August 2008 Archives

» Recipe for Stewed White Beans

This is a dish that definitely has potential, but it certainly failed tonight. The main problem was that I couldn't use soy sauce because it's not gluten free. I tried to make up for it by using sesame oil and a little fresh lemon juice, among other things, but I had the feeling all along that it was not going to be great. Oh well. At least I was only feeding myself.

This is another yummy find from 101 Cookbooks. I didn't want to make a whole quiche though because I would never eat it all. I also decided that rather than buying a whole bag of gluten-free flour to make the crust, I would just skip the crust altogether. Instead, I served it with a side of brown rice.

It was delicious.

I halved the recipe and make 2 single-serving quiches. I also halved the amount of spinach called for (because I didn't feel like buying that much) and it was still plenty. You could probably use frozen spinach for this too. That way there would be one less pot to clean.


» Recipe for Spinach and Mushroom "Quiche"

When I saw this recipe at 101 cookbooks101 cookbooks, I knew it would be perfect for the cleanse, especially since I already had a bag of shelled edamame in the freezer. I made 1/2 the recipe and ended up with 4 cups of soup. I left out the creme fraiche to make it vegan, and added some baby spinach. It turned out pretty thick, but tasty. I garnished it with a little olive oil and fresh chives.


» Recipe for Edamame Soup

This is the Mediterranean Chicken SaladMediterranean Chicken Salad, adapted to be vegan and gluten free. I have to say, I think I like this version better! I was trying to make two servings, but I ended up with a little more than that. Next time I would add a little more pasta. I didn't have to double the dressing because this version didn't have any chicken to soak it all up. I might chop up the artichoke hearts a little next time.


» Recipe for Mediterranean Pasta & Bean Salad

This has been my favorite way to eat tomatoes and cucumbers lately, together or separately. It's a quick and easy vegetable side dish, or a cool and refreshing lunch. It's also extremely versatile - add sliced red onion, feta or fresh mozzarella, replace basil with cilantro. It can be anything you want it to be.


» Recipe for Garden Fresh Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Well, I attempted to make homemade pasta for the first time last night. Needless to say, it didn't work out so well. At least I got to run some dough through my new pasta maker. I think my mistake was that the dough was a bit too sticky, so that when I ran it through the linguini (?) setting the strands came out sticking together. I ended up with a big, doughy, mess. A dusting of flour probably would have solved everything.

Fortunately, I had a backup plan.

I made a dish similar to this last year with asparagus, and I loved it. I liked the fact that there was no need to cook the sauce.


» Recipe for Penne with Ricotta and Fresh Vegetables

I bought a couple peaches the other day because they were cheap and looked so good. When I got home from the store, though, they were all bruised, mushy, and unappealing. It figures. When fruit doesn't look appetizing I can't bring myself to eat it unless I make it into something, and that usually means muffins.

This time I actually had plans to make peach gelato, but then I woke up this morning and wanted something baked. I probably should have just stuck to my original plan because these aren't really what I was hoping for, and my morning reflexes (or lack there-of) resulted in a measuring cup of oil flung to the kitchen floor. That was fun to clean up.

The muffins ended up being a bit under-done because the oven got too hot and I took them out before the outside got completely black. Flavor-wise, they could use a tad more sugar. I would also cut the peaches into smaller chunks next time. I think they also would have had a much better flavor if I had used butter unstead of oil, and a touch of salt. I did add vanilla because the original recipe didn't call for it.


» Recipe for Peach Oatmeal Muffins

I have no picture for this one, but they weren't very pretty to look at anyway. They did taste good though. I used the one and only pepper that my garden has produced (so far). We ate these on really soft buns, so they were extra sloppy. I should have toasted the buns or something.


» Recipe for Sloppy Joes

This is exactly what I wanted in a corn chowder. Crunchy sweet corn, tender potato chunks, and a smokey hint of bacon.


» Recipe for Corn Chowder