Lunch - February 21, 2010

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Sage from Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine. I didn't have any sage. Still an excellent dish. I serve these to everyone.

Fusilli with Green Lentils, Root Vegetables, and Parsley Caper Puree from Bishop's Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. I used 12 oz of pasta instead of the pound and still think this was too pasta heavy.
The lemon and parsley give a nice brightness in the winter. I used multi colored carrots for this dish. I probably wouldn't bother with the pasta again except that it looks like it is one of those handy recipes where the ingredients are always on hand.

We started this meal with Yukon Gold Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil from Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine. I forgot to snap a picture. I reserved and used a cup of the cooking water to thin the soup and it was still a too thick. I used the food processor instead of a blender which may have effected the outcome. It was good even if it resembled mashed potatoes. I will make it again. Thanks to Betty and Mark for the truffle oil.

We were going to go to lunch with my parents but as I was behind on my cooking due to illness earlier in the week I wanted to use up some vegetables and so subjected my parents to trying new recipes.

Dinner - February 6, 2010

This is Indian-Spiced Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Kale from Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist.

The notes in my cookbook said I made a double recipe previously that didn't quite fit in my dutch oven. I also noted that I used coconut oil, diced tomatoes in place of crushed, and 3/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. I also noted that I served it over half a serving of brown basmati rice. I wrote "good" at the top of my notes.

This time I used the the pan from my pressure cooker. I didn't have coconut oil so I used 2 tbsp of canola oil, 2 tbsp of roasted peanut oil, and 2 tbsp of roasted sesame oil. I was gong to go with just 4 tbsp of oil which follows my general rule of double the recipe but not the oil. I opted for 1.5 times on the oil since the pressure cooker is not non-stick. I only had a can of whole tomatoes so I just chopped them before adding to the pot. I think I was a little shy on the coriander.

This dish smelled heavenly and I think it tasted "great". The broth that developed was excellent. As noted in the cookbook this recipe makes great leftovers. I think serving it over a limited amount of rice is good since it is already full of great starches. I think this as the entire meal could serve 6 when doubled. The recipe says 4 to 6 for a single batch which it pairs with some raita and rice pilaf.

This recipe comes together including all the prep and cleanup in less time than it takes to make the rice. I think the taste of this dish is good enough to serve to any guests but I am still reluctant to serve a stew with kale to guests because I fear they will not see it as beautiful.

I also want to note that the vegetables from Farm Fresh Delivery were excellent. I was at about 5 days from the deliver and the vegetables were still in beautiful condition. The Klamath Pearl potatoes were perfect in this recipe and about half of them I left whole. It is now nearly a week since our delivery and I just washed up the remaining lettuce and it still looked better than when I get it at the grocery store.

Dinner - January 18, 2010

We have two dishes here based on the memory of some recipes. The roasted vegetables are based on Immer's Spicy Roasted Cauliflower and Okra. The beans are based on the white beans from the Pork Tenerloin with Pistachio-Gremolata Crust recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.

For the vegetables I substituted bell peppers and zucchini for the okra. I varied the spices and used whole mustard seeds.

For the beans I used lime in place of the lemon, cilantro in place of the parsley, and avocado in place of the nuts and breadcrumbs.

I found the meal satisfying. We were looking for a meal with no pasta or rice and this fit the bill. For a refrigerator clean-out meal I will call it a success.

Dinner - January 4, 2010

My purple cauliflower turned blue and helped me create this red, white, and blue meal. I say it is pretty damn American for not containing any beef.

This is Braised Tempeh with Curried Coconut Sauce from the Healthy Hedonist. I used hard cider for the apple juice and some of the water. I had to fake the spices and skip the dried coconut garnish. I also substituted half the amount of full fat coconut milk for the light type. I guess this is really not all that close to the recipe.

I enjoyed it but was not that impressed. I did keep going back for more so it worked well in a comfort food kind of way. I do think the tempeh ended up a little too salty.

I will not be making this for anyone else but when the ingredients end up in my refrigerator, I would try it again.