Week 3. . . Come on by. . the Fridge is Open!

Thanks to everybody for the support. Last week was a real tough one at work and all my energy was used up at the job. It seems that casseroles are the number one request. I didn’t have anytime to work on anything new, but stuff like that is on it's way. The problem is that most casserole recipes are not that healthy. I would like to try to do a modern look at them. Here is a quick rundown of this week’s offerings. My apologies to the folks who got some things they weren’t happy with last time around. We are still inventing more than perfecting at the moment. You have some freebies coming your way.

SNAX
The chipotle black bean dip is back. I always want to have beans somewhere on the menu for their fiber. As it turns out, the song was right, they are good for your heart.
Joanna had requested the tuna salad this week again. It is one of her favorites and we sold all of it last time we had it.
We had the weber grill going this weekend and it inspired me to grill some tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños for a salsa. It came out very nice.

SIDES
The love veg has been renamed the Violet Crown Veg due to legal threats from Magnolia Café. This week’s veg includes zucchini, squash, red peppers, sweet onion, carrots with the herbed garlic butter. To use: just sauté the veggies in a bit of oil. Once they are cooked to your specifications, add some of the butter and enjoy.
I was chided for not making enough of the sweet potato hash last time by the wifey, so it is back as well. I like this dish a lot and if my theory is correct, it could be very healthy. Sweet potatoes have a lot of vitamins so I am going to leave the skin on this week. What is your preference on that? Skin on or off?
Two new veg sides round out the menu. Joanna was reading an article in some fit magazine about foods that burn fat. The whole wheat penne pasta dish with pine nuts, feta, sundried tomatoes, and basil was one of the offerings. I am not sure how pine nuts and feta fight fat (they must be double agents), but it sounded good. It is designed as a pasta salad, but I think it would be great served hot as a pasta dish. Gently warm it in a sauté pan careful not to burn the cheese. The microwave could actually be your friend here.
The black beans with corn, roasted peppers, and cilantro is a personal favorite. I tried to get it on the menu at Tacodeli but was denied because it was too 1980’s. And it is. If you look at cookbooks from that era, Santa Fe and Dean Fearing were boldly using this color and food scheme. It is delicious. Put it on some brown rice and top it with some cheese, pico, and sour cream and it is Les Amis all over again. Man I miss that place.

SALADS
This is a completely new idea. Joanna didn’t want to pursue this one, but I couldn’t resist. One of the driving forces behind my cooking these days is health. Hard living has left me with a tattered esophagus, a holey colon, and the cholesterol of a walking dead man. I have since changed my ways and lost 30lbs, dropped the cholesterol 100 points, and traded the colon in for a Buick.
Seriously, salads are important for their roughage. While studying up on my various ailments, I was shocked at how bad the typical American diet is, especially regarding fiber. No one bought the salad dressings last week so I am going to try and provide the complete package.
The Green Salad is the basic garden variety with choice of dressing.
The Mediterranean is a tribute to my dads Sunday evening salads. He would dig in the fridge after the Cowboy game, find all sorts of crazy things we didn’t know we had and put it all on chopped romaine with a tart vinaigrette. It tasted great every time. Don’t worry, I am using fresh ingredients and doing a take on the Greek Salad.
The Spinach Salad is a work in progress and will change from week to week. This week we have goat cheese, roasted peppers, grilled corn and toasted pepitas. I guess it is kind of a southwestern take. The default dressing is the balsamic but you can have whichever one you want.
The House Salad is probably my favorite one of all. Mixed greens, blue cheese, toasted nuts, dried cranberries. I admit, dried cherries sound sexier, but the cranberries are much cheaper and contain more anti-oxidants.
The salad dressings are goat cheese with black pepper, balsamic vin, red wine vin, and the Shady Oaks. The last one is from my child hood and is a classic Dijon vinaigrette. Feel free to sub out any dressings on the salads.
Again, thanks for all the support. I love hearing about what you guys are doing with the food. Keep the comments coming, both good and bad. We never want you guys to be dissatisfied with anything and will strive to fix our mistakes. Like I mentioned before, we are inventing, not perfecting at this stage. Any suggestions for next week’s menu?

JOANNA'S NOTE
Joel is bustin' it on these recipes and everything is so awesome. Last week the Sweet Potato Hash was to die for. . .he didn't mention a couple of items he has this week. The SOUPS are Roasted Butternut Squash and Crimini Mushroom with Marsala. . now you all know me and you KNOW I have no idea what this is but I'll be tasting it and I'm sure it will be yummy.