Meal Planning and lots of cookbook name dropping

After two visits to local farmer's markets (Thursday and Saturday), I figured I needed to sit down and figure out what to make from the bounty:

Not picture: red potatoes, fresh onions, beets, far too many green beans.

I knew that tomato sandwiches were a necessity, so I baked some European white bread a combination of white and rye flours gives it great texture, but a very neutral flavor great for toast and sandwiches.

Sunday I hopped back into bed with hot tea and a stack of cookbooks I've owned for years but rarely used. I found a wealth of recipes, new flavors, and enticing dishes. My chosen cookbooks for the week were Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven, Robert Budwig's Vegetable Market Cookbook, Lesley Mackley's The Book of Greek Cooking, which I bought in Greece 10 years ago but have used only to make tzatziki sauce before now, and my constant companion, Isa Chandra Moscowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance.

The plan this week (yes, laugh now) included the following recipes:
Vegetable Soup of an undetermined nature
Broccoli Lemon Orzo (a book from the library called Entertaining Vegetarians)
Courgette Salad (Greek)
Aubergine Fritters (Greek)
Potatoes and Spinach (Market)
Chickpea and Spinach Curry (VwaV)
Green Beans and Tofu in Crunchy Thai Peanut Sauce (Katzen)and something for breakfast.

The potatoes, courgettes (zucchini), and aubergines will have to wait for next week. I really should remember, when planning, that there is just no way I am going to cook every night. I love leftovers and generally make enough food for at least three people every night. And I eat alone!

So, first, the soup. I wanted to use a variety of veggies that were a little past their prime, as well as make some stock from a bunch of odds and ends I'd been dumping in the freezer over the past month. My veggie stock "recipe" is loosely based on the one in The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook (April Moon) for Roasted Vegetable stock. The Flying Biscuit cafe makes the most excellent soups (or they did years ago when I was there and I can't imagine they've changed a winning forumla like that!), so their stock is excellent.

Basic recipe -- lightly oil vegetables. I always always always use celery and onions, and I've made stock just out of those staples. This time I added some carrot, mushrooms, and fennel. Roast at 450 until things start to carmelize. Scrape out of pan into stock pot. Add just enough water to cover everything by about an inch. I also added the end of box of musrhoom stock that I wanted to use up. Add herbs to taste -- I'm a fan of thyme and bay leaf. I rarely add salt at this point -- I prefer to leave the stock unsalted until I figure out what kind of soup I want. I then bring the water to a boil, and then simmer it for at least 45 minutes. No real science here -- watch it and taste it.

I decided on a leek soup, as I discovered leeks last year and love the flavor they bring to soup. I washed and sliced two leeks and lightly sauteed them in a combination of olive oil and a bit of Earth Balance. If you eat it, butter works great, too. Plain olive oil would work, but the buttery flavor adds depth to the finished soup. After the leeks get soft, I added about 4 carrots, several stalks of celery, and one chopped potato. Cook until done. Serve with chunks of bread. And wine.

Also on the menu, a great-sounding pasta dish: Broccoli and Lemon Orzo pasta.

This dish featured blanched, tender-crisp broccoli, snow peas, and sundried tomatoes over orzo pasta with a lemon-shallot dressing. It was edible, but I am not sure that I would make it again. Let me take that back: I would not make it again. I am not a fan of snow peas, so I purchase sugar snap peas instead. I haven't had them in a while, but I did love them. So that rediscovery in itself was worth it. I am not sure that orzo is a style of pasta I'd buy again, either. And to top it all off, I don't love sundried tomatoes. The lemon-shallot dressing did introduce me to shallots, which I do think I will try out again. So I learned from this recipe, but the final product isn't something I will attempt to achieve again. Live and learn.

Now, Green Beans and Tofu in Crunchy Thai Peanut Sauce was absolutely a revelation. Firstly, I went to a different grocery store and bought a different brand of tofu. And for the first time ever, my tofu turned out golden cubes! I have NEVER gotten my tofu to do this before -- normally, I get scrambled tofu in a stirfry no matter what I do. I don't know if my technique has gotten better, or the brand made a difference, but judging by the texture, I'm thinking the latter. I had no idea what a difference that would make. Here in the middle of cattle country, it is apparently considered a form of treason to eat or stock tofu, so I don't generally have all that many options.

The true wonder of this recipe, though, is the "sauce."

1.5 cups lightly salted peanuts, crushed in a blender or food processor (or by hand if you need to exorcise some frustrations after a long day at work)

2 T minced fresh ginger

1 T minced fresh garlic (I got mine from the farmer's market. Yum)

1/2 t grated lemon zest.

