I’m unexpectedly in Connecticut for a couple days to lend a shoulder to my best friend.  I believe there will be some wine and chocolate involved later tonight; those plus some vegetables would certainly comfort me.

When I arrived at my parents’ house, I discovered that they already had dinner plans at a restaurant, [...]]]> Happy Saturday, everyone!

I’m unexpectedly in Connecticut for a couple days to lend a shoulder to my best friend.  I believe there will be some wine and chocolate involved later tonight; those plus some vegetables would certainly comfort me.

When I arrived at my parents’ house, I discovered that they already had dinner plans at a restaurant, so I inquired about the vegetable quantity in their refrigerator.  My mom responded, ” Sorry, Les, we’re out of everything.  I think we might have some carrots.”

Then, I opened the fridge to find this:

Slim pickings, Mom.

With plenty of vegetables, a freezer full of shrimp, and a pantry stocked with spices from countries spanning the globe, I had everything necessary to make a mess of my mother’s beautifully massive kitchen.

mediterranean shrimp medley with quinoa (for two)

• 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 T evoo, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 c eggplant, chopped
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 1/2 c artichoke hearts
• 5 prunes, chopped

Heat 1/2 T oil over medium heat.  Add onion, sauté until soft.  Add garlic, sauté one minute.  Add pepper, eggplant, and prunes; sauté about 5 minutes.  Add tomato and artichoke hearts; sauté a couple more minutes, until everything has caramelized.

Remove vegetables from pan; add remaining oil.  Pan sear shrimp, about 3 minutes per side.

for the quinoa:

• 1 c water
• 1/2 c quinoa
  
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t basil
• 1 t marjoram
• couple pinches salt

Bring water to boil.  Add quinoa and spices; simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Served alongside a romaine salad with hot peppers and olive oil.  It’s amazing that I created this out of a kitchen consisting only of carrots.

Since I’m off to offer an ear and some hugs, care to tell me what is comforting to you?

share

And ended on a less tranquil note with some of these:

It’s all about balance.

After journeying on a packed train back to the city (in the company of apparently every other inhabitant of the island), I was craving something [...]]]> I hope everyone enjoyed their fourth, if you were celebrating!  Mine began peacefully with some of this:

And ended on a less tranquil note with some of these:

It’s all about balance.

After journeying on a packed train back to the city (in the company of apparently every other inhabitant of the island), I was craving something hearty, but not heavy for dinner.  

I visited with a close friend this weekend who currently lives in Dubai, and we spent a bit of time discussing how incredible hummus tastes when enjoyed in its native region.  I remember eating hummus in Israel and proclaiming I would never be able to eat it back home again – it was just that good.  Still, I’ve wanted to make my own for quite some time.  At the moment I am without chickpeas or a food processor, so the traditional kind was out.  

With only a blender to work its magic, I chose lentils as the base, assuming they would blend easily.  Plus, they fulfilled my yen for “hearty-not-heavy.”

lentil hummus

• 1/4 c dry lentils
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T tahini
• 1 t evoo
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook lentils until soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain and place in blender with other ingredients.  Blend well.  Refrigerate minimum one hour.

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out, so I made the recipe small.  But, I’m sure it could be easily doubled or quadrupled for a heftier, longer-lasting amount.

I enjoyed all that I made with dipping utensils:  swag bread, crackers, raw zucchini, carrots, and broccoli.  

How did you spend your fourth?

share

This afternoon I used part of it in the most [...]]]> This past weekend, my mom brought me the largest cucumber I have ever seen.  I remember someone in Israel telling me that American produce scared him, and cucumbers should be small and eaten whole, not engineered to the size of a baseball bat.  Enter the bat:

This afternoon I used part of it in the most delicious, refreshing smoothie:

• ~ a cup of frozen papaya
• 1 c unsweetened almond milk
• 1″ cube ginger, peeled
• 1/4 baseball bat-sized cucumber
• big handful baby spinach

Blend blend blend to get this:

If you have a blender from say, Target, as I do, I would recommend chopping the cucumber and mincing the ginger first, just to help along the poor little machine.  The taste was smooth yet spicy – really wonderful for a warm summer day, before the skies opened up and drenched us.

Even though I got soaked in our daily rainstorm, I still decided on a cold soup for dinner.  My apartment doesn’t get a lot of air circulation, so I dried off quickly and got to work in the kitchen.

cucumber dill soup 

• 1 c cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 c fresh dill
• 2-3 T scallions
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/2 c plain yogurt (I used Greek)
• 1/2 T evoo
• 1/4 t black pepper
• pinch salt
• pinch cayenne

Add all ingredients to the blender, and pulse away until smooth.

I added some hot sauce to mine and served it alongside crackers and a shockingly normal sized salad of white beans, cherry tomatoes, steamed spinach, olive oil, and Greek seasoning.  

This was such ideal summertime fare.  What’s your favorite warm-weather meal?

share