major kitchen action

I have eluded to the overly-busy schedule I have been keeping up with these past few weeks, and coupled with plenty of stress, let's just say I haven't been feeding myself as well as I could have been; too much eating out for me! I was long overdue for a weekend full of cooking, and boy, was it fun!

Here are the results of all that action in my kitchen . . .

I haven't had much dessert on hand at home or at work, and I was craving something warm, homey, and tart-sweet. Enter, rhubarb-peach crumble:

Although peach is a nontraditional partner for rhubarb, this is quite good! I should have added a little more extra sugar to the fruit, since it is still VERY tart, but I love the contrast with the sweet-crispy-toasty topping. It's always a bonus when I can clear TWO bags of frozen fruit out of my freezer, and get a dessert out of the deal, too!

At the time of purchase, I had no plan for the parsnips I picked up at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. The more I thought about those parsnips, the more Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad in Pineapple Vinaigrette, from VCON, stuck in my mind -- and I figured, I better oblige!

The first time I made this recipe, I found it called for WAY too much dressing. I cut the dressing recipe in half this time, and am much happier with my salad. It's less soup-like, more slaw-like!

I should try this recipe with orange juice instead of the pineapple juice sometime. I always seem to have OJ on hand, but have to slap down four bucks to purchase the pineapple juice for this recipe. Anyone out there ever subbed OJ with good results? Do tell!

Lately, I have been mildly obsessed with the blog Anja's Food 4 Thought. Her writing is clear and concise, her photos are breathtaking, and her style of cooking seems perfectly aligned with my own. (Plus, she seems to be as obsessed with baked goods as I!) Even though I'm super anxious to try her Almond Butter Granola Bars, I found myself whipping up Herbed Chickpea Pancakes for dinner last night:

OK, someone please help me figure out WHY I have never made savory chickpea pancakes before? They are dead easy, super-cheap, and SOOOOOOO good -- I especially love the herbed yogurt recipe she includes. It took me a couple of tries to find my mojo with this recipe, learning that I needed to use a little more oil and a little higher heat than I thought, and I just couldn't help but flip them, even though she calls for them to be cooked on only one side. Since I destroyed most of my first batch on the learning curve, I sort of HAD to make a second batch for dinner tonight, right? At least now I have leftovers for lunches this week! MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

To continue on my quest to return to eating a more colorful, produce-rich diet, I tossed together a simple roasted red pepper soup for lunch today:

I really should have written down at least the measurements for ingredients, because I may never be able to replicate this one! (Lunch was a long time ago, you see.) Hmm . . . here's what I think I did:

1. Saute about 3/4 cup finely chopped onion in olive oil
2. Add 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped roasted red bell peppers, (I bought the hugest jar at Costco not too long ago, so I didn't feel bad about blowing through an expensive ingredient on this soup,) 3 cups vegetable broth, 1 tsp agave nectar, and salt (about 1/2 tsp?) and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for 10 minutes, or longer, if you are busy doing something else.
4. Add 1 cup Greek yogurt to the pan, and puree. Garnish with any fresh herb you like -- I'm on a chive kick this week, so that's what I used. Simple and delicious!

Alongside my soup, I had a couple of tiny quesadillas:

I slathered homemade corn tortillas (!) with homemade refried beans (!) and queso fresco, and fried 'em up in my cast iron until crispy. It's been ages since I've made tortillas, and I forgot how EASY they are to whip up -- and how vastly superior their flavor and texture is to storebought corn tortillas! Homemade tortillas actually taste like CORN, not like dry paste. :) I used four for my quesadillas this afternoon, and stuck the other four in the freezer, to be enjoyed at a later date.

And last but not least, after a long, cold walk around the neighborhood I want to move to this summer, I felt like baking again! So, now I have a lovely batch of Tuscan Lemon Muffins for breakfasts and snacks this week:

I haven't tried these guys yet, but if the baked version is as good as the dollop of batter I licked off the spatula earlier, they will be a HIT! I made a few changes to the original recipe, as ever: I subbed Greek yogurt for the ricotta, omitted the lemon juice (figured the yogurt would provide enough acidity,) added 1 tsp lemon extract (to make up for the missing lemon juice,) and used 1 cup AP flour plus 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, instead of all AP flour. I really wanted to use all whole-wheat flour, but lemon is such a delicate flavor, I was afraid it would get lost in the whole grainy goodness . . . this split seems to work well. I ended up with 8 standard-sized muffins and a dozen minis for the kids, too! (I thought I'd shower them with treats this week, since it's my last as their teacher.)

