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Pasta Pie (an original coley recipe)
July 5, 2006
The appetizer is pasta salad, with just cucumbers, salad dressing and pasta with some celery, you can make a WHOLE pasta salad.
Step one: Grind up the celery.
Step two: Put the celery in a bowl
Step three: Take the pasta and cook it
Step four: Put in the salad dressing
Step five: Put in the cucumbers
Step six: Eat it!
The main course is: Pasta Pie
Ok, then
Step One: BAKE some pasta. Just simple baking
Step Two: GRIND some chocolate (just a little tiny bit!)
Step Three: Put a little tiny whiny whiny whiny bit of cheese. Not mozzarella, just CHEDDAR cheese
Step Four: Put some mozzarella on!
Step Five: Add just a little tiny whiny bit of flour. About THREE teaspoons of flour. Only three teaspons. Nothing else but three teaspoons
Step Six: Add a teaspoon of oil
Step Seven: Boil it in for THREE minutes.
Step Eight: When you are done cooking it, put your favorite toppings on
Step Nine: Add a TWO red peppers
Step Ten: Grind and add some broiled and melted CHOCOLATE. Just a little
Step eleven: put icing on
Step twelve: eat it!
Dessert - Neko Cat Salad
Step One: Take three pieces of candy - three MINTS, and put it...and boil them...and put them on....a TORTILLA (This is more like a tacoey thing, so don't worry about the tortilla)
Step Two: Put three...put only two gumballs in.
Step Three: Put a bunch of salad toppings on it.
Step Four: Eat it!
The almighty church of chili
March 27, 2006
It's been a long time, ladies and gentlemen, since I last brewed up a big old fucking pot of chili. Too long. Way. Too. Fucking. Long.
So, today when it started looking all rainy and gloomy, I decided - YES! Chili!
Below the fold is my super top secret recipe for vegetarian chili, including an "I love the internet" preservative-free chili powder recipe.
Dru Blood's super top secret Chili Recipe
(this blog post will self-destruct in five seconds)
A couple few tablespoons of oil
2 onions
3-5 cloves of garlic
1-2 jalapeno peppers (optional)
2 large carrots
3-4 celery stalks
2-3 green bell peppers
Chili Powder (I love the internet!)
3-5 15-oz cans of beans (an assortment of your favorites. I use kidney beans and pinto beans) or the equivalent in rehydrated dried beans
2 28-oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes (I'm sure you can use the equivalent in fresh tomatoes...but gah! What a pain in the ass!)
2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes (see above)
about a cup or so of Textured Vegetable Protein
1 15-oz can of corn
1/4 cup (approx) of pure maple sugar (although brown sugar, turbinado, or sucanat might work, also)
***
Instructions
- Turn on Castaways and Cutouts by the Decemberists, because chili is made for Grey, Rainy Days...and so are the Decemberists. Alternately, you can listen to anything by Joy Division.
- Heat up the oil in a cast-iron skillet
- Dice up yr onion, and throw it in the pan
- mince up some of the garlic, and throw it in the pan
- mince up the jalapeno, and throw IT in the pan
- dice up the carrot...also, throw it in the pan.
- You know what to do with the celery and green pepper. Do I really have to tell you? Dice 'em up...toss 'em in.
- Yum! smell the aroma!
- mix up your chili powder, pausing every once in awhile to stir around the delicious delciousness in the skillet.
- toss a bunch of that chili powder onto your veggies. Probably about 2 tablespoonsful or more
- Let it all get shmoogled together, and keep it cooking until everything is nice and soft
- meanwhile, pour the undrained tomatoes into a large large pot
- drain the beans, and put them in the pot, too
- Throw the veggie mixture into the pot and stir stir stir.
- Let it heat up a bit, and when it's nice and warm, throw in the TVP and instantly add a ton more chili powder (to taste. The tasting spoon is your friend!)
- Get preoccupied dancing around the kitchen, and suddenly remember: The corn! The corn! Throw that in!
- Let it simmer a bit, then add your maple syrup. The maple syrup helps bring down the acidity of the tomatoes and makes the whole thing a little smoky and mellow tasting.
- Keep it simmering for as long as you can stand to without eating any. Remember your handy "tasting" spoon. Adjust the seasonings as necessary. Add some salt, too!
