not too shabby

Here's what happens when John and I wander aimlessly through the supermarket, trolling for dinner supplies at 6:30 on a Tuesday night, feeling both hungry and tired:

Not too shabby, if you ask me! Stir-fry of rice noodles, onion, mushroom, carrot, sugar snap pea, and almonds, drizzled with a store-bought stir-fry sauce, augmented by some garlic and cayenne. Spicy-noodley good, even though the noodles stuck together en masse, and had to be carefully teased apart with two forks. Gotta love starchy-gooey rice noodles, eh?

weekend food recap

I'm lacking creativity this morning; I apologize for the bland and uninteresting post title. (My cat hates me, I think. I am so sleep-deprived!) Anyhow, I demonstrated much more creativity when meal-planning and cooking last weekend:

After a long, chilly, beautiful hike along the St. Croix on Saturday afternoon, a filling, speedy, delicious dinner was in order:

Breakfast burritos also make an excellent dinner! Sprouted tortillas stuffed with refried beans, cheese, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Delicious.

Lunch Sunday was supposed to be dinner Saturday night, but we swapped meals due to hunger and speed of preparation. The lasagna was just as good the next day!

Whole-wheat noodles, homemade sauce, and a three cheese/spinach/artichoke filling became much more than the sum of its parts!

Dinner Sunday night was quick, easy, delicious, and consumed on the couch in front of a movie:

"Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup," from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers. I love the sweet/salty/spicy/creamy/rich flavors in this soup so much!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, too! (Although it really feels like a long time ago at this point . . . !)

John's pie

Friday night, John and I were wandering through Byerly's, trying to figure out what we were going to make for dinner. (We settled on bruschetta and quiche, not necessarily related, but both tasty! And no photos, sorry!) John noticed that Friday is "pie day" at Byerly's, and half-pies were on sale. I managed to convince John NOT to buy a grocery store pie, in favor of homemade pie the following day. :)

Here's John's pie:

I used my great-grandma's recipe for piecrust, using a little bit more butter than shortening, and it turned out FABULOUSLY. Granny Smith apple filling, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Mmmmm. Must have been good, as there is only ONE piece left. And I made the pie on Saturday morning! :) Do you think I have enough willpower to save the last piece for the next time I see John? I'm not sure . . . !

And a couple more meals from the weekend --

Chili!

We went ice skating on Saturday evening, and chili was the perfect post-skate, warming dinner. I have really been digging my "basic" recipe of late, containing little more than onion, garlic, bell pepper, minced mushrooms, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth (or water,) and hot sauce. Plenty of toppings this time, including pepper jack, cilantro, green onions, and sour cream. (Chips and guac on the side, not pictured!)

And Pad Thai!

I augmented the recipe for "Brooklyn Pad Thai" from Vegan with a Vengeance by adding some shredded cabbage (and cutting back a wee bit on the noodles,) a couple scrambled eggs, and extra peanuts. Spicy-sweet-salty-tangy and delicious! I love Thai food.

MORE tea.

Anyone who knows me well knows I need more tea like I need a hole in the head.

But, I just couldn't help myself . . .



I took it upon myself to try all three teas immediately, so I could provide you with a review. You know, taking one for the team and all. :)

Coconut Cocoa: This tea has a strong coconut flavor, with a subtle chocolatey-ness hiding in the background. I like this one quite a bit, but I would expect that if you weren't a huge fan of coconut, this wouldn't be a hit with you.

Red Velvet Chocolate: This is my least favorite of the three. Don't get me wrong -- it's a nice, quality, vanilla-y rooibos. But this fancy canister of tea doesn't taste much different than the ordinary vanilla rooibos I have on hand. A subtle chocolate aroma, but no detectable chocolate flavor, in my opinion. Bummer.

Peppermint Chocolate: This is excellent! Kind of tastes like an Andes mint, but not sweet, obviously. I might try this one again later with a bit of sugar, to see if it gets even better. :) P.S. This cup of tea was excellent with a teensie handful of white chocolate chips on the side . . . :)

My co-op doesn't seem to carry the Strawberry or Banana Chocolate teas . . . anyone out there tried either? Both sound amazing to me!

Do you impulse buy tea? Any other silly grocery impulse buys you care to confess?

on a Tuesday . . .

. . . I received an email from John, stating that he was going to be in my neighborhood working all day, and did I want to get together around 5? Of course!

But wait . . . what's for dinner? I had plenty of leftovers, but not enough of any one thing for the two of us. Popping over to Target during my break for a few items was really the only option, right? I was pleasantly surprised that Target carries organic, whole-wheat pasta!

Bow ties with homemade mushroom marinara, and a "clean out the crisper" salad on the side:


And mixed berry crumble with a drizzle of heavy cream for dessert:

That bag of frozen berries has been lurking in my freezer positively for-EVER. It was great to use them up in something so delicious! John had two helpings; and I quote, "it's healthy, right? There's fruit!"

Weekend in food!

Meals from the weekend - whole wheat pancakes and breakfast sausages,

burritos,

and Smoky Split Pea Soup with Cheese Muffins.

YUM!

Friday night pizza!

Team effort on dinner last night - I made the "veggie supreme," John made a much more creative pizza with caramelized onions, artichokes, apple, and Brie.
Leftover pizza for breakfast? Indeed. :)