Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad

My favorite dinners are the ones where I've managed to prep all of the ingredients the night before or the morning of, so I can come home at the end of the day, shake everything out of tupperware containers into a giant bowl, whisk a salad dressing together, pour, toss and serve. This salad was inspired by my mother's recent dinner of a quinoa-black bean-sweet potato salad; I decided to use mango instead of sweet potato as the splash of orange in my dish. Delicious, healthy and perfect for a summer meal! 

Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad
1- 1.5 c. cooked black beans (see previous post)
2 c. cooked quinoa (it may have been more, all I know is that I started with 1 c. raw, cooked it in 2 c. water and used it all)
1-2 bell peppers, chopped (red or yellow)
1 large mango, chopped (phillipine)
cilantro, chopped
optional: 1-2 avocado, fresh corn kernels

Dressing
1/3 c. canola oil
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp cumin
2-3 limes, juiced (~1/3 - 1/2 c.)
1-2 minced jalapenos (membranes and seeds removed)

Toss all salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing together. Pour over (not necessarily all the dressing to start), toss, taste, and adjust as needed.

Green Tea Sorbet Redux

I attempted to improve the green tea sorbet from my previous post and was quite happy with the results! The next step will be adding some exotic flavor twist; I'm thinking of pureed fruit, perhaps mango or strawberry? Or grapefruit juice?! Something tangy, but without curdling the milk. Hmmmm, I must ponder this concept and return to the lab to experiment....

Green Tea Sorbet
3 c. water
2 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
4-5 Tbs loose leaf green tea

Probably in the future, it is better to just bring the water and sugar to a boil. Pour in tea and let steep covered 5-6 minutes. Strain out leaves. Pour in milk. (Or you could be lazy like me and bring EVERYTHING to a boil, steep, and strain out leaves - but milk coming to a boil needs to be attended or it ends up all over the stove..) Chill in freezer. Blend once in food processor or blender to break up the ice crystals.

Also extremely delicious if you leave a frozen container of the sorbet out to become a little melted, blend it up with a bit more milk (or ice) and have a homemade green tea frappuccino!!!

Something about frijoles negros...

When you season a pot of black beans just right, there is no better aroma or taste in the world.... even at 7am in the morning. Especially at 7am in the morning - because really then all you can think of is huevos rancheros with a side of frijoles negros y salsa with a strong cup of black coffee. MMMMMMM. Plus it's yet another notch in my belt for my small attempt to cook all of our beans from scratch this year. When I say all of our beans, what I really mean is all of our black beans, when I can remember to start them in advance....

So anyways back to my perfect seasoning which I will happily share in the hopes that the love of black beans will spread even further than my tiny household.These beans will be used multiple ways: (1) half of the batch is going into a quinoa mango black bean salad tonight, (2) half of the batch is being frozen for later, and (3) the bean cooking liquid is being frozen separately for some other as yet unidentified incarnation.

Black Beans (in a Crock pot)
2 c. dried black beans
Enough water to liberally cover
1/2 onion, cut in half
2 tsp freshly ground cumin
2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 bay leaves

1. Soak beans overnight (or at least 8 hours). Rinse well.
2. Place beans in crockpot and cover liberally with water. I think I used about 8 c. of water to cover them.
3. Add in the onion, garlic, and spices.
4. Turn crockpot on low for 10 hours.
5. Enjoy.

KaBoom Box and Crave

Friday rolled around and after a long week of dealing with floods in the kitchen, toilets not working, and catching up on life, cooking seemed a bit too much to ask from any person so close to the edge ... so it became the day to try out some new restaurants that have been lingering overly long on my list of my places to try!

My coworkers and I popped out over lunch to try Kaboom Box, one of the more highly raved about food carts in our burgeoning food cart scene, known for its mushroom gravy poutine and smoked salmon burger. I was excited to try it based on its ocean wise seafood commitment, organic veggies, and biodegradable and compostable packaging.

