Sunday Menu 🥑🥞🌮 no. 16
Peak summer produce meals and 8 ways I love enjoying kale because have you tried grilled kale yet?!
The Sunday Menu from Brittany’s Notebook is a look at what I’m cookin’ up this week, kitchen sounds, fave ingredients, and other reflections on all things delicious. Grab a snack and let’s hang out in the kitchen…
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One of my greatest sources of pleasure is returning home with a bag stuffed with fresh produce from the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning and using the goods to whip up lunch while the sunshine pours in through the kitchen windows. I mean, vacations are great but this comes pretty close to that level of bliss for me. Yesterday we enjoyed blistered shishito peppers, a simple salad with kale from the garden, and sandwiches with garden tomatoes and sun-dried tomato seitan slices from the market. It’s peak produce season right now in Vermont and it feels like medicine for both the body and soul.
Food and eating are integral parts of our lives, every single human needs to eat. It feels important to me that I approach eating and preparing food with intentionality and mindfulness and seek out joy in not only the act of consuming food but also cooking it. My hope for this space is that you are able to connect with me around food in a similar way. Earlier this week in my recent Lovin’ Lately I shared a few thoughts about how cooking improves my life, beyond the nourishment it brings:
On a rainy weekday morning last week, I made blender waffles (put these in your back pocket for busy school mornings!) and listened to Carla Bruni which felt so relaxing and peaceful. In addition to that, I’m halfway through The Wedding People by Alison Espach on audio (thanks to Libro.FM) and very invested in how the story is unfolding.
This week I’ve got a mix of what I have on the menu for the coming week and what we enjoyed last week. This time of year I love leaning into the offerings at the farmer’s market and the bounty produced in our garden to dictate what we eat. It’s the time of year when I can be a bit more relaxed with meal planning and can whip up a meal based on what we need to pick from vines and bushes in our backyard.
🥞 breakfast:
Forager vanilla yogurt for the kids, Cocojune yogurt for the adults (so so good) topped with granola and fresh berries
blender waffles— make double and freeze the leftovers, the kids loved these!
oatmeal— topped with berries, peanut butter, hemp and flax seeds, maple syrup, and plant milk. A staple for a reason.
french toast— a weekend treat that never disappoints, my kids will roll me out of bed for French toast.
pancakes— my husband cooks these and he’s the hero of the house.
🥪 lunch:
kale salad with roasted chickpeas (see below for the recipe)
tempeh BLTs forever— put those ripe summer tomatoes on the throne they deserve! 🍅🙌
but also the other tomato throne: caprese salad! Garden tomatoes and basil, balsamic glaze, olive oil, flaky sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, and fresh vegan mozz.
Mighty Mudita plant-based deli slices (locally made, love supporting them!) sandwiches on hoagie rolls with garden tomatoes, lettuce, vegan mozzarella, pizza oil (not just for pizza) and veganaise. So simple and so good.
any leftovers :)
🌮 dinner:
penne and broccoli Alfredo casserole from the Chloe Flavor cookbook (here is a web-accessible version of the recipe)— the kids loved this and it made leftovers, double win
eggplant tacos— we had a garden eggplant ready so I roasted it, peeled the skin, shredded the meat, seasoned it and dressed it in a local mole sauce we had on hand then threw it in some homemade flour tortillas for taco night, it was excellent!
gochujang tempeh bowls— loved the combos this dish served up and I had all the ingredients on hand to make this as a last-minute dinner decision, save this one as a back-pocket meal
Philly cheesesteaks with tofu steak— this was my first time trying this recipe and dare I say it’s my fave cheesesteak yet!?! I love that the meat replacement is tofu instead of a processed meat alternative, I’m making these back-to-back weeks.
crispy mushroom tempura and zucchini fritters— just enjoying the beautiful peak season produce …fried 😜
burgers and corn on the cob on the grill— what’s summer without it? I love the Beyond Burgers packs from Costco, we try to keep our processed vegan meat consumption minimal but it’s a fun Sunday evening treat on the grill in the summer.
pizza night— always with my favorite crust and favorite vegan cheese for pizza (have you tried this stuff yet?! absolutely mind-blowingly good) and beet pepperonis with pizza oil and flaky sea salt to finish. It’s giving “freakin’ weekend!!!!” energy.
🍪 treats:
hopefully we can do some peach picking early this week and I’m already scheming up a heap of treats to make starting with cobbler.
the cherries are so perfect right now, my favorite evening treat
frozen grapes still 😁
Trader Joe’s oat chocolate bars with crispy rice, stored in the fridge for extra crunch (anyone else insist their chocolate is cold and crunchy?!)
Kale has become the star of our garden the past few years— it’s one of the first things we can pick and enjoy as well as the longest lasting, we’re often picking stems well into early winter thanks to its heartiness. While a simple massaged kale salad with lemon and EVOO will never get old, there are a plethora of amazing ways kale can be enjoyed beyond the basic salad. Here are my 8 favorite ways to enjoy this backyard MVP superfood.