This post is the result of an exciting new experiment. Having tasted tempeh at a restaurant, we decided that we had to attempt something with it. For those who do not know what it is, tempeh is a soy product which originated in Indonesia. Unlike its cousin tofu, it is not highly processed, but is grainier, consisting of soy beans held together by a fermentation process. It is extremely tasty, has a crunchy nutty characteristic, and is also quite healthy, and is a vegetarian dish that would satisfy many meat-eaters. It can be found in the vegetable section of many supermarkets, near the tofu. Despite never having cooked it before, we decided to create a brand new recipe, which while using some techniques we found in other recipes, is wholly our own. It came out extremely good. We can’t wait to cook with tempeh again.
Vegetables
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
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:
Kale with mushrooms
We have gotten into the habit of eating a lot of Kale. This vegetable is chock full of nutrients and if prepared properly, it can be very delicious. Here’s a simple recipe that we use on a regular basis. It can be used as a side dish for just about anything; not only does it add color to the plate, but there are never any leftovers! Continue reading
Steak and vegetable skewers with couscous
On the first sunny Saturday of spring, the urge to grill was too great to resist. In the area of safe experimentation, I used a similar recipe that I had used in the past for swordfish. A good marinade seems to be something that can transfer from one medium to another, so I’ll probably use it again, maybe with some other sort of meat, or maybe with none. However, for the sake of simplicity I will describe how I made it this time. The meat and vegetables are served as one dish together, either on or beside the couscous.
Wild Boar Basil 