Camping

This project is about to hit the road!

I was still a youngster the last time I went on an extended camping trip, so all the preparations were done for me. As I got ready for a week of camping in Yellowstone National Park, I wanted to keep the food prep simple, but delicious and wholesome. This lead to me pre-making and freezing lots of homemade comfort food.

Take a look at our dinner menu for the week:

Day 1: black bean burgers, baked beans, corn on the cob
Day 2: spaghetti with marinara sauce
Day 3: veggie pot pie with corn muffin tops (recipe coming soon!)
Day 4: veggie chili with corn muffins
Day 5: soup and sandwiches (I cheated here, I'm bringing cartons of yummy Pacific organic soup)
Day 6: tacos
Day 7: Mac and Cheese


Extra fun aspect: one of our fellow campers is gluten free. So everything I made for this trip fits her bill. Though she will help make it possible by bringing gluten free pastas, breads and muffins. I substituted gluten free flour into my sauces and gluten free bread crumbs in the black bean burgers. We're good to go! Do we have enough room in the car?

Some of the frozen made-aheads: spaghetti sauce, chili, black bean burgers

First Fruits!

We've been able to eat from the garden!

 

Salad greens

 Arugula

 My "helper" took the stems

A few meager peas. They'll be good in today's lunch though!

There's also been a few radishes. But I already ate them! Whoops.

Lemon Balm

I have a TON of lemon balm in my garden right now. And my basil is slow in coming.

I wondered if I could make pesto with the lemon balm. 

Lo and behold--I can! 

It made for a wonderfully fresh sauce with a soft lemon flavor.

Lemon balm and soy nuts (my substitute for the pine variety) in food processor. 

You could even grate a bit of cheese in there as well. 

Secure lid and turn on food processor, add olive oil through spout.

Toss with pasta of choice (spaghetti here) and top with Parmesan cheese. 

I found a great recipe for lemon balm cookies. I'll be sure to share that one soon! 

Maybe I'll have a whole Lemon Balm series.

The Little Things

They say it's the little things in life. For me, one of those little things is the arrival of Cook's Illustrated in my mail box. It makes me feel like this inside.

I become giddy finding out which gadgets work best and what brand of Greek yogurt the taste testers approve. Vegetarian me finds herself tearing through an article about how to braise perfect ribs and suggest to my meat-etarian husband that he ought to try this method to a perfect burger (forgetting in my euphoria that he doesn't cook--not even a little bit).

My one problem: I have a hard time following recipes (unless I'm baking, then I'm meticulous). I tend to give them a once over for inspiration and then improvise. Cook's Illustrated has very detailed recipes, with articles on how and why to use such and such methods for the best results. Without fail, I get half-way through preparing the dish and realize I've skipped half the instructions. It usually turns out fine, but leaves me wondering "What if..." and finish eating the meal thinking, "Next time I'll be sure to use that tried and true method and see how it changes things." Which I inevitably forget to do the next time.

Oh well, today is a day of bliss as I devour my latest issue. I wonder which dish/trick/gadget/brand I will try first...

Quinoa Salad #1

This is my variation on a recipe I once saw in a magazine. I took off on the combination of chickpeas, quinoa and corn.

A note on measurements and ingredients:

I'm not very good when it comes to measuring, I think it goes along with the inability to follow recipes. But I've never found it to be that important: People have different preferences for flavors. Some like a lot of onion (I didn't use any in this salad b/c I'm trying something with my diet, but I think it would be a yummy addition), others like lots of corn. You might prefer some mushrooms, which this household doesn't like. Tofu would also be a soy-rific add-in. So amp up or tone down ingredients and trade them out as you like. For anyone needing more direction, I'm sorry. I tried to include amounts as I could. I should probably get better about this, since I'm writing a blog and all. Until then, here are the...

"Guidelines"

15 oz chickpeas (canned or from dried)
1 c quinoa (pre-cooked amount)
1/2 box Farfalle pasta
1 ear corn (or 1 c frozen)
basil
parsley
1/2 bunch radishes, sliced
favorite salad dressing (I used Annie's Organics Goddess dressing)
salad greens
Cotijas (or Feta) cheese, crumbled
sunflower seeds (or maybe some kind of nut? This is out of my jurisdiction.)

Be sure to cook quinoa, pasta, corn and chickpeas as necessary. Separately. In water or veg. broth. Don't forget to cut the corn from cob. I also rinsed everything in cold water so it wouldn't wilt or cook raw items.

Toss with dressing:

quinoa, pasta, corn, onion, chickpeas, tofu, radishes, and freshly snipped basil & parsley.

Spoon over salad greens.

Farmers' Market Spinach

Top with cheese and sunflower seeds.

Delish!

Pasta Primavera

"Real Pasta Primavera"

I think I mentioned I'm not very good at following recipes.  I often wonder how things would turned out differently (better?) if I had payed a bit more attention to the directions. Well, I did a before and after with the May/June issue of Cook's Illustrated recipe for "Real Pasta Primavera."

The first time I made this dish, I read over the recipe, put it away, and went to town. Half way through preparing it, I thought, "now what did it say about toasting the noodles and adding the wine," only to discover too late that I had done it completely wrong--no surprise there. The meal ended up tasting fine, and no one was the wiser about my recipe failings. But I knew I didn't get the results promised by the article.

Attempt #1: Not exactly failed, but a reason to try, try again.

This week, I decided to go a second round and see if I could get better results by actually following the recipe. What do you know, it worked. Duh. It was a creamy pasta revelation!

2nd attempt: Recipe followed. This time it's creamy & delicious!

But, heaven forbid I follow the instructions to the letter -
I didn't even have all of the necessary ingredients. 

Here's how it went down:

Fresh Farmers' Market Asparagus

Combine vegetable broth with veggie "trimmings" from asparagus, leeks (which I did not have) and 1 cup of peas. Simmer for 10 minutes while you...

 saute asparagus, another cup of peas, and garlic (if I'd had them, there'd be leeks in here too).

 "Toast" pasta in olive oil. 

The recipe calls for 1 pound of Campanelle. I have yet to find this in my grocery store. 

I used a box of whole wheat Rotini.

Add 1 cup white wine. 

I didn't have any. 

My hubby was making cocktails at the time, so I borrowed the bottle of vermouth.

(Note to self: buy cheap white wine for cooking! You always need it, and never have it!)

When all the wine is absorbed, add the (strained) broth, cook al dente.

Finally, toss the pasta with the veggies and a 1/2 cup of parmesan, minced chives & mint, and lemon zest. 

We always top ours with extra cheese!

See! I had the recipe out AND I followed it - except for a few minor variations...

Dessert: Strawberries drizzled with chocolate and cream. D-lish!