Don't go to the grocery store hungry! Do go to the local farm hungry!
I stopped by Spicknall's on the way home and loaded up my canvas bags with a bounty of brightly colored fruits and veggies. Here's what I did with a few of them ... (note that while it is contrary to my typical style, I will try to be more exact with ingredients as I have a sense that it matters in this dish).
(Mini Eggplant)
Roast 3 small eggplants with EVOO and S&P at 375 until soft. Scoop out innards and set aside.
Boil one small potato and set aside. I used a potato left over from another meal.
Heat about 2 TBL ghee in a saucepan.
Add about 6 peppercorns and about 6 corriander seeds.
After about four minutes, crush them with a heavy spoon or pestle.
(Galangal)
(Cowhorn Pepper)
Add a medium piece of galangal and about an inch of cowhorn pepper.
Add one small onion and three small cloves of garlic - both diced.
Add three good shakes of fenugreek, five shakes of garam masala, and one shake of turmeric.
Cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute,
Dice half of a green tomato and add to the saucepan. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Run a knife through the eggplant and add to the saucepan.
Dice potato and add to saucepan.
Remove cowhorn pepper and galanga.
Add a little water if it looks dry.
Add a few shakes of salt - I used a very fine grey sea salt.
Heat through and enjoy alone or with rice or naan.
Make a pesto of: Pineapple sage, walnuts, basil, garlic, S&P, and EVOO.
Roast: (in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes) Cherry tomatoes (green and red), zucchini (peeled, seeded, and chopped), garlic, S&P, and EVOO.
Boil: Bowtie pasta.
Combine: Ingredients above and toss in some capers. Top with grated parmesean.
Fight: Over the Final Category question on Kids Week Jeopardy.
The Answer: Of the 4 states that begin & end with the same vowel, the one that doesn’t begin & end with the same letter as the other 3 states.
The Question: What is ...
When the biggest problem in my day is the final category question on Kids Week Jeopardy ... life is good.
Found this
recipe and man, it was good!
Thanks to Jamie Oliver for the inspiration. Once again, I've taken an existing recipe and made it my own. This was one of the tastiest things I've eaten in ages!
Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad
Carrots
Avocado
Spring mix of greens
Chili peppers
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Garlic
EVOO
Red wine vinegar
An orange and a lemon
Cut carrots to even sizes and par boil until barely tender.
While carrots are boiling, pull out your mortar and pestle (or whatever is around that you can mush things up in).
Grind 2 chili peppers, about six cumin seeds, salt, pepper, a couple stems of thyme, and about five coriander seeds. Then add a clove of garlic and mash more. Add enough EVOO to cover and a splash of red wine vinegar. Grind some more.
Drain carrots and coat with marinade. Spread them out on a roasting pan. Cut an orange and a lemon, and place each, cut side down, on top of the carrots. Roast in oven at 325 for about 25 minutes.
Dressing: Remove the orange and lemon and carefully squeeze them into a bowl. I used tongs to hold them and a strainer to catch the seeds. To the orange/lemon juice, add any leftover drippings from the roasting pan. Whisk in EVOO and a splash of red wine vinegar.
Cut avocado into slices.
Load plate with a mix of spring greens. Top with carrots and avocado. Drizzle dressing over it all.
Enjoy!
I combined several things I found on the salad/food bar at Whole Foods, then added some EVOO, lime juice, and S&P, at home. The result was delish!
Wheatberries
Shelled edamame
Chickpeas
Grapefruit, fennel, and red onion salad
Green onions
I've had several cooking therapy sessions lately. They solidified for me that preparing comfort food (with a twist) satisfies not only my basic need for yummy food, but also my need to be creative and need to nurture.
I find as much joy in creating as I do in seeing someone enjoy something I prepared. It's a win-win!
I made a grilled cheese sandwich like none I've ever made before ...
Two slices Parmesan foccacia
Brie
Fontina
Cheddar
Cheese between the slices of bread - butter the bread - grill until crispy on the outside.
Mmmmmmmmmm.
