Weekly Menu 27th to 31st July

Cucumbers growing in my greenhouse last week..

Where did July go? A whole month of both boys at home ahead, no school till sometime in September so I hope we can get out and about and do some things. The weather is very, very variable at the moment with quite a lot of rain in the mix making it hard to know what it is going to be like from one minute to the next.. typical British summer then :)

This week I am hosting the Gluten Free Menu swap and I picked cucumber as my ingredient. Cucumber is one of our favorite vegetables and we have two types plus gherkins growing in the greenhouse. We picked our first home grown cucumber and the first gherkin on Thursday night and two more cucumbers this morning. The tomatoes are growing well but are still green. Noodles told me that the cucumbers were very yummy and they were better because we had grown them.. which is wonderful, the idea growing your own helps kids eat more veg seems to be true with him at least, he ate peas from the pod this morning as well. Here is my menu followed by the others who are joining in the swap this week.

Monday - Fish fingers (GF for me), smiley faces and baked beans

Tuesday - Cauliflower and courgette bake.

Wensday - Burmese curry and cucumber pickle (at the bottom of the page)

Thursday - Sausage with roast beetroot and mashed potato

Friday - not sure yet depends a bit what vegs are ready at the allotment and what we get from the veg box.

Baking -Want to try the marshmallows from this months daring baker challenge I didn't manage by the challenge date. Noodles wants to make mini cupcakes.

Other menus

Kimberly at Gluten free is life has a family birthday to look forward and a full but great sounding week.. She also has an interesting cucumber salad I may have to try.

Sea at Book of Yum has a lovely sounding menu mostly cooked for her by a friend as she has a beautiful looking new baby to concentrate her time on.. congrats Sea she is lovely.

In my box has a fantastic and colourful sounding vegan menu and while I don't plan to become vegan any time soon I could happily eat any of those dishes.

Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness has some lovely looking hazelnut meringues and a great sounding menu.

Wendy at Celiacs in the house has some lovely summery pictures and a nice mix of dishes this week.
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Burmese Cucumber Pickle
from the Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon

Serves 6
2 large green cucumbers
1/2 cup of vinegar (originally malt but I use cider)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium onion
2tbsp sesame seeds

Peel cucumbers, cut in half long ways an scoop out seeds. Cut into fingers, then chop into 2 inch lengths. Bring vinegar, water and salt to the boil, drop in cucumbers and boil till transparent. Drain and leave to cool.

Heat both oils together and fry garlic till pale golden, drain. Fry onion till golden brown in the same oil. Toast sesame in a dry pan till golden brown, stir constantly. Turn onto plate to cool. When oil is cold dress cucumber with 3 tbsp oil. Mix well. Add onion, garlic and seeds. Toss lightly. Serve.