A Midsummer...

Evening (and night's) meal. Yup, just a brief check-in. Food has been very good this July, so i'd jsut like to share a few notable dishes.

Just today I threw together a simple batch of baked Kale Falafel with a simple salad, Raita yogurt sauce, and a multigrain cous-cous of quinoa and brown rice. It was light and still filling for a pleasant summer dinner.

Falafal, nestled there like " 8 pounds 6 ounces... new born infant jesus ..." to quote a lingual giant.

And this past wednesday, I visited Happy's Bar and Kitchen in Fenway. It isn't a small space by any means, with tall ceilings and a wide bar space followed by a spacious dining room and attractive open kitchen. I appreciated the vintage look combined with a more modern shaggy-chic style and wide menu. They offered several pescetarian-friendly selections (such as my Veggie Dagwood below) as well as specials that may or may not fit the bill. Leading with deliciously chewy italian sourdough, my father enjoyed his omlette (a rotating daily special) and I my sandwich. I loved the hearty dense sandwich bread which could only be described as quintessential wheat sandwich loaf and even the fries - a delicacy I seldom sample even when good.

Oh, Sammy...

Prices were a bit high at times but certainly not any higher than comparable restaurants in the neighborhood and with ingredients of higher than many in the area.

I'd go. Be happy to.

Enjoi...

Last Meal...

Gulp;
Liquids are curious foods. Colloids: even more peculiar. I'm kind of fond of solid foods so before having the old wisdom teeth extracted and sutured, I wanted to try a new recipe. It wasn't anything spectacular but I saw something similar on the Huffington Post Kitchen Daily page. I'm rather fond of the resource, between the recipes, reviews, and musings on the culinary.
Anyways, I whipped up a basic pasta dish you might like. I call it Rotini Pima-Pesce

Makes 2-3 servings
1 cup Eden spirals Kamut Pasta, or your favorite alternative
5-6 canned artichoke hearts, diced
1 cod loin, thawed (if frozen)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 bunch of Beet greens, well rinsed and ribboned
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, sauteed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup peas, frozen or fresh
Pepper
Sea Salt
Fresh Basil, Oregano, Thyme diced finely
Optional
1 handful raw microgreens (like Dandelion greens!)
A drizzling of balsamic vinegar


Saute garlic and onions with oil until translucence and some browning just begins. Add peas and tomatoes with artichokes. Add beet greens after a few minutes of sauteeing and add spices to taste. Finally add fish, broken up and cook until flaky.
Serve atop lightly vinegar-dressed greens and as always

Enjoi!

I Like it Hot...

And it refuses to stop raining or to warm above sixty degrees in scenic suburban New England. With luck, it will be nice for my soon-to-occur graduation and other senior revelries.

To warmyself up and try to find some faith in the misery of this northern climate of ours, I finally made a curry that's been on my mind for days. I know, I know, I forgot to take a good pic, but it wasn't perfect as far as dishes go, so if and when I get it sorted out, I will be sure to provide a tantalizing snapshot or two.

Taking from the recipe on 101 Cookbooks I simplified the recipe and used the variety of coconut milk sold in cartons - it's so much healthier and thinner than the canned variety it seemed a simple replacement to me. Whisking the spices and simmering milk, I added zucchini, cubed extra-firm tofu, asparagus, raisins, peppers, and a few diced chunks of eggplant which I had previously roasted with Garam Masala.

The broth was too thin and not sweet enough, so that's where I intend to perfect this healthier-alternative to classic curry, but a wholesome dish served over brown rice, it hit the spot.

Black Beans and Quinoa in Cast Iron...

I got a shiny new Dutch Oven for Christmas but had yet to try it out. Then I came across this recipe at Post Punk Kitchen (A Great site!).

I Swear it's better than it looks!

I didn't have raspberries - frozen or fresh - so I used a very ripe mango on the counter for the puree and it came out well. I think using raspberries or blackberries which were evidently in the freezer, hiding... The mango was a bit light in flavor but it still tasted great. Tossing in some leftover chopped cauliflower and about a cup and a half of kale, it had all the usbstance I was looking for on a brutally cold January evening.

It's -2 degrees according to one thermomoter; -8 to this one (as of posting... It's one my roof too)

Too Cold!

A Belated greeting...

I've been so wrapped up I forgot to post my thanksgiving dishes and pics (made some great bread from The Bread Bible - birthday gift!!!

So when I get to that...

In the mean time, I just made the Meatless Meatloaf from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. It was delicious and with some roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes it hit the spot on a cold night.

Check out the recipe here

I added Craisins to the batter and used Bok CHoy with Celery seed in place of celery. It made the grade in my house!

Fruit on the Plate...Repost

For anyone who wants to find that sausage-y goodness from back in the meat eating times but just wants to try something that isn’t made from soy (I love soy, that said) there’s a wonderful company called Field Roast. I wanted to pick up one of their celebration roasts to freeze for Christmas or Thanksgiving this year (I’m tired of the prodding glare telling me to eat turkey). Stopping in Burlington Vermont (a teriffic college town by the way, filled with wonderful restaurants - go to Stone Soup if you’re ever there - and all sorts of stores) on my way back from a Montreal vacation, I ran across the company’s products in a large Co-Op market. I bought that roast and some of their delicious sausage - Sage Apple - and decided that I needed to make something summery to go with them. Grilling them simply, I served them with whole wheat Crepes - a personal favorite and, at the moment, of particular interest after my visit to Montreal - a delicious Avocado, Tomato, Onion salad from Clare’s Corner Copia in New Haven CT (Or their cookbook I should say) with added Bulgur Wheat, and a sweet fruit salsa I found atFat-Free Vegan Kitchen.

The sausage pre-made, the crepes simple to whip up, I’ll share the two recipes that accompanied and truly made the meal.

Blueberry-Peach Salsa (fromFat-Free Vegan Kitchen)

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries

1 peach

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 seeded and minced jalapeno pepper (or to taste)

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

Put blueberries in food processor. Pulse 4-5 times until berries are coarsely chopped. (Some berries will remain whole; do not over-chop.) Cut peach into 1/2-inch cubes. Combine berries and peach in a medium-sized bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Servings: 8

Yield: 3 cups

Avocado, Tomato, Onion (and Bulgur) Salad

(From the ever-wonderfulClaire’s Corner Copia)

3 Large Tomatoes (I used solely cherry tomatoes, because my garden has been churning so many out this summer - about 2-3 cups, sliced into quarters)

1 Large avocado, ripe, peeled and sliced

1/4 small red onion (2-inch diameter, I made that mistake…) sliced into thin rings

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon (soft, roll it around before you cut it to help squeeze all of the juice out)

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

salt to taste (1/2 tsp. or so)

1/2 tsp. pepper

And… I added about 1/2 cup of bulgur wheat, cooked, to the salad - to add some whole grain. The nuttiness surpasses that of brown rice, and it just fits nicely.

Cut each tomato (if using regular beefsteak… cut in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 6 wedges). Cut the avocado in half, and slice lengthwise, about 4-6 pieces per half. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix, careful not to mash the tomato or avocado slices.

A delicious dish, relatively easy to prepare, and simple to plate elegantly.