a couple of meals

Wednesday we had so much cabbage that we had to make thoren for dinner. When you make it with cabbage, unlike the recipe for asparagus or string beans, it comes out a little moist. Mr. P actually handled the cooking. I helped with prep work and made a big salad.

Thursday, we tried a simple broccoli dish we found in the same cookbook -- mostly flavored by toasted cumin seeds and garlic and a little hot stuff. Turned out well. We used both farm brocolli -- more like rabe with big loose clusters -- and commercial brocolli -- more like a velvet carpet -- and served it over the last of last week's brown rice. With a salad, of course.

Yesterday, I had a hankering for fresh rolls, but went a little nuts in the Chinese store's frozen section. So for dinner tonight, we'll have fresh rolls (with pressed tofu, lettuce, cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, and rice noodles); yu-hsiang green beans (soy, vinegar, and sugar sauce) over brown rice; and steamed vegetable buns (store-bought). For dessert, we'll have rice buns with red bean paste and a rice pudding with bean paste, both store-bought, accompanied by watermelon. And yes, we invited a guest to help us. We'll also send her home with a small care package for her ill long-term houseguest.
Update: Wow, that was good. The Yu-hsiang recipe I found was tasty, but not what I was expecting. The food was good, the guest seemed to enjoy herself, or at the very least was her usual gracious self. And a good time (and meal) was had by all.
Tip: We sprinkled a little limoncello on the watermelon -- definitely a repeat.

And tomorrow? Off to a summer porch party with a salad made of all the bits and pieces we haven't eaten yet and a few supplemental bits and pieces I bought at the market yesterday.

By Monday, we may have run out of farm goodies, but perhaps we'll make a simple tomato sauce and serve it over pasta. Or we'll think of something completely different; we'll see.

curry!

My share mate brought me piles of food from the farm today. We had some leftover peas from the farmer's market this weekend, and a small head of cauliflower fresh from today. I made a tasty curry. I started by steaming the cauliflower. Then I fried spices in hot oil until they popped -- cumin, mustard, ajman (thyme seed) -- and threw onions and mushrooms on top to cool things down. To that, I added turmeric and cayenne and paneer (Indian cheese). Toward the end, I stirred in the cauliflower, the peas (uncooked), chopped garlic and ginger, and the cauliflower water. Things simmered a bit and it was ready to serve over rice -- brown rice with a little unsweetened coconut and spelt mixed in.

Tomorrow, we'll try to make a dent in some of the cabbage we got.

night before next farm delivery

We had two main dishes tonight. One was potatoes, carrots, fresh peas, and garlic scapes cooked in butter and olive oil, then tossed with toasted sesame oil. The other was "teen greens," napa cabbage, escarole, and a little broccoli, with a honey-mustard sauce. We served brown rice on the side. For dessert, we had the last of the pound cake, soaked in a little limoncello, strawberries, and lemon sorbetto on top.

And tomorrow, it all begins again with a fresh new assortment of farm veggies.

cool, refreshing salads

Thursday night, we had a salad, which included avocado, brown rice, scallions, carrots, red peppers, cucumber, mozarella cheese, several kinds of greens, and possibly a few other things. After dinner, we headed out to a bar to hear a friend perform. While there, I had dessert -- a pint of Irish stout and an incredibly good cupcake. We'll go back to the venue soon for a full dinner and possibly more music.

Tonight, we picked up some veggie eggrolls at the grocery store. They were pretty good. We also had a salad reminiscent of salade nicoise -- lettuce, napa cabbage, escarole, potatoes, string beans, red pepper, carrot, cuke, scallion, mozarella cheese, and of course tuna. I forgot the capers. I might make a veggie version in a few weeks for a birthday party we're going to, possibly using lentils instead of tuna.

fairly simple

Tonight we had a stir fry of farm cauliflower, farm shelled peas, and farm garlic scapes, all barely cooked, with a little hoisin sauce mixed in. I added some fresh mint at the end and served it over brown rice with some spelt added in. We also had a huge salad -- lettuce, arugula, escarole, napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, red pepper, avocado, and fresh mozzarella.

For dessert, we continued nibbling on the pound cake, strawberries, and blueberries, with lemon sorbetto and amaretto on top.

Such good tastes, so fresh tasting!

behind and more farm goodies!

I've fallen a little behind in documenting our dinners.

Last Wednesday, I had a meeting after work and Mr. P took it upon himself to make a light dinner. He made a huge salad which included some whole wheat pita that he tore up and cooked with herbs in a dry pan, a little like Middle Eastern dishes we've enjoyed.

Last weekend was the first farmer's market of the season in our town. We can actually walk to it, which we did, hoping that a coffee vendor would be there. Not yet. But we did buy shelled peas and yellow beets from a nearby organic farm.