Hope your weekend was filled with good food, too!

baking and cooking, cooking and baking.

This isn't a complaint, but does anyone else feel like sometimes that's all you do?

I did bake a couple of things yesterday:

At the top is a glorious apple pie that I didn't have to do much for, since the crusts and filling have been in my freezer since apple-orcharding this fall. All I did was thaw, assemble, and bake. Fruit pie is such a TREAT! At the bottom are some muffins that I made for Dan's breakfasts this week -- his work schedule has changed, so he's going to have to leave the house much earlier. I tried to come up with something that he could grab on his way out the door and still get his omega-3s! Each muffin contains an full tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, which makes them a little more dense than I'd prefer, but I guess that's the trade-off, right??

Banana-Flax Muffins
yield: 12
Whisk together:
3 overripe bananas, mashed well
1/3 cup milk (or more, depending on how moist your bananas are)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine, then stir into wet ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Bake for 15 minutes at 400.

I also made a batch of granola yesterday, (but didn't photograph it,) cooked a TON of brown rice to go with several of our meals this week, prepped the broth for the pho we had for lunch today, (picture coming up,) and started some pizza dough.

I'm definitely not sick of eating pizza, but I'm kinda sick of posting about it:

Excellent, as always.

Pie a la mode for dessert:

Yummmmmmmmmmm.

Sunday lunch may officially be "Asian Noodle Soup" time at our house:

Enjoying homemade pho again this weekend was great! I love the combination of spicy, sweet broth, slurpy noodles, and fresh herbs and veggies. Dan commented that a big bowl of pho seems to treat his Sunday blues!

I haven't decided yet whether we're going to have Thai curry or Indian curry for dinner, so stay tuned . . . .

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve last night! I had a pretty great day, actually -- we only had four kids at work during the day, our mini dinner party was a huge success, and Dan and I had a blast at the theatre production we went to see later on! (We saw the Christmas show at a local comedy and improv theatre.) Food from yesterday:

BREAKFAST:

Apple-cinnamon oatmeal, made with almond milk. Not pictured: black coffee, multivitamin.

LUNCH:
Sorry there's no photo, but I ordered Jimmy John's with a few of my coworkers. I had their veggie sub (provolone, avocado, light mayo, lettuce, sprouts, tomato, and cucumber) on wholegrain bread. I also snuck two chocolate-covered caramel leaves out of our "teacher treats" drawer. :)

SNACK:
Again, no photo. (Dinner will make up for it, I promise!) Another pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, and a Cara Cara orange. I shared a few slices with the kids -- they loved it! (And, bizzarely, the orange distracted them from the Oreo cookies being served for snack! Strange, but cool.)

DINNER:
I had a small platefull, and a few scoops of seconds, from the following dishes:

Salatat Taheena (Tahini Mix), Labana ma' Za'tar (Drained Yogurt with Za'tar,) and Bathinjan Makboos (Eggplant Pickles,)

Mutabbal Koosa (Garlic Zucchini Appetizer,)

Maazat Hummus wa Zaytoon (Chickpea and Olive Appetizer,) Zaytoon bi Za'tar (Olives with Za'tar,) and Maazat Khurshoof (Artichoke Hearts in Vinegar,)
AND,

Pita and Za'tar flatbread.

All of the vegetable/entree dishes are from this cookbook:

(This book is absolutely at the top of my "to buy" list now. Everything was FANTASTIC!!!!!!! A very fun, tasty, casual meal.)

The breads were both from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (Buy this book, if you haven't already!)

We also had leftover Christmas cookies, (I had a few,) and herbal tea for dessert.

ANOTHER SNACK:
Dan and I split a medium popcorn at the theatre.