http://www.thekaboombox.ca/menu.html

We all got the smoked salmon burger and a regular order of poutine to share. I LOVED the poutine - would go back again in a flash for the mushroomy creamy goodness and cheese curds and crunchy fries all rolled into the most delicious heart attack in a box :)  I was sadly hoping for more out of the smoked salmon sandwich than the reality I encountered. First, I couldn't really tell that the salmon was smoked, at least compared to the wonderful smoked salmon I've had from VCC's Aboriginal Culinary Arts students. This may be a plus for those out there who don't enjoy the smokey taste overly much. Secondly, the salmon was a bit dry. When combined with the large toasted bun and the not nearly enough spicy mayo, this led to overall dryness in the mouth. Unpleasant. The maple syrup mustard slaw almost redeemed the sandwich - absolutely delicious, but unmanageably messy to eat piled on top of the salmon; it spilled out with every bite! I vote for a nice pile of slaw alongside the sandwich with enough of some type of delectable sauce inside the sandwich (or an open faced sandwich with one less bun) to improve this dish for the future. Overall though, a cart worth visiting! Especially because I still haven't tried the fish and chips.

At the end of the day, wife and I headed out to Crave for supper. While I had read reviews about it before, and was excited to take advantage of my first groupon purchase ever (for Crave), it somehow was not at all what I was expecting (in a good way). I was envisioning a diner style restaurant with comfort food (perhaps a misconception based on the menu), but the restaurant is very modern and cozy. You can't help but see what your neighbors are eating and enjoy the murmur of conversation around you, which usually I enjoy, unless there happens to be an extremely loud New Zealander talking about "dags" during your meal (see definition 4).

Regardless of the neighborly ambience, we started off with the popcorn shrimp. Tiny shrimps battered with herbs and sprinkled with sea salt arrived in a paper cone and were paired with a sweet chili mayonnaise. OMG. Wife and I were in a bit of an argument when the shrimp arrived, but were struck dumb upon each taking a bite of the shrimp. The argument came abruptly to a halt and was quickly forgotten as we came together in glorious agreement to rave about their mind-blowing perfection. I also loved that they were served with chopsticks which added a fun spin on the dish!

http://www.craveonmain.com/gallery.php

The main meals continued to elicit our glowing praises. I opted for the pan roasted halibut served with lemon ricotta gnocchi, asparagus and corn. I confess I was slightly hesitant, doubtful that the fish would come out well since I have become a Chambar fish snob, but it was perfectly cooked - moist, falling off in beautiful tender flakes. And the asparagus and CORN! Slightly charred kernels of corn that burst in your mouth with sweetness, complimenting the butteryness of the fish and the crunch of the asparagus. And who could forget the lemon ricotto gnocci, which were rich, zesty, and worked so well with the corn and asparagus. Wife had the pulled pork burger and even I (mostly pescatarian, but occasionally flexitarian) was suitably impressed by the tenderness and seasoning of the pork. MMM.

The only disappointing part of the meal was our dessert. I ordered the sticky toffee pudding, but should have known better. Wife is Australian and makes the most AMAZING homemade sticky toffee pudding, whose success is largely due to the sauce - oh the glorious caramel toffee butter sauce that I could eat spoonful after spoonful of...  Anyways the pudding arrived and the pudding itself was pretty good. But most of the sauce was chilled underneath the pudding in a congealed cold caramel state that was entirely unappetizing and ruined the nice hot state of the pudding itself. There was also a few bites of crystallized caramel on top that did nothing for the dish. Thankfully, they made excellent decaf americanos to wash it all down with.

My conclusion: go now, go to Crave and treat yourself! Though you'll probably have to wait for it (since they don't take reservations), it's worth it!

Tofu Fish Sticks

Last night, I was inspired by reading The Giant Book of Tofu (which I bought on my first ever trip to Salt Spring Island!) and recalling all of the recipes in there that I had yet to try. I came across a recipe for tofu "fish" sticks. Normally I would scoff at this overt replacement of a "meat", but I just couldn't must up the brain power or enthusiasm to conceive of any other tofu dish to accompany my romano bean salad. Thank goodness for first instinct/laziness/fates/whatever! This was one of the best new tofu recipes I've had in a long while - very flavorful with a crunchy panko exterior. Even better was the fact that the crunchiness was obtained by baking as opposed to frying, which is the usual route of tofu crispy achievement! Even meat eater wife was keen on them, so it must be worth writing about....