Sunday night, we used the very last of last week's farm goodies and made an over-the-top delicious salad, including the tail-end of last week's rice and cooked beets, which were sweet, almost candy-like. I cooked up the last of our mizaluna (sp?), a spikey green, with our peas, some olive oil, and butter, then added fresh mint at the last minute. Totally delicious.

Yesterday -- incoming! We now have fresh peas from the farm we belong to, cauliflower, escarole, arugula, lettuce, strawberries, a beet, teen greens, garlic scapes, parsley, cilantro, and more.

Last night, we had dinner guests, including one young child. The mom reassured me her daughter is an omnivore, but I was skeptical. Our younger guest is so enerringly polite that I felt it important to tell her that she didn't have to eat everything if she didn't want to. I was shocked and pleased that she cleared several platefuls of food.

At the grocery store, I had bought some produce that isn't in season (or doesn't grow around here) -- mushrooms, cucumber, scallions (which we got for a few weeks at the farm and will see again), a whole wheat pizza crust, and some things for dessert.

For dinner, we had pizza with tomato sauce (Muir Glen, of course), mushrooms tossed in olive oil, and cheese. We had a salad with lettuce, arugula, cooked beets, cuke, scallions, cheese. And for dessert, we had pound cake with mangoes, blueberries, and fresh-picked strawberries, and lemon sorbetto on top. Dinner was very satisfying and tasty without leaving us feeling stuffed. Both our guests seemed happy, which made me happy -- I'm not at all used to cooking for kids. Fortunately, this one's palate is much more adjusted to adult tastes than kid tastes.

dinner guest!

Yesterday was pickup day at the farm. It was too wet to pick strawberries, so I'll go back later in the week for those. We got a lot of great looking greens and lettuce and a big beautiful cabbage that I split with my share mate.

I was inspired to make cabbage thoren -- that curry coconut dish from Kerala that we frequently make -- with mushrooms added in. I prepped everything and Mr. P did the cooking. It came out beautifully, a little spicy, a little moist, and the cabbage was fresh and zingy. We served it over brown rice which I cooked with a little rye.

On the side, we had a salad with two kinds of fresh lettuce, arugula, red pepper, cuke, carrot, and blue cheese.

And then our friend brought bags of groceries and made us dessert -- layers of ladyfingers with fresh cut mangoes, blueberries, plums, strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream on top. We gilded the lily just a bit with a splash of limoncello. Oh my. That whole dessert almost made the dinner's glory instantly fade. It was a great dessert.

We sat at the table for nearly two hours. Very good food, great conversation.

Our friend left us with about six ripe mangoes (darn!) and a box of strawberries (darn!) and some ice cream (double darn!). We'll be eating lots of fruit for a while. Yum.

from mediocre to pretty darned good

On Wednesday, I was starting to burn out. I had piles of greens. I made something that was ok, but probably not a repeat (or if repeated, it would need a variation on the theme). It involved split yellow peas, greens, and sundried tomatoes with New Mexican chili powder, served over rice. It was fine, not spectacular. I think I overcooked it, though not so much that anything lost its color.

On Thursday, it seemed like time for something completely different. We had a side salad and a weird, made-up quiche created out of materials-at-hand. For the crust, I made breadcrumbs in the food processor, then added walnuts and whole wheat flour, some olive oil, a tiny amount of butter, and some water. Too much water! So after pressing the mess into a pie pan, I cooked it at very low temps while the oven was warming up.

I sauteed onions, scallions (this week, the scallions were a couple of feet long, funny things, but tasty), and the remainder of the cookable greens -- spinach and mixed baby greens. Once cooked, I put them in a collander and pressed some of the juice out. Then, I added them to a mix of eggs, nonfat cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and nonfat yogurt.

I was pretty sure the whole thing would be an inedible gooey mess. But it turns out that the crust remade itself into the best-ever breadcrumby, tasty, crunchy, toasty container. And the filling was creamy and tasty. Yum. I might even try that one again.

We had a side salad, mostly because we had a surfeit of lettuce last week and more is coming this week, I'm sure.

Last night, we got a whole grain pizza crust to which we added sauteed onions, scallions, and walnuts, topped with blue cheese. Very simple, and quite delicious. At the store, we got some supplementary veggies and had a full-fledged salad -- lettuce, mozarella, red pepper, cucumber, mushrooms.

Tonight, we'll have an easy dinner of more salad, leftover quiche, and grocery broccoli, which I think will clean us out of farm veggies and make room for tomorrow's next farm pickup. Phew.

greens and ravioli

We had serving three (of four) of the Costco spinach and cheese ravioli. For a topping, I sauteed onions, then added the last bit of broccoli from last week and chopped greens (chard, spinach, and a "young greens" mix). I also threw in some soaked sundried tomatoes and a little Bragg's and apple cider vinegar. We topped the dish with pine nuts.

