Tasty Delicious pt. II

First, thank you to everyone for your encouraging comments regarding my last post. I'm sure I've written about this quote from Helen Keller before, but it is always worth repeating:

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."

Enough on this topic for now . . .

. . . because I need to move on to Tasty Delicious pt. II!

Peanut-Tamarind Sweet Potato Curry (from Vegetarian Times):

This was supposed to be a simple curry of sweet potatoes and a rich, complex sauce, but since the one sweet potato I had purchased for the curry had begun to, um, decompose at parts, (damn heat!), I decided to supplement with cooked chickpeas and green peas. (P.S. A first for using tamarind paste in my kitchen! Yum.)

Deep-Dish Polenta Pizza (from Real Simple):

This recipe originally called for radicchio as one of the toppings; alas, the Wedge did not have any the last time I went shopping. I subbed thin ribbons of local, organic, dinosaur kale . . . with delicious results! This really reminds me nothing of pizza, but it's tasty delicious, nonetheless. (The "pizza" also includes diced, smoked mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes.)

Custard Pie (from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, using a prepared, wholegrain, frozen crust):

Custard pie is food of my early childhood. My dad used to make custard pies, (also sour-cream raisin pies) for my great-grandma for family holiday get-togethers. I wanted to bake on Sunday night, but didn't have much in the house to work with. (I also wasn't feelin' anything chocolatey . . . imagine!) Frozen piecrust, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg . . . I had all of those things, though! I learned my lesson with custard pies, however -- don't use a prepared crust in a disposeable, aluminum pie plate. Why? Because when you pull the pie out of the oven, the hot custard is wobbly and bendy . . . and the pie will bend in half, fall out of your hands, and hit the floor! Fortunately, the pie hit the floor face-up, so it is still edible, although majorly mangled. (This piece pictured above was the only one left photogenic, in the end!) Sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself. :)

A Really Big Salad:

It's disgustingly hot and humid right now . . . what can I say? (I also can't seem to get enough greens lately . . . maybe my iron's low, or they're just in season and look irresistable? I bought two big bunches of local spinach, one big head of local red lettuce, and one big bunch of local dinosaur kale the last time I went grocery shopping. Munch, munch, munch.)

Enchilada Lasagna:

This recipe started as Corn, Black Bean, and Zucchini Enchiladas (from Cooking Light,) but in the end, I decided I was going to layer everything in a baking dish, instead of trying to roll up enchiladas. (I have had whomper issues with tortillas cracking and splitting when trying to make enchiladas in the past.) Verdict? FABULOUS!!! I made a whole 9X13 pan's worth, but split the recipe into two 9-inch pans, so I have some now, and some in the freezer for later.

And, thus ends Tasty Delicious -- at least until the heat and humidity go down. Leftovers and salads for the next week or so!

P.S. I finished "Hope's Edge" today . . . very, very good. I would like to purchase a copy someday, because many of the recipes in the book look absolutely irresistable. One more to add to the list!