- My kids love this stuff with macaroni...and topped with cheese. I imagine sour cream would be good on top, too...and perhaps some cilantro or something. Or even garnished with red pepper, if you want to get totally fancy with it!
- Eat it up! Yum!
Guaranteed to chase your blues away, and that's the gospel truth!
3 day old Chaos Collards
March 21, 2006
Wow. Even better than the original recipe is letting them sit in the fridge and mingle a bit, add some vegetarian sausage, fry it up again (enough so that some of the noodles get a little brownish and crispity) add some red pepper and, YUM! ALICIOUS!
Eat to the sound of Eastern Dub Tactic while surfing the internet, looking for good news.
(P.S. There is none, but it won't matter, because your mouth will be pleasanty aflame with delightful flavors!)
Chronic Chaos Collards and riotous ribbon noodles
March 17, 2006
I just made the most delicious and deliciously simple lunch. I felt compelled, midafternoon, to take myself down to Wheatsville in hopes of finding popcorn tofu there. I didn't, but I did pick up a head of collards, a red onion and some garlic. Also some ribbon noodles and brussels sprouts - but the brussels sprouts weren't on the menu today.
What WAS on the menu was ultra-yummerific! I diced up half of the red onion and placed it in a pan of warm olive oil and sauteed a bit while I minced 2 cloves of garlic. Then I threw the garlic in and lowered the heat a bit while I cleaned half of the head of collards and tore them up and threw them into the pan.
While that was cooking, I heated up some water for the noodles and threw them in. When the collards were turning bright green, I squeezed a bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos in for flavor, and then I turned off the heat and waited for the noodles to finish.
When the noodles were done, I drained them well, turned the heat on the collards again, and threw the noodles in the pan with the collards. I tossed everything together, threw on some salt and freshly-ground pepper as well as a bit of garlic powder, tossed some more and threw that shit into a bowl.
damn! It was so freaking tasty!
Now I'm treating myself to some Amy's ice cream. I can't remember the name of the flavor, but it's chocolate with nuts in and some cayenne pepper. So your mouth gets a nice little treat after the icecream is gone.
Yay, food!
P.S. I've decided that the soundtrack to this meal should be The Ex - Starters/Alternators. Because it's chronically chaotic and Riotously riveting!
Casserole is the new Soup.
February 21, 2006
I've decided that my culinary focus for the year is CASSEROLE. I've cooked through every delectable soup recipe in my favorite cookbook, and now I am embarking on the art of oven-baked food. The only problem is that my favorite cookbook only has two casserole recipes, and I've already cooked them both. They were good, but I need MORE.
That's where you, dear reader, come in. Please send me your favorite vegetarian casserole recipes and I will be your best friend forever. I might even cook for you, although, bear with me...I'm still working on my 'serole skillz.
Two words. Well, Four.
January 28, 2006
Wheatsville co-op. Popcorn Tofu.
Can I get a HELL YEAH?!
Oh my freaking god, this stuff is so freaking tasty. I think the deli person thought I was freaking stoned, I was so excited about it. hahahaha.
Also, is anyone going to see this film at Spiderhouse tonight? I'll be there with my kids, provided it is not raining. If anyone wants to come and buy me a "congratulations on the new domain name" coffee, that'd be great! Or, you could buy Monk an Orangina. He'd like that.
Yay Austin!
A little something I'm cooking up tonight.
October 8, 2005
Full Bellies Recipe Blog: October 2005 Archives
This is a lot like the previously posted "apocalypse asparagus pasta" dish. Only less punk rock, and only vaguely apocalyptic.
Time to build a chicken coop
October 1, 2005
Cheaper Meat Doesn't Equal Happier Meals - Report
The giant feed lots and factory farms that have brought us cheaper meat also are fanning the spread of bird flu and mad cow disease, says a new report from a prominent environmental think tank.''Factory farms are breaking the cycle between small farmers, their animals, and the environment, with collateral damage to human health and local communities,'' says the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute.
''Mitigating the fallout will require a new approach to the way the animals are raised.''
I'd get a dairy cow, too...if I had the space and enough patience to figure out how to make cheese.
Yum! Food Blog.
August 31, 2005
I just found a great local food blog, the Austin Food Data Bank. The author is vegetarian, and he reviewed my favorite restaurant. Check it out.