EXERCISE:
Nothing noteworthy yesterday, other than chasing after preschoolers for eight hours. I'll try and make up for that today!

~~~~~~~~~~

Off to the grocery store in a little bit -- even though there are a few leftovers from last night, my kitchen desperately needs a restock! Later, skaters.

can't . . . stop . . . cooking . . .

The tomatoes are almost gone, but until then . . .

. . . I continue to eat salad for breakfast.

Lunch was a repeat from Sunday -- portobello mushroom sandwich, corn, potato salad, and watermelon. Still just as delicious! (No photo -- I was too hungry to wait!)

Dinner tonight was Thai soup with coconut and lemongrass:

This is a favorite of Dan's, and a frequent meal at my house. Soup feels more like fall/winter food to me, but I found lemongrass at the Farmer's Market and, well, I just had to make some soup. :) There's tons of lemongrass leftover, which I minced up and stuck in the freezer. Has anybody else had success with freezing lemongrass? It's so expensive from the grocery store, I don't want to waste this bunch from the Farmer's Market!

Back to work tomorrow . . . for three whole days. :) My four-day stay-at-home-weekend was WONDERFUL!

Question of the Evening:
What's your favorite thing to do with filo dough?
Me? I make a mean baklava. I have half a package of filo leftover, and I sense some buttery, flaky, spicy, nutty, sugariness in my future. (And I'll take half the pan to work, for sure!) However, I'm always open to suggestions! Ideas?

a day in the life of a food snob

Salad for breakfast is a good, good thing:


Homemade, garden-fresh, pico de gallo:

Three different kinds of tomatoes, purple bell peppers, jalapenos, green onions, (all from Dan's garden,) lime juice, cilantro, fresh garlic, and salt. A lot of chopping, but well worth it!

Nachos for lunch:

Organic blue corn tortilla chips, black beans, local, organic monterey jack cheese, loads of homemade pico, and local, organic sour cream. I restrained myself to this platefull, but Dan went back for a second helping. Not pictured: Virgil's root beer. Perfect salty meal, sweet beverage combination!

We enjoyed the rest of the pico, with a few remaining black beans mixed in, with leftover chips as a late-afternoon snack.

Vegan spanikopita and tabouli for dinner:

I made the tabouli using quinoa, since I didn't have any bulgur in the cupboard, and all the usual tabouli ingredients: tomato, cucumber, green onion, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, mint, chickpeas, and salt. I like a LOT of mint in my tabouli -- I use roughly equal parts mint and parsley. There's that fine line between minty deliciousness and toothpaste-land that I like to walk right up to, but never cross. :)

I loosely based the spanikopita on a recipe from Fine Cooking. This was "effing" amazing! I can't believe how good this was, containing no cheese! Yay for tofu vegan deliciousness! Here's what I did:
1. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large skillet. Add one very large clove of garlic, minced, and two shallots, minced, and cook until soft. Add 1 1/2 pounds spinach, roughly torn into bite-sized pieces. Cook until the spinach is almost completely wilted. Add about 3/4 cup sliced green onions, and cook until the spinach is completely wilted. Cool.
2. Smush up one 10-ounce package super-firm tofu. Add 4 tablepoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, pepper to taste, and 1 handfull whole almonds, pulsed in a food processor until very finely chopped. Mush the whole mixture together with a fork until it is well combined.
3. Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, along with the spinach mixture and any liquid left in the bottom of the pan, to the tofu. Mix well.
4. Preheat your oven to 375. Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance or other favorite margarine. You could also use olive oil. (Don't despair -- I was somewhat generous with my margarine brushing, and still didn't use the full stick. Plus, spanikopita just isn't health food!! If you're really worried, pick up one of those oil spray pumps and get spritzing.)
5. Open a 1-pound package of filo dough, and cut the large sheets in half. Wrap up half of the sheets to use another time. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9X13 pan with the melted margarine. Layer 8 sheets of filo in the pan, brushing the top of each sheet with margarine. Add the spinach mixture, spreading evenly. Layer the remaining filo sheets, brushing the tops of each sheet with margarine.
6. Cut the spinach pie into 9 squares. Brush the cut seams with margarine. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filo is golden brown. Allow the pie to cool until just warm before serving. (You may need to re-cut the squares before serving.)

