This is a fairly easy and fast dish, that should please just about anyone. It is vegetarian, but many who prefer meat may not even notice the difference. We made this last weekend as a side dish, but it can very easily work as an entrée as well. While some of the basics were found online on various sites, there were some creative touches added which worked pretty well. The entire thing can be made in about half an hour. Continue reading
Month: May 2014
Grilled Sesame Salmon and Vegetables
It was another warm spring day, and it is grilling time again. We don’t make fish enough, but I love salmon. It looked particularly appealing in the supermarket, so this was thrown together based on what else looked good in the produce section. The sesame oil is a piece of experimentation, which turned out successfully, especially on the vegetables. The pasta side is simply some rice noodles with a Thai peanut sauce (found on the international foods aisle). Continue reading
Tuscan Bean Soup
Who says soup has to be reserved for cold weather? It has been warmer than usual,, but this soup went down just fine. We have made it twice now, and I feel that it’s ready to post. It is based on yet another Mollie Katzen recipe, but as usual, there are variations made, both for taste and speed of preparation. Instead of fresh basil, we use dried, which has an altogether different flavor. This is a light soup, less thick than some of the other entries here, and goes well with fresh vegetables.
Shrimp Pasta Primavera Extravaganza
This time of year, this type of dish comes to mind; fresh vegetables always remind us of spring. We like to toss together a combination of vegetables and mix it together with some pasta and wine and have a light meal. Shrimp is a nice touch as well. However, this time we went a little berserk in the vegetable aisle of the supermarket and decided to add pretty much everything that came to mind. At one point during the cooking we felt some concern that there were too many vegetables as they seemed to be piling over the edge of the pot and the pasta had yet to be added (thus the “extravaganza” in the name, and it was no longer what one would call “light”), but this proved to be not an issue at all. The dish turned out to be a resounding success and all of the flavors worked really well together. We couldn’t stop piling extra helpings onto our plates and still have plenty of leftovers, which will make the next few days that much better. Here’s how we did it:
Vegetable Pasta Salad
As the weather starts to get nicer, it’s hard to stay in the kitchen cooking, which is why we sometimes make a few cold dishes which can last for a few days, and don’t need heating to eat. This one is an old favorite, and is a variation on an old Mollie Katzen recipe (it has varied quite a bit over the years). The key flavor which ties it all together is the fresh basil. It can serve a lot of people; goes well at potlucks, or is easily refrigerated for eating over several days (though it may go quickly; it’s hard not to go for more) Here is our version.
Wild Boar Basil 