"Fish" Sticks
16 oz firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs soy or tamari sauce
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp cajun spice mix
1/2-1 tsp salt (if your cajun spice mix has salt in it, only use 1/2 tsp)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. panko
1 tsp veggie oil (or olive oil)

1. Slice the tofu into wedges about 1/4-1/2" thick.
2. Whisk vinegar and soy in a bowl. Add the tofu and marinate for at least 1 hr, turning a couple of times if possible (I let mine marinate for about 8 hrs).
3. Beat the eggs and salt together in a bowl, set aside.
4. Mix the flour, oregano, thyme, basil, and cajun spice mix together on a plate.
5. Place the panko on a plate (not at all once).
6. Remove the from the marinade and dip each piece in the flour, the egg, and then the panko.
7. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 20 min at 350 degrees F.

And if you're looking for a nice B.C. microbrewery summer beer to go along with your fish sticks and salad, I would recommend Whistler Brewing Company's Powder Mountain Ale. Enjoy!

Out of Town

I was away all weekend at a Jesuit retreat centre in Guelph, ON. I learned an incredible amount of information with a fabulous group of people and felt so enriched and mentally stimulated by it all. The setting itself was a wonderful respite to the mental exercises - fields of orchards and vegetable gardens, reclaimed land, labyrinths and spirals. I spent most of the time barefoot, both indoors and outdoors which was a treat. And I saw a muskrat! I thought I caught a glimpse of some kind of cat or dog scurrying through the underbrush and followed it, only to realize as it turned around to face me with its reddish brown fur and gopher-ish face, that it was neither cat nor dog! During another walk, I caught sight of two mule deer bounding slowly towards me in the morning mist, only to have the bucolic scene spoiled by a small grey and white cat that exploded out of the grass, trying to take out the deer :)

The food was also amazing, much of it from their own gardens, but there was one salad in particular that was so incredible and unusual (for me) that I had to ask for the recipe, which was graciously shared.

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
Cucumber sliced into 1/4 moons, about 1/4 to 1/2" thick
Watermelon sliced into chunks
1/3 c. lavender infused rice vinegar (see notes below)
1 c. canola oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard

For the rice vinegar, take about 8 parts vinegar to 1 part lavender flower and let sit for 1 week. Remove flowers and use vinegar.
Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and mustard together. Pour over cucumber and watermelon. Chill and serve.

Quick Bran Bread

Being that I was short on both time and bread this week, I opted try a new quick bran bread recipe instead of my usual no-knead bread. Unfortunately, once I started the recipe I realized I didn't have nearly the quantity of bran flakes called for, but I did have rice bran and buckwheat flour on hand. So I did what any irresponsible and impulsive baker would do - substitute with abandon! Amazingly my crazy substitutions worked like a charm in this recipe.The bread emerged with a dense, moist interior and a delicately crunchy exterior. Totally delectable with butter and jam, butter and honey, and any kind of fresh cheese.

Whole-Wheat Bran Bread
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. wheat bran flakes (my combo was ~1 1/4 c. rice bran + ~1/4 c. wheat bran flakes + ~1/2 c. buckwheat flour --- my  basic thought was that if I was using something denser than flakes, the total volume should be a bit less than 2 c. so that the bread wouldn't turn out too dry)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. milk
1 egg, room temperature 
2 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs melted butter
1 c. nuts (I substituted 1/4 c. sesame seeds and 1/4 c. ground flax)

Stir dry ingredients together. Beat wet ingredients together. Mix wet with dry just until moistened. Place batter in a greased 9x5" loaf pan and let sit for 15 minutes. Then bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 min. Let cool 5-10 minutes and remove from pan onto cooling rack.

Photo to come if I can manage to stop eating the bread long enough to take one...

You know what potato salad leads to...

Green tea sorbet! Or maybe that only happens if you're me. But let's just say you're boiling water for potatoes, and then you realize you have all of this loose leaf tea that you're never going to use up via regular tea consumption, so it occurs to you to make some iced tea. And then once you've made iced tea, it occurs to you that there's that green tea sorbet recipe you've been wanting to try, which will also use up tea. And once you've made that, you realize you could make mango lime coconut popsicles which don't involve tea at all but hey they're frozen so it totally relates to the green tea sorbet! And there goes your attempt at relaxing for the afternoon.

Nonetheless I did not regret my spontaneously driven kitchen activities. Both the popsicles and the sorbet turned out fantastic and were so simple to make, though you do need to leave enough time for freezing.

Green Tea Sorbet 
3 cups water
1 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
3 Tbs loose leaf green tea

1. Bring water sugar and milk just to a boil.
2. Put leaves in and remove from heat. Leave covered for 5-6 minutes until steeped.
3. Strain tea leaves out and freeze. (Really you should chill and then finish in an ice cream maker. Or you can freeze it, let it thaw a little and puree in the food process and return to the freezer for maximum texture enjoyment).

