Sunday, April 10, 2011

Where I've Been

Did you miss me? I've missed all of you. The family and I, along with five other families, 26 people total, spent Spring Break on the Gulf Coast of Florida, just south of Alabama at Crystal Beach. It was lovely. I'll talk food in a later post (I kept it very simple) but for now, here's a taste of where I've been:










I'll be back soon with a couple of photos you can sink your teeth into.

Friday, April 1, 2011

A Delicious Bowl


I'm short on time today but I wanted to share something wonderful I put together recently, inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Appetite For Reduction. I've only just begun to peruse this wonderful tome, and I like the "bowl" section because it feels very familiar. Basically Isa suggests grain, veggie and sauce combinations that work well. This is the way my brain naturally works anyway, as I am always juggling leftovers and reinventions. I've been in love with quinoa lately, so I went for one of those combos. Quinoa --check.  White beans -- check.   Grilled zucchini -- check, but too lazy to grill.  Romesco Sauce -- hmmmm, roasted red pepper (I had some in a jar) slivered almonds (um, I had whole almonds) red wine vinegar, yes, mustard, yes, agave, yes -- check. So that combo would be a go.

I started with the quinoa, red quinoa to be exact. I boiled it simply with half a bouillon cube. Then I pulled out the food processor and created the romesco sauce, albeit with not quite enough roasted red pepper, and slightly chunkier almonds, but it was amazing nonetheless. Finally I pulled the zucchini out of the crisper and realized it was unfortunately the granite hard one I bought for a small fortune over a month ago. Unbelievably it was still oddly rock hard. My very best knife would not even make a dent. Into the trash it went. So, another plan B -- collard greens!  I very lightly sauteed some wonderful greens and they fit beautifully into the combo slot!  I think I'm going to like this cookbook!