Scallops with Shiitake Mushrooms, Snap Peas and Polenta Rounds

Marinated in honey/red miso/nutritional yeast/soy sauce. Saturday night at home.

Sushi!

Craig and I have been enjoying making sushi together and this past weekend we served it to friends for dinner.

Taco Twist

Roasted red cabbage (with cumin, garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes), sauteed zucchini (with fresh basil and salt and pepper), fried tofu (with cumin, cayenne, and oregano) and cheddar. Flour tortillas.

November says "Pot Pie"

Chilly gray weather this weekend inspired some comfort food in the form of pot pie. First I cooked an onion, carrots and a diced sweet potato in some olive oil and butter until it the potato was mostly tender. Then I made a little space and melted a bit more butter, added about 1/4 cup of flour for a quick roux, and coated the veggies. Seasoned with nutritional yeast, fresh basil and fresh parsley, then added veggie broth and allowed it to bubble up and thicken a bit.
Meanwhile I rolled out an imperfect but eventually still delicious crust, and browned some Quorn cutlets to add to the veg and gravy.
Mixed in some peas and a little bit of Irish cheddar.
Added some top crust, and baked about 20 minutes at about 375.
The result: yum! Not as popular with Adelaide, but I think she heard "pie" and then was a bit disappointed that it was a meal, not a dessert. She did eat a bit, and if it hadn't had onions she might have eaten it more readily.

Tacos

Tonight's super fast late meal (second night in a row with no time to cook): tofu tacos with avocado and cheese. Used sprouted corn tortillas and had a yummy dinner ready in about 4 minutes.

"Real" Food

Late afternoon conversation.

A: Mom, I'm hungry.

C: Okay, I'll start making your dinner.

A: Can I have something right now?

C: Okay, how about some apple?

A: No, I want something real.

C: An apple is real!

A: No, I mean like a hot dog.

People Ask Why She Is So Tall

Today's dinner was in two courses - the first being a slab of tofu, cherry tomatoes and a glass of soy milk to calm the hungry beast as the second course was being prepared.

The main course before:
and after:
Requests for more food after this were denied (though carrots and tomatoes were offered and refused).

Dinner Conversation

A: Mom, wanna know why I laughed?

C: Sure.

A: Well, I was thinking about the neighbor's cat. And then I was thinking about the dance, the tanga.

C: Tango?

A: Yes, tango, and then I was thinking of the neighbor's cat dancing the tango, and that was why I was laughing.

C: That's pretty funny.

A: My mind just thinks like that. (Proceeds to get up and dance the tango with a broccoli stem rose between her teeth.)

Back to Work . . . sort of

Today was my first official day back at work after summer break, and given the beautiful weather, I decided that we should proceed as though it is still summer and head for the lake after work. Adelaide was up for it, and was also up for towing me around on her raft. It was hot, the water was cold, and we were right back in summer mindset in no time. After a bit of a swim and some time chatting with the neighbors in the sun, we headed over to the new neighborhood taco truck to check it out. They didn't have any fish today but made us a special order (cheese quesadilla for Adelaide and veggie tacos for me). We brought it home for a picnic on the deck. Served up with a cocktail for me and a yogurt for Adelaide, and we were both very satisfied. At a buck and a quarter a taco and a 1 block walk, you can't beat it for a summer supper. Head on over to the Greenlake Shell station and enjoy!

yum

A shout out to my friend John and my long-time love, the Sunlight Cafe, for inspiring tonight's dinner. Made lemon-tahini dressing over the weekend, and have been enjoying many tasty meals since. Garlicky, lemony goodness on veggies, brown rice and tofu. Can't beat it.

Lovely Layers

Dinner consisted of a combination of leftovers and some fresh additions. I've been into cooking a bunch of basic building blocks and assembling them in different combinations for quick lunches and dinners.

Greens (dinosaur kale, saute-steamed briefly in olive oil):Oranges (Yams and Sweet potatoes, roasted with salt):Beans (Pintos, cooked with cumin, red pepper, oregano and jalepeno):Proteins (Veggie dog, toasted):More Greens (avocado and pickled jalepenos):Very satisfying.