Food Ecosystem

Meals

A week planner and a small kit of original, family-of-two recipes, in the spirit of a HelloFresh-style meal kit but open and self-hosted: no subscription, no delivery box, just a plan, a shopping list and a print-friendly recipe card per meal.

What already exists

8 meal-planning and recipe-kit services already researched on the landscape page, most of it self-hosted or subscription delivery rather than open and free:

  • Mealie OSS No values scoring, provenance, or diet-profile awareness of what gets planned; self-hosting required.
  • Tandoor Recipes OSS The Commons Clause forbids selling a hosted version, so it is source-available rather than strictly OSI open source, plus the usual lack of values scoring and provenance.
  • Paprika Recipe Manager proprietary Paid per platform, closed sync, no values scoring or provenance, no diet-profile sharing across apps.
  • Samsung Food (formerly Whisk) proprietary Owned by Samsung with a hardware-ecosystem lock-in angle, closed data, no values scoring or provenance, no independent diet-profile contract.
  • HelloFresh proprietary Commerce-locked to their own delivery and pricing, no values scoring or provenance beyond their own sustainability marketing, no diet-profile portability.
  • Marley Spoon proprietary Same commerce lock-in as HelloFresh; no values scoring, provenance, or diet-profile sharing.
  • Cooklang / cookcli OSS A markup format and toolchain, not a consumer meal-kit app by itself; needs a UI layer for a household to use it like HelloFresh.
  • RecipeSage OSS AGPL applies to non-commercial use only, commercial use needs a separate paid license from the maintainer; no values scoring or provenance.

No diet profile set yet, so the recipe picker below shows all 8 recipes. Set one on the diet page once it exists (Task E6) to narrow the picker automatically.

Week plan

Shopping list

Plan a meal above to build a merged shopping list for the week.

Recipe kits

8 of 8 recipes shown for the current diet profile. Each card prints as a clean one-page kit sheet.

Lentil and Roasted Root Vegetable Bowl

40 min · serves 2 veganautumn

Ingredients

  • Green lentils: 150 g
  • Carrot: 2 medium
  • Parsnip: 1 large
  • Red onion: 1
  • Olive oil: 3 tbsp
  • Ground cumin: 1 tsp
  • Smoked paprika: 1 tsp
  • Garlic: 2 cloves
  • Baby spinach: 80 g
  • Lemon: 1
  • Salt: to taste
  • Black pepper: to taste

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
  2. Peel and cut the carrot and parsnip into 2cm chunks, and cut the red onion into wedges. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, the cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper on a baking tray.
  3. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once, until the edges caramelize.
  4. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and simmer in 400ml water with the crushed garlic for 18-20 minutes until tender, then drain any excess liquid.
  5. Stir the baby spinach through the warm lentils so it wilts.
  6. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon into the lentils and season to taste.
  7. Divide the lentils between two bowls, top with the roasted vegetables, and finish with the remaining olive oil and a wedge of lemon.

Tip: Swap the parsnip for sweet potato if that is what is in the fridge; the roasting time barely changes.

Coconut Chickpea Curry

30 min · serves 2 veganall-season

Ingredients

  • Chickpeas (cooked): 400 g tin
  • Coconut milk: 400 ml tin
  • Yellow onion: 1
  • Garlic: 3 cloves
  • Fresh ginger: 2 cm piece
  • Curry powder: 2 tbsp
  • Ground turmeric: 0.5 tsp
  • Cherry tomatoes: 200 g
  • Baby spinach: 100 g
  • Basmati rice: 160 g
  • Vegetable oil: 2 tbsp
  • Salt: to taste

Steps

  1. Cook the basmati rice according to the packet, then keep warm.
  2. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric, and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Stir in the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and coconut milk, and simmer for 12 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
  6. Fold in the baby spinach and cook until just wilted.
  7. Season with salt and serve over the rice.

Tip: Crush a few chickpeas against the side of the pan for a thicker, creamier sauce.

Miso Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

25 min · serves 2 veganspring

Ingredients

  • Soba noodles: 180 g
  • Broccoli: 1 head
  • Carrot: 1
  • Spring onion: 3
  • Red bell pepper: 1
  • Garlic: 2 cloves
  • White miso paste: 2 tbsp
  • Soy sauce: 2 tbsp
  • Rice vinegar: 1 tbsp
  • Sesame oil: 2 tbsp
  • Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp

Steps

  1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the soba noodles per the packet, then drain and rinse under cold water.
  2. Cut the broccoli into small florets, slice the carrot into thin batons, slice the bell pepper into strips, and chop the spring onion.
  3. Whisk the miso paste, soy sauce and rice vinegar with 3 tbsp water until smooth.
  4. Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the broccoli and carrot for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.
  6. Add the noodles and the miso sauce, and toss for 2 minutes until everything is coated and warmed through.
  7. Scatter with spring onion and sesame seeds before serving.

Tip: No white miso? Swap in 1 tbsp tahini plus an extra 0.5 tbsp soy sauce.

