Your September recipes are here
3 superstars - which one will you make first?
As I drag my freewheeling summer self into a routine, and send my little one off to Kindergarten (how!🥹), I take comfort in perfect sunshine sans humidity and the fact that summer produce is still around. Pumpkin, you said? Pumpkin what? I don’t hear you, I don’t see you and I have absolutely no intention of consuming anything with pumpkin in it for another month. The one fall-related concession I’ll make though, is turning on my oven.
So this month in Weeknight Simple, we bake! Eggplants! And other things. We drown in the spicy jalapeno sauce of our dreams. And we make a showstopper Mutter Paneer.
Wait, what’s Weeknight Simple, you said? It’s my recipe membership where you get
3 weeknight-friendly recipes per month with 20-30g protein
Lots of plants
a shopping list organized by aisle (no more getting overwhelmed and making random decisions at the supermarket that have you wasting produce) - this month’s list should average you between $30-$50, depending on where you live.
clear meal prep instructions to get you from kitchen to dinner pronto while beating that evening brain fog
A bonus recipe each month, usually breakfast or dessert, but I reserve the right to send you other awesome things
Remember you don’t need to make them all the same week (but you can and I will). The goal is to add new favorites to your go-to dinner rotation.
Sign up now to get a free trial including access to all the recipes in the archive.
If you would like to stay a free subscriber, you can take the poll at the bottom of this email and vote for the recipe you want to see for free in next week’s newsletter.
Here’s what’s on the menu:
Roasted Summer Salad w/Spicy Jalapeno Sauce
A Rataouille-ish bake sans tomato (don’t worry, you’ll get your tomato fix in the other two dishes) - this salad serves up a shocking volume of summer vegetables - eggplant, bell pepper, corn, zucchini along with salty feta, and honestly doesn’t even need a sauce. BUT, I’ve been working on cloning this Trader Joe’s jalapeno sauce (inspired by Salsa Dona, to my knowledge) and finally got it just right. Seed the jalapenos to your liking, or for those of you that don’t do well with heat, use poblanos or even just green bell pepper. This sauce adds freshness and heat to the salad in an addictive way. And of course, the recipe makes enough for you to top your eggs or tacos for a later meal.
Braised Beans & Tofu alla Norma
This is an easy weeknight thriller, made more so because I use a store-bought marinara sauce. Carbone is my favorite brand and appears to be widely available these days, but use any sauce of your choice, including (and especially) home-made. The eggplant is baked until silky, the beans and tofu are braised in tomato sauce, and everything is mixed together with feta or ricotta salata. Rich, comforting and satiating. And easy. Did I mention easy?
Mutter Paneer w/Cauliflower Rice
Mike. Drop. Seriously. A luxurious sauce (no cream, just cashews), with paneer (or tofu) and more peas (peas = mutter) than you thought could fit. This is a restaurant quality Indian dish and you won’t believe how simple it is to make at home. I highly recommend you serve it over cauliflower rice as instructed - the rich sauce will dominate the flavor and your gut will be happier for it. If you’re a purist and will use only Basmati rice, okay, okay - but add a side green salad. I’ll be watching!
If you prefer to stay a free subscriber, please take the poll below to choose which recipe you want the most. The winning recipe will be sent out in my free newsletter next week.