On the side, we had a salad -- fresh lettuce, scallion, radish, turnip, and a few of the aforementioned greens minus the chard, plus tomatoes and mozarella cheese (homemade in someone else's home), and toasted walnuts. For dressing lately, I just throw on some organic olive oil and balsamic vinegar; I'm feeling too lazy even to go to the pantry for bottled dressing.

For dessert, we ate fresh-picked strawberries -- I picked four quarts yesterday (which I split with my share mate), so we have a few nights of strawberries to go through. And now I'm inspired to make strawberry jam before it's too late, which means in the next week or two. Yum!

lunch and breakfast!

A friend came over for lunch yesterday. I made a very nice salad -- farm lettuce, arugula, spinach, radish, scallion to which I added tiny tomatoes, capers, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese. We had brie on the side. I made iced tea (a mix of pomegranate and mint teas) and had some tiny cookies and fresh organic strawberries on hand for dessert.

My friend brought bagels (which seemed like good transport mechanisms for the brie) and fresh fruit. So I sliced her fruit and the strawberries and we had a nice fruit salad.

This morning, our overnight guests and we had more fruit salad, brie, bagels, yogurt, maple syrup, and healthy muffins, along with oj and coffee.

ooh la la

Tonight's dinner: A curry. I started by soaking the very gritty fresh spinach we have from the farm -- put it in a bowl of water in small batches, let it sit, then moved the clean spinach to a collander. Then I destemmed the leaves and chopped them and eventually steamed them for just a few minutes, until they were relaxed, but not collapsed.

I also chopped and steamed potatoes and farm turnips. And then I made a "tarka" -- spice seeds cooked on high heat until popping nicely and threw chopped onions on top at the last minute. The onions turned beautifully yellow and cooked for a bit. I threw in some leftover chickpeas and a little water, then after a while, the potatoes and turnips. When everything was nice and hot, I added the spinach, cooked for a bit, added some (more) cayenne and chopped ginger and garlic, cooked a little more, and we had dinner -- curry over brown rice. Nice and spicy!

Four meals later, we're nearly at the end of this week's farm bounty. However, there's enough for a nice salad on Saturday afternoon for my mid-day guest, which will at least contain scallion, radish, lettuce, arugula, spinach (the last bit) -- all from the farm -- and perhaps some toasted nuts and maybe a few other goodies. I was thinking also of a small cheese plate with good bread and fruit and possibly cookies for dessert.

I think we're having overnight guests on Saturday, so we'll also need to make a nice breakfast on Sunday, either eggs, or the traditional fruit, granola, yogurt, and maple syrup. There's some whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread in the fridge; that would make a nice accompaniment to either.

the color of the day? green!!

Tonight, we had fresh farm broccoli. As much as I love store broccoli, the stuff from the farm is so much tastier -- a little sweeter, a little less sulphery edge. It was all pretty simple, really. I steamed the broccs, sauteed an onion and little cubes of bread, then tossed the broccoli in to the mix. We served it over brown rice with a sauce of tahini, Bragg's, and fresh lemon juice drizzled on top.

On the side, we had a small salad -- lettuce, spinach, arugula, turnip, scallion, black olives, and blue cheese. I dressed it with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a splash of olive oil.

And then for dessert, we finished off the strawberries I picked yesterday. They are so bursting with flavor; I wanted to finish them before they went bad, which would probably be soon.

Tomorrow? More green -- spinach this time.

night o' greens

Farm pickup today. For dinner, I made a salad out of parts of most of the bounty -- lettuce, arugula, spinach, radish, turnip, cilantro, oregano, beautiful shiny purple scallions. We can opt to get homemade organic mozarella, so I got a piece and chopped some into the salad. I also added capers, toasted almond slices, chopped apple, and chick peas.

I made a funky side dish -- kale tossed in oil and a little vinegar (and salt and chili) and baked until crispy. I liked it; Mr. P did not think it was worth repeating, though he ate it eagerly. I think it looked a little too much like dried seaweed which he's mostly unsure about.

Dessert, in part, consisted of fresh-picked organic strawberries, shiny and lusciously red.

Tomorrow, I'll make something with the two varieties of broccoli we got. And the following night, I'll try to attack the overwhelming amount of spinach we have on hand. A guest is coming for lunch on Saturday, so I'll try to reserve some of the greens for a nice salad for her.

bonus and tonight's plans

A last-minute cancellation of a dinner out left me wondering what to make. Last night, Mr. P stepped into the kitchen and made thoren (cocunut curry) out of non-local asparagus (not yet, but soon), mushrooms, and frozen edamame. There was also half a lemon in the fridge, so he juiced it and used it. This was a particularly good batch, both in taste and texture. The thoren page in the cookbook is getting a great workout and is full of our notes!

