Spring time lunch

Wishing I was out-of-doors, I brought the taste and textures of freshness to my table, through a crispy, homegrown sprout-wich. I photographed it open face, so you could witness the madness contained inside. It's multi-grain and seed bread offered at Trader Joe's. It's my favorite new bread, having been photographed in yesterday's blog (How to have a delicious dinner). I have been tiring from my typical store bought bread, and this special sandwich was far from dull with these slices holding: Baked Savory Tofu, Grape seed Veganaise, Sierra Nevada Porter Mustard, a schmear of garlic butter over the tofu (transfer to plate) and a bit of shredded Parmesan Cheese, then microwaved until slightly melted. Pickles may be added. 

 The salad, a simple pile of locally grown lettuce over cucumbers and carrots, with some blue cheese crumbles and then flax seeds and flax oil, for good measure, Kalamata Olives sliced, and sliced almonds. I put on my FAVORITE! topping, Dried Sweet Cherries. I used Lucini Delicate Cucumber& Shallot dressing; as the added delicious flavor, and meal completer, I used Lucini's Balsamic Vinegar.  

Striving for "5 a day", I sliced a Kiwi Fruit onto my plate. I've got a cup of Rishi Tea Ginger Lime Rooibos. It's a full flavor afternoon, and I'm glad I could share the details with you!

The Big Picture

What does the 20" kitchen look like? Here it is! We have more counter space than when I started the blog, but I won't be changing it's name, even when I no longer have this apartment, which, I'll tell you now, is June 1st.

I'm okay with that, and I'll keep sharing my meals with you. I'll hope for a new source of organic and local foods, likely at a farmer's market over the summer, maybe some out of my garden, and a few from friend's gardens, as well.

For now, we'll share what has been the home and the origination of the name of the blog. Thank you for allowing us (me) to talk to you about food, and to share a few ideas.

How to have a delicious dinner

How do you surpass a meal that ties up all your favorite tastes and textures? How do you create a meal that tastes so very delicious, you think it was sent from heaven? Well, you cook it up with your best friend, and your best friend enjoys it with you. You must be sure it is paired with a delightful conversation, and there are conversations that can be less delightful. Over this meal, I focused on hearing all that was being said, and then the meal tasted better.

What was in that dinner? One part love, one part forgiveness, and one part hope for the future, with a friendship restored at the last toast for the night.

The details:  5-6 small Yellow Potatoes, skin on, one small Garnet Yam, skin on, all cut into pieces and boiled. Add cream and a little butter. Mash. The result is a sweet potato dish, with a nutrient boost with the Yam in the mix.

One New York strip steak, cut in half, and 10 button (cremini here) sauteed with onions left with rings intact, and sliced. The steak was seasoned with pepper, ginger powder and garlic.

Lightly steam asparagus, let it still be crunchy. Asparagus fresh, is a sign of spring. The steam water is a very healthy drink, or at least, I think so. I do this with all sorts of veggies, it's a bonus, I think.

My favorite wine these days has been Malbec, they're grown in Argentina, and they're special. They pair well with heavier meats.

 Bread is offered as as standard appetizer for the wine pairing, this features olive oil and that delicious Lucini Balsamic of Modena. It's a truly wonderful way to enjoy dinner, with Kalamata olives accenting the combination.

Cheers, to friendship, and to great meals.

Power snack

Power snacking is a critical element to the way I live my life. Today, I used two new ingredients I had purchased in the last couple days. I bought Golden Flax Seeds on sale, and I bought Pomegranate seeds and paid $3.99 for 8oz.. I sprinkled both over Honey Greek Gods yogurt, a favorite. I buy the larger container, and have been fortunate to limit my consumption to about one 32 ounce container each month. Delicious yogurt is a must for all homes. It is a very versatile ingredient as you can use it for breakfast, a snack, a topping, a dessert, or as a substitute (plain yogurt can be flavored in many ways!).

I ground the flax in a pestle, but their slippery natured hulls proved too much for the pestle with a little elbow grease. I plan to acquire an electric coffee grinder for the purpose of grinding these seeds and adding them to salads, shakes, or again, a topping.

Pomegranate is a delicious fruit. Read more at a New Favorite website

 

All the toppings added up to a delicious powerfood snack that held off my hunger for hours.

