Old Stand-Bys

As I've mentioned previously, my food goal this week is to broaden my repertoire of side dishes/accompaniments for meals (ok, dinners) that I make. This has gone pretty well so far, and I think I've added two quick sides to the list.

Monday featured my traditional salmon with a mango, cilantro, and red onion salsa (it is so good...sometimes I make the salmon just to have an excuse to make this too), and as a side I tried fried plantains with a sugar glaze. I like plantains a lot, but I've never quite figured out how to cook them (I know it's not rocket science). I thought the glaze featured in this recipe went well with the salmon, and it was pretty easy to throw together. I thought the orange juice and honey were interesting touches. The inclusion of cilantro--my favorite herb--sold me on trying this recipe, and it did not disappoint. (Dinner would have been even better had I remembered to serve the salsa with the salmon. Oh well.)

Wednesday I made my world-famous chicken parm again (the second time since March 15) and threw together some spinach cooked in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon. It worked--simple, fresh, not over/underpowering, and healthy. And so much better than frozen spinach which has no personality whatsoever.

Oil played a big role in a lot of the things I cooked this week, and I'm noticing that I use it very liberally. In order to please the tastes/diets of everyone in the house (ok...Natalia, as Andres eats 2% of what I cook) I think I need to cut back on it a bit; this change may make my stomach happier as well.

I'm not sure what I'll be making the rest of this week. Having been on this cooking bender for close to 4 weeks now, I think I need to take stock of where I am, what I like, what Natalia likes, and what meals/recipes go with each other. Maybe I'll take a tapas-like approach to the rest of the week...

I desperately miss having a slowcooker but I think I have found a replacement: the estimable Hamilton Beach. The size seems right, as does the price!