Tonight, we're having a fairly simple spaghetti sauce over whole wheat pasta. We have some tomato sauce left over from a project -- maybe the pizza for which I opened a can but used very little -- and some baby bok choy. Perhaps I'll add capers or olives and mushrooms.

Then tomorrow -- incoming! -- the second pickup from the farm. From there, we'll have to just make it up depending on what we get. I'm hoping the strawberries are ready (yum) and I'm sure there will be lots of greens.

greens greens greens

Last night, I steamed kale and baby bok choy, then added to a saute pan already containing onions and tofu and the rest of the arugula. When they were just about done, I added some garlic and ginger and cooked briefly. Then, out of the pan, I tossed in a mix of sesame paste, umeboshi plum paste, and soy sauce and served it all over rice.

And now, all we have left from this week's farm adventure are a couple of tiny turnips, a tiny bunch of baby bok choy, and a few strands of fresh herbs. Maybe we'll cut the turnips up and use them to dip into the leftover hummus?

Next farm date is Tuesday; can't wait to see if the strawberries are ready!

farm dinner #2

We had some hummus and pita that needed to be eaten (chipotle and whole wheat, respectively). For one side dish, I steamed some farm broccoli (looser crown, tastier veggie, more tender stalks than what's in the store) and tossed it with some of our seemingly endless supply of cilantro pesto from last summer. For a second side dish, I made a salad of farm spinach and farm arugula, tossed with apple, toasted almond slivers, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Many different tastes, all intriguing. I think the salad was the winner tonight.

saag paneer - another attempt

Today was farm day! Although we had a smallish haul, we still have about four dinners worth, maybe more.

Tonight I made a variation on saag paneer -- Indian spinach and cheese. It came out rather nicely, if I do say so myself. I started out by heating and popping spices (black and yellow mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and cayenne), then cooling down with onions. I added mushrooms, paneer, and tomato sauce (perhaps too much, but it was fine) -- and let it all cook for a while over low heat. Then I added fresh chopped spinach and covered to cook. When it was nearly done, I added roughly chopped ginger and garlic and some cumin powder (my one cheat). We served the whole thing over rice. The spinach had lots of flavor, as did the rest of the dish. This is a recipe I'll continue to improve on; it's great fun to make and very fun to eat.

slightly odd dinner last night, slightly more normal tonight

In a very sweet gesture, a colleague at work gave me a bunch of fennel. I wasn't sure what to do with it. Advice on the web ranges from eggs to potatoes. Last night, I sauteed onions, mushrooms, and garlic, to which I added steamed broccoli and potatoes. Once the veggies were in a bowl, safely away from heat, I tossed them in a sauce of chopped fennel, half the juce of a lemon, salt, pepper, and half a teaspoon of chipotle chile powder. We served it over brown rice. Not too bad.

On the side, we had our famous Greek salad. And for dessert, we had cherries, which are in the markets right now at great prices (not sure if they're coming north from central or south america or east from washington state), chopped watermelon, and baklava. Mr. P buys the baklava in a large tray a couple of times a year. We split it up, freeze it in small quantities, and then defrost some before dinner every now and then.

A little while ago, I bought one of those whole grain pizza crusts. Tonight, we'll have it topped with tomato (canned organic), tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, blue cheese, and walnuts. Oh, and Greek salad on the side.

And tomorrow, we start up at the farm. No idea what's coming, probably lots of leafy greens to begin with, and who knows what other surprises we'll get. Two weeks ago, we were weeding spinach and trellising peas. Not sure when we'll see the vegetables of our labors, even.

ravioli round 2 and bachelorette night

A few nights ago, I used up round 2 of 4 of that Costco ravioli that I like so much. I sauteed onions, then added mushrooms and covered. Meanwhile, I made a little sauce out of water, cornstarch, grey poupon mustard, and tarragon. When the mushrooms were cooked and juicy, I folded in the sauce, and everything thickened up nicely. We served ravioli and veggies topped with chopped scallions and Romano cheese.

On the side, we had a salad of cucumber, pepper, tomato, scallions, and herbed feta, with olive oil and cider vinegar dressing.

Definitely something I'd order again.

Last night, I was on my own, as Mr. P worked into the night (he had a mandatory work night). I steamed broccoli and a little potato, which I added into sauteed onions. Then I tossed with feta and a sauce of tahini, soy, and umeboshi plum paste. I ate the whole thing over leftover brown rice. Just right.

cauliflower curry

Last night, after a lovely south Indian brunch earlier in the day, we were still fullish by dinner. So for dinner, we ate blue corn chips and salsa and slices of cheese.

