Friday's Menu for October 14th

Today's menu is full of comforting, flavorful and amazing-smelling fare!

Lunch
Specials:
~ Gnocchi in pink sauce

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted carrot on greens
~ Curried apple salad on greens

Sandwiches:
~ Jersey style hot Italian sausage with peppers, onions and potatoes
~ Fall fabulous roasted beet and butternut squash with goat cheese and arugula
~ Turkey and cheddar
~ Grilled cheddar

Desserts:
~ Baklava
~ Chocolate chip cookie
~ Fudgy brownie with walnuts

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

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Friday's Dinner
Entrees:
~ Eggplant parmigiana
~ Orecchiette pasta with borlotti beans

*The pasta name comes from its shape, which reminds one of a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear, and the suffix 'etto' means 'small'. Borlotti beans are meatier than your average white cannelleni bean with a nutty flavor and creamy texture and are a good source of protein, fiber and nutrients.

Selection varies by availability

Indian Summer Menu!

Summer is trying to make a comeback, so we have both hot and cold selections to make your mouth happy no matter the weather. Today's menu board is up on Facebook - see the picture from this link - but here's what we're planning for the rest of the week. If there's any changes, we'll do our best to keep you updated!

Lunch
Specials:
~ Gnocchi in pink sauce

Special lunch on Friday to honor Yom Kippur in the social hall:
Brisket with potatoes and glazed carrots

Soups:
~ Chicken and stars

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted carrot on greens
~ Roasted cauliflower on greens
~ Curried Waldorf on greens *see below for a description of this fall classic with a twist
~ Pan-roasted plums with a star anise dressing (Friday)

Sandwiches:
~ Hot Italian sausage
~ Tomato and goat cheese and balsamic

Complimentary:
Brown rice with mushrooms, onions, peppers and broccoli

Desserts:
~ Warm baked apple with cinnamon and brown sugar
~ Apple spice cake
~ Spooky monster cake pops
~ Fudgy Brownies (Friday)

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

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Friday's Dinner
Entrees:
~ Lamb chops with rosemary gravy served with potatoes and glazed carrots
~ Pink gnocchi entree size with garlic bread and green salad - upgrade your salad to one of our fancy ones for only $1 more!
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See this website for this history of how Waldorf Salad got its name:
The Waldorf of the salad’s name was New York City’s first Waldorf Hotel, which opened in 1893 with Oscar Tschirky as maitre d’hotel. That title isn’t one we see much anymore, but it combines the job of host, headwaiter and dining-room manager, and in those days a maitre d’ often attended to such culinary tasks as boning fish tableside and mixing salads. Tschirky is said to have created Waldorf salad for a supper attended by some 1,500 society types.

The original recipe, from The Cook Book by Oscar of the Waldorf, 1896:
"Peel two raw apples and cut them into small pieces, say about half an inch square, also cut some celery the same way, and mix it with the apple. Be very careful not to let any seeds of the apples be mixed with it. The salad must be dressed with a good mayonnaise."

Better World Cafe has made its own twist on the classic recipe with the addition of raisins, sour cream and curry spice!

"Come on Autumn!" Friday menu for September 30

We're willing some cooler Autumn weather yet saying goodbye to Summer with our selections today - come enjoy!

Lunch
Specials:
~ Gnocchi in a pink vodka sauce
~ Challah bread with sides

Soups:
~ Last gasp of summer tomato-corn
~ Roasted cold poblano and almond courtesy of Chef Armando

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted Carrot
~ Curried Waldorf

Sandwiches:
~ Kielbasa with sauerkraut
~ Butternut squash and black bean burrito
~ Turkey with leek and mushrooms
~ Tuna with roasted peppers and tomatoes

Desserts:
~ Coconut and almond slice (v)
~ Apple crisp
~ Apple with honey
~ Homemade walnut baklava
~ Chiffon cake with seasonal frosting

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

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Dinner
Entrees:
~ Chicken with green olives and dried plums with polenta
~ Autumn butternut squash risotto (catch Chef Rachel doing a live demo making this tonight!)

Selections vary daily by availability

Well wishes and lunch menu for the rest of the week

We do have available a lovely roasted carrot salad, apple crisp and some sliced apple with honey to wish L'Shana Tova to our Jewish friends on Rosh Hashanah!