Soup of the Week: Egyptian Bean and Vegetable
August 7, 2005
I invited Susan over to dinner tonight, and we ate Egyptian Bean and vegetable soup. It was easy to make, and very tasty.
Plus, we had special guests! My kids came home early because I guess they were feeling grumpy and homesick at dad's house. It was nice to see them again....I missed them...but it's hard to transition into mama-osity on the fly like that.
So, I basically let them play this really addictive game* while Susan and I talked, ate yummy chocolate treats (Susan brought me chocolate and a lovely red rose as a "happy divorce" present, which I thought was really sweet...she always does little thoughtful things like that) and made soup.
How was your Sunday?
*link via The Bellman, seeing as I *always* give credit where it's due (sweetheart.)
Soup of the Week
May 17, 2005
This recipe is only very slightly modified from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook, which is like my Bible. There's an extra step at the end where you are supposed to ad corn meal and lemon juice to thicken the soup, and I left that part out mostly because I am lazy. It tasted great, regardless. Plus, it was totally easy to make. Monk liked it, too.
Dru Blood Endorses
October 13, 2004
Purely Decadent Soy Delicious non-dairy frozen dessert. From their website:
This one is for those people who are searching for an indulgent, all natural non-dairy frozen treat with all the creaminess and goodies you would expect from a super premium dairy ice cream (like those guys in Vermont whose name we won’t mention here).
I'm eating Peanut Butter Zigzag right now...a couple of weeks ago, I scarfed down a whole pint of Chocolate Brownie Almond without even realizing it. I don't think I've ever eaten a frozen non-dairy treat this yummy before in my whole life. (warning: this product apparently makes you talk in awkward sentences.)
Collaborative Cooking
October 11, 2004
Last night's collaborative cooking adventure was fun and fruitful. We all gathered at k8's house and cooked up some southern (and faux-southern) fare.
By the time I got there, the party had already started with Pansy and her cinnamon bread. She was rolling out the dough to add the cinnamon. K8 was cooking up black-eyed peas and potato-leek soup. I had my tofu, so I could make grit tofu and grit gravy from the cookbook Susan loaned me about 5 centuries ago.
Kate fed me some tasty chili, because I hadn't eaten all day, and Pansy and I made a couple batches of biscuits.
The kids played while we talked and cooked and talked and cooked some more. Susan arrived and helped me to make the tofu, and it was SO yummy! Unbelievably yummy. It was ALL totally yummy.
The coolest thing about collaborative cooking is I learn so much about how other people prepare food. Sometimes we do foods on a theme, and sometimes we do food based on an ingredient. When there are enough recipes, we prep all of the veggies in advance to save time. We cook enough for everyone to take home and eat off of all week. It forces me to make and eat foods I normally don't make or eat. Plus, there's the joy of sharing an evening with friends, laughing around the kitchen table. It's a blast.
Apple Pie recipe
August 27, 2004
In case you were wondering how to make a vegan Apple Pie
And I'm using this crust. (the top one).
Who's coming for dinner? We're having cinnamon pancakes with fake sausage, hash browns, and apple pie for dessert.
Recipe Request! Please respond!
July 13, 2004
Towards the end of the month this month, my life is going to be considerably more hectic for about 6 weeks or so, and I need some good recipes for casseroles that freeze well and portable, healthy lunch foods. i'm definitely going to be making a lot of hummus, tofu egg salad, and other things, but I'd like to be able to change it up a bit.
I'd love to make a good variety of yummy things for my kiddos, as well as the people who are volunteering to watch them for me. Please help!
Apocalypse Asparagus Pasta
May 13, 2004
This morning, Lisa inspired me. I've been putting off making a meal out of the bunch of asparagus I picked up last Sunday at the grocery store...worried that inspiration would not hit until the basil was long wilted and unusable. But then I read this post at Madame Insane, and I felt it was my obligation as a lover of all things food to make something incredibly tasty today.
This is what I came up with.
I never used to be able to cook without a cookbook. I have to credit L for helping me to learn how to put things together. For teaching me that confidence - even cockiness - is the main ingredient in any good recipe. You have to know in your heart that everyone who eats what you cook will faint with pleasure, and if they don't...they don't know what good food is. hahaha.