Tonight, though, we'd been out all day walking for hours. I made a cauliflower curry. I started with some Indian spices in hot oil. When it was all nice and fragrant, I added onions and after a while, finely chopped plum tomatoes. I waited until the tomatoes gave up and wilted. Things were kind of moist. I then added cubed steamed potatoes and eventually some steamed cauliflower, organic purple cauliflower to be specific. After introductions had been made, I added frozen peas, ginger, and garlic, and covered, continuing to cook over low heat. We served it over brown rice with some chutneys on the side.

And good news -- today I heard from our CSA farm that pickups start the first Tuesday in June. Hooray! I'm hoping to take off half of every Tuesday in June, which should make the beginning of farm pickups a little more relaxed. We'll see.

hot, sour, my favorite

Mr. P felt we hadn't had hot and sour soup for a while (we hadn't), so he made it last night. This may not seem like a special treat because it's so readily available in restaurants, but most restaurants make it with chicken stock. Therefore, I only have it at vegetarian restaurants or at home, not very often. Mr. P's tastes quite authentic, with a nice thickened vegetable base and all sorts of chopped Chinese vegetables - tiger lily buds, wood ears, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms - and tofu. He also adds sesame oil, white pepper, vinegar, soy, hot oil, and Chinese cooking wine. Salubrious!

lazy and lazier

Monday night, I made a lazy dish of comfort food. To sauteed onions and mushrooms, I added frozen corn, frozen edamame, and frozen Chinese vegetable dumplings. While everything was becoming acquainted in a steamy way, a made a sauce of soy, apple cider vinegar, scallions, and ginger (with a little water). We served the veggies over brown rice, sauce on the side.

Last night, Mr. P wanted to attend a town meeting at 7pm. I (ok, every cook must do this sometimes) opened a can of vegetarian baked beans and another can of brown bread with raisins, heated the beans, had dinner on the table at 6:40, just minutes after Mr. P arrived home. I admit we relaxed a bit over dinner, so he wasn't out of the house until 6:57. But at most he missed the National Anthem and a few procedural notes. And the article we were interested in passed, though only over the first hurdle.

simple and tasty

Wednesday night, the kitchen was closed and Mr. P had leftovers.

Thursday, I made a quick dinner of garlic and asparagus (still not available locally) tossed with cilantro pesto from last year and served over pasta.

Tonight, I made another quick dinner -- garlic and steamed broccoli sauteed in olive oil, a little canola, a little butter, salt, and pepper; all served over spinach and cheese ravioli from Costco. Fortunately we both liked the ravioli because we have three more portions in the freezer. It has a nice delicate flavor and the pasta tastes very fresh.

The rest of the week will probably involve food mostly from the freezer. It's time to work through all of that good cold food.

worth a repeat - baby bok choy

We had a pound of baby bok choy in the fridge. I looked up a couple of recipes on the net and came up with the following:

Prep:
Toast some pine nuts and set aside.
Prepare baby bok choy -- cut of the ends and quarter.
Roughly chop some ginger and garlic.
Create a sauce of broth (I used about two cups of water, concentrated veggie broth, and some mild New Mexican chili powder).
Chop some scallions.

Cooking:
On high heat, add oil to a pan and when ready, add the ginger and garlic. Cook for a bit til the oil is nicely infused and nothing is burned, then remove the ginger and garlic and set aside. When cooler, chop into smaller pieces.

To the oil, add the broth. Cook the bok choy, covered, for a few minutes, until nicely wilted. Remove from liquid; when cooler, slice lengthwise.

Still on high heat, uncover the broth and cook until it reduces to a near "glaze".

Lower the heat. Add in the bok choy, scallions, pinenuts, garlic and ginger, and toss until everything is, as Moosewood would say, "well acquainted" and warmed up.

Serve over rice.

Wow, this was good, and I'll try to recreate it another time.

curried eggplant

Last night, I roasted eggplant and garlic for tonight's dinner. Things went together pretty quickly this evening.

I started by toasting some seeds -- cumin, yellow and black mustard. Just before they burned, I added chopped onions and a bit later, a few Tablespoons of crushed tomatoes, some turmeric, and some cayenne. I let that simmer, covered, with a little water, for a while. It got almost creamy looking. Then I added the eggplant and garlic, let cook until heated through, and added frozen peas, ground cumin, and fresh ginger. I cooked it all until the peas were nice and hot.

On the side, we had brown rice and the last of a series of frozen Indian breads. Very very tasty. Between the onion, eggplant, tomato, and garlic, there was a sweetness against the spice. I could easily have this dish again.

southwestern stuffed peppers!

I bought some longish pale-green non-spicy peppers at the supermarket. I think they were called "sweet peppers". I decided to make my own version of chile rellenos, but I took a left-turn somewhere, perhaps starting with the fact that the shape was right but the peppers weren't.

