Day 129: Orichette with Spinach

I could eat pasta EVERYDAY - can you tell?

Tonight, I chopped an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and cooked them in about a tablespoon of olive oil until they were soft, then added 6-8 cups of fresh baby spinach and cooked that down

 I cooked up half a box or so of whole wheat orichette pasta

 Chopped a handful of Calamata olives, a handful of sun dried tomatoes (soaked in hot water first for about 5 minutes), crumbled about 4 oz of fat free Feta cheese

 Then, I mixed everything together, and served it with a little extra fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

I made a salad of chick peas, carrotts, green pepper and scallions (because that is what was in the refrigerator) and tossed that with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinegrette

Yum, Yum, Yum

Day 128: Sweet & Sour Stir Fry with Tofu

Ingredients

Stir Fry

 1 onion - chunked

2 carrots - peeled and cut into chunks

2 stalks broccoli - cut into large florets

1 red pepper  - cut into chunks

2 baby Bok Choy - sliced - white parts only

1/2 small Savoy cabbage - sliced thickly

1 pound firm tofu

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

olive oil

toasted sesame oil

Sauce

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp soy sauce (lo-salt)

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tblsp honey

bunch of scallions -white parts only - chopped

2 tablespoons corn starch

 Whisk together all ingredients except corn starch - put corn starch in a bowl and whisk sauce into it.

 Heat 1 tblspn olive oil + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil in a heavy pan. Drain tofu, cut into 1/4 inch slices and pat dry. Cut each slices into 5-6 pieces. Put into pan with oil, turn to coat, fry until golden on both sides.
In another pan - heat 1 tsp olive oil over med-high heat. Add onion & carrot, cook & stir while you cut the broccoli, then add that, cook while you cut the peppers, add, then bok choy, then cabbage, ginger, Stir fry until cooked to your taste.Add pineapple, then stir sauce and add that - cook until thickened.

 Serve over brown rice.

Day 127: Dinner at the Donation Auction

I performed at a fundraiser which included a buffet of hot and cold appetizer type items, some from local restaurants and some home made. I sampled the following:

Sweet corn fritters from a local Thai place - looked something like this - but with a green sauce that tasted like basil to me.

A lovely eggplant and onion salad

A black bean and corn salad

a slice of vegetable Stromboli (broccoli, mushrooms, onion)

A Gazpacho "shooter" served in a "cup" made of hollowed out cucumber

A tasty white bean dip

Hummus filled tiny tomato halves

vegetable crudeties

Everything was tasty - much better than cooking.

Day 126: Best Pasta Special I have ever had at Enzo's

Bucatini – thick spaghetti like pasta with a hole throughout the middle. 


I am KICKING myself that I did not take a picture!


The dish had very long strands of pasta, smothered in eggplant (sauteed? roasted? not sure - don't care), chunks of cooked tomatoes, capers, Calamata olives, and topped with cubes of the best smoked fresh mozzarella I have ever tasted. 


It was a huge portion (as is the usual at Enzo's). I ate half and brought the other half home. S. had half of the leftovers for lunch the next day and the other half for dinner.


I would go back and order it again tomorrow if I wasn't afraid I would gain 5 pounds.


I WILL take a picture if I go back, though, and I will try to make this someday - stay tuned - but where does one get bucatini?


The pasta looks like this - but this one has no eggplant or capers or smoked mozzarella. Oh, it was fabulous.

Day 125: More Semi-homemade

Still in RA trouble, but as luck would have it - took delivery this afternoon of a frozen whole wheat pizza kit, purchased as a school fundraiser from a co-worker's son. Perfect timing. The crust was a little more like bread than pizza dough, the sauce was adequate but unremarkable, the cheese was real (a plus) and low-fat. We doctored up our pizzas to our individual tastes. S. had sliced fresh button mushrooms, L. Fresh spinach, red onion & sliced mushrooms, I had fresh spinach, red onion, and Calamata olives. Turned out to be a filling and perfectly serviceable weeknight dinner for a family whose chief cook and bottle washer is having trouble using her hands at the moment.

Day 124: Falafel

This is a Semi-home-made meal. We love falafel - and lately - as I have not been feeling well  - we need easy. So, we decided to try Trader Joe's frozen version. We, unfortunately, have a collective memory that contains some pretty spectacular falafel sandwiches. S., after all , spent five months in Jerusalem, and we all had some pretty fabulous falafel at L'As du Falafel in Paris last March (perfect falafel, topped with french fries, and pickles, and tahini and - aaaaah...). So. we tried to approach this taste test with an open mind - hoping to find at least an acceptable stand in until the next home-made version trial  - or the next trip to Paris or Jerusalem.

TJ's falafel was very good. Nice crisp outside, nice texture, and good flavor - cilantro is a part of the spice mix - which works for me. We had some very good, fresh pita bread, some Sabra Tahini Hummus and some Israeli olives. I made a salad of cucumbers, peppers, red onion, olive oil and red wine vinegar. I like a little sour cream as well. The result was very tasty, very filling - next year in...well - either Paris or Jerusalem would work for me!

Day 123: Vegetarian Chili Number 613

I just made the number up. I do make a lot of different versions though. Did not take a picture of this one. Made a quick batch before leaving for work. Took some with me and left the rest behind for L. & S. Also made some cornbread - followed the directions on the bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Medium Grind corn meal. Not the best corn bread we have ever had. Next time I would use more corn meal - less ww flour - maybe add some corn or cheese or ??? Here's what went into the chili.

1. 1 tsp olive oil
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 1/2 green pepper, chopped
4. 2 zucchini, chopped
5. 1 can Trader Joe's corn with the yellow label
6. 1 can Trader Joe's Diced & Fire roasted organic tomatoes with organic green chiles + 1 can of water 
7. 2 cans organic kidney beans
8. cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Sautee 1-4 together (give the onions a 3-4 min head start). Add 5-8, stir, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer at least 30 minutes (15 in a pinch). Serve over brown rice with some grated cheese on the top. Salsa and sour cream are also allowed if you are in the mood - or chopped avocado.

Can't find a page with a picture - Have I never taken one? I will try to remember to do that next time - there will definitely be a next time - this is one of our regular meals.