vegetable soup

Also known as "midnight soup" because Chris & I didn't start prepping until I got home at 9:45. It was worth it - a super versatile soup recipe that will handle pretty much whatever you throw at it. I'd recommend experimenting with the spices some, as the broth turned out a bit bland even though we upped the recommended spice levels. Also, the Parmesan really contributed to the dish, so don't leave it out!



Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 large onions, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (I also used some celery greens)
4 small potatoes, cubed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. thyme
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can white beans
greens (Swiss chard, spinach, Napa cabbage, etc.)
1 1/2 cups soup pasta (any small pasta will do; I used shells)
1-2 cups barley, cooked
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until lightly golden. Stir in broth, carrots, celery, and any other hard vegetables such as potatoes. Add celery seed and thyme. Simmer for half an hour, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, corn, beans, greens, and small pasta.

Note: If using quick-cooking barley, it can be added now. If using regular dry barley, cook it separately until tender. (Dry barley takes 35-45 minutes to cook, so you should start this when you first start cooking the soup.)

Simmer for another 15-20 minutes before serving.

Serve with Parmesan cheese; garnish with parsley. Add S&P as needed.

[Source: Cooks.com]

seashells

I decided to make some seashell pasta for lunch today. I tossed it with fresh pesto, walnuts, parmesan, spinach, and some leftover broccoli from last night.

I really like simple pasta dishes. They're so versatile and easy to throw together.

salmon burgers

For months, maybe even years, I keep passing the seafood section in the grocery store and noticing pre-pattied salmon burgers with spinach and feta. That looks really good, I always say to myself. I should try that sometime! So finally, I decided to make tonight that time. I bought them with delight, lovingly carried them home, put them in a hot pan for a few minutes, and then slid them onto toasted buns with pesto sauce and a few spinach leaves for a wonderful crispy-on-the-outside-moist-on-the-inside pescetarian-friendly meal. I served my lovely salmon burgers with midnight broccoli and oven roasted potatoes. For the midnight broccoli, I steamed some florets for 3 minutes, then added some aminos, garlic powder, spike, and fresh grated parmesan cheese.



The potatoes were also really good (I think they were Chris's favorite part of the meal). I chopped up some organic golden potatoes, seasoned them with olive oil, salt, garlic, and rosemary, and popped them in the oven for 30 minutes. I did stir them up with a metal spatula every 10 minutes so that they wouldn't stick to the pan. They turned out really soft and flavorful, just sort of a melt-in-your-mouth delicious potatoey treat.

This seems like a good time to mention 2 of my favorite ingredients/secret weapons in the kitchen:


Bragg's Liquid Aminos


Spike gourmet seasoning

Yes, the packaging does look like it's from the 70s on both products. But they don't need to change a thing! My family has used these seasonings for years (maybe since they first came out, even) and I am happy to carry on the tradition. They're kind of in that category of funky hippie eclectic seasonings that are actually really amazing. I put aminos on approximately 70% of the dishes I make. It's sort of a lighter, milder kind of soy sauce that adds a delightful flavor to stir-frys, pasta, tofu, and more. As for Spike, it's just a really good salt/general seasoning alternative that's particularly tasty on mashed potatoes.

valentine's dinner

Last night, Chris made us a lovely meal for Valentine's Day. The menu was a complete surprise to me and I was rather proud of what he came up with:



Double tomato bruschetta

Swordfish with citrus rosemary glaze & grilled asparagus

It was simply delightful! I love it when he cooks for me or does other homey stuff (gardening, making the bed...). It really warms my heart and makes me feel special in a way that no expensive fancy meal can. Maybe because I know he really makes an effort to do these things to make me happy. And that's a big part of what makes relationships work - showing the other person you're willing to go out of your way because you care.

tofurkey

I discovered tonight that I do not like tofurkey. How disappointing it is. How vastly inferior to Trader Joes' veggie sausage.

That is all I have to say.

black bean burrito bake

I made baked black bean burritos for dinner. They were fine, if a little American-tasting. They came out looking pretty American, too: picture five little rolled tortillas in a dish with red sauce and cheese on top. On the plus side, I could probably make this recipe in my sleep (or at least heavily sedated).

Ingredients
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
5 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. The blade for my food processor mysteriously disappeared last fall, but mashing the beans works just as well. The point of this step is to thicken the mixture. Mash half the beans, then add the mashed beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.

Spoon ~1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

I do like the combination of black beans, corn, and sour cream. Creamy & hearty.

veggie curry

Two nights ago, Chris and I made vegetarian curry for dinner. I've been inspired lately by the red curry sauce at Trader Joe's.



We tossed onions, tofu, zucchini, bell pepper, and mushrooms (in that order) into a wok for a few minutes, then added the sauce and some plain Greek yogurt and simmered until it looked ready. Served over rice with a little hot sauce, it was fantastic! I can imagine many things would be good with this versatile and flavorful sauce - maybe I'll try chickpeas and eggplant next time for a different taste. Of course I can imagine it'd be good with many other veggies as well as chicken, beef, duck, or lamb (you know... if you're into that sort of thing).

My food intake these days is basically pescetarian, meaning mostly veggies, dairy, and grains with the occasional seafood. Chris and I decided to try it a few months ago and it's sort of stuck. It's so easy not to eat meat, especially these days with all of the readily available and easily substitutable alternatives. Not too long ago I tried a soy Italian sausage from Trader Joe's and it was nearly identical to the real thing. I think I was also able to accept a no-meat diet pretty easily because of the healthy way I grew up and the traditions that have stuck with me over the years. For example, I've always loved Morningstar Farms breakfast patties and Fantastic Foods tofu scrambler. My parents kept to a really healthy diet when we were younger: my sister and I always fondly remember frozen strawberry kefir popsicles or blueberries & vanilla yogurt being special dessert options. I'm lucky to have had that sort of childhood because giving up meat isn't really giving up a lot at all when you know about all of the other delicious options.