Ten Ingredient Shopping Trip (Vegetarian Version)
Mark Bittman did a segment on the Today show a while ago about making a week's worth of food with only ten ingredients. Today, the NY Times featured an article featuring Mark's 10-ingredient list and recipes for the five meals.
Many of the people who commented on the article thought there should be a vegetarian list, and others felt the menu was too short and/or should use more fruit and grains.
So I thought to myself, "I can do that."
And here I am. I assume you have the following things on hand (pantry/fridge): noodles (udon or linguine would be great, but whatever), rice, dried beans, basic dried spices, oil (sesame oil would be a plus), vinegar, soy sauce, butter, parmesan, peanut butter, honey, sugar, mustard, canned tomatoes. Maybe some of those are pushing it, but I think only beans and canned tomatoes may be rarities.
The Shopping List
Breakfast and Lunch
For breakfast, you could eat toast, a peanut butter sandwich, eggs, French toast. For lunch, there's leftovers, plus sandwiches (PB, PB&H, cheese), noodles, etc.
The Dinners
Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomatoes on Rice, Stir-Fried Broccoli
Eggs and Tomatoes sounds kind of strange, but it's a Chinese staple. I just saw a recipe for it at Epicurious's healthy recipe of the day feed. For the broccoli, just blanch it for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then strain. Heat oil in a skillet. Add some garlic and ginger (both chopped), if you happen to have some on hand. Add the broccoli and a pinch of crushed red pepper and stir-fry until broccoli is fork-tender. Add a little soy sauce. If you have any sesame oil, add a tiny bit of that too. Toss and serve.
Mexican Rice and Beans
Cook the beans in a crockpot while you're at work. Finish them off with some salt and cumin. Squeeze a little lime into the beans. To cook the rice, start by preheating your oven to 350. Add some oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toast the rice in the pan until it turns opaque. Add to the rice a mixture of 1 parts water to 1 part salsa that is the same volume of liquid you'd use to cook rice normally. Salt (use 1-1.5 tsp per cup of rice). Bring to a boil. Cover and place in the oven. Cook 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Serve with a little chopped cilantro and tortillas. Add a simple salad if you'd like--make a "vinaigrette" using 1 part lime juice to 3 parts oil, plus a little salt and pepper. (Rice recipe is a quick recap of Rick Bayless's method in Mexican Everyday
Bean Stew, Salad
Cook some beans in the crockpot while you're at work. When you get home, if you have any, chop some onions and garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When the oil is hot, sautee the onions and garlic. If you don't have any, no worries. Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook for a while. Then add beans and some of their cooking liquid. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add arugula or spinach and cook until greens are tender. Cook an egg sunny side up. Spoon the stew into bowls, and top each with parmesan and a sunny-side-up egg. Serve with bread, if you'd like, a small salad with an oil-and-vinegar dressing.
Broccoli Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Boil broccoli in salted water. Puree the broccoli with enough of it's cooking liquid to bring the soup to the desired texture. Add pepper and a pat or two of butter. For the sandwiches, spread some mustard (preferably dijon) on bread. Top with cheese and a second piece of bread. Heat oil in a skillet. Grill the sandwiches in the hot skillet. The soup technique comes from Gordon Ramsay.
Noodles in Peanut Sauce
Mix peanut butter with soy sauce, vinegar (preferably rice wine), and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Heat sauce in a small sauce pan. Boil water. Cook some pasta to al dente. Drain. Mix with sauce.
Breakfast Burritos
Beat some eggs. Cook the eggs in the skillet over medium low, stirring nearly constantly. When the eggs are nearly set, add some salsa and a little cheddar. Spoon egg mixture onto tortillas and sprinkle on a bit of chopped cilantro. Fold tortillas to make burritos.
Many of the people who commented on the article thought there should be a vegetarian list, and others felt the menu was too short and/or should use more fruit and grains.
So I thought to myself, "I can do that."
And here I am. I assume you have the following things on hand (pantry/fridge): noodles (udon or linguine would be great, but whatever), rice, dried beans, basic dried spices, oil (sesame oil would be a plus), vinegar, soy sauce, butter, parmesan, peanut butter, honey, sugar, mustard, canned tomatoes. Maybe some of those are pushing it, but I think only beans and canned tomatoes may be rarities.
The Shopping List
- Eggs
- Fruit (your choice; for snacking and dessert)
- Good bread, French, Italian, or Sourdough
- Salsa
- Sharp Cheddar
- Broccoli
- Arugula or Spinach
- Tortillas
- Limes
- Cilantro
Breakfast and Lunch
For breakfast, you could eat toast, a peanut butter sandwich, eggs, French toast. For lunch, there's leftovers, plus sandwiches (PB, PB&H, cheese), noodles, etc.
The Dinners
Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomatoes on Rice, Stir-Fried Broccoli
Eggs and Tomatoes sounds kind of strange, but it's a Chinese staple. I just saw a recipe for it at Epicurious's healthy recipe of the day feed. For the broccoli, just blanch it for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then strain. Heat oil in a skillet. Add some garlic and ginger (both chopped), if you happen to have some on hand. Add the broccoli and a pinch of crushed red pepper and stir-fry until broccoli is fork-tender. Add a little soy sauce. If you have any sesame oil, add a tiny bit of that too. Toss and serve.
Mexican Rice and Beans
Cook the beans in a crockpot while you're at work. Finish them off with some salt and cumin. Squeeze a little lime into the beans. To cook the rice, start by preheating your oven to 350. Add some oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toast the rice in the pan until it turns opaque. Add to the rice a mixture of 1 parts water to 1 part salsa that is the same volume of liquid you'd use to cook rice normally. Salt (use 1-1.5 tsp per cup of rice). Bring to a boil. Cover and place in the oven. Cook 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Serve with a little chopped cilantro and tortillas. Add a simple salad if you'd like--make a "vinaigrette" using 1 part lime juice to 3 parts oil, plus a little salt and pepper. (Rice recipe is a quick recap of Rick Bayless's method in Mexican Everyday
Bean Stew, Salad
Cook some beans in the crockpot while you're at work. When you get home, if you have any, chop some onions and garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When the oil is hot, sautee the onions and garlic. If you don't have any, no worries. Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook for a while. Then add beans and some of their cooking liquid. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add arugula or spinach and cook until greens are tender. Cook an egg sunny side up. Spoon the stew into bowls, and top each with parmesan and a sunny-side-up egg. Serve with bread, if you'd like, a small salad with an oil-and-vinegar dressing.
Broccoli Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Boil broccoli in salted water. Puree the broccoli with enough of it's cooking liquid to bring the soup to the desired texture. Add pepper and a pat or two of butter. For the sandwiches, spread some mustard (preferably dijon) on bread. Top with cheese and a second piece of bread. Heat oil in a skillet. Grill the sandwiches in the hot skillet. The soup technique comes from Gordon Ramsay.
Noodles in Peanut Sauce
Mix peanut butter with soy sauce, vinegar (preferably rice wine), and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Heat sauce in a small sauce pan. Boil water. Cook some pasta to al dente. Drain. Mix with sauce.
Breakfast Burritos
Beat some eggs. Cook the eggs in the skillet over medium low, stirring nearly constantly. When the eggs are nearly set, add some salsa and a little cheddar. Spoon egg mixture onto tortillas and sprinkle on a bit of chopped cilantro. Fold tortillas to make burritos.
posted by megan at
6:47 PM
1 Comments:
Almost forgot--for the bean stew, stir in a little vinegar (sherry or balsamic would work well) at the end. It really brightens up the dish.
By
megan, at 7:10 AM
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