This being the 17th weekly menu posted, it also happens to be the first posted on a Saturday. I don’t know how many of my adoring fans are awaiting the weekly menu; nonetheless I apologize for the delay. Although, truth to be told, I have skipped the menus some weeks. For some reason I was excited to post this week’s meals and so I feel especially guilty about the 24 hour lapse.

This menu, unlike previous ones, was written more by my wife than myself. Last week’s meals were dominated by winter’s root vegetables. Now, we both love the celeriac, parsnips, turnips and even rutabagas, but when these crops are all pureed with thyme day in and day out, the experience goes a little dry (especially for my wife.) And so, with a fire under her bum, I had her participate in the planning process.

Here is what she came up with:

• Polenta pizza with pesto, caramelized onions, sausage, mozzarella, roasted garlic and some winter greens
• Beef Stew over rice
• Corn soup with acorn squash and sausage
• Wild rice with butternut squash, leeks and corn
• Oven-roasted Dungeness crab

First off, let me say that 3 weeks into my elimination diet the frustrations have already peaked! It is rather challenging to cook and eat without vinegar (no salad dressing), tomatoes, tofu, beans and eggs, let alone the dozen or so other items on my allergy list. This dietary obstacle will only make me stronger and smarter (as a meal planner) but seeing this through can sometimes be really difficult. Lucky for me, my wife is supportive and helps me see around my usual food ideas.

Take for example the polenta pizza. You make polenta and pour it in a rimmed baking sheet. After it cools in the fridge for some time, you add the toppings and bake it for 20 minutes – voila! Wheat-free and yeast-free pizza. And honestly, it’s tasty and a great substitute when bread is not an option or you want something a tad healthier.

Another bonus to the week is our selection of frozen food items, which includes corn soup and kernels. The wild rice dish is especially delicious and we discovered it last year while living in Minneapolis. Back in Minnesota we did the 100-mile diet and I learned all about wild rice. The best part was that of all the things we ate, it’s indigenous to the region and available via an Indian reservation that participates in harvesting the traditional ways. Thus, eating wild rice was an experience in truly eating local.

Now, on a completely different note, the dungeness crab dish is local to our Portland, OR locale. This dish evolves out of one of my new year’s resolutions, specifically to prepare my wife and I a “fancy meal” once a month. This recipe is loved by a friend of mine and I think it’s time we try it too!

Overall, this week will be great. I love the variety in foods and flavors, even though there are overlaps in some of the ingredients. And since we rarely eat fish in our home, the crab night will be a real treat.

Next time, I promise to have this posted on a Friday. Have a great weekend and keep on cooking!

Related posts:

1. Eating Seasonal Blues (weekly menu 21)
2. A simple menu (weekly menu 2)
3. A clouded vision (weekly menu 3)
4. The Last Dance with Kale (weekly menu 27)
5. Does eating seasonally equal eating “American?” (weekly menu 6)

Tags: corn, fish, NW cuisine, weekly menu