1T oil

Sautee garlic and ginger in oil for a few minutes over medium heat.

Add the peanuts and lemon zest. Cook over medium low until peanuts are toasted, 15 or so minutes.

You could use this over any combination of vegetables, I think. It has a subtle but rich flavor, as well as the lovely crunch of peanuts. I am madly in love. Molly Katzen is a genius (yeah, I know, some of you may already know that, but it's apparently news to me).

And last but not least, what is becoming an "old" favorite -- VwaV's Spinach and Chickpea Curry, which I'm making for a friend tonight. Photos in another post, I think, as this one's pretty heavy already.

Happy Eating.

Inexcusable Absence, photo added

I have been lazy. I have been reading and watching, taking in information, but not processing it. I have, however, been cooking. And I am coming back. My goal for the next few weeks, with so many things going on in my life and in my head, is to update twice a week. I'm aiming for Tuesdays and Sundays. So here goes.

Tonight I came home absolutely dead. You know those days you have at work where you do actually work, but nothing seems to be accomplished by day's end? This is work lately for me. And much of life, come to think of it. I did NOT want to cook. But I had defrosted some tilapia. And I was hungry.

It's funny, but once I started, the meal grew. I threw the tilapia in an orange sesame marinade (not homemade -- here's a link. I love everything I've tried from them.) I dug in the potato bag and found a slightly old sweet potato -- took off its roots and threw it in the oven. And found green beans needing to be used in the fridge. I've been wanting to try this from Alanna at Veggie Venture -- the technique more than the actual beans. So I threw some Earth Balance and garlic into a skillet and chopped my plain Jane green beans.

A glass of cheap Chardonnay (it has a screw top, but it's palatable to a non-snob) as a reward for getting off my lazy ass to cook, and I had dinner.

It's times like these that I am reminded that the work of cooking for myself does pay off. I feel a little more cared for. I know some people like spa days and beach vacations as pampering. The older I get, the more I realize that dinner is my spa day. I need it more than a facial (or so I assume, never having had a facial) and it nurtures not only my body, but my soul.

Photo to be added as soon as I get it uploaded.

The Long Pause

I have to admit that food and cooking have not been foremost on my mind lately. I've gotten some grief for it, as unlike
some people, I've not had a good bloggable excuse with many photos. Suffice it to say that I'm contemplating and searching for new opportunities in my non-blogging world. I've been repeating the same recipes over and over and working on the perfection of a pasta recipe. I'm going to try it out on my mother when I go visit her this coming weekend, and if it is well-received (i.e. "done"), I'll post it. Since someone told me how to spell "beans" in Italian and all (hey, what is it in Russian??)

So. Tonight, after weeks of kitchen mediocrity (including pretty damn good tabbouleh from a box. Thanks, Fantastic Foods!), I've been cooking/prepping up a storm tonight. I figure I deserve good food tomorrow, a whole day off work, so I needed to do some work tonight to convince myself to cook tomorrow.

The proposed menu, photos to come:

Breakfast: Scrambled Tofu, Tempeh Bacon (both from Vegan with a Vengeance -- this is my first outing with tempeh), fruit salad (composed of a bit of everthing in my fridge), fried potatoes, and, if I want/need it, toast made from my lovely Oatmeal Bread.

Lunch: Hummus with potatoes and spinach (a bastardization of this recipe: Potato Spinach Hummus from 101 Cookbooks. I love that site.

Dinner: No clue. I'm going to a BBQ armed with a veggie burger and Heidi's Roasted Tomato Salsa from the same place. I plan to mostly follow that recipe, but I couldn't find the special pepper and am omitting the cilantro, as it tastes like a lovely organic cleanser to me. The tomatoes aren't brilliant, so I hope roasting will help. We're a few weeks away from tomato season yet.

Which reminds me. My parents gardened when I was young. Not a lot, just a plot of beans and tomatoes and cucumbers. That's what I remember, at least. My dad love the tomato. In the first neighborhood I lived in, they had a contest. The Tomato Party was hosted by the first couple who had a fresh, vine-ripened tomato to offer guests. Dress was formal funky -- which means nice dress for the ladies, suit for the men, but with one element OFF. We have this lovely photo of my parents. My father is decked out in his salesman's best suit -- but with lovely 1970s vintage shorts instead of pants. My mother has on a beautiful sundress, with a tacky tourist hat from Florida. There are similar photos of the attending neighbors. It was a fun neighborhood, and despite leaving that place when I was but 8, I count some of those people as close as family. Closer, in some cases. Tomatoes are a beautiful thing, you know.

