What's in our fridge? (Food Planning Post #1)

I've decided to write a small series on food planning, prep, and our "everything in moderation" food lifestyle. This post is part one, I hope you enjoy!

I'm sure you're dying to know - what's in our fridge? Well, you're in luck. Yep, today's your special day! I just got back from grocery shopping and I have a well (but normally) stocked fridge. Here are the Junaluska Julep fridge essentials (and some not-so-essentials).

My goal is to only go to the grocery store 1-2 times per week. This requires me to plan ahead, make a list, and bring the list with me to the store (anyone else out there make lists and forget to bring them with you 90% of the time?). I go into auto pilot when I get to the store most of the time, picking up all our usual favorites. But, if I want to do something a little out of the ordinary it takes some planning.

First off, the produce. Since produce varies in price so much, I usually go to the store without certain fruits or veggies in mind. There are only a few produce items that I like to have on hand at all times:
Kale or spinach (for morning smoothies)
Bananas (also for mornings and smoothies)
Cabbage (because it's so cheap and makes a good side when roasted)
Broccoli (my favorite veggie!)
Garlic/Onions (necessary)
Carrots (also very cheap and great for lunches)
Mushrooms (Good for throwing in all kinds of things)
The rest is just based on what's cheap that week.

As far as proteins go, we usually stick to beans, eggs, tofu, and tempeh. If we are planning a gathering with friends or family I'll usually plan ahead and buy some chicken or beef, but during the week we're 90% vegetarian (more on this coming in an upcoming post). When I took this picture, we had lots of bacon in the fridge. Bacon is a family favorite of ours, but we really don't eat it very often. I had bought this a while back since family was coming into town and I knew we'd be having a big breakfast.

Dairy?
Yogurt (for smoothies and to pack for lunches)
Cheese
Almond Milk
Half and Half (For coffee. Gotta have it.)
Orange Juice (not really dairy, but in the dairy section. For smoothies)
Sour Cream (we use it in all kinds of things, but especially for beans and rice)
Sometimes I'll pick up some ricotta cheese for a pasta dish, or cream cheese for bagels.



Other staples:
Salsa
Various sauces and dressings
Pesto (for quick pesto-pasta dinners in a pinch)
Pickles
Butter
Hot sauce
Beer/white wine
Maple syrup (For when my parents come to visit. Pancakes are always involved)



Next post in the "food planning" series - meal planning!

Broccoli and Garbanzo Pasta Bake

Hello there! I'm still trying to get back on the food blog train after several weeks of little inspiration (yes, it does happen). I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things and hope to have some new and exciting things posted up here soon! And today, you get to learn all about baked pasta.

There aren't many things that I love more than a hot baked pasta dish. Perfect for the cool nights we've been having, and even more perfect for lunch leftovers the next day. 

I started by chopping the broccoli into small florets, then running hot water over them from the tap for 30-45 seconds. I did this instead of blanching (cooking in boiling water very quickly) to save a little time. 

Next, I cooked the pasta. Shells were the pasta of choice for this dish, but any pasta varietie would do.

Tomatoes, garbanzos, broccoli, ricotta, pesto, and crush red pepper flakes go into the bowl!

Kitchen scene from afar (with kale in a pan on the stove getting ready to be cooked as a side dish).

Hot pasta gets placed on top of all the other ingredients so that the steam and loosen everything up.

Mix, and divide into one (9'' x 13'') or two (smaller) casserole dishes. Top with grated parmesan.

Bake until heated through and cheese is golden and crispy!

Serve along side something green, or all by itself.

Broccoli and Garbanzo Pasta Bake Recipe:

- 12 ounces (3/4 lb) dry pasta (I used shells for this particular recipe)

- 2 large heads broccoli, cut into small florets

- Two cups (one 14 oz can) garbanzo beans

- 28 ounce can (or two 14 oz cans) petite diced tomatoes

- 1 and 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

- 2 tbsp pesto

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- Salt to taste

- Olive oil

- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Cook pasta according to package directions (make sure you salt the water for flavor!).

- Place broccoli florets in a strainer and run very hot water from the faucet over the florets for 30-45 seconds or until the florets turn bright green.

- Drain and rinse garbanzo beans and add to a large bowl along with ricotta, tomatoes, pesto, broccoli, and red pepper flakes.

- Once pasta is cooked and drained, pour it on top of all the other ingredients in the large bowl.

- Stir everything together and taste. Add salt as necessary.

- Place into one 9'' x 13'' oiled baking dish, or a couple of smaller dishes.

- Sprinkle grated parmesan on top.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through and cheese is golden and crispy.

Tempeh, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew

You can thank me for not posting a recipe that has the words "pumpkin spice" in the title. To be honest, I think the whole pumpkin spice muffins, lattes, cakes, sticky buns, etc have been a little out of control this year. I like fall, and I like pumpkin, but not EVERYTHING has to be flavored with the dang orange squash-like food.

So, I decided to create something that was very fall-ey, but did not include pumpkin. Who doesn't like a good soup when the weather gets brisk? Who doesn't like a nice big bowl of steamy goodness accompanied by a slide of crusty, cheesy baguette? Exactly.

