): Brown Rice w. Charred Onions & Kale (with kalamata olives and blue cheese) and Spring Vegetable Saute


Thursday lunch: Brown Rice w. Charred Onions & Kale (with dried cranberries) and Leafy No-Lettuce Salad
Thursday dinner (left): Spring Vegetable Saute (combined with orzo and crumbled feta cheese)


Friday lunch: Leafy No-Lettuce Sandwich (spread dressing on 2 slices whole grain bread and add leafy greens, peaches/nectarines, and some avocado slices)
Friday dinner: cook something new!


I was never bored with the food I ate. Even if I was eating the same recipe, I did something (mixed in some nuts, or added a side dish) to change it up. Yes, this requires planning, which means taking time to do so (about 10 minutes...maybe 20 if you get distracted). But at the end of the day, planning ahead and building on top of your recipes will make your life a hell of a lot easier. In all honesty, not all of my weeks look like this. That's mainly because there are some nights where, despite my long hours at work, I still want to cook when I get home - I enjoy cooking and find it relaxing. However, for those of you still at the point where cooking is a chore - you do it because you need to feed yourself, not to have fun or relax - then planning out meals on the weekend and building on them throughout the week may be just right for you. Regardless of how often you want to cook throughout the week, it never hurts to plan, and more importantly, it never hurts to be a builder.


Salmon with Herb Salsa Verde (a variation of Bon Appetit's Grilled Skirt Steak with Herb Salsa Verde)
Makes 3 servings of salmon & salsa
Ingredients
-1/4 cup olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
-1 cup fresh herbs (thyme, mint, basil, whatever you have), chopped
-1 cup parsley, chopped
-1 10oz. piece of salmon (I used a frozen piece from Trader Joe's and it worked splendidly; you could easily use chicken or tofu)
-salt & pepper


Directions
(For herb salsa verde):
1. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, and some salt & pepper in a bowl. Let marinate for 20 minutes (meanwhile, you can chop all your herbs and get started on other recipes)
2. After 20 minutes, add all herbs to bowl and let sit for 10 minutes
3. Stir in additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil
(For salmon):
1. Heat skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper
3. Place salmon in skillet, skin side down, and cover for 3-5 minutes
4. Flip salmon to cook other side for 3-5 minutes, until just cooked through 
5. Place 1/3 of salmon on a plate and spread herb salsa verde on top


Brown Rice with Charred Onions and Kale (a variation of Bon Appetit's Wheat Berries with Charred Onions & Kale)
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
-1 cup uncooked brown rice
-1 1/2 onions, sliced
-1 bag frozen kale, slightly thawed (*hint, take the bag out when you start to prep for this recipe; you can use fresh kale if you want, but it will take more time for it to cook down)
-lemon juice from 1 lemon (*hint, use the lemon juice from the lemon you zest for the herb salsa verde)
-salt & pepper
-olive oil


Directions
1. Cook brown rice according to package
2. Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat
3. Add onion slices and cook until charred, stirring occasionally (onions should look crisp, but not burned); transfer to bowl
4. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to same skillet, and place entire bag of frozen kale into skillet
5. Cook kale until it is entirely thawed, and heated through
6. Combine kale, onions, and brown rice in bowl; add lemon juice & mix well. Season with salt and pepper.


Leafy No-Lettuce Salad (variation of Bon Appetit's Leafy No-Lettuce Salad)
Makes 3 servings
Ingredients
-lemon juice from 2 lemons
-1 shallot, minced
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-2 nectarines, sliced
-6 cups leafy greens (I used a "baby spinach & spring mix")
-1 cup parsley, chopped
-salt & pepper
Optional: 1/2 each of nuts and crumbled cheese


Directions
1. Combine lemon juice and shallot, and let sit for 5 minutes (meanwhile, slice your nectarines & chop your parsley!)
2. Add olive oil to lemon juice & shallot; mix well and season with pepper
3. Combine leafy greens, parsley, and dressing together
4. Serve greens on top of nectarines; top with nuts & cheese, if using
*only combine the greens & dressing that you're planning to eat; save the remaining dressing and greens for later use - if you combine all the dressing with all the greens, your leftovers will wilt & become soggy


Spring Vegetable Saute (a variation of Bon Appetit's Spring Vegetable Saute)
Makes 2 large servings
Ingredients
-zest and juice from 1 lemon
-1 15oz. can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained & sliced in half
-1/2 12oz. package frozen asparagus spears (again, Trader Joe's variety)
-1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed (use another kind of bean, like fava or lima beans)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 tablespoon butter
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-salt & pepper


Directions
1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add edamame for 30 seconds; scoop out with slotted spoon and place in bowl of cold water.
2. Bring water back to a boil, add asparagus spears for 30 seconds. Drain water, and add asparagus spears to bowl of cold water
3. Slice asparagus spears into 1-2 inch  pieces
4. Heat pan over medium heat; add olive oil & butter
5. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent
6. Add artichoke hearts, edamame, and asparagus to pan; cook for about 5 minutes (stir occasionally)
7. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt & pepper

We Bought a Fish!

