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lunch @ work, and hot vs. cold

As a teacher, I find it difficult to find snack breaks, so by the time I get to my lunch time, I'm starving! But what can I bring for lunch that won't weigh me down after snarfing it down in under 20 minutes? That's exactly what I was thinking about when I saw this post last week from The Kitchn. I liked reading the ideas from The Kitchn's readers, but to be honest, most of them didn't seem all that new to me. One thing, however, caught my attention - the post from Our Semi Organic Life - she had posted something mysterious, just interesting enough that I had to check it out... It's something called "disappearing zucchini orzo" and the recipe comes from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

I appreciate the value of recipes, but sometimes, they're just SO hard to follow! I don't measure, and then I don't have one ingredient so I add something new, and then I get a bright idea about making it a hybrid with some other recipe, and pretty soon, it's no longer the food the author had intended.

Anyway, I loved the idea about grating the zucchini and making that the sauce for the pasta, so off I went... I roasted some chopped garlic in olive oil with Adobo and Vegeta, then grated in the zucchini. I cooked it really slowly and then the zucchini seemed to melt away - what was left was a silky green/yellow sauce with tiny strips of dark green. I cooked the pasta (not orzo - I was trying a low-carb pasta) and tossed it all together.

Ok..... I'll admit it. I added feta.

...and lemon juice.

The result? REALLY zesty pasta salad... OR really zesty hot pasta.

... which brings me to my next topic. I have been making cold salad leftovers into hot food! We had a really (and I mean really) limited supply of foods that we could mix together last week, and so we started this mystery dish with chicken chorizo... At this point, I began walking around the kitchen asking myself what on earth I could add to it. My other half grabbed the leftover bulgar salad with feta and asparagus and asked if it was "still good" - smelled good, so I tossed it in! It had a light vinaigrette on it, so it stayed moist in the pan and made a little tiny bit of sauce, and then a wonderful thing happened...

...the feta melted. What a great accidental "we have almost no food to work with" dish. =)

I feel I will be doing something like that again soon. That is, if I can remember how I did it in the first place.

shrimp summer rolls

What do I crave when the weather gets warm? Food that doesn't weigh me down! I convinced my man to try summer rolls from a store a few weeks back, and my obsession with these rolls became contagious... I don't know which he likes more - the crisp, refreshing veggies inside (which I love), the succulent shrimp (which I also love), or the fact that he gets to dip them into sweet chili sauce.

It doesn't really matter which he likes more, because it means I get to eat these delicious rolls more often now! After a few searches at local stores, I found the rice paper wraps, and made the rolls as an appetizer for a recent dinner. I put lettuce, ribbons of cucumber, skinny carrot sticks, and sweet shrimp. Delicious!
P.S. Now I know what I need to have for an appetizer tonight. =)

Stir-fried Chicken Paprikash

Steamed the chicken with salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar, then combined it with sauteed peppers and onions, sour cream and chopped flatleaf parsley. It's our new chicken obsession!
We served it over couscous here, but it wasn't a great compliment to the chicken, so maybe rice next time...


Two years ago today: beef stew over mashed potatoes

Giouvesti with Keftedes (from Kalofagas)

While going through my Google Reader entries recently, I was stopped in my tracks by this recipe by Peter Minakis on his blog Kalofagas. The most appealing part of this recipe is that we only had to buy 3 ingredients (orzo, tomato sauce, and chicken stock) in order to make it - we had the rest!!

I followed the recipe almost to a T, but I couldn't help myself - I added some feta to the meatball mixture before frying them up. The recipe was really easy to follow (and easy for someone like me to stick to) - you cook the meatballs, then saute the veggies and the paprika for the pasta in the leftover oil and meaty bits in the pan. Then you add the orzo and toss it with the oil and veggies. When everything's coated, add the tomato sauce and the stock, then pour it into a casserole dish (or two, if you're me), add the meatballs, and let the oven do the rest.

Here's what it looks like when it comes out of the oven...
The result? The pasta is incredibly creamy and flavorful. The meatballs are savory and are delicious with that little bit of feta added in. The dish is like a big hug in a bowl - comfort food at its best.

my love's birthday dinner

First, we made a culinary stop-off in India for some chicken tikka masala, spiced pulao (rice), potato and pea vadi (vegetable patties), cucumber raita, and naan bread.
My love does not enjoy Indian desserts as I do, so we made a quick detour to France for a crepe cake - 20 crepes layered with vanilla pastry cream and fresh raspberry sauce.

homemade mini-bagels and lox =)

The other day, I got it in my head that I wanted to make bagels and lox. So... on Monday, I started the salmon cold cure (gravlox style - coated it with half sea salt, half sugar, then added cracked pepper) and wrapped it up in many layers of plastic wrap. I flipped it a few times over the course of three days, and today I unveiled it! Check it out... The texture was so lox-y, the taste was just what I was looking for!Now, just have to make the bagels. No recipe for those, but I just used honey, yeast, warm water, flour and salt for the dough. I let the dough rise twice, then formed my mini-bagels. I then boiled them in honey water for a few minutes, added some toppings, and baked! The result? Montreal bagel taste, super soft in the middle, slightly crispy crust - the bagel of my dreams! What's next? I must combine them! I sliced them down the middle, add cream cheese (not homemade - I don't know how to make that... yet.) and top with my gravlox. What's the verdict? Wait - let me take a bite.... Delicious. And SO worth the effort.

falafel pitas

I wish I was eating this right now...