Photos tomorrow, Ladies and Gentlemen, as the feast of the ages comes together.

This post brought to you by a wonderful yoga class, which I don't feel yet, a few gin gimlets, and the soundtrack to Grey's Anatomy, disc 2 (mock if you must, but then go listen.).

Peace, Independence, and good picnic food to you all.

Ha! Low-Carb Dinner

I say ''Ha" because this dinner was preceeded by a large dose of crinkle-cut kettle chips, so I felt no need to make an actual carb for the meal. My idea of "hors d'oevres" is not exactly gourmet when I'm alone.




Note the lovely newly seasoned pan. This pan was a gift, of sorts. But it's perfect tonight.

As is normal for me, when I went to the grocery store yesterday, I checked out the fish counter to see what looked good. There was a small yellowfin tuna steak that just looked beautiful. At about 1/3 of a pound, it was affordable, too. Granted, it's probably got enough mercury in it to make a new thermometer, but you have to die someway, and I'm loving fish right now. As it's almost the only meat I eat (is the only meat I eat at home), I may as well splurge for the once a week dinner. Right?

So. Dinner. The broccoli was just cut, boiled, lightly kosher salted and drizzled with lemon juice (no, sadly, not fresh).

The tuna?

Measurements are not exact. I solicited some advice through a friend from one of his friends. And then I looked up a few online recipes. Then I made this up.

Tuna Steak

1 tuna steak, approx 1/3 lb., about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 to 1/2 t garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 t ginger, ground
1 t toasted sesame oil
1T soy sauce
1T balsalmic vinegar
2t honey

Mix all ingredients but tuna with a fork. Marinate tuna in mix for about 30 minutes, flipping frequently (or whenever you think of it).

Heat cast iron skillet on medium high. Add a dash of sesame oil.
When hot, place tuna in pan. Cook 3-4 minutes each side
Add rest of marinade about 1 minute before steak is done (do not add earlier! Will turn to candy stage.)

Salt to taste and serve.

Pretty, yes?

Not so much with the cooking

I've not been feeling particularly inspired lately -- and I've had other things going on. Yes. I know. There is nothing without food. But it's not that I entirely haven't been cooking -- it's just that I've been making comfort foods. Not just mashed potatoes. But just easy breezy food that I don't have recipes for or have already posted recipes for up here.

All I have to say is that spinach and garlic together are a brilliant, easy, delicious, comfortable food combo. No matter what they accompany.

Cheers, all. I'll be back next week with tales of the City of Sin and a birthday cake.

Bread is Life -- NEW Recipe added

Unbaked honey cornmeal bread with raisins and fennel seeds. I made a loaf of this for a work potluck, hoping to have a few pieces to bring home, as that particular loaf was a double recipe. I had no bread at the end of the day.

Two Christmases ago, my mother kindly loaded her rarely-used bread machine in the car -- along with two dogs, a cat, and my brother -- to come visit me in my new house. The first year or so, the machine was used a few times, but not on a regular basis. When I had my food epiphany, which included the troubling need to learn to live without dairy products, I rediscovered the bread machine. Most of the bread I can find at my local grocery stores is, at best, mediocre. When you eliminate all dairy-containing breads, your selection shrinks even more.

Oh, and maybe I should mention that the food epiphanies took place not that long after my trip to Spain last fall, where one can buy amazing bread for pennies nearly anywhere.

Side vignette: When we called ahead for a hostel in Sevilla (a hostel is a no-frills hotel, generally. There really isn't an American equivalent. Think of your basic Select Inn or Motel 6, but with only a few rooms, sometimes several floors up, with character and extremely clean rooms but no phone and no tv) -- anyway, when we called our first choice hostel, they didn't have any en suite rooms left -- a room with a private bath attached. This is one of the few things my mother requires when traveling with me. So we called a second, significantly more expensive choice -- which happened to be next door. The Hotel Amadeus (I can't find a website for it) has a gorgeous roof terrace on which you can have an extravagently-priced continental breakfast. The terrace is truly lovely, so we debated doing breakfast at least one morning. It's vacation, right? The first morning, we woke to the smell of bread. Toasting, warmed, freshly-baked bread. It was, without a doubt, one of the best smells to wake up to. Ever. In the world. So we did have breakfast one morning on the roof terrace -- fruit, juice, coffee, and an incredible selection of breads. I wish I'd remembered to take a photo.