This combination of flavors worked out really well, and we ate off the pot of stew for several days (yet another reason why I am a huge fan of stews and soups). This is a hearty stew, heavy on the ingredients, fairly light on the broth. Since we typically eat our soups (or stews) as a main dish, I want like them to be filling and hearty.

How many times did I say either soup or stew in that last paragraph? If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven, you're truly missing out. This is one of our most loved wedding gifts.

Butter? Yes. I used a little olive oil as well, but I just can't get over the flavor that butter gives a hearty stew. Careful not to burn it!

The kale I se most of the time comes pre-washed and chopped. It may cost a tad bit more, but the convenience factor is worth it to me. This is the same kale we use for smoothies as well, makes the morning routine quick!

Other things, and stuff.

Chopped ingredients, ready to roll.

I gave the ore-sliced mushrooms a quick chop. I like buying pre-sliced most of the time because they're usually free of dirt and I don't have to worry about trying to wipe them off before using them. Also, you usually don't pay any extra/get the same amount of mushrooms either way!

Cumin was the star of the show in this stew. It gives a really nice flavor that I can't quite explain in words. A little smoky, a little homey, really good stuff.

Lots of sweet potatoes! These two chopped into a little more than I thought they would, but that was fine by me.

Only needed half of the extra large can of tomoatoes, so I saved the rest to use throughout the week.

All assembled, bay leaf tossed in for some additional flavor. I don't usually use boxed or canned broths in my soups and stews, I would rather create the flavors using my own spices. I also like to be able to control the amount of salt that goes into the dishes I create, and using pre-made broth usually adds quite a bit of sodium.

I actually transferred the soup to the crock pot at the last minute because Jacob was racing one evening and I decided I wanted to go watch! So, I transferred everything to the trusty crock pot and set it on low for two hours. It was perfect when we got home later that evening!

Served with a big chunk of toasted baguette with melted muenster cheese. Comfort at it's finest. Happy fall!

Tempeh, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew Recipe:

- 1 tbsp butter

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 package tempeh, diced into 1/2 in cubes

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 small sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped roughly

- 3 packed cups kale, trimmed, washed, chopped

- 1 can (2 cups) diced tomatoes

- 2 tsp cumin powder

- 4 to 4 cups of water

- 1/3 cup wild rice

- 1 bay leaf

- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Melt butter and oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, and tempeh to the pan.
- Season with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Saute' until the tempeh is golden and the onions are tender.
- Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, kale, tomatoes, and cumin powder.
- Cover and let the mixture cook for 5-10 minutes. The kale will wilt and the mixture will cook down.
- Add water until the vegetable mixture is just barely covered in liquid.
- Mix in wild rice and bay leaf.
- Cook for 45 minutes on low heat, or simmer all day in the crock pot.
- The wild rice grains will break open and curl up when they are cooked through.
- Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Serve with crusty bread.

Mount Rainier and Seattle Trip Part 2

I know you've been biting your nails in anticipation for this post. 

The second leg of our trip a couple weeks back was in Seattle. We ditched our rental car back at the airport and took the train into the city. I love being independent of a vehicle for a few days - it's refreshing. As soon as we stepped out of the light rail station, the hustle and bustle of the city was in the air. We went to the hotel, freshened up, and headed out for some drinks and dinner.

I should have taken more pictures of the food and drinks that we ate and drank, but I feel weird taking tons of pictures in restaurants all the time. We hit up Artusi and Elysian Brewery. Both were fantastic. Artusi was the kind of place that Jacob and I would order fancy drinks and food at all the time if we were rich. It was modern and artsy, yet had a wonderful relaxed atmosphere. The bar tender was top notch. Elysian's beer was very good, the food, meh.

Monday morning we woke up early, ran 4 miles around the city, and got ready to head out for a full day of tourism. First stop? Pike Place Market.

The fresh seafood, produce, and flowers were all outstanding.

After walking around the market for several hours, we decided to stop at a little french bakery. I can't remember the name of it to save my life, but it was awful close to the ORIGINAL STARBUCKS. You would know it was the original one because the signs were brown (not green) and the line was at least 25 people long. Now don't get me wrong, I'll settle for Starbucks at times, but come on, people. Our espresso at the french bakery ran laps around those people's "cinnamon dulce" lattes. 

Ok, back to the french bakery. This was the most immaculate bakery I have ever been in. The pastries were gorgeous and the attention to detail was outrageous (in a good way). 

We worked our way around the pretty cases and made our order.

For me, chocolate croissant and an americano (which came served in a real mug, on a saucer), and for Jacob, a brioche and a double espresso (which also came with a tiny saucer). They were just as good as you would expect.

Later that afternoon we visited the Museum of Flight.

We even got to step foot in the old "Air Force One"!

The rest of our trip was spent eating and drinking at a few notable places - Tango in Capitol Hill (yet another amazing bartender who comped one of our drinks just because he said we were "cool"), Umi Sake House, and List in Belltown. 

 We went to Kerry Park to get a nice view of the city and to the space needle to get a few snapshots (without actually paying the $16 to go up to the top) on our last day in the city.

We had a great trip - but it was great to get home as well. Thanks for tuning in, and look forward to some actual recipes that will be going up on the blog very soon!