I found this recipe was a bit sweeter/a bit less tea taste than I wanted, which may be perfect for those who don't actually like the taste of green tea! Next time I will try using 4 Tbs of tea, reducing to 1/2 c. sugar, and substituting 1 cup of milk for a cup of water to make it a bit creamier.

Mango-Lime-Coconut Popsicles (inspired by a link from my friend D!) 
14 oz can coconut milk
1 mango
1 1/2 limes (all juice + zest of 1 lime)
1/4 c. orange juice (optional)
1/4 c. shredded coconut (optional)
1/4 c. powdered sugar 

1. Puree in blender until smooth.
2. Pour in molds and freeze. (did you really need directions?)
*Note depending on the size of your limes, you may need more or less sugar. Just taste it before you freeze!

Not food related

I admit June has been a hard month for me to be diligent about posting. Times have been busy and the food hasn't been as spectacular as I usually like it to be. So instead I thought I would share about other not food things that I have recently enjoyed like....

ROLLER DERBY! Who knew this underworld sport of retro/80s/alternativeness was so amazing and understandably on the rise? (I'm not joking - in the States, they are reaching crowd sizes of 3,000-6,000!)  From the atmosphere (music/clothing/crowd) to the women competing with their crazy nicknames (E. Rolla Virus, Smash'em Moiselle, Misty Miyagi), outfits (think lots of fish net stockings), and aggression on the track, it's completely entertaining! We even had a half time performance of Thriller! And, I've decided this is the one sport where it appears to be completely acceptable to choose which team to cheer for based on the colors/outfits that you like the most; what could be better?! I'm cheering hard for the Bad Reputations, but I'll let out a holler for any jammer who successfully darts through the pack while avoiding those vicious shoulder and hip checks.

LETTER WRITING! Although perceived by many as an archaic and dying art, especially with the rising postal rates and ease of email, it remains one of my favorite means of communication with particular close friends. There is something so focused and intentional about writing a message out by hand that is lost in the quick type and delete of email. Plus it's an excuse for me to be creative and thrifty by remaking/sending out all those postcards I've accumulated over the years. In this case though, I wanted to share the envelope I recently made since I didn't have one that fit the postcards I was using to write my letter on. And it was a fantastic use of an old calendar picture! So easy to make (seriously, under 2 minutes) - you must try it yourself!

BACKYARDS! Wife and I have developed a new tradition on sunny, Sunday afternoons: lawn chairs, books, a cold drink, and cat on a leash. I really have to get a picture of this soon. Molly, our cat, wearing a little blue harness and leash, which is either tied to a chair leg or secured around one of our feet, lying flat in the grass, ears and nose twitching wildly as she is overstimulated by all the outdoor sights and sounds. A piece of grass! EXCITEMENT! A bumblebee!! OMG! Another piece of grass! Roll over in bliss! To the point where when we brought her inside after 2 hours, she plaintively ran around the house mewing and staring pointedly out the window so that we were forced to take her outside again for more grass time.

Okay that's all for now, until I manage a post on the slacker recipes I've been playing with lately - popsicles, sorbet, and iced tea.

Fried Okra!

Well I finally did it! After years of singing the praises of properly made southern fried okra, its incomparable crunchy cornmeal exterior and sweet okra interior where the seeds give a satisfying chewy pop in your mouth, I finally made it myself. I did attempt a scientific comparison of two batters, but unfortunately in my excitement about cooking the okra and eating it as soon as it cooled enough to be manhandled, I actually forgot to keep the batches separate and couldn't tell the difference. While I might be tempted to lament this lack of conclusive data, instead I will rejoice at the excuse to repeat the experiment again :)

I bought fresh okra and sliced it about 1/4-1/2" thick. I used Paula Deene's recipe instructions to soak the okra in buttermilk, then dredge in a combination of flour and cornmeal. I did one bowl that was 2:1 flour to cornmeal, and another bowl that was 1:1 flour to cornmeal. In the 2:1 bowl, I used a cajun spice mix and in the 1:1, I used salt. Having a slotted soon is essential for this!