And, there may be pie yet before bed!

Question of the evening:
What was your best meal or snack today?

My answer? That's a tough one. Everything I ate today was so fresh, delicious, and mind-blowingly awesome . . . but I think lunch had to have been my favorite. The balance between the salty nachos and the sweet root beer was soooooooo perfect!

vegetables galore!

I seem to have a little, ahem, problem with the Farmer's Market . . . I tend to go twice in one weekend, buy a ton of stuff, and then wonder what to do with all of it! This past weekend was no exception.

Oliver wants you to see Dan's and my haul Saturday morning:

We were lured into purchasing not one, but TWO different kinds of honey -- I chose a jar of creamy, pale yellow pure raw honey, and Dan was drawn to a jar of thick, dark "Blue Earth Buckwheat" honey by Ames Farm. (Also raw.) I also picked up a beautiful bunch of radishes, a huge bunch of mint, and a gigantic bag of lettuce! After washing and roughly chopping all of the lettuce today, I am realizing I am in for a LOT of big salads this week. :) I've made big salads already for dinner Friday night and lunch Saturday, and am loving my veggies!

Dan and I also stopped at Shuang Hur and the Wedge after our errands Saturday afternoon, to pick up a few essentials for dinners this weekend:

I love the Asian grocery stores for their prices and otherwise unknown to me ingredients, but I DON'T love that they package all of their produce on styrofoam trays, wrapped in plastic wrap! Sigh. Anyhow, we picked up Japanese eggplant, a red pepper, some snap peas, broccoli, limes, green onions, ginger, and tofu for our planned stir-fry dinner, and some lychees!! Lychees, if you've never had them, have the texture of a grape, and are very sweet with slightly coconutty, slightly floral, slightly melon-y flavors. Go buy lychees! Pictured on the right are bulk chickpeas and yellow split peas from the coop, to use later in the weekend.

Basic stir-fry, over udon noodles:

I learned my lesson with Hmong Family sweet soy sauce -- it is SWEET. This was good, but I wouldn't make it again this way -- I'd use regular tamari next time!

Courtney and I went to the Farmer's Market again this morning:

Courtney kindly gifted me a bag of large lima beans, strongly encouraging me to make the baked lima bean dish from VCON. (She's so subtle! Do you think she feels strongly about this recipe???) ;-) Thanks, Courtney! I purchased spinach, beets, dill, a green pepper, and just over a pound of large pickling cucumbers at the market.

I was pretty hungry when I got home, so I made a green smoothie snack/second breakfast:

Pineapple, peaches, banana, spinach, a squirt of agave, and some orange juice. Dan enjoyed his own serving for breakfast, and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet, fruity, slightly grassy flavor. Dan doesn't eat as healthfully as he could during the week, so I'm happy to pack him full of vitamins over the weekends. :)

Give you two chances to guess what I made with the pickling cucumbers and dill . . .

Yes, that's right, pickles! Shocker. I made up a recipe that didn't require any cooking, and that didn't use any sugar -- I like my pickles cold, crisp, salty, and vinegary, and that's about it. Garlic, dill, salt, and peppercorns went in with the cucumber spears, covered with equal parts white vinegar and water. Give 'em a week, and we'll see what I've created!

OH! Forgot to show you two frozen treats I made earlier this week. Pineapple-Coconut Popsicles:

Simple recipe, yielding an amazing treat! One can of light coconut milk, one bag of frozen pineapple, 1/4 cup agave nectar . . . blend, fill the molds, and freeze. SOOOOOOO delicious!

I also attempted peach ice cream:

I used a basic ice cream recipe, lightening it up a little bit by using half and half instead of a mixture of heavy cream and whole milk, but made the mistake of choosing frozen peaches. I think I should have used fresh peaches instead, because this ice cream has NO peachy flavor whatsoever. It's still good, it just tastes like vanilla!

I decided to roast my beets this afternoon, and while I had the oven on I also made another batch of granola:

Dan's sister, Sarah, raved about my granola last weekend -- I should really email her the recipe!!

And last, dinner tonight:

I used the jalapenos Dan grew in his garden and the mint I picked up at the Farmer's Market yesterday, along with a whole host of other ingredients, to make Paraati Chana from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. This has to be one of my most favorite chickpea dishes EVER. (Plus, it's the closest thing I've made to authentic Indian food in my very own kitchen.) I served it atop brown rice flavored with a pinch of saffron, and a side of mixed greens -- kale from last week's trip to the market, and the beet greens from this week's trip.