Not bad for a northerner...

I ventured into the southern cuisine realm yesterday, with the inspiration of my friends discussing New Orleans Travel, and also the sheer economic value of the dish at hand.

Red Beans and Rice, a recipe I searched for with the surrounding culture in mind-- Jazz musicians, and standard ingredients. You can't get too fancy with this dish,or else you'll lose authenticity.

http://www.thequestingfeast.com/Red_Beans__Rice.html


I think this cost less than $20 to bring together. The link above will show you just how to make it. My vegetarian version was delicious, maybe cooked too long (too much boiling at the end). I'll be trying the meat version on a Monday after following the tradition of making a ham on a Sunday. I dearly love tradition, and very little exists in many modern families, so it's nice to hear of the tradition of wash being done on Monday while beans are on the stove, cooking slowly.

I made my vegetarian version using olive oil, a red bell pepper, and white rice, normally I use brown, but wanted to be very traditional here. I threw in an entire frozen bag of Okra, fresh would be quite lovely--summer dreaming is underway! And serves a bunch, is an understatement. I've got leftovers for ten people!

Enjoy trying this authentic and historied recipe!

I'm going to attempt to enjoy this

A big pile of salad. This is living high on the hog, let me tell you! Actually, I'll cut the sarcasm now. It was a decent meal. Lots of freshness. Start: five red leaf lettuce leaves, a handful of sliced almonds, a handful of dried sweet cherries, one roma tomato, one small red pepper, one carrot, a small spoonful of vegenaise, and a decent helping of Lucini's Cucumber and Shallot dressing. It's cool and refreshing, just like the bottle says.

I've been eating off that last meal I posted for awhile, and finally finished it yesterday. Tomorrow, I'll finish the small amount of salad I couldn't quite polish off tonight.

At Breakfast today, it was coffee, harvest grain pancakes, and one egg. I plan on making a shake for breakfast, which is just as good, if not better, than coffee. I will admit it, I want to have coffee in the morning.

Balanced, quick dinner of the foreign variety

DINNER!

  I guess it's kind of a big deal because all I had was toast with molasses and cinnamon for breakfast. And a cup of coffee.

Yesterday, I had yogurt and a sandwich, and a hot dog. The day before was french toast and tomato soup with grilled cheese. Tuesday was chicken broth and a slice of pizza, (I'm giggling). ... Monday was toast and chicken broth.  I'd been devastatingly sick, a flu struck me down for two and a half days. 

Tonight's meal was marginally acceptable. I liked how the cottage cheese helped balance the salty taste of the canned chickpea and potato main course. The Quinoa was a necessary addition because it  is a grain and I think it's a complete protein, if not, it formed one with the chickpeas. There was Honey Greek yogurt over the top of the cottage cheese because I wanted a sweet taste. I could have left it out, with the Atualfo Mango added at the last minute.

It was pretty good, but too salty, and then too sweet. I also burned the heck out of my tongue today on some tea, so what the heck do I know? I've also been ill. I'm excited to see what I'll eat next!

I think that will work!

Tonight,dinner was well recieved after a great array of activity filled the day with varying degrees of   nourishment.
   I used a few ingredients  I've been trying to work through- freezer stuffs, and produce in various states of ripeness, mostly, at or past peak.I used some frozen asparagus to  create a simple side dish. I took the asparagus and rinsed it (from frozen), and I grated bread crumbs over it, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I baked it for about 20 minutes, until the tips were crispy.

I also used up some frozen chicken that  was previously baked. I baked it again, and near the end of cooking, I added extra barbecque sauce.

I took shallots and garlic and chopped them into chunks. They were sauteed in butter and then set aside.I then cooked up four portobella mushroom caps, with gills removed,and stems, also. .

I made up a "That'll work" white sauce with some milk, swiss cheese, mozzarella and grated parmesan. I added some bacon I was too shy to finish the other morning. It was well recieved in the cheese sauce.

I thought I had used all of my pasta, and I was right! So, I continue this theme of "that'll work" by opening a box of macaroni and cheese, and dumping the pasta right into a pan, reserving the cheese sauce for another experiment down the road.

Dinner was paired with Trinity Oaks' red  wine. Trinity Oaks promises to plant a tree for every bottle you buy. It was great, shared with a friend.