Dinner - July 7, 2009

This was a meal we shared with my sister and our friend Chuck. It is from Peter Berley's The Flexitarian Table. It is Summer Menu 5: Tofu with Lemon, Soy, White Wine, and Butter Sauce; Striped Bass with Lemon, White Wine, and Butter Sauce; Quinoa Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes.

The tofu and quinoa were excellent. The fish was limited by the quality of the fish. We have made this fish with good fish in the past and it was excellent too.

We don't make this tofu a regular dish because of the butter but pull it out for company. The quinoa is a summer regular here. The quinoa is also a good dish for sharing at picnics.

The pumpkin seeds are listed as optional on the quinoa but I think they should not be skipped. I have never found red quinoa and have always used regular. I used half yellow wax beans. I also used to two 12 oz blocks of tofu instead of the pound that is called for and was glad to have the extra tofu. I believe I slightly upped the sauce.

The meal as a whole needs to be saved for weekends. The quinoa can be a meal or lunch itself and I would say you could pull that off for a weeknight. The thing that makes it hard for a weeknight meal is the cooling time on the quinoa and the coordination of the separate cooking for the ingredients. I have a bit of practice now and would not hesitate to make it for a weeknight.

For taste I will give it a 5 as we have gone back to this one for guests and even had our caterer for our wedding do a version of the tofu.

Lunch - July 7, 2009

Tiny zucchini sauteed without oil in a non-stick pan. Simple and delicious. I am posting this because so many cookbooks have complicated recipes to get rid of the moisture in the zucchini. I say pick them small and cook them simply.

How to rate this is hard since it is a simple side dish best made in season. I think I am going to need a category for meals versus accompaniments. For now I will use the half unit.

Dinner - July 6, 2009

Sometimes even in the summer you need an easy meal from the pantry. This may be familiar and is from the recipe "Smokin' Drunken Chili" in Myra Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist. I posted about this back in June. You can find the previous post here.

I again made this without the beer and with the avocado chopped and stirred into the pot. I also make this in the dutch oven as a one pot meal. This time I served it with corn chips from the store.

I have in my notes that I can make a double recipe in just under an hour so I am going to give this a 3 for a preparation rating as a good week night meal. I feel kind of funny giving something as humble as chili a 5 rating on taste but I would serve this to any meat eaters so I guess it earned it.

Back on Track - Again

I recently used my own blog to find some recipes to make. This is why I started it.

Two years ago I made a soup that we liked but I forgot about. It is a cold tomato soup and you can find the post at cold-soup-for-hot-weather. I actually made it twice back then and made notes about how many it fed and how to make it work with my kitchen equipment.

I am now trying to get up to date with my blog and to add the ratings and tags so I can find things easily. My challenge is to make a post every time I make a move in my online Scrabble game with my sister.

Dinner - July 5, 2009

These ingredients became "Green Beans and Potatoes with Pesto". The recipe is from Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. I used half yellow wax beans.

The recipe is a standard for me. I take this dish often when I have to take a dish to share. It is vegan and vegetable based and good for making ahead while still with in the comfort zone of many. It is a relatively healthy potato salad if they can just get past the green.

For taste I would give this a 4.5. While I think it is good enough to serve to meat eaters it is just a side dish in the end. For prep I will give it a 3 since you do have to boil some water and dirty a blender or food processor.

Dinner - July 4, 2009

Indulged on Independence Day with some cheese. This is 4 oz of gorgonzola on a whole wheat Boboli crust. Also included are fresh basil, pine nuts, and Muir Glen roasted tomatoes cooked down a bit with some garlic.

This is a classic for us and it is good enough to serve to company but will not be a regular because of the cheese and the crust which includes cheese too.

Dinner - July 3, 2009

This was going to be grilled rooftop but ended up in the broiler due to popularity of rooftop grill. It was more edible that picture may indicate but not much.

Roasted veggies tossed in a vegan pesto. Chickpea salad on greens.

Taste Rating = 1 (It is healthy)