This week we are serving a classic dish at Calhoun, lemon-garlic chicken with a sweet potato and coconut purée. We marinate the chicken overnight with lemon slices and a lot of minced garlic. The chicken is then roasted until golden. It is so wonderfully juicy and tender from marinating with the lemon juice. Next we roast sweet potatoes whole, then peel and blend with coconut milk, yielding a silky purée that is the perfect foil of sweetness against the acidity of the lemon in the chicken.
We are also featuring a Cajun classic, red beans and smokey andouille sausage. We start by creating our base with the Cajun trinity of green bell pepper, onion and celery, sautéed with Cajun spices. After that comes chopped tomatoes, our beans and andouille. Served over fluffy Carolina rice. For our vegans we will have the same trinity, tomato and spices with red beans and seasonal vegetables.
When we do our much beloved BLT sandwich, we make sure that the vegan option is just as delicious. To replicate the sweet, smokey flavor of the bacon, we take firm tofu, marinate it with tamari, dried shiitake mushroom powder, and molasses. We then roast it, smoke it, then dice it into “lardons” or little cubes. I think it really provides a satisfying vegan “TLT”. For our vegan Bahn mi, we bring in Blackbird Foods seitan and season it with tamari & lime, subbing in for the roast pork. We finish out our vegan options with the French classic dish brought from the big screen by Disney: Ratatouille. Maybe we will play the soundtrack in the kitchen that morning. I know at least one person that will enjoy it...
Back by popular demand are the yucca fries, this time with a Latin American mojo sauce. Chef Jose is making a Dominican mojo, with Meyer lemon since we can’t find the traditional sour orange juice, garlic and olive oil. Should be perfect with the crispy yucca.
Have a great weekend!
Menus for May 16th-May 20th
Monday May 16th
Chana Masala
Turmeric Coconut Rice
Cucumber Raita & Spicy Mint Chutney
Naan
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Tuesday May 17th
Lemon Garlic Chicken
Lemon Garlic Tofu Cutlet
Sweet Potato & Coconut Purée
Sautéed Lacinato Kale
BLT or T(tofu)LT Sandwiches
Split Pea Soup
Wednesday May 18th
Red Beans & Andouille Sausage
Vegan Red Beans & Vegetables
Sautéed Zucchini w/Basil
Carolina Rice
Vegan Pan Bagnat Sandwiches
Lemon Potato Leek Soup
Thursday May 19th
Vegetable Stir Fried Noodles
Roasted Broccoli
Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
Chili Lime Seitan Banh Mi Sandwiches
Taiwanese Beef Soup
Taiwanese Vegetable Soup
Friday May 20th
Sweet & Sour Pork
Vegan Option: Ratatouille
Yucca Fries w/Mojo Sauce
Quesadillas
Black Bean soup
Dessert! Chocolate Tres Leches