After dredging, fried in canola oil in a skillet. GLORIOUS. The key thing is adding enough salt to the batter, although you can always try to correct by seasoning with more salt afterwards. I also stirred milk into the leftover flour/cornmeal mixture and made up a dough that I fried in the remaining oil :) Next time I will add an egg so it turns out a bit more like a hush puppy!

S'mores bars

After a long day and an equally long week of late nights, I was looking for the quick & easy dessert fix. Perhaps too quick & easy....I decided to give the baked s'mores dessert concept another try after my somewhat disappointing s'mores brownies experience. This one was theoretically a crunchy graham cracker crust base, topped with melted chocolate and marshmallows and sprinkled with some excess graham cracker base. Utterly disappointing (very likely due to my substitutions) and not really worth writing about except as proof that I have been in the kitchen!

S'mores bars
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbs white sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I crushed graham crackers)
1 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used chopped unsweetened with a bit of butter and not enough sugar. I do NOT recommend this substitution)
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows(or large marshmallows chopped bite-size)

Line an 8x8" pan with foil. Press 2/3 of the graham cracker crumb mixture into the pan and bake for 10 min at 350 degrees F. Top with chocolate and marshmallows and remaining graham cracker crumbs. Press to flatten with a spatula. Bake 10 more minutes. LET COOL. Pull foil/s'mores bars out of pan and slice into squares.
*Note if you are using bars of chocolate chopped, I pre-melted mine in the microwave. In retrospect as long as you chop up to a reasonable consistent size (e.g. chocolate chip size), it should work fine to just sprinkle on the chocolate as is.

Commentary: Even if you line the pan with foil, the marshmallows still stick to the foil. It was however easy to lift the bars out of the pan and not having to wash the pan was even better! The crust was a fiasco. Super crumbly even though there seemed to be plenty of butter. I used salted butter in the crust and while it's possible I didn't put the full 2 Tbs of sugar in with the crust, it also seemed very salty. Then again it could have been that my chocolate layer didn't have enough sugar to counter balance.  I would definitely use unsalted butter next time. I also think maybe there is something key to the size of the marshmallows and that bite size may turn out better. Marshmallows melted this way are not my favorite texture, either hot or cold. All I can say is, maybe there is a marshmallow club that you belong to if you have success making these kinds of recipes http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/smores-crumb-bars/Detail.aspx and I clearly don't have what it takes. Never gonna be a member. Sigh.

From henceforth, I vow never to use my cooking powers for evil. I shall only use marshmallows either in (a) rice krispies or (b) actual campfire s'mores.

Addendum: Apparently wife and friend thought the bars tasted fine. Go figure. Cooling is essential to liking them more. I think as long as you use UNSALTED butter in the crumbs, and sufficient milk choc chips and marshmallows, it could be an enjoyable dessert.

Things that might kill you... Confessions Part 2

The USDA and I do not agree. I know it is in their best interest to provide cautionary measures that will keep people healthy in the long run, but I hate to follow them at the expense of wasted food. And I haven't died yet. So mostly I just warn my wife in advance, "In case I get really ill and have to go to the hospital, this is what I ate..." DISCLAIMER: I am not advising anyone else to participate in such extreme food practices.

(No photos included for the sake of mental health)

Exhibit A: a quart of stewed plums canned by my dear mother. The most glorious of oatmeal and yogurt toppings,simultaneously tart and sweet. Apparently we haven't been eating oatmeal very frequently with the warmer weather, or someone stuck a contaminated spoon in the jar, but about halfway through the jar, the plums developed a delicate blanket of fuzzy white green mold. But all I could see was half of a jar of plums (in fact the second to last jar that we have), sitting there, forlornly neglected, a rich plum treasure about to be discarded. It broke my little cooking heart. So....I scooped off the mold (which the USDA does not recommend, although many other adventurous jelly/jam eaters online claim that they scrape off the top inch or so and continue eating. According to the USDA, one should not do this since mold can have long creeping tendrils of moldness and it's possible the mold could be producing a mycotoxin that could kill you), boiled it for 15 minutes and poured it into a clean jar. We ate it, and did not die. Success!

Exhibit B: egg whites. According to the USDA, if you are going to have left over egg whites, it's recommended that you use them within 1-3 days of sitting in the fridge (covered). After that, it's better to freeze them in ice cube trays. As though I have spare ice cube trays ... hah. So after 7 days sitting in the fridge, I cooked it up in an omelet and ate it. And did not die.

