On the menu: conveniently vegetarian

There are people who are vegetarian for health reasons. And others who are vegetarian for ethical reasons.

And then there's us. My current menu plan is mostly vegetarian, but the reasons are not so lofty. I won't bore you with the details, but it had to do with grocery shopping and sales and new recipes and...yeah.

Basically, it just works out better for us this week.


More specifically, here's what's on the menu:
M: Chili with lentils and Peruvian beans
T: Pan-roasted chicken with potatoes and balsamic vinegar
W: Cheese and basil polenta with tomato-basil sauce
Th: Potato curry (with tofu)
F: Pizza (at a friend's graduation party)


That's the other thing I needed to tell you about: polenta! I've never made polenta. But my great-grandma used to make something called cornmeal mush, which I've since learned is basically the same thing. I don't remember what brought that memory to mind awhile back, but, ever since then, I've been convinced I absolutely must make it.

The dish above with cheese and tomato sauce, however, is nothing like what I remember Grandma J making. That's okay, though, because I plan to continue experimenting with polenta/mush over the next few weeks. In the meantime, the recipe I chose sounded delicious, and I can make it on Tuesday, so that all I have to do on my busy Wednesday is pop it in the oven.

Basically, it just works out better for us this week.

P.S. I just realized I didn't note the side dishes. Sometimes I plan out main dishes only, knowing that I have simple sides on hand. Then I pull out some fruit salad or heat up corn or toss lettuce and tomatoes together while I'm fixing the entree.


Photos by me. In case you're wondering, the "palenta" came from my favorite Middle Eastern market and was imported from Bosnia (hence the non-English text). I just happened across it while I shopping.