It may sound crazy, but it's true. Here's how the story goes: Saturday morning my boyfriend (Brendan) and I decided we wanted to cook fish for dinner. So, we traveled to Whole Foods Market (a store I rarely go to because I think it's insanely overpriced... but it was the closest store to my house that sells fish) and perused the large display of seafood. We had NO idea what kind of fish we wanted to make. The salmon looked alright, the tilapia was only so-so, and for a split second we almost decided to go with some fillets of haddock. But then we saw it, peaking out from under a gigantic pile of ice, with its eyes starring straight at us and its mouth gaping wide open: a whole red snapper. I'd never cooked a whole fish before. Brendan had certainly never cooked a whole fish before. So naturally we purchased it...we bought an entire fish. 

What occurred after we returned to my house was a mixture of thumbing through the cookbooks in my kitchen, skimming through food magazines, googling recipes, and watching a series of "how to cook a whole fish" videos on YouTube (which proved quite useful). After about 30 minutes or so of researching we felt relatively sure that we knew how to cook a whole fish...sure, why not? Later that night, we tested our newfound skills:

Step #1: play with the fish...I know our parents always taught us not to play with our food, but COME ON...it's a whole fish for crying out loud! Obviously we were going to have a bit of fun first. 

Step #2: cut the belly open, then stuff with fresh herbs (we used parsley and thyme) and slices of lemon; next, make 3-4 slits on each side of the fish and coat each slit with salt (apparently this not only helps flavor the fish, but also helps moisten the meat). Place fish in baking dish.

Step #3: In preheated oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) bake fish for approximately 45 minutes. When fish is finished cooking, it should look something like this (meat is nice and flaky, eyes of the fish have popped - apparently a sign that the fish is done): 

Step #4: Eat and enjoy (look out for bones!). 

To accompany the fish, we made Sauteed Broccoli Rabe (3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste, olive oil, enough water to barely coat the bottom of the pan --> sauté together with broccoli rabe until desired tenderness) and an adapted version of Mark Bittman's Quinoa with Caramelized Onions: sauté 1 chopped onion on medium heat (with olive oil) for about 15 minutes --> add 1 tablespoon molasses or brown sugar and sauté for another 2-3 minutes --> add 1/3 cup of quinoa and sauté for 2-3 minutes --> add 2/3 cup of water --> bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa's cooked.

The meal was fantastic. But, there we were left with quite a bit of uneaten fish. What was to become of such leftovers? It certainly was not going to be wasted. And believe me, it was not. 

Sunday night - I made Fish Stock out of the leftover fish bones: combine 6-8 cups of water with fish carcass and bring to boil --> simmer for at least 35 minutes --> when finished, strain through sieve, making sure to remove all bones --> let stock cool and then place in containers...I froze all of my stock, but if you're going to use it within 2-3 days, then you can keep it in the fridge. 

Monday night--

I made Fish Tacos: sauté 1/2 chopped onion in olive oil --> add handful of leftover fish --> add 1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes and any desired spices (I used a dash of cumin and chili powder) --> sauté for 5 or so minutes, until everything is heated through. Serve on top of warm corn tortillas, and top with some chopped cilantro, sliced lettuce or cabbage, and hot sauce, if desired. 

Tuesday night-- 

I had Fish Salad with a Shallot and Veggie Sauce: in small saucepan sauté 1 small chopped shallot with 1/3 cup red wine (or raspberry wine) vinegar and dash of olive oil on medium heat for about 3 minutes --> add 1/2 chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes --> add about 1 cup finely chopped veggies (I did mushrooms and broccoli) and sauté for another 5 minutes --> add 1 tablespoon butter and continue to sauté until butter is completely melted. Serve over fish salad (heat up fish in microwave and lay on top of bed of spinach). Eat with warm tortilla, pita, or toasted bread. I also had a small side of roasted sweet potatoes (my fav).

This easily could have been a post about buying and cooking an entire chicken or whole turkey or even a container of tofu - though obviously the cooking methods would be different (tofu does not have a belly to slice open...). The type of protein that you buy is not as important as the underlying messages of this post: 

1. Go big or go home, and if you do, don't let anything go to waste. The original price of the whole fish was quite expensive, and at first I worried that we were making a poor economic choice. But after the wonderful meal that the fish yielded on Saturday, I was able to use that fish three more ways, and in two more meals. In hindsight, the original cost seems super cheap, given how much I got out of my purchase. 

2. Be creative with leftovers. Don't let "leftover night" mean "same meal as last night...and the night before". 

So what do you think? Would you buy a whole fish, or how 'bout a whole chicken, now that I've made my case as to why you should do so and I've given you recipes for the leftovers you'll have?