White Bean and Kale Stew

35 min · serves 2 veganwinter

Ingredients

  • White beans (cooked): 400 g tin
  • Kale: 150 g
  • Carrot: 1
  • Celery: 2 stalks
  • Yellow onion: 1
  • Garlic: 3 cloves
  • Vegetable stock: 600 ml
  • Tinned chopped tomatoes: 400 g
  • Olive oil: 2 tbsp
  • Dried thyme: 1 tsp
  • Bay leaf: 1

Steps

  1. Dice the onion, carrot and celery. Heat the olive oil in a pot and cook them together for 8 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Pour in the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer.
  4. Add the white beans and simmer for 15 minutes, partially covered.
  5. Strip the kale leaves from their stems, tear roughly, and stir into the stew for the final 5 minutes until wilted.
  6. Remove the bay leaf, season to taste, and serve with crusty bread.

Tip: This stew tastes better the next day, so it is a good one to double and keep for lunch.

Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Pasta

35 min · serves 2 vegetariansummer

Ingredients

  • Cherry tomatoes: 400 g
  • Block feta cheese: 200 g
  • Garlic: 3 cloves
  • Olive oil: 4 tbsp
  • Dried oregano: 1 tsp
  • Chilli flakes: 0.5 tsp
  • Short pasta: 200 g
  • Fresh basil: small bunch
  • Black pepper: to taste

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
  2. In a baking dish, combine the cherry tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, olive oil, oregano and chilli flakes.
  3. Nestle the block of feta into the middle of the tomatoes and bake for 25 minutes until the tomatoes have burst and the feta is soft.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, and reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining.
  5. Mash the feta and tomatoes together into a sauce, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
  6. Toss the pasta through the sauce, tear over the basil, and finish with black pepper.

Tip: Stir a spoon of the tomato oil through the pasta before adding the sauce; it carries a lot of flavor.

Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

40 min · serves 2 vegetarianautumn

Ingredients

  • Arborio rice: 160 g
  • Mixed mushrooms: 250 g
  • Baby spinach: 80 g
  • Yellow onion: 1
  • Garlic: 2 cloves
  • Vegetable stock: 800 ml
  • White wine: 100 ml
  • Parmesan cheese: 50 g
  • Butter: 2 tbsp
  • Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Steps

  1. Bring the vegetable stock to a gentle simmer in a separate pot and keep it warm.
  2. Slice the mushrooms and finely dice the onion.
  3. Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a wide pan, and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
  4. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until browned, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  5. Stir in the arborio rice and toast for 1 minute, then pour in the white wine and let it bubble away.
  6. Add the warm stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting for each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next, for about 18 minutes.
  7. When the rice is creamy and just tender, stir in the spinach until wilted.
  8. Off the heat, stir in the remaining butter and the parmesan, then season and serve.

Tip: Keep stirring but do not rush the stock: slow additions are what make it creamy without cream.

Lemon Herb Roast Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

45 min · serves 2 omnivoreall-season

Ingredients

  • Chicken thighs (bone-in): 4
  • Baby potatoes: 500 g
  • Lemon: 1
  • Garlic: 4 cloves
  • Fresh rosemary: 2 sprigs
  • Olive oil: 3 tbsp
  • Salt: to taste
  • Black pepper: to taste

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 210C (190C fan).
  2. Halve the baby potatoes and toss them with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper on a large baking tray.
  3. Pat the chicken thighs dry, rub with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper, and nestle them among the potatoes.
  4. Slice the lemon into rounds and tuck them, the garlic cloves and the rosemary sprigs around the tray.
  5. Roast for 35-40 minutes until the chicken skin is golden and the potatoes are tender, turning the potatoes once halfway through.
  6. Rest for 5 minutes before serving with the pan juices spooned over.

Tip: Bone-in, skin-on thighs stay juicy even a few minutes past done, which forgives a distracted cook.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Dill and Greens

25 min · serves 2 omnivoresummer

Ingredients

  • Salmon fillets: 2
  • New potatoes: 300 g
  • Green beans: 200 g
  • Fresh dill: small bunch
  • Lemon: 1
  • Butter: 1 tbsp
  • Olive oil: 1 tbsp
  • Salt: to taste
  • Black pepper: to taste

Steps

  1. Boil the new potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until tender, adding the green beans for the final 4 minutes.
  2. Pat the salmon fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and sear the salmon skin-side down for 4 minutes.
  4. Flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until just cooked through, then remove from the pan.
  5. Add the butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan, swirl to make a quick sauce, and stir through the chopped dill.
  6. Drain the potatoes and beans, plate with the salmon, and spoon the dill butter over the top.

Tip: Do not move the salmon for the first two minutes of searing; it needs that time to release cleanly from the pan.

Continue points

  • Fridge-inventory integration: check what is already in stock before adding it to the shopping list.
  • Seasonal tagging by month rather than a broad season label, so the picker can favor what is in season this week.
  • Groceries basket handoff: send the merged shopping list straight into the ideal-groceries basket builder.
  • Portion scaling beyond serves 2, once a household size setting exists somewhere shared.