Kickin' Salad!

That's what Paul said when I fed him last night. I always feel a bit guilty when dinner is either a)ethnic or b)healthy.... and this salad was both. He's a hamburger helper loving, American cheese worshiping, crispy-fried kind of guy.... he recently told me that if I'm planning on making Indian food I should give him several days of forewarning so that he can mentally prepare himself to walk into our curry-scented house thinking 'Mmm... Indian food!' instead of 'Crap. Indian food.'. Being vegetarian, it can be challenging to come up with a good variety of meals which provide us with our daily nutritional needs while also making us feel satisfied. I try to balance out the mac n'cheese and burritos with things like roasted vegetables and cheese-less ethnic items. Last night I made an Asian salad and was pretty thrilled when Paul scarfed it down saying, "This salad is kickin'!".

Here's what I did:
In a calm moment during afternoon nap, I sliced half a zucchini, half a red pepper, and half a cucumber into long thin strips. Meanwhile, I cooked some 'smart' spaghetti (the kind that looks like white pasta but is really full of protein & stuff), and made an Asian sauce/marinade. For the sauce I mixed together a splash of apple cider vinegar, plenty of ginger-soy sauce (Kikomans... it's hard to find, but SO good!), a good glug (don't you love the exactness of my measurements?) of sweet chili sauce (bottled, in the Asian food aisle), a splash of toasted sesame oil, and some sesame seeds. Once the noodles were cooked & cooled I put them into a bowl, added the slivered veggies, and poured on the sauce. I gave everything a good "jooj" (as Rachel Ray would say), and put it in the fridge until dinner time.
When Paul got home I assembled our salads. First, I sliced up some scallions and some fresh cilantro, then diced an avocado. I put a bed of baby spinach leaves onto a large plate, topped the spinach with a mound of the marinated noodles & veggies, topped that with the diced avocado and sliced scallions and cilantro. For some crunch I sprinkled toasted slivered almonds on top, and then drizzled some of the sauce on top.

Voila. Kickin' salad! I suppose I should have taken a picture to include here.... oh well, I'm sure you can imagine it in all of it's glistening soy-noodle-avocadoey goodness. Try it, let me know what you think.... and go ahead and throw some chicken or shrimp on top if that's your thing.

My mouth is en fuego!

Today I harvested 8 large jalapenos, 4 tiny green chili peppers (still trying to determine what they are), and tons of "sweet million" cherry tomatoes. I decided to pickle the jalapenos for using on nachos or as a condiment. I found Guy Fierri's recipe for pickled jalapenos & carrots on foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guys-big-bite-/pickled-jalapenos-and-carrots-recipe/index.html) and since it seemed simple and got great reviews, I used that as the basis but jazzed it up a bit. I added a bunch of whole garlic cloves, a generous amount of black pepper, a dash of salt, and a Tbs or so of honey. It made enough to fill a large Clausen pickle jar, and is now sitting in my refrigerator looking quite tasty.

WFD 03.02.10

Whats For Dinner?

Tacos!
1/2 small onion, diced
1 bag Morningstar Farms ground crumbles
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 tomato, diced
1 bag shredded lettuce
1 avocado
garlic salt
pepper
grated colby jack cheese
sour cream
taco shells
salsa

-Saute onion until translucent. Add crumbles & cook a few minutes. Add taco seasoning & mix well (you may need to add a small amount of water to loosen up the seasoning).
-Meanwhile, mash avocado with generous amount of garlic salt & pepper to make a quick guacamole. Add a splash of lime juice if you have a lime, but it's not crucial.
-Heat taco shells according to package directions just before serving
-Put out dishes with all of the items- cheese, tomato, lettuce, avocado, sour cream, salsa, taco "meat, taco shells- and let everyone build their own tacos at the table.

I served this with fruit salad (blueberries, kiwis, apples, and grapes), and it was a yummy dinner!

WFD 2.24.10

What's For Dinner?!

I picked up a package of fresh peirogis from Sprouts the other day and have been pondering how I ought to prepare them. Next time I'm thinking I'll do peirogi enchiladas..... but this was our Wednesday night dinner, and I rather enjoyed it! I served this with a simple green salad.

Peirogis & Sausage

1 package peirogis (I used potato & cheddar)
1 package Trader Joe's Italian Sausage with Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper (or whatever color you prefer), thinly sliced
1/2 jar prepared bruschetta topping (or a dollop of tomato sauce or some drained canned diced tomatoes or diced fresh- whatever!)
splash of balsamic vinaigrette
olive oil
salt & pepper

-Saute onion & pepper in a little oil until soft. Add a drizzle of vinaigrette and a dollop of bruschetta topping or tomato product of your choice, stir into peppers and onions.
-Push that mixture to the side of the pan and place sausages in pan. Cook sausages, turning occasionally to let all sides brown.
-On a separate non-stick and lightly oiled pan/skillet, place all of the peirogis so they are laying flat. Cook until crispy golden brown, and then flip to let the front cook.
-Serve peirogis atop a bed of peppers and onions, with sausages on the side.