Unfortunately, like most things that were good about L, there was a significant drawback to his teachings on good cooking. Basically, after awhile, he stopped eating anything I would cook. I think it shattered my confidence, and caused me to fall back on old standbys rather than inventing new recipes.
Lately, I've been feeling the urge to try new things. I made butternut squash soup earlier this week. It was based on a recipe, but squash is something I normally steer clear of. I loved it. And the cool thing is that the mamas I hang out with, and J, seem to like what I cook, as well. There's really nothing more inspiring than having appreciative people to cook for. And as I was cooking this, I was thinking "I'm going to have to drop a bowlful of this by k8's on my way to work, because it's just too good to NOT share."
I discovered that coley LOVES asparagus. He also LOVES red peppers. I'm glad of this. I wonder if he LOVES brussels sprouts, too. It's weird, because just about everything Coley LOVES, Monk HATES...and vice versa. So I can never please both of them, but I got enormous kudos from the coley today, so I can't complain.
This looks so yummy...I need to save it for later
May 13, 2004
easy vegan tortilla casserole
May 4, 2004
(you might try adding an extra couple cups of beans, if you like things nice and beany.)
stuffed artichokes
April 15, 2004
I just posted my recipe for stuffed artichokes over at full bellies. Enjoy!
It's Chunky Chickpea Guacamole season again!
April 12, 2004
By order of his majesty, Monk, Monday is officially Chunky Chickpea Guacamole day in the Blood household.
I love it because it stretches 2 avocadoes into a bowlful of yummy, nutritious goodness that could probably feed 8 or so, if one of them is not Monk. We eat it in tacos, and Monk will have like 4 in a sitting if I don't redirect him. hahahahaha. He just came to the table with a tortilla piled with like, way overabundance, which he is now gorging himself on. WARNING: this recipe causes extreme gluttony in small children.
And there was much rejoicing.
Second Sunday.
January 11, 2004
I vowed to have potlucks every second sunday, and here it is the first second sunday of the new year. And I'm preparing for the first potluck. I love e-vite, because I'm the kind of person who worries no one will show up EXCEPT the people that I want to impress by introducing them to all of my fabulous friends. Do you know what I'm talking about? And then those people show up first, and there's always an awkward hour or so before any other guest shows up where you feel like the world's biggest loser with no friends.
But e-vite changes all of that, because people RSVP, which is unheard of in Austin. So I know which fabulous friends to expect, and which fabulous friends to nag if they don't show up. hahaha. Nah. I don't nag.
I have a sense of calm that I've never felt before a celebration at my house. A sense that it doesn't really matter if the entire house is cleaned up. A sense that people don't really fucking care. The food will be good, but I also have this sense that I don't have to have the lasagna in the oven before people show up. That I can assemble them when the guests arrive, and I can even get help from the guests. It's a wonderful feeling. It's really been helping me to have people come over while I'm cooking, and helping or keeping me company. I don't even bother to tidy my house for those get-togethers, and I think that's good for me. I get clean house angst, and it's so dumb. Most of the mess isn't even mine anyway. I mean, there is someone who lives here for about 6 hours a day, messing and not cleaning. So, how'm I supposed to keep up? And who really DOES care, anyway? Do I care about it when I go to someone else's messy house? Do you? The kitchen is clean. The bathroom will be clean. The rest of the house might just have to stay untidy, because I have more important things to do.
The kids are totally cooperating by playing and watching the Pokemon movie. They aren't really even fighting with each other. They are such great kids, and I'm glad they will get to see their friends tonight. I'm also glad that the playroom is now play-worthy so the children can play back in that space while the grown ups talk in the kitchen and living room.
This is supposed to be my birthday celebration, but I'm not feeling my birthday anymore. I can't believe it was just last Monday...it feels like it was so long ago. I don't have a cake and I'm not intending to make one. I might run out and pick one up whenever the first gues arrives. I need mozzarella, anyway, because the other person who is here 6 hours a day (and doesn't buy groceries) used some of the mozzarella I was going to use in the lasagna. How frustrating is that? He tells me that if there's something I don't want him to eat, I should write a note on it. Ain't enough note paper in the world. How about a huge sign on the fridge that says "Why don't you try buying groceries for a change instead of consuming the ones I buy with my money that I earn and spend primarily on our children? Asshole."