Souza's Brazilian Steakhouse

Type of establishment? restaurant
Location: 131 Main St, Burlington, VT

Pros: they have 40+ items on the salad bar, great selection of grilled meats, everything is seasoned well, fresh fruit juices are delicious and refreshing, there is also a dessert bar, they were offering a special on Vermontopia ($80 of food for only $30)
Cons: we were freezing the entire time we were there - the thermostat was at 59 and we couldn't take off our coats - i also had to order a hot tea

Things to Try: roasted mushrooms, grilled lamb, turkey wrapped in bacon, coconut custard, flan, trifle
Things to Avoid: pork ribs

Random fact: the waiters are dressed as gauchos and they serve the meat using skewers and swords

Verdict: 6.5 - would have been 9.5 if it had not been so cold!

pre-Halloween midnight snack

Organic (Dr. Oetker) chocolate cupcakes with orange-oil spiked frosting and Halloween non-pareils. Tested the idea last night and left a midnight (or 2-3 am) snack out for my guy.

the year of the tomato

I grew almost all of our tomatoes from seed this year -- some from heirloom seeds that I saved from last year's tomatoes, and some from heirloom seeds that I bought. Some were mystery varieties, like a small plum tomato that is pale red and pointy on the end.

Tomatoes are easily my favorite ingredient - fresh they are delicious, they meld well with herbs to make sauces and creamy soups, and are a salad staple. One of my favorite meals is a caprese salad made with colorful heirlooms and local mozzarella (but only if the basil is fresh!).

Here are some heirlooms dressed with just cracked pepper and smoked chardonnay salt:All sorts of tomatoes heading to the oven to roast for tomato bisque:Tomatoes, beans, and husk cherries heading to a friend's house (note one of those mystery tomatoes in the box on the right):
My most recent harvest -- note the white tomato (it's a Fantôme du Laos and very rare):
Also, check out these pole beans from seeds I saved last year (and Ukrainian yellow mushroom beans on the bottom) - I know it's not the year of the bean, but look how long they grew!
Here are some of the beans I will save for next year - valentine black bush beans, yellow mushroom beans, and some heirloom pole and bush beans from last year's crop:

little bites

A few weeks ago, we had a friend over for dinner -- there was only one problem. We don't have enough chairs to all sit at the dining room table, nor did we have a coffee table (we do now!), so any food that required big plates was out of the question.
The solution? Small bites.
Tapas.... =)
So, here they are on our dining room table, from left to right (and sort of squiggly in order):

• homemade sangria on ice (we made it with lemon, oranges, lime, and apples - and strawberries? I can't remember.)
  
• tortilla de patatas (we only have one non-stick fry pan, and it's a big pan, so our tortillas come out super-skinny, but still delicious)
• manchego, feta, and chorizo (sweet, not spicy)
• mixed olives from the Healthy Living olive bar (my favorite are the bright green Catalán olives that are hot-pickled with chiles and celery)
• salted peanuts
• assorted Spanish sweets - candied fruits "bathed" in chocolate, and pine nut toffees
• smoked almonds
• fresh strawberries
• sweet yellow pear tomatoes and red cherry tomatoes
• zesty gazpacho
  
• pastelitos de gambas (shrimp pastries - Spanish-style egg rolls made with sauteed vegetables and two shrimps apiece - I learned how to make these when I worked for Paulino in Madrid)
• delicious soft rolls from A Taste of Europe

In the top of the photo you can just barely see a near-black sunflower peeking out -- these were supposed to be crimson-colored and only 12" tall, so I planted them in the front of the garden. This did not work out - they are taller than me.

Other tapas posts :
tapas party
bites in San Sebastián - Donostia
tapas at the piso
tapas with Kay & José
tapas in Barcelona
first real tapas in Madrid
little bites in Boston!
Delicious discovery - cured duck! (Madrid)
bites in Granada
back to Dalí!
a few days in the Berwicks

German lunch

Homemade pork schnitzel, spätzle (spaetzle), and sliced and seasoned heirlooms. Delicious. =)

too poivre-y!

I bought some delicious-looking steak au poivre seasoning paste from Williams-Sonoma and tried it out... I went overboard. As much as I love pepper, it was too poivre-y for me. I had to scrape off some of the pepper. =)

Here it is next to some tasty seasoned frites and Sticky Fingers bbq sauce.

Sunrise - 9/11/10

The view from our apartment yesterday morning when I let the dog out.

Flowers from our garden

Las Dalias hippie market, Ibiza

Ses Salines salt flats, Ibiza

Playa Ses Salines, Ibiza

Zebra art & grill, Ibiza

Delicious lunch in Ibiza - took us nearly forever to find a place that served non-British food, but it was well worth the search.

Tomates asados con mozzarella di buffala - roasted tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella

Very cool clear balsamic vinegar from Barcelona

Galtas de cerdo - pork cheeks (really!)

Tallerines frutti di mari - seafood noodles

Tarta de queso - cheese cake

Pera al vino tinto - pear poached in red wine

Little kitten that sat near us while we ate