Then, I meant to slice them slightly and stuff them whole. That didn't work out at all. And then the stuffing wasn't right either -- sauteed onions, mushrooms, walnuts all tossed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, with romano sprinkled on top (but not much cheese of any kind).

I ended up slicing the peppers in half and seeding them, and laying them open faced in a pan.

Over that, I poured my special sauce -- New Mexican chili powder in a thickened sauce. And I baked the whole thing for about half an hour.

But my, they were good. And Mr. P liked them too.

On the side, we had brown rice and broccoli sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Yum.

Also got a head start on tonight's dinner, which will be recognizably from another cuisine, but likely not authentic.

za&'ren

Last night, I made pizza! I topped two small commercial whole wheat crusts with:
. a thin layer of organic crushed tomatoes
. a mixture of chopped onions, walnuts, garlic, and shrooms tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper
. capers
. grated mozzarella cheese

The zas were very tall and very tasty. We probably could have eaten just one had there been a side salad, but instead, we ate one and a half. Hmmm... who will get the leftovers?

Tonight, we were running low on fresh vegetables, BUT we had a bunch of carrots in the fridge, just begging to be eaten. We also have an incredible surplus of grated coconut in the freezer. So we made Carrot Thoren -- that yummy coconut curry dish usually made with long green vegetables (beans, asparagus, chopped cabbage). Tonight, we made it with long orange vegetables and added peas for color and protein. One-quarter cup of coconut down, and jars more to go...

big writing gap, still eating

It's been a while since I've recorded a dinner, but we've been just as creative in the kitchen as ever. Occasionally I have a hard day at work or my energy flags and Mr. P takes over for an evening.

This spring, we've enjoyed a lot of non-local asparagus. I've gotten hung up on a variation of a salad we ate a lot of in Greece -- red pepper, cucumber (peeled and seeded), tomatoes, feta cheese, occasionally some avocado, tossed with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. And Mr. P bought more shredded coconut, not realizing we already had a quart jar of it in the freezer. So we've been making lots of thoren (green vegetables and coconut curry).

Last night, it occurred to me that we had asparagus, mushrooms, avocados (which turned out not to be very flavorful). So I made the obvious thing -- fresh rolls with asparagus, avocado, cooked carrots, and cooked noodles. The sauce was minced garlic, ginger, and fresh mint marinated in oil, vinegar, and soy.

This was a good main dish; partly through my prep, someone called and said he needed to come over right away to look at something in our attic, to prepare for some work we're having done on the roof, possibly today. It was easy to just set things aside and resume after our visitor left.

For a side dish, we had mushrooms and a little leftover asparagus sauteed in butter and olive oil and seasoned with mild chili pepper, all served over rice.

Farm news: we've already done our first stints of two on the farm. Last weekend, I planted leeks -- thousands of them -- and weeded the blueberry patch. Soon, we'll be getting our weekly delivery of veggies. Yippee!

thank you google

What happens when you have one small roasted spaghetti squash, forked into shreds, and about a pound of asparagus that needs to be eaten? You google "spaghetti squash asparagus" and find... a recipe for sesame spaghetti squash and asparagus, of course! There's a little prep, not much cooking, and it would be great with a splash or two of lemon juice. We'll add that next time.

broccoli night!

Last night, we had steamed broccoli tossed with (whoops) slightly overdone, but nonetheless delicious gnocchi, sauteed garlic and pine nuts, and some pesto that I made and froze late last summer. I can't believe there were leftovers, but I'll probably take them to work for a snack.

I also roasted and forked a spaghetti squash, most likely for use tonight. We might eat only half of the squash and freeze the rest for another night.

peasanty food

We had leftover roasted potatoes and onions and a few stalks of delicious asparagus, so I made an omelet for dinner with some grated cheddar added in. It had a slightly spanish taste, reminiscent of tapas bars on both sides of the Atlantic.

For a side dish, I made a variation on the Greek salads we had in Greece -- red pepper, tomatoes, scallions, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs with a little salt and pepper. Very fresh tasting.

kitchen is slowly reopening

We had a weekend away recently, followed by the absence of Mr. P for a few days. I've been throwing out leftovers like there was no tomorrow and the fridge smells much better for it. The crows out by the compost heap are happier too -- they've been partying for the last few days.

Somewhere in there, I made a fairly decent squash soup with some leftover rice, onions, and half a container of prepared veggie stock that I'd frozen. The whole thing thickened up. I added New Mexican chili powder and cumin, so we served guacamole and chips on the side.