So. Bread.
Oatmeal bread. My favorite. I baked a loaf of this for my lovely neighbors, as they loaned me their lawn mower today. I have a rotary mower which is great unless you let the grass get out of hand. I was going to have to hire someone with a real mower to do my yard until the neighbors offered. The least I could do was offer bread.


I think this was potato bread. I like making my own baker's mark. If I ever become a superhero, this is the K that will be on my cape.

So, I use the bread machine on the dough setting and form and bake my bread in the oven. The texture is better. I do wish I was better at doing somehting other than a round loaf. My round loaves turn out the best, though, so I do keep making them.

My newest favorite easy bread:

Basic European White Bread

1 cup water
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons rye flour (don't skip this -- it gives texture!)
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast

Load into bread machine on dough setting.
When machine is done, shape bread and place on baking sheet with cornmeal.
Let rise until about doubled -- this usually takes about 30-45 minutes for me, as I let it rise on the stovetop and I turn the oven on to 350 degrees about 20 minutes before the dough setting is done.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when thumped or when it registers about 190 on a thermometer.

Lentils and Breakfast Disappointments

Hmmm. Lentils just don't sound like breakfast food to me. That's not what I meant, though, by the confusing title.

Breakfast first: I tried a variation of the granola recipe linked in the comments by Butta Buns (see the Breakfast post, as I'm somewhat too lazy/tired to link right now -- will try to come back and fix this but...). Unfortunately, my variation yielded a lovely batch of granola. Not granola BARS. So... well, we'll try again. Still no breakfast recipe. I am working on it.

LENTILS

On to an older recipe -- I made this a few weeks ago, but just dug out the final serving for lunch tomorrow. I rarely bother to cut recipes down because I tend to get confused mid-recipe and I love leftovers. I pop them into the freezer in single-serving containers that later become lunch. Got to love that. I didn't cook that much this weekend as I was painting my living room. So the frozen lunch option is handy.

I tried this
RECIPE from Vegetarian Meal Plans.

I LOVE lentils. My mother hates them because it was just after her first attempt at lentil soup that my grandfather went into the hospital for the first time. It had nothing to do with the lentils, but you know how you can form associations with food that have nothing to do with food? Lentils are one of her "bad" foods. Me? I wasn't there that night, so I haven't a thing against the mighty lentil.

My changes to the recipe:

changed 2-3 T of olive oil to 1 T
used 1/2 instead of one whole onion, as I generally like to scale the onion in recipes back

used 2 large cloves of garlic instead of the recommended three. I think it was more than enough.

TRIPLED the celery, using 3 stalks, not one. I love celery. Love, I tell you.
used marjoram instead of savory. Not sure that this is an adequate sub, but it's what I had
used 1T instead of 2T of Worcestershire sauce, as I don't really like the flavor. Also, I'm pretty sure mine isn't vegetarian.
added some nutritional yeast
Omitted the Wild Mushroom seasoning as I didn't have it. I read the ingredients online and figured the yeast was the most important part.
Didn't measure the carrots at all. Should have added even more. Love carrots.

My mashed potatoes included unmeasured amounts of salt, lemon pepper, olive oil and stock, turmeric (lovely yellow color) and chives. I have never measured anything while making mashed potatoes. You can add anything, and they will be good.With the food of gods atop the lentils.

It's funny to me to see this particular bowl in photos. When I moved to the opposite coast for graduate school, I moved with no dishes. And then my stuff didn't arrive for a good two weeks after I'd found an apartment -- which was three weeks AFTER I'd arrived. There was a lovely stint of living in a youth hostel with a good friend from college who was soon to become my roommate out there -- she met a well-meaning but dim-witted man in the hostel, but that didn't last long. Her "ethnics" (or ethics, if you're better with the vocab) just weren't enough to get them through. Anyway. The point is that we spent a good bit of time shopping at our local Goodwill store to furnish our apartment, and this is the first bowl I ever bought. I own another in blue -- they have fruits and veggies on the bottom. I think this one has an eggplant. I"m fond of this cheesy bowl because of the point in my life in which I acquired it. I was just learning to cook full meals for myself and this is the bowl out of which the mac 'n' cheese and varieties of goulash were eaten. Lovely bowl.

BACK to the food -- this lentil dish is easy, hearty, cheap, and reasonably quick. I will make it again. And go check out Vegetarian Meal Plans for inspiration. It's in the sidebar, which does need to be updated.