Thursday Menu Prep...Fabulous Fall dishes & recipes-tips ( despite another heatwave)

Well we didn't get any rain this past week and now we have winds coming in from the Mojave Desert so it is going to be mid 80's here all week, never mind, I am plodding on with my Fall Food and tomorrow my  clients have chosen a menu that features the Yam in 3 dishes, a soup and 2 entrees.
Yams are  a nutritional dense vegetable and are now being considered by many food relief organizations as a way to stem world hunger in children.
Packed Vitamin A ( beta carotene) and Vitamin C, and when cooked have a high moisture & sweetness content. They also detoxify the body and balance hormone and blood sugar levels, ensuring energy supply is constant no highs and lows like with rice.
They are helpful with promoting good eye health.
Another very much maligned vegetable that is better for you that regular potatoes and is not used/featured in the diet enough.

The menu for tomorrow is:

Soups/Chowders:
 
A great Mushroom "chowder" not thickened with any flours, but finished with chopped basil and raw tomato..flavors of nutmeg and garlic, with starchy potatoes & milk.

A yam and potato soup with fresh thyme..tastes hearty like a good strong broth.

Miso with spinach and sea vegetables..an old standby comfort food

Entrees
An Asian inspired Bean and vegetable stew with brown rice..wonderful mix of balck eyed peas, red kidney beans and canneli beans in a white wine, miso stock, with ginger ( fresh root and powdered) and 5 spice powder, garlic and leeks, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, yams, will be finished for packing with fresh sweetcorn and snow peas ( as it is cooked again at the clients house I wanted the corn and peas fresh)..this comes with  a pot of steamed brown rice

Sweet potato & butternut squash Cottage Pie* ( different from a Shepherd's pie as it has scalloped potatoes instead of mashed on top, and grated cheese)
* if cooking with meat a Shepherd's pie is always made with lamb,
 a Cottage pie is made with anything But lamb ( ground turkey, chicken, beef), can also be topped with scallop potatoes and sliced tomatoes and no cheese...this is to be baked at the clients house.
Flavored with carrots, thyme and onions

RECIPE :Potato, zucchini and carrot Kugel with cheese...this is an old recipe that has be revived, using eggs, milk and shredded and well drained vegetables.
fro 4-6 portions.
Grate ( by hand is better) 6-8 large starchy potatoes ( about 2 pounds)
4 large carrots ( about 1 pound)
4 medium zucchini ( about 3/4 pound)

Place the grated carrot and potatoes in a large colander over a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt
In another colander and bowl do the same with the grated zucchini, leave for 1 hour.

After an hour, squeeze any excess moisture from the grated vegetables and place in a large bowl.
Add 4 beaten large eggs
1 cup whole milk ( or nut milk or  fat free, your choice)
DO NOT ADD ANY SALT AS IT  WAS IN THE DRAINED VEGETABLES

add ground black pepper and herbs of choice, I like dried thyme or sage

mix in to the mix 1 cup shredded cheese ( medium or strong cheddar or if using Feta, 1/2 cup as it is salty)

Place the mix into a buttered oven proof dish (es) and smooth the top, do not pat it down, cover with another 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake in a 350f oven ( Middle of oven) for 45-60 mins..until golden brown and bubbly.
Wait 30 mins before serving as it is very hot and will actually  be able to be sliced (after 30 mins)  into portions.
I am serving this with a own made tomato sauce.



For dessert my ever popular Caramel - English toffee- walnut-sunflower seed oatmeal cookies ( I am now up to 6 dozen a week!), and could never make a label for the container as it would be too big.!




enjoy the photos showing the progress so far:

The Yam and thyme soup

the mushroom "chowder" finished with chopped fresh basil and tomato

The Asian  inspired bean & vegetable stew without the  stock ( so you can see the veggies)

with the cooking liquor added..will be packed tomorrow with added sweet corn and snow peas

this is the drained liquid from the grated potato, carrot and zucchini to be thrown away

the squeezed potato, zucchini and carrot shreds

the buttered oven proof dish

adding the cheese to the mix

these 2 the beaten eggs and milk

the mix in the dish waiting to be topped with cheese, and drizzled with oil before baking in a 350f oven for 30 mins ( will be further cooked at client's home tomorrow)

the oatmeal caramel cookies before baking

these 2 the partially cooked kugels..to be completed at client's home

this one  &  the next 4..the completed cookies cooling