Here is some of what we'll have available this week to round out the lunch menu:

Lunch
Specials:
~ Baked Ravioli Parmesan (today)
~ Gnocchi in a pink vodka sauce (tomorrow and Friday)

Soups:
~ Last gasp of Summer corn with tomato
~ Kickoff to Autumn butternut ginger
~ Lentil soup

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Roasted Carrot
~ Curried waldorf
~ Three bean salad with greens
~ Couscous with greens

Sandwiches:
~ Grilled veggie with feta wrap
~ Balsamic-roasted tomato on grilled cheddar
~ Turkey on ciabatta
~ Tuna with roasted peppers and tomatoes

Desserts:
~ Love bar with nuts
~ Coconut and almond slice (v)
~ Harvest cupcakes (see the Facebook page here for a GORGEOUS photo!)
~ Apple crisp
~ Chiffon cake with maple pecan frosting

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

Selections vary daily by availability

Today's Lunch and Fabulous Friday Menu for Sep 23

Selections are subject to change based on availability but here are some of the items we could have today and for dinner tomorrow!

Lunch
Specials:
~ Pudgy pepper: open faced stuffed pepper filled with beef and rice on foccacia topped with sauce and cheese
~ Grilled cheddar basalmic tomatoes on slicing bread
~ Grilled sausage with peppers and onions
~ Ravioli in our own homemade tomato sauce

Soup:
~ Tortellini and Vegetable
~ Roasted Eggplant (v)

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Sesame snow peas (v)
~ Cucumber mint in sour cream
~ Cherry tomato (v)
~ Israeli couscous (v)

Sandwiches:
~ Turkey with caramelized onions on ciabatta
~ Grilled vegetable wrap with feta
~ Hot dog with caramelized onions

Desserts:
~ Love bar
~ Chocolate chip cookie
~ Oatmeal cookie
~ Pumpkin sunflower loaf
~ Rice pudding
~ Chocolate cake with maple pecan frosting
~ Pumpkin muffin/cupcake

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

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Dinner
Entrees:
~ Baked tilapia in lemon herb butter, orzo medley and stuffed tomato - $9
~ Vegetable lasagna, green salad w balsamic dressing, garlic bread- $8

Upgrade your green salad to one of our specialty salads for only $1 more!

Seasonal greens recipes

Chef Rachel did a demo at the Highland Park farmers market on Friday. She made the recipes below. Hope you try them yourself at home.

POLENTA TART WITH SEASONAL GREENS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup instant polenta

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 TBSP olive oil

3 cloves garlic. minced

1 medium onion, diced small

6 cups season greens- chard, spinach, kale or a mixture

2 cups cherry tomatoes, preferably varied colors

salt and pepper to taste

Bring stock to boil, add polenta, whisk until smooth. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add parmesan and black pepper. Oil a 9x12 baking dish, smooth polenta out in layer in pan. Let rest. Pre heat oven to 400.

Heat oil, sauté garlic and onions until translucent, add greens, cook until greens wilt, season to taste. Spread evenly over polenta. Dot tart with cherry tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes.

(optional toppings: crumbled bacon, goat cheese, sautéed mushrooms, poached eggs)

GREEN GOODNESS SOUP

3 TBSP olive oil

3 green cardamom pods

3 cloves garlic minced

1 inch piece ginger, grated

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks celery

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch swiss chard, cut in 1 inch squares, include stems

½ cup Arborio rice

juice of 1 lemon

64 oz vegetable or chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

In stock pot, heat oil, add cardamom pods toast lightly, add garlic, ginger and onion cook until translucent. Add rice, stir to coat in oil. Add celery, scallions and chard, stir briefly and cover with stock. Bring to boil and lower to simmer for 20 minutes. Puree using blender, immersion blender or food processor. Be careful while pureeing the hot liquid. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Other green or white veggies can be added to the pot. Leeks, lettuce, kale, potato, peas spinach, etc are all welcome. When your CSA overwhelms you with greens, this soup will make them disappear from the fridge and a smile appear on your face.

Friday Menu for Sept 16

Lunch
Specials:
~ Baba ganoush platter with olives, crostini, veggies (v)
~ Baked tomato stuffed with chard, kale, breadcrumbs and cheese and a slice of Erbazzone - chard-filled pie topped with cheese

Soup:
~ Roasted eggplant (v)

Salads:
~ Better World Salad (v)
~ Pasta salad (v)
~ Roasted corn and barley with honey dressing

Sandwiches:
~ Grilled cheddar with basalmic roasted tomatoes on wheat
~ Turkey and pesto
~ Grilled veggie wrap with feta

Desserts:
~ Love bar
~ Coconut chocolate cake
~ Chiffon cake enrobed in ganache

Drinks:
~ Hot and iced coffee and tea

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Dinner
Entrees:
~ Indian grilled eggplant with a sweet-with-heat ginger honey glaze, jasmine rice and curried beans

~ Stuffed pepper served with green salad and crostini topped with pesto