I sent Dan home with the leftover dill and some of the mint, three lychees, leftover stir-fry, leftover greens, leftover paraati chana, and a jar of granola. As he was getting ready to leave tonight, I said out loud, "why is it that you always seem to leave with a goody bag?" He replied, "because I have a nice Jewish momma who takes good care of me." We both laughed -- I'm neither Jewish nor a momma, but I guess I do take pretty good care of him!

the first harvest of the summer!

Have I mentioned yet that Dan has a garden plot at his work? Well, he does! He arrived at my house on Friday night with the first harvest of the summer: five skinny jalapeno peppers, a small handfull of basil, (both not pictured,) and the following:

A purple bell pepper, and a small bunch of prairie onions! The bell pepper, onions, and basil were put to good use in dinner tonight:

I cooked up some whole-wheat pasta and tossed it with my homemade sauce, which I loaded up with Dan's basil, and I also made a simple veggie saute, including the bell pepper and onions, as well as some other veggies (red onion, garlic, baby zucchini, and beet tops) that I had hanging around that needed to be used up. I adorned the veggies with a drizzle of olive oil, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

This was a delightfully simple, healthy dinner that we both devoured! Hooray for veggies!

(P.S. The prairie onions were SO sweet! Yum!)

Farmer's Market Extravaganza!

I made a deal with myself at the Farmer's Market yesterday -- I knew that I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted to pick up, but I took out plenty of cash and told myself I was allowed to buy whatever looked good, and I'd deal with the (positive) "consequences" later. :) I only ended up spending $23, but I don't think I could have carried more home if I had tried! Look at what I got:

Two big bunches of basil, "candy-stripe" beets, baby zucchini and summer squash, kale, bananas, lemons, broccoli, baby new potatoes, and two cartons of strawberries! Everything was local, except for the bananas and lemons, of course. :)

When I arrived back home from the farmer's market, I got busy.

Pesto:

I have big plans for this all week long!

Homemade pizza for lunch:

I made a crust from some unbleached all-purpose flour, some spelt flour, and a touch of gluten, topped it all with homemade marinara, smoked mozzarella, zucchini, red onion, kalamata olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and dabs of homemade pesto!! YUUUUUUUMMMMM. A very satisfying lunch yesterday, with watermelon on the side. (Dan and I laughed about how triangular our lunch was!)

Strawberry Galette:

I had planned on making a strawberry pie, but decided I didn't want to fuss around with pastry quite so much, so I made a free-form, rustic galette. Next time, I won't brush the top of the pastry with lemon juice and sprinkle it with sugar, since it browned WAY too much. But this was so damn tasty, I'll give you the recipe -- I based it loosely on the pastry and blueberry pie recipes from Betty Crocker.

PASTRY:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
13 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery sticks, chilled and cut into small pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water
Combine the flour and salt, and cut in the Earth Balance, leaving some larger pieces of the marg still in tact. Toss in the water with a fork until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill.
FILLING:
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Toss the above together. Roll out the pastry into a large circle, and transfer the circle to a large baking sheet or pizza pan. Pile the filling into the middle of the circle, spreading evenly. Dot the top of the filling with an additional 1 tablespoon of margarine. Fold up the edges of the pastry, overlapping around the filling. Bake the galette at 425 degrees Farenheight for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown!

I also made a jar of strawberry jam with the strawberries that were left after making the galette:

(I only made a half-recipe, since I had just over two cups of strawberries left.) So easy, and so delicious! I've made this jam with raspberries and blackberries before, and I think it would work well with blueberries, also. I can't wait to experiment more! I see strawberry-rhubarb jam in my future, I think. :)

I didn't actually make this yesterday, but I did thaw and bake it!

