Xuan's Way

There is a quiet magic to opening the weekly vegetable box on delivery day. Before I write a single word of my meal plan, I unpack whatever leafy greens, crunchy roots, and fresh produce the local farm has harvested for the week.

Instead of deciding what I want to eat and then hunting down ingredients, I let the veggie box lead the way. A surplus of crisp leeks and root veggies instantly sparks a cozy weekend roast; tender spinach and cabbage inspire quick weeknight dumplings and Mediterranean pies. Designing menus around what’s freshly picked not only guarantees maximum flavor, but it also keeps kitchen prep flexible, seasonal, and completely zero-burnout.

Here is how we are turning this week’s farm-fresh harvest into a stress-free, global menu! Welcome to this week’s menu lineup!

I know I still need to add photos to bring all these dishes to life, but I’d love to get your thoughts before we lock everything in: what do you think is missing? Are there any specific sides, flavor profiles, or comfort elements you’d like to see added to round out the week?

Also, if you loved last week’s Asian salad, we’re keeping that bright, crunchy flavor energy going with this week’s Asian Cabbage Salad.

Time-Saving Tip: If you want to make this salad in under five minutes on a busy weeknight, skip the knife work entirely and grab a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix or a pre-shredded red and green cabbage blend at the store!

The ultimate low-effort Monday kickstart. Homemade dumplings steamed fast, paired with fresh farm spinach flash-sautéed in garlic oil and a splash of soy sauce.

Fun, adventurous, and celebratory. Silky sea bass paired with an umami-rich nori sauce, balanced by extra-crisp garlic green beans and a finely shredded cabbage slaw. For dessert, a warm, golden raspberry clafoutis straight out of the oven.

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The Pantry Check

Before heading to the grocery store, take a quick peek at my Flavor Foundations: Tools, Spices & Staples guide. It covers the core flavor drivers—like white miso, rice vinegars, toasted sesame oil, and whole spices—that power this week’s menu. Keeping these staples stocked means your weekly shopping list stays lean, fast, and focused strictly on fresh produce and quality proteins.

Your Shopping List

Have you checked your staples?

Weekly Swap Guide

When a swap works naturally without sacrificing flavor, it’s listed below. On the rare occasion that a dish relies on specific culinary chemistry and absolutely cannot be altered without losing its soul, it will carry our ✦ Purist Dish tag.

(Good news: Everything this week is fully adaptable!)

Gluten-Free (GF)

• Saturday: Swap the wheat flour in the no-knead bread for a 1-to-1 GF artisan baking blend, or pivot entirely: skip the bread and serve the garlic-wine cod and bean ragout over thick, pan-seared polenta cakes. They soak up the white wine pan juices beautifully and keep the meal naturally grain-free.
• Monday: Swap wheat flour in the top-draped dumpling dough for a 1-to-1 GF baking blend (or use GF round rice wrappers). Be sure to swap standard soy sauce for low-sodium Tamari or Coconut Aminos when dipping.
• Wednesday (The Pastry Pivot): Filo pastry can be tough to swap 1:1 without losing crispness. Instead of struggling with fragile GF filo, bake the feta block drizzled with olive oil and oregano inside parchment paper, and bake the spinach-feta mixture crustless as a rustic baked frittata.
• Friday: Swap wheat flour in the Raspberry Clafoutis batter for almond flour or a 1-to-1 GF blend—clafoutis relies heavily on an egg-custard structure, so almond flour yields a wonderfully tender, nutty bake. Use GF Tamari in the Sea Bass nori sauce.

Dairy-Free (DF)

• Wednesday: Use a high-melt plant-based feta or cultured cashew feta for both the tart filling and the grilled filo wrapper. (Note: If you aren’t strictly dairy-free and are only managing lactose sensitivity, authentic 100% sheep’s milk feta is naturally very low in lactose and usually well-tolerated).
• Friday: Substitute full-fat coconut milk, cashew cream, or plain plant-based milk in the Raspberry Clafoutis custard batter. Use vegan butter or high-quality olive oil to sear the Chilean Sea Bass.
• Note on Saturday–Monday: The majority of this week’s savory dishes already rely on Infused Garlic Oil and olive oil rather than butter, making them naturally dairy-free from the start!

Low-FODMAP (No Garlic / No Onion)

• Infused Oil Magic: Good news—FODMAP sugars are water-soluble, not oil-soluble! Properly strained Infused Garlic Oil delivers rich, authentic garlic aroma without triggering digestive distress.
• Saturday: Swap the leek whites in the ragout for chopped green scallion tops, fennel bulb, or extra zucchini ribbons cooked in garlic-infused oil.
• Monday & Friday: Use garlic-infused oil to flash-cook the sautéed spinach, green beans, and dumpling filling. Rely on green scallion tops (skipping the white bulbs) and fresh ginger for the dumpling dipping sauce and Asian cabbage salad.
• Note that while garlic-infused oil provides an excellent flavor swap, if you cannot tolerate garlic in any form, you can omit it entirely and rely on lemon zest, black pepper, and fresh thyme to carry the dishes.