This week’s theme is SALAD over at The Gluten Free Menu Swap. And our lovely host is Heather at Celiac Family. Thanks for hosting, Heather! Salads are great this time of year because you don’t have to heat much of anything up and you and your kitchen can stay cool! And it is going to be red-hot here in the Albuquerque area again this week, so salad is a great idea.
I had already been thinking about making a cold rice salad after seeing this one over at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice last week. And this past weekend we had Moroccan Chickpea Salad, which I love! It makes a lot and is great leftover too, in fact we had some tonight. Some other salad ideas for you: Quinoa and Black Bean Salad, Wild Rice Tabouli, Taco Salad, Lentil Salad Provencal.
In other meal planning thoughts, I know we still have Swiss chard growing strong and I need to use some more up. We are also headed out to dinner with some friends at a gluten-free friendly restaurant this weekend. It is one I have never been to before, Casa Vieja, but they list gluten free options on their menu so hopefully it goes well! I am sure it will, other celiacs I know have been there and they say it is very gluten-free friendly. Perhaps another Restaurant Review is in order?
So with that in mind, this is the plan for the week:
Italian Rice Salad with some added white beans
Black Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard perhaps with a side of rice or polenta
Mediterranean Salad with added salad greens
So, yes, only three meals planned for this week since we will be eating out one evening and the other three evenings are saved for leftovers. With only two people in the house, we have plenty of leftovers usually, and I enjoy not having to cook every night. If we need to we always have our emergency go-to foods, like plain-old spaghetti or a chickpea curry, or a Trader Joe’s something-or-other in the freezer, just in case.
In other exciting news, I bought myself an ice cream maker this weekend! I have been coveting them for a couple of months now, especially the recipes over at The Whole Kitchen and Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. And we just happened to stop in Bed Bath and Beyond, and oh, surprise, they had just the one I wanted! (They had previously been sold out.) And I had a 20% off coupon. Yeah! So, this week, ice cream is on the list too! And since it is my husband’s birthday week, he gets to choose the first batch. And he chose Peanut Butter Cup. I will be sure to let you know how it turns out!
Also, next week, I am hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap and the theme is cucumbers! I have about five cucumbers ready to be picked and they are just going to keep on coming, so please, post (or send) cucumber recipes! Even if you don’t have a cucumber recipe, please join us, we’d love to have you! The ‘rules’ and all the info is over here at Gluten Free Goodness.
This post is also cross-posted over at Org Junkie where you will find hundreds, literally, hundreds of other meal plans for inspiration.
Beyond Rice and Tofu 
This sounds great. I’m a big salad lover, especially in the Arizona summers. Cooking just takes too much energy when it’s 120 degrees outside! I make all kinds of salads, but I’ve never made a rice salad (except once with wild rice). I love green beans and white beans, can’t wait to try the Italian Rice Salad. Thanks!
Hehe – congrats on the ice cream maker purchase! I think you will be very happy with your investment! And thanks for the blog shout out!
It’s been non-stop salads around here, too! Lots of different slaws, and big leafy salads with fresh local berries and sliced peaches with bright balsamic vinaigrettes…YUM. But last night, I improvised and made a thinly sliced cucumber, peach and sour cherry salad with an aged balsamic & basil olive oil vinaigrette – it was outstanding! I’ve got some pics of it, if I ever find time to write blog posts this week, I’ll put it up. ;)
One batch of IC done and we have really enjoyed it. Now for the next one… Yeah!
[…] find lots of salad ideas at Beyond Rice and Tofu this week. Renee has Italian Rice Salad and Mediterranean Salad on her menu this week. She also […]
Oh my, After all this time, I just discovered this menu plan swap. Where have I been?
I hope I remember to do this, next Monday.
Hey Comfy! I just posted this week’s meal plan swap. Check it out and post the link to yours in the comments and I will link us up. Thanks for stopping by!
an ice cream maker sounds like a lot of fun!
Yes, it is a lot of fun so far, although dangerous for my waistline! But I have found with this first batch, the richness of it made me to not want a whole bunch of it. So that’s a good thing!