Monday

Garlic cream farfalle with broccoli (recipe in the comments from January 7, 2009)
Arugula salad with carrots and red cabbage

Hot tea
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Today was long and tiring and comfort food (quick!) seemed critical. This dinner hit the spot and was both good for us and so yummy. Sometimes that's all a meal needs to be :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Broccoli florets, grating Parmesan
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: Do this last minute

Reaction
J: "Pasta saves the day - again."
M: "Hits the spot for summer too."

Friday

Chickpea florentine (recipe in the comments)
Rice
Salad

Chocolate ice cream
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Here's a dish J loves, while M's usually luke warm. It's an odd combination of flavors - roasted peppers, lemon juice, spinach, and chickpeas, flavored at the table with a tiny bit of soy sauce. that said, it's a wonderful alchemy and very filling. It's a stormy night here so the warmth is welcome, but the dish is light enough for summer. We made several alterations (reflected in the posted recipe) to tailor this to M's preferences and the effort was very helpful. Both of us liked this better than usual - enough so that I think M will be happier to see it in the rotation.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, roasted peppers, oregano, spinach
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: Make the rice fresh, the chickpeas keep beautifully.

Reaction
J: "Even better than usual!"
M: "A step forward on an old stand-by."

Wednesday

Tofu with peanut-ginger sauce (recipe in the comments)
Cucumbers with lemon and salt

Hot tea
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This was the first tofu recipe we ever made that we hadn't eaten somewhere else first. Regular readers will remember that our first positive experience with tofu came at our friend F's house, with the amazing Grandma's Savory Tofu Casserole AKA Tofu Loaf. We made that first and, thus, began our quest for great tofu. Tofu with peanut-ginger sauce was our first foray on our own and we were richly rewarded. Not only is this an excellent dish, but this was the source of our transformative no-fail skillet tofu base recipe that MANY other tofu dinners are based on. This is an unusually hearty tofu dish and the flavors are intense and yummy. It's really hard to beat.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Tofu, zucchini, scallions, garlic, ginger, cucumbers
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: You can make the sauce ahead, but do the tofu last minute.

Reaction
J: "Peanut perfection!"
M: "Hearty, stick-to-your-ribs tofu!"