Er, sorry...this was not supposed to be a bitch fest about the ex. It was about looking forward to communing with friends. I'm excited. The pasta sauce is bubbling on the stove. I have a plan of attack for the rest of the housework that goes like this:
do the dishes, start a load of laundrypick stuff up off of the floorssweep the floors(this was dumb, because it should have come AFTER item 3)- wipe down surfaces
- wash sink & toilet in bathroom
- mop
- tidy
I'll probably get at least done up to 4. That's the necessary cleaning. If it's still not 3 PM when I'm finished with that, I'll start working on 5 and 6. I'm all hopped up on coffee. The lasagna will go in around 4 PM or so. Maybe I'll wait until 5. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else brings.
I wish all of you could be here for second sunday. It will happen every month, so if yr ever passing through Austin, drop me a line and I'll invite you.
Have a lovely day!
Easy Lentil Soup
September 26, 2003
I love this. My whole house smells good and lentil-y. It's gray and rainy outside, and I'm pretending it's cool and windy even though it's probably like 90 degrees. This recipe is totally lifted from the Moosewood Cookbook. The original. It's good though. Everyone needs a decent, simple soup recipe like this. I just changed a couple of things to make it even easier. I'm sinful that way:
Once a week cooking
July 6, 2003
I've always wanted to do Once a Month Cooking, but I was always intimidated by the idea. It never occurred to me that I could do once a WEEK cooking and get similar results. Until today...
I just finished mixing up some of Pea's Marinade and throwing some frozen, defrosted, and pressed tofu in the fridge to marinate, then I mixed up a batch of my handsful pesto and chunky chickpea guacamole, and I'm about to throw a bunch of black beans in the crockpot so I can make some of Zeebah's black beans. I'd love to stew up a pot of lentil soup to round things out, but I think I've already got enough to get us through the week, if we throw in some fresh and frozen veggies along the way. How very exciting!
The Vegan Pantry (This is for Scratchmittens.)
June 11, 2002
After years and years of shopping roulette - basically going to the store with empty cupboards and an empty stomach, and ending the week with a fridge full of moldy crap - I have slowly been refining my shopping skills. L has helped me by imparting wisdom from his years of working as a prep cook. For instance, did you know that square containers are better because they waste less fridge space? Plus I've picked up a thing or two by lurking around the food/nutrition forums at various bulletin boards. My best find in that realm has been the art of keeping cilantro fresh by storing them cut flower style in a cup of water. I've actually been able to keep cilantro in the fridge for at least a week this way and, since I love to flavor things with this fresh and fabbo herb, it's a very nice treat!
L's other main contribution as my grocery goddess mentor (ok, so he's a god) has been THE LIST. Early last year, when I first cut myself loose from the corporate world, L compiled a list for me of all of the staple food items that we need to replenish on a weekly basis. From this list, he told me (and I scoffed, not believing him) we would be able to throw together any number of tasty and nutritious meals.
Well, I was dubious at first, but after having worked with this list for almost 2 years now, with a few minor adjustments...I'm a convert.
Keep in mind that food is our greatest expense aside from mortgage. I could very well be spending more money on groceries than you are. However, most of what we buy is organic and we very rarely have rotting veggies and leftovers in our fridge at the end of the week.
Below is my master list, as well as a couple of recipe ideas for things that can be easily made with the ingredients on the list. I try to make sure that I am stocked with all of the items on this list at all times to ensure we always something make-able in the house. Obviously, to "stock up" you will need to outlay some cash...but keep in mind that you don't run out of everything on the list at the same time, so you won't have to buy everything each shopping trip. If I am faithful to the list, I should be spending 80 dollars or less on groceries every 10 days. This does not include dog and cat food, but it does include natural cleaning products (like vinegar, baking soda, and essence oil).
Let me know what you think!
Bulk Items:
Nutritional Yeast
Whole Wheat Flour
Special Bread Flour
Flax Seeds
Rolled Oats
Dried Black Beans
Dried Pinto Beans
Rice
Cous Cous
Various Styles of Pasta
Sucanat
Popcorn
Various Nuts and Seeds
Peanut Butter
Tahini
Textured Vegetable Protein
Falafel Mix
Active Dry Yeast
Canned/non-perishable Goods:
Corn
Garbanzos
Tomatoes
Vegetable Oil
Soymilk
Graham Crackers
Perishable Goods:
Tofu
Tortillas (I need to start making these from scratch!)