Exhibit C: Kefir cheese that although fermented by the kefir grains starts to smell really fermented and not taste good on toast... yep stirred that into my buttermilk biscuits. And did not die.

Generally if it's a hard cheese, I cut off the moldy bit and keep eating. If it's a soft cheese, or a yogurt with only a tiny bit of mold, I might get rid of the mold part and bake it in something. For raw veggies, I would cut off a chunk with the mold and toss it, use the rest. If it's an actual cooked food item, I do chuck it. Obviously if it a were a meat product (raw), it would also go straight in the bin.  Oh and bread, depending on the mold penetration, I have been known to just throw away a couple of slices or cut off a chunk and eat the rest....

DISCLAIMER 2: I save all of these experiments with reject or expired food for myself, so never fear guests! You are still being fed high quality food!

Picnic Time!

We had the most glorious Saturday - sunshine and a daytrip to Belcarra Regional Park with some friends. We started off with a 5km round trip hike that was steeper than anticipated for an "easy" trail, but well worth it with the beautiful beach and tiny Jug Island that met us at the end.

We then tromped back to a giant grassy field for a picnic, Frisbee, and general lazing about in the sun. The best picnics in the world include freshly baked baguettes, a variety of cheeses, deli meats, artichoke dip, cherry tomatoes, spiced olives, and fruit salad with a dressing made of yogurt, maple syrup, and a splash of vanilla extract. Oh and chips for the people who believe that potato chips are the 5th food group...

Homemade Caesar Dressing

Right off the bat - I cheated. There are no anchovies in this dressing because I just couldn't deal with them. (Well that's 50% of the reason, the other 50% is economics and laziness). So I looked up quite a few "vegan" recipes, but I wasn't willing to give up the mayonnaise or alternately egg that gives the dressing its creaminess. I ended up using this recipe posted on Chowhound as a start and made homemade croutons for the salad!

The recipe makes a bit more than a pint of dressing.

Anchovy-Less Caesar Dressing
3 cloves garlic (I did end up adding 5, but the garlic flavor was a bit strong :P)
3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dry mustard (ground)
Juice from 1 lemon (you can start with juice from 1/2 of lemon and adjust as needed)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and cracked black pepper to taste 
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 c. olive oil

Pulse the garlic in the food processor until minced. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT THE OIL and blend thoroughly. Then add the oil in a thin stream while the food processor is going. The mixture should emulsify. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. It is a bit thin, but you could try adding some more parmesan to thicken it (or a coddled egg?), and you have the satisfaction of a homemade dressing!

 Above is the amazing pizza that accompanied the salad. Its toppings included: roasted asparagus, marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, roasted potatoes, fresh basil, prosciutto (on the meat eaters' half) and lots of mozzarella. The crust was homemade (thanks wife!) and the sauce was from last season's organic tomato canning session. Needless to say it was the best pizza we've had in a long while!

Lemony Lentils and Potatoes

The weather here has been oscillating between sunny, blue skies with the heat lapping at your toes like eager little puppies and ominous, overbearing clouds punctuated by angry outbursts of rain. Which also means my food planning is a little out of whack, swinging from extremes of cool salads of greens, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, pecans and cheese to hearty hot dishes like lentils and potatoes. Here's the rainy side of the menu...

Lemony Lentils and Potatoes (Extra Vegan-Za)
1 c. green lentils
2 c. water
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt 

Bring water, oil, salt to a boil and stir in the lentils. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes until the lentils are done. Check at about 30-40min to make sure the pan is not burning dry. In retrospect I would have stopped cooking them at the al dente stage so there was less tendency to fall apart in stage 2 of cooking.

4 c. chopped red potatoes
water and salt to boil in

Bring water and salt to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15-20 min until just tender. I transferred mine to cold water to try and stop them from cooking further.

1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp garam masala (alternately 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp curry powder)
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp fresh ginger (grated or minced)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
parsley, chopped, a goodly handful
salt to taste (~1/2 tsp?)

Heat canola oil on medium-high til hot. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Add in garlic, ginger, and spices. Saute 2-3 minutes more. Stir in potatoes and lentils. Add lemon juice and parsley and mix in gently. Serve over rice. Delicious! The lemon juice/parsley/curry spice combo is delightfully light on the taste buds.

Extra note: I cooked both the lentils and potatoes the day before and diced up the onion/stored it in the fridge. This made it much faster to prepare as a dinner meal in a limited amount of time.