Dinner - February 24, 2010

This is a TLT (Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich from Eating Well's Ipod Touch Application. In the background you can see Black Bean Soup from Eating Well Magazine's February 2010 issue. The sandwich recipe can be found here. The soup recipe can be found here.

The recipe calls for extra firm tofu but I had (and generally prefer) firm tofu. I smashed it under a pipe plate with some weight on it before proceeding with the recipe. I found the tofu came out of the oven as promised which is unusual for me and backed tofu. I used veganaise for the mayo. I thought these sandwiches were good but should never be compared to a sandwiches with bacon. The tofu tasted mostly like mustard to me.

The soup calls for prepared salsa. I did not have any so I substituted 1/2 cup diced tomato, a clove of garlic, a 1/2 tsp of adobo sauce, and 1/4 cup of bell pepper. I added the cilantro un-chopped to the food processor with the last batch of soup. This soup was easy and better than canned.

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 20, 2010

This was going to be Indian Mango Dal from Eating Well Magazine's February 2010 issue. When I went to the pantry I had yellow split peas and not yellow lentils. I upped the cooking time but the peas were still a little firm and chalky. I liked it anyway so I am figuring the real recipe is excellent. The recipe can be found here.

I made a recipe and a half with two large mangoes. I would consider the mangoes I used ripe but not soft. I served it over brown basmati rice (1 cup uncooked).

The recipe claims you can make it in 40 minutes but I think it took me the time it took to cook the rice which is about an hour.

This made for excellent lunches as leftovers. I will definitely make this again.

Menu - Week 2/21/2010

Split Pea Soup with Fresh Peas & Potatoes
(From the Farm Fresh Delivery Newsletter)
Basic Skillet Corn Bread
(Berley's The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen)

Elise's Sesame Noodles
(Eating Well, Ipod Touch Application)

Roasted Corn, Black Bean & Mango Salad
(Eating Well, Ipod Touch Application)
Sesame Salmon (by Matt)

TL&T (Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich
(Eating Well, Ipod Touch Application)
Roasted Root Vegetables with Oregano
(Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine)

Mushroom and Brussels Sprout Saute
served over Simple Rice Pilaf
(I am going to try making this up myself)

Saag Tofu
(Eating Well, Ipod Touch Application)

Dinner - February 17, 2010

This is Lemon Lentil Soup with Spinach from Berley's Fresh Food Fast. I am debating on whether to rename this "Instant Soup" or "Pound Soup".

I made a version of this before I had a pressure cooker and liked the results enough to make it again. This time I made it in the pressure cooker and hence the idea for the "Instant Soup" rename. It is not only the quick time on the stove but the fact that there is really no chopping involved either. Peeling the garlic is the most time consuming part of the recipe. I also skipped wrapping up the spices and just pulled them out individually before adding the spinach. This left the rosemary leaves in the pot but I think that was okay.

This time I made about a recipe and half. That kicked the lentils up to a pound. I then rounded the tomatoes up to about a pound which matched the can of diced tomatoes I had. I also used a pound of baby spinach. Hence the idea for the renaming to "Pound Soup". I also used a whole head of garlic because I was close and I just thought that would be cool. Now I have a recipe I can almost remember but I will be checking in to get the spices right.

The soup and bread were not the best combination. I enjoyed the soup greatly as lunches.

Dinner - February 14, 2010

For Valentines Day, I was going to make a fancy meal and serve the last bottle of Italian Barolo that Matt got me several years ago. Instead we did laundry and had pizza and beer. It really was quite good and made the laundry tolerable.

One pizza is caramelizes onions (cooked with thyme and garlic) and sauteed portabello (cooked with garlic). The second pizza is sauteed spinach (blanched and cooked with shallots). The onion and mushroom pizza was the winner but it was nice to have both.

The crust was a recipe and a half of the whole wheat crust in The Healthy Hedonist cooked on a hearth stone (borrowed from my mother). Ten minutes at 500 degrees.

With the hearth stone I can make the crust from scratch and all of the toppings by the time the oven is hot.

Menu - Week 2/14/2010

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Sage
(Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine)
Yukon Gold Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil
(Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine)

Indian Mango Dal
(Eating Well Magazine, February 2010)
Luca's Sesame Ginger Broccoli Florets
(Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine)

Black Bean Soup
(Eating Well Magazine, February 2010)
Green Salad and Bread

Tofu Au Vin
(Eating Well Magazine, February 2010)