Last night, we had a dinner guest. I made an excellent curry, if I do say so myself. I roasted cauliflower, paneer, and cumin seeds in one pan. In another, I roasted potatoes and onions. The cooking went fairly quickly -- toasted some seeds, added onions and chopped tomatoes, then all the cauliflower and paneer and half the onions and potatoes, some frozen peas, and toasted cashew nuts.

We served it with raita -- yogurt, seeded and chopped cucumber, toasted cumin and mustard seeds, and salt -- and rice and chutneys. For dessert, we had store-bought cake (I slaved over a hot shopping cart to make that!) and tea.

Cooking has left me rather uninspired of late, but at the grocery store yesterday, the produce reinvigorated me. The house is now nicely stocked with some fresh veggies, and I'm already imagining some of the tasty items we'll make in the next few days.

some old favorites with some new twists

Last night, I made a tomato sauce (fire roasted tomatoes, onions, mushrooms) to put on top of stuffed shells that I made and froze a while back. I revived the shells by steaming them. For a side dish, I heated frozen roasted corn, edamame, and pigeon peas, then tossed with toasted sesame oil, NM chile powder, a little vinegar, and a little soy.

Tonight, we made polenta, which was smooth and creamy. We served it under steamed broccoli and garlic, tossed with home made pesto and toasted pine nuts. Very quick, very good.

kitchen reopened after a hiatus

I was away attending to my mother while she recovered from surgery. Between her meds, dietary restrictions, and a bad reaction to Chinese food the first night (how does that *happen* when you eat vegetarian?), neither of us had strong appetites or particularly creative culinary urges.

I did a lot of errands and food shopping, mostly getting healthy convenience foods that she could easily prepare for herself, including a lot of tasty frozen vegetables. Friends brought dinner two of the three nights I was there. On that third night, she most wanted squash soup, which I made.

I sauteed onions and mushrooms, then added soup stock (the kind in the aseptic box -- I usually use half and freeze half right in the box), potatoes, butternut squash, marjoram, and some salt and pepper. The nice thing about this soup is that the potatoes continue to thicken it so that the leftovers are a little different from the original. You can also blend the whole thing but I didn't -- I thought we were both more in the mood for a less thick version the first night.

Since we returned home, I've been recovering and now feel nearly well. The one night I "cooked" last week, we had soup from an aseptic box with homemade croutons. It was about all I could handle. Since then, our eating has gotten a little more interesting.

Saturday night, we had plans but skipped them and stayed home. Mr. P made one of his famous thorens, and Indian dish with toasted coconut and mild spices and a green vegetable. This time, we used green beans (frozen, though I imagine fresh were available -- I didn't know when we'd next make the dish).

To accompany it, I made up some brown rice with wheat berries and a purple rice which turned the whole thing dark and mysterious -- it was chewy and good. I also heated up some Indian bread that we keep in the freezer. We get it at the Indian food store, and it's definitely not anything I could begin to make at home.

Last night, inspired by a friend who was making a similar dish, I made a melange of asparagus, potato, onion, and mushroom, with soy sauce, a little vinegar, ginger, and scallion, then at the end poured on a small amount of toasted sesame oil. We served it over more rice with some weird vegetable dumblings on the side.

odds, ends

Last week, I decided to attempt a "lazy stuffed shells" recipe -- toss cooked pasta with marinara sauce, then gently fold in a mixture of ricotta, herbs, and grated mozzarella. Top with marinara sauce and bake. I did all this, but I think next time, I'll do it a little differently -- the ricotta mixture doesn't hold together, so I'll try making it a layer between the two halves of the tossed pasta. Still, it was good.

Then we ate fairly recent leftovers for two nights, threw a bunch of older food out, and we still have leftovers, though fewer. I think on the second leftover night, we also made easy quesadillas and guacamole.

For a major potluck on Saturday, I made tamale pie, (chili polenta crust and topping, stuffed with sauteed beans, onions, mushrooms, red pepper, black olives, and tossed with cheese, then baked) and tofu chocolate pie (silk tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, in a graham crust). Mr. P made a second tofu pie. At the pot luck, there was not a crumb left. Someone even washed our glass dish for us.

Last night, I made another tamale pie for a potluck today. Mr. P made dinner -- one of my favorties -- Ma Po Tofu, which is basically tofu in a thick hot chili sauce. I think he added carrots, peas, and corn and lots of ginger and special Chinese pepper. Very good, and it was nice to have a night off.

good ol' new mexican food

Today I roasted some squash and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and pigeon peas (the latter from a raid on an Indian food store). I made up a chili sauce -- nice and thick, not too hot, but still with a good little kick. And I made a layered dish out of whole wheat tortillas, chili sauce, cheese, and veggies in a big round dish. I put it back in the oven for a while and then cut it into wedges to serve. The sweetness of the squash, the heat of the sauce, and the creaminess of the cheese made a great combination.

