Meal Plan for October 30-November 5

happy halloween!

Hi!

I hope you have fun Halloween plans! It’s gotten chilly here all the sudden and I want to have cozy food that comes together quickly. I hope these recipes deliver that for you.

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Quick Links

shakshuka // peanut chicken // lentil soup, focaccia // lasagna, salad // apple cake 1, 2 ,3

Weeknight meals

• Shakshuka or Eggs in Purgatory

  • This is one of my favorite foods. It’s warm and a little spicy, it’s full of vegetables and the protein source is eggs, which are some of the cheapest foods you can buy. This would be a great way to use any remaining garden tomatoes that you still have, but canned tomatoes also work well.

  • Shakshuka is the North African/Middle Eastern version and Eggs in Purgatory (Uovo in Purgatorio) is the Italian version. There are so many variations on this dish. Here is another good option from Yotam Ottolenghi. When I make this, it honestly ends up a mix of different variations based on what I have on hand. However you make it, this is delicious. I cannot overstate just how flexible and forgiving this food is.

  • We like to serve this with sourdough bread or pitas or on top of couscous or rice.

• Peanut chicken and cucumber salad and rice

  • If you don’t have an instant pot, the recipe also has stovetop instructions.

  • For a vegetarian option: peanut sauce, crispy tofu, and use the cucumber salad from the chicken recipe.

  • Definitely don’t skip the cucumber salad! It’s just the right acidic, crunchy and bright counterpart to the rich peanut sauce.

• Lentil soup and focaccia

  • There are about 1 million lentil soups out there and this one is my favorite. Please try to track down these two kinds of lentils, regular brown lentils will not make this as delightful as it is with the combination mentioned. I have found them easily available in bulk at our grocery store.

  • I usually substitute yukon gold potatoes for the sweet potatoes to keep it savory instead of having the sweeter flavor.

  • This focaccia might be hard to pull off on a weeknight, even though the active time is short, you do have to time it correctly. I wanted to include it because it’s delightful and a good way to realize how easy bread can be. But skip it and get a crusty baguette if you’d like!

Project meal

• Butternut squash lasagna and autumn harvest salad

  • This is a very filling and satisfying lasagna even without the inclusion of meat. I substitute cremini mushrooms for the oyster mushrooms that she suggests.

  • This salad has so many fun elements, but I usually make a very bare bones version of it: just greens, apples, avocado and feta with the sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe’s and the dressing. Feel free to make it as fancy or as simple as you’d like.

Treat

• I thought it would be fun to include three different apple cake options:

  • French (This is a rare apple dessert that doesn’t use cinnamon. I really like the variety. Also I use apple cider in place of the rum.)

  • Cinnamon sugar (the easiest of the three)

  • Mom’s apple cake (a classic!)

Listen

We’ve all been loving the album Big Time by Angel Olsen at our house. It feels just right for fall to me. It’s got a cozy, laid back and 70s inspired vibe that I can’t get enough of.

Have a lovely week and a Happy Halloween!

Emily