Produce:
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Cilantro
Various In-Season Organic Fresh Fruit
Various In-Season Organic Fresh Veggies
Herbs, Spices, and Sauces
Salt
Cumin
Oregano
Black Pepper
Herbamare
Cayenne
Soy Sauce
Ketchup
Mustard
(I grow rosemary, basil, and sage)
Recipe Ideas (these are not the recipes themselves, but I have posted the recipes for many of these already)
Homefries with beans on tortillas (or, if you are feeling rich, you can get some of that Gimme Lean fake sausage)
Oatmeal
Granola
Apple slices (fruit/vegetable slices) with peanut butter
Pancakes
Lunch & Dinner
Fake Mac & Cheese
Hummus
Falafel
Pasta and Sauce
Baked Potatoes with Broccoli (or other veggies) and "Cheese"
Tofu Patty Sandwiches
Cous Cous & Veggies with Beans
Pasta Salad (in all shapes and forms)
The Inimitable Rice and Beans
...the possibilities are endless...enjoy!
Easy Pan Chili
June 5, 2002
You can always tell when I'm trying to stretch the groceries because I start going through all of the canned goods that I've stocked up (years and years living in Chicago made me a disaster food stocker). This is a quick recipe that you can make out of those canned goods lurking around in there. Of course, you can always replace canned with fresh if you so desire...but who the heck wants to peel and seed tomatoes?
Ingredients
a smattering of vegetable oil
1 can corn, drained
1 jalapeno, minced (optional)
1 can beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 green pepper (diced)
1 onion (diced)
a bit of cilantro
cumin to taste
garlic to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
Saute onion in oil until soft
Throw in green pepper and corn and season with a little cumin (this makes your kitchen smell nice and fools the residents of your home into thinking that you are cooking something fancy)
Here's where you can throw in the jalapeno if you so desire.
Beans, tomatoes, and the rest of the spices go in now.
Let it simmer for awhile...mixing it around a bit to get the flavors all blended.
Adjust the seasoning, add cilantro if you have it.
Serve with rice, or corn tortillas...or throw it on some corn chips and call it frito pie.
Enjoy!
I Could Possibly Have Earned the Title of Pasta Salad Queen
May 22, 2002
So, m asked to eat pasta salad again today. Since I had just made some on Monday, and was not in the mood for the same thing 2 days later, I decided to add a new twist. I'm starting to really get good at working without a cookbook, which is something I've been working on for the past 10 years or so. Yay, me!
Ingredients:
about 3 cups dry pasta
about a cup of broccoli and cauliflour (or one or the other)
about 1/2 cup each of peas, corn, and tofu cubes (or whatever other veggies you have lying around)
about a tablespoon of cilantro (or more or less, depending on how much you like cilantro)
2 green onions
about a teaspoon of grated ginger root
a couple tablespoons of toasted sesame oil (you can use the yummy spicy stuff if you don't live with small people who can't stand spicy food. If that is the case, you have my undying envy and you need to invite me over to try it sometime)
a dash or two or three of rice vinegar
tamari to taste.
Directions:
Throw some water on to boil. I usually will steam the veggies as the water boils, so put the broc/caul/peas/corn...and whatever else over the pasta water. Make sure you clean your veggies well, because you'll be boiling pasta in that water.
While the water is boiling, quickly saute the cubed tofu in some sesame oil if you have a recipe for tofu marinade that you like, you can use your marinated tofu here. Or you can bread the tofu in nutritional yeast or crushed peanuts. Yum! I actually didn't use tofu in the pasta salad I made today, I used garbanzo beans instead, but I'll bet peanut-breaded tofu would be just divine! You can also bake the tofu if you prefer to veer away from fried foods. Add the ginger here if you are sauteeing and you want to make the ginger flavor a little more mild. Otherwise, add the ginger to the other herbs and oils - making sure to mince it very very fine. Do drizzle on some toasted sesame oil for flavor, though. That shit is yummy-licious.
Once your veggies have cooked, remove them from the heat and set them aside. Throw your pasta in to cook.