I also started on a dish for tomorrow -- the part I prepared today consists of roasted potatoes and cauliflower, tossed with lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. You douse it in two cups of water, stir occasionally, and cook until the water is gone. Tomorrow, I'll heat it up again and serve it with chopped feta and parsley. This is a variation on a recipe from a friend -- my additions are the lemon zest and cauliflower. I'll probably serve it with a side of leftover roasted squash and steamed broccoli.

many meals

. Steamed some previously frozen stuffed shells (except that I ran out of shells, so ended up using anything stuffable -- in this case, lasagna noodles and cabbage leaves), then topped with a homemade tomato sauce, with a little extra cumin and cayenne for zip.

. Broccoli tossed with pesto (from last summer) and served over gnocchi.

. Whole-grain Pizza topped with leftover tomato sauce, sauteed mushrooms and onions, black olives, and goat cheese. A little leftover broccoli on the side.

. And last night, an Indian curry -- spices, onions, paneer, and a little canned tomato sauce, with tiny green chick peas (found frozen in an Indian grocery -- looked too weird to pass up), then ginger and garlic added at the last minute. We served it with Indian bread and these weird jalapeno/cheese/potato samosas I found in the same grocery store.

Tonight? Likely leftovers.

comfort food

Yesterday, because of the ice storm, Mr. P worked from home while I went into the office. I came home in rain -- no windshield to clean off, but the temperatures were starting to fall -- and slushed my way into the driveway. Just as I was starting to prepare dinner, Mr. P asked if he might make uppama.

It's our Indian comfort food, consisting mostly of cream of wheat (yeah hot cereal!), but also Indian spices, (I think it has fried mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, hot peppers, and curry leaves, the latter two of which we keep in the freezer as staples). There are also two kinds of lentils -- split yellow and pale white. And then we add in some green vegetables (edamame last night - no more peas in the house) and corn and toasted cashew nuts. We serve it with mango chutney.

This is a recipe that comes from the marvelously named Spice Box, but we've altered it over the years, so its page is heavily annotated.

aloo ghobi mattar paneer

I made a favorite curry tonight -- a combination of cauliflower and potatoes (aloo ghobi) and peas and cheese (mattar paneer). It goes together rather quickly. I used the microwave to steam the cauliflower and then the potatoes and set them aside. Then I made a tarka (fried mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and cayenne), which I quickly cooled down by adding onions and cooking for a bit. In went the frozen peas, the paneer, then the cooked veggies, and at the end, chopped ginger and garlic. We served it all over rice. It was good -- flavorful, not too hot.

southwestern soup

Last night, we were invited to a party and our hostess asked us to bring a dish. Mr. P made his famous guacamole. It's swoon-worthy stuff. I reprised my roasted chick pea dish. People kept nibbling them and telling me they were great. There were about two spoonfuls left when I went to take the dish home. I was so proud.

Tonight, I made soup. I sauteed onions, stirred in some mushrooms and poodle (savoy) cabbage, then added broth that I made and froze last summer (it had tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, and likely some other random veggies). I also added some water, a can of black beans, and a small corner of that hot sauce I made and froze last week. Oh, and some frozen corn and some soy sauce. Then I let it cook and simmer for a while. It definitely had a kick, but it was just about perfectly seasoned. We served it with a little light sour cream on top. Just perfect for winter.

stocking up for a long winter

Today, I went through the freezer and found (I think I found) all the hot peppers and all the chopped green peppers from the farm that I stored away over the course of the summer. I threw them on some parchment paper and roasted the whole lot for quite a while. When I decided they were done, that is, when the house smelled irresistably good, I let them cool a bit, then removed all the stems and seeds. I soaked the sticky mess in hot water until cool again, then food-processed the peppers and juice with some salt and cumin (I had roasted and pulverized the seeds).

The result was a rich, thick, brown, and very hot paste that I scooped into a quart freezer bag. It's now back in the freezer. I'm thinking about soups, perhaps some sauces, or parts of sauces that we'll work on for the rest of the winter and possibly into the spring. Perhaps I could mix a little with some tahini and toss it with vegetables. Or put a little into the next batch of enchiladas I make. Or mix it with fresh tomatoes for a very interesting salsa.

We'll definitely work something out. I know there's a lot of experimenting I'll be able to do with this spicey ambrosia.

quick snack

I knew I was going to be hungry later, so I made up a pot of rice. While it was cooking, I rinsed and dried a can of chickpeas, tossed them with salt, NM chili powder, roughly chopped garlic, and a little olive oil, then roasted the beans. When done, I ate beans and rice with just a little bit of soy sauce on top. Oh yum.

(The title refers to the easy prep, not to the waiting time. Start this dish before you get hungry or the wait will seem quite a bit longer.)