I had made a double-batch of homemade bread a while ago, and had parked most of it in the freezer for later consumption. After taking almost all day to thaw and rise, this loaf baked beautifully, and make excellent toast for breakfast this morning. :)

Dinner last night:

Brown rice, cucumber, avocado, and sesame seed nori rolls with a side of steamed edamame. 1 1/2 rolls each seems to be just the right amount for both Dan and I!

And lastly, Dan had to work yesterday morning for only a couple of hours, and after the farm tour he gave, he decided to walk through the woods and gather a surprise for me:

Black raspberries! These were SO good, and a very fun treat. We ate them as is over the course of the afternoon yesterday.

Less cooking planned for today, but I still have a few recipes up my sleeve. Until then . . .

beet salad, cupcakes, and lentil soup

I made Cooking Light's Roasted Beet Salad With Tarragon Vinaigrette last night, and boy is it tasty! I've never really had beets before, and I have to say . . . I think I like gold beets! (At least prepared in this way!) I have to tell you, between the recipe calling for the same ingredients in different parts of the recipe, and then cutting the recipe in half, this was a bit confusing to execute . . . until I rewrote the recipe "Joy of Cooking" style. Here is is:

Toss together and roast 1 hour in a 350 degree oven:
1 1/2 pounds gold beets, scrubbed well and root ends trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon

Cool, peel, and cut up the beets into about 1-inch cubes, or a little larger.

Whisk together:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toss the beets and 1 cup thinly sliced red onion in the vinaigrette. Chill overnight before serving.
This salad is a bit spicy from the raw onion, raw garlic, and raw shallot. Enjoy!


Then, while the oven was still on, I whipped up a batch of Double-Chocolate Cupcakes -- I'm still tweaking this recipe for Party of One, and I think I've almost got it! They are plenty chocolatey enough, and they don't sink any more -- they aren't nicely rounded on top like a normal cupcake, but they suffice, I think. I made a test batch of my Creamy Vanilla Frosting for them as well, and then topped each cupcake with a slice of strawberry and a mint leaf. Cute and yummy!


This morning, I decided to whip up a batch of Post Punk Kitchen's French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme, to use some more of the leftover tarragon and thyme I had from making the beet salad. I have always been a bit frustrated by this recipe, because it makes a really simple thing seem more complicated than it really is, but the ingredients blend together nicely and make a killer lentil soup. Here's my edited, simplified version:

Saute together on low until everything is softened and beginning to brown:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
about a cup of roughly chopped mushrooms (my addition)
4 cloves garlic, minced

Add, bring to a boil, lower the heat, then simmer for 45 minutes:
6 cups vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can no-salt added diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cups French green lentils, rinsed well
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
black pepper to taste

Fish out the bay leaves and thyme stems with tongs once the lentils are tender. Cool and freeze in small portions for a non-90-degree day!


I still have a big bunch of fresh oregano leftover, as well as some mint, thyme, and Thai basil. (The basil may go into more spring rolls later this week.) Any suggestions?

Faux-Caprese Salad and more recipes up for grabs!

Here's the recipe for the Faux-Caprese Salad I devised this past weekend!

Toss together:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil (i.e., "chiffonade")
7 ounces firm water-packed tofu, pressed for at least 10 minutes and diced in approximately 1-inch cubes
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

Allow the salad to sit for about 10 mintues before serving so the tofu can soak up all of the excess dressing.

My thoughts on this recipe: quick, healthy, and simple. Not quite as tasty as the "real thing," but definitely passable. :)

More recipes available for testing:

Creamy Mushrooms 'n' Mac (L with vegan option)
Pancakes (L with vegan option)
French Toast (L/O with vegan option)
Peanut Butter Cookies (L with vegan option)
Snickerdoodles (L with vegan option)
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies (L with vegan option)
Awesome Oatmeal Cookies (L with vegan option)
My Favorite Fruit Crumble (vegan)

Again, PLEASE email me (link's still on my profile page) if you'd like to test one of them! I have all of your email addresses written down somewhere . . . where they are, though, is a mystery right now . . . !!