When the pasta is done, toss everything in a big bowl, add sesame oil, cilantro, soy sauce to taste, ginger if you did not add it to the tofu already, and green onions. Maybe throw on some peanuts and some raw red pepper as a garnish.
Chow down, d00d. This stuff is tasty tasty tasty!
Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad and Pico de Gallo
May 20, 2002
While grocery shopping the other day, we were treated to free samples of pico de gallo and salad and I had mad cravings for a good pasta salad with sundried tomatoes and some oniony/garlicky pico. Since I had the night off from work, I knew I would be able to cook & I would want to snack, so I gathere the ingredents and was thankful to be craving something that wasn't going to completely heat up my kitchen.
Here's what I did - since many of the ingredients were shared between the two dishers, I just took out two bowls. How's this for multitasking, I made both dishes AT THE SAME TIME.
I started heating up the water for the pasta and put the sun dried tomatoes (about 1/4 cup, sliced up into thin strips) in a small dish and covered them with olive oil. Then I minced 4 cloves of garlic, but 1/3 of that in with the sundried tomatoes and 2/3 in the pico bowl. I drained and emptied a can of organic diced tomatoes into the pico bowl and stirred things up a bit.
Then, I diced up 3 or 4 green onions and split them about evenly between the pasta salad dish and the pico dish (leaving the sundried tomatoes and garlic alone to marinate in the olive oil) I cut a green pepper in half, diced 3/4 of it for the pasta salad, and minced the rest of it for the pico. I choped up a bunch of cilantro and divided it between the two dishes (do this to your taste - I put about 3/4 of it in the pico and 1/4 of it in the salad dish).
About now was when the pasta was done cooking. I drained it and doused it with cold water. I didn't completely chill it, though, because it helps to put the marinated sundried tomatoes and garlic in with warm pasta as opposed to cold. So I mixed the pasta in with the sundried tomatoes and garlic and put it in the fridge to cool down.
While that was chilling, I put about 1/2 oz of mild chilis into the pico. I used canned chilis because they're mild enough for the kids to eat, but you can mince up fresh jalapenow (or other chili of your choice) and it would probably taste much better. I put the pico in the fridge.
When the pasta was chilled adequately, I put a can of Westbrae organic salad beans in (a mixture of garbanzos, kidney beans...and something else...I can't remember), added the veggies, and threw in some salt & tossed things around a bit. I contemplated putting in carrots, celery and corn, but decided against it. You can add those things if you want. I like the flavor of the sundried tomatoes and cilantro and didn't want to distract from that.
To the pico, I added some salt and a couple of dashes of cumin. I thought it tasted great, but L insists it's not pico unless you add lime juice - so don't be a poser like me - get thee the juice of one lime and add it to the mix.
When I was done, I had a light, nutritions salad for dinner and tons of ood snacking. The leftover pico was used in a breakfast of black beans and home fries with onions and green peppers on whole wheat tortillas. YUM!
So, there you go - two meals and a good deal of snacking with minimal fuss. Enjoy!
Friday's Menu
May 18, 2002
Breakfast:
c woke up at freaking 6:30 AM today. Am I really supposed to remember what the hell I ate at that hour of the morning? I think I ate some oat-e-o's or something. yeah...I remember now. c poured water into his oat-e-o's and then started eating them and I was far too tired to argue with him about the grossness factor of that. m, of course, arose leisuraly at the hour of 10 or so and requested garbanzo beans for breakfast. Who was I to argue?
Lunch:
Um...does coffee count? I spend much of the afternoon at Flightpath, reading, writing, and temporarily disconnecting from my world. It was nice.
Dinner:
Family night! We went out for pizza at conan's. It was fun. Sometimes, when I'm with L, it almost feels like we are in an Mystery Science Theater version of our life. I don't know what it is, but lately we both just crack each other up. Our whole life is sort of cracking us up. I love that. We'll just be sitting down to eat, and m will say something and we'll all just laugh and laugh. c actually told some knock knock jokes today at the dinner table. m would tell one, and you know how there's a certain rhythm to a knock knock joke? well, c picked up on that and was saying
"na na"
"who's there, c"
"gadoobadaba"
"gadoobadaba who?"
"jlerlse reslj rejle"
And then he'd go "heheheh"
It was cute.
