COOK90 2020, Week 3: Meal Plan and Grocery List

If you're doing COOK90 2020, welcome! Welcome to the halfway point, that is. You’ve been practicing High Intensity Interval Cooking, and because of that you’re going to start the third week of COOK90 with a little off-roading. By which I mean you’re going to make a soup without a recipe.

Does that freak you out? Relax! If you’re following the meal plan, you will already have a stash of miso-squash puree in your fridge. And here’s a secret: puree is just really, really thick soup. All you have to do is warm it up and thin it out with water (my choice) or broth. I’m going to sweat a few shallots and blend them into the soup, too, because somehow I’ve acquired a pile of shallots two feet high and nobody—nobody!—needs that many shallots.

After Monday, it’s back to recipes. A recipe for a dreamy sweet potato plate (make you sure you double the lentils and the sweet potatoes for nextovers). A recipe for a killer veggie burger. And hey, look, finally we’re going to cook some of my recipes: a coconut milk/chickpea/greens situation and a tofu/kimchi/clams situation. I guess I like situations.

Your grocery list for the week is below, but before we get into that, a few things: you can follow along as I complete COOK90 on Instagram. You can ask questions of the entire Epicurious team on our COOK90 forum. And the clams you’re going to eat on Wednesday? Don’t buy them this weekend. Clams are best bought and cooked on the same day. It’s an extra trip to the store, but it’s worth it!

Basics
You’ll lean heavily on these cooking essentials throughout the week. Make sure you’re stocked up!

Olive oil
Neutral oil such as grapeseed, sunflower, or canola
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Dairy/Eggs
6 ounces feta
Butter (at least 5 tablespoons)
Eggs to boil for an Any Way Niçoise Salad (optional)
Plain yogurt (you only need ½ cup or so)
1 pound hard paneer
8 slices sharp cheddar or vegan cheese (for veggie burgers; optional)
Heavy cream (at least ½ cup)

Produce
12 small (or 6 large) sweet potatoes
½ pound maitake mushrooms
½ pound crimini mushrooms
1 large bunch greens, such as Swiss chard, kale, or collard greens
1½ cups peas (fresh or defrosted)
3 onions
2 heads garlic
1 big knob of ginger
6 scallions
6 lemons
2 limes
1 large bunch (or 2 small bunches) dill
1 bunch cilantro
Vegetables such as small potatoes, green beans, cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced fennel, etc., for an Any Way Niçoise Salad
Aromatics such as onions, carrots, garlic, celery, etc, for an improvised squash soup

Pantry
1 pound kimchi
White miso (at least ½ cup)
Tahini (at least ¼ cup)
Vegetable broth for improvised squash soup (optional)
1 cup black or green lentils
½ cup red or black quinoa
3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
Tahini (at least ¼ cup)
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
2 (14-ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 pound silken tofu
Tinned sardines and/or tuna for for an Any Way Niçoise Salad (optional)
Slivered almonds (at least 1 cup)
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Cinnamon
Cloves
Ground red chile (chile powder)
Honey
All-purpose flour or oat flour (at least ¼ cup)
Veggie burger toppings such as mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, pickles, etc.
Basmati rice (at least 4 cups)

Seafood
1 pound littleneck clams (8 to 12 clams total) (NOTE: It is best to pick up clams the day you will use them, which on the meal plan is Wednesday)

Bakery
8 hamburger buns

Wine/Beer
Wine, cider, or sherry for an improvised squash soup (optional)

Originally Appeared on Epicurious