I think I'll probably have a nice little bowl of popcorn before the night is up. I haven't been cooking lately...but it's supposed to cool down for the weekend, so maybe I'll do some cooking tomorrow or sunday. I still need to post my recipes for pico de gallo and sundried tomato pasta salad...I have it all written out, I just need to wittify it and type it in. Later, later...
Thursday's Menu
May 17, 2002
Breakfast:
I think I ate a banana and half of c's apple. The kids chowed down on Oat-e-O's or whatever they're called. I'm pretty sure they each had an apple, as well.
Lunch:
I got about halfway through my soy bologna sandwich before I realized that it tasted fucking awful. I made a valiant effort to eat it anyway so as not to waste it, but I started gagging horribly while chewing. So, I spit out what was in my mouth and didn't have any appetite to eat anything else.
Snacks:
Pretzels at work again. Popcorn while blogging.
Dinner:
L made this killer dish of rice with garbanzos and raisins, seasoned with cinnamon and turmeric. The man knows his shit. He rocks my freaking world.
Tuesday's Menu...
May 15, 2002
Breakfast:
Today was shopping day, so c ate some dry raisin bran before we left, and I got bagels for everyone. I ate an apple and a bagel. c, I think, sucked down two bananas, a rice cake, half of an apple, and his bowl of cereal. m ate cereal, a bagel, and an apple.
Lunch:
Veggie spring rolls, leftover tahini garlic pasta salad from last night. Damn, my husband is a genius cook
Dinner:
I snacked on pretzels again at work. When I got home, L whipped up some sort of tomato soup with pasta concoction that we ate, seasoned with pepper and vegan parm. I had a little crust of bread with that.
I was supposed to make granola today, but we had so much fun at the playground that I totally ran out of time before work. Perhaps I'll do it tomorrow...
Monday's Menu
May 14, 2002
Breakfast
I chowed some of the peanut butter puffins I got on sale at sun harvest while c and m had raisin bran, soy milk, apples, sunflower seeds, and whatever else I could scrape together from our dwindling food supply.
Lunch
c and I had some leftover soup. I notice that c is getting better and better at feeding himself with a spoon. He hardly drops any on the floor. I have no idea what m ended up eating, as he refused the soup. I think I caught him munching on a rice cake at one point...L fed him something, I'm sure.
Dinner
See, dinner during the week is tricky for me. I work from 4:30 to 9 or so...and on Mondays I actually start work at 3:30 b/c I have this totally unnecessary weekly meeting I'm expected to attend. Today I just bought a bag of pretzels from the grocery store to snack on...and then when I got home, I had a bowl of L's concoction that seemed to be a mixture of corn, pasta, cauliflower, broccoli, tahini and tons and tons of garlic. It was so tasty...
Today's menu...
May 12, 2002
Today was a weird day because I had a meeting at work and had to be there earlier than usual. L took care of lunch and dinner for the kids...Not a very healthy meal day...but I have some yummy bean soup in the crockpot for tomorrow.
Breakfast: Bagel, breakfast bar, banana
Lunch: Pizza (on my job's dime)
Dinner: some leftover pizza from work
Snack: Popcorn
Today's menu...
May 11, 2002
Breakfast: strong coffee with some yummy chocolate chips thrown in. A couple of apple slices, maybe? I can't remember. I was in a daze. The kids had a plate with apple slices, banana slices, raisins and sunflower seeds, and some soylami.
Lunch: Macaroni and "cheese", peas, fruit
Dinner: It was m's turn to choose a destination for family night out, and he chose Buffet Palace, which I HATE. I hate it there. We argued about it at length because I honestly was not going to eat there. They have like 4 vegetarian dishes there and all of them are super greasy and whenever we go there I feel like I paid a lot of money for gross food. But m kept insisting that he "hadn't tasted Buffet Palace in sooooo long" and that he loved the food there even though the last time we went there he SCREAMED through the whole entire meal (and this was the first time he had ever had that awful of a temper tantrum in a public place). So, we decided to let him just have his way...drove up there...and I suggested L bring m in to SHOW him there is no tofu there and nothing yummy. It worked. m came back to the car saying "all they have is MEAT, mom."
So we ended up going to China Buffet, which, while still exceedingly greasy and mediocre, is at least edible. I had some tasty tasty spring rolls there. yum. The tofu was ok. The dinner conversation was pleasant. Family night was a big success. Yay!