Day 262
Fresh Garden Salad
From the Garden
A variety of lettuces (Romaine, Buttercrunch, Oak Leaf, etc)Radish
Spinach
Kale
Parsley
From this:
Harvesting veggies
To this:
Washing veggies
And finally this:
Fresh Garden Salad
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Spicy Peanut Thai Noodles
Day 261
This recipe was given to us by our pal, Devin who posted it on our walls and then followed up with a message that we "need to make" it because he made it last night and it was "so good"! So, we did. Thanks, Devin!
This meal came together too fast to take many pics, but I think the one of the end result says it all. It's as fantastic as it looks.
Mix in small bowl:
2 inches grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp Sriracha
2 tbsp brown sugar
Trust, me, you'll want to mix these ingredients first, so you can tend the stove. Grate your ginger and measure out the other things, set aside and start chopping mushrooms and garlic. We went light on the hot sauce, as you can tell.
Fry:
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced thick
3 garlic scapes, chopped
We skipped the zucchini because we didn't have any, and added more mushrooms instead. We also substituted the garlic from the original recipe with garlic scapes because we just harvested ours yesterday. And by we I mean Laura.
Boil 5 minutes:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 package fresh linguine
Drain the linguine and combine all three of the above mixtures until well incorporated. Don't overcook the linguine, because you'll hate yourself.
Add:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 peanuts, chopped
These are the ingredients that really make this dish by adding the important flavors and textures. I wouldn't recommend skipping any of them.
I did skip the eggs, but not on purpose, I just forgot. And I also skipped the red pepper flakes, but believe me, we didn't miss them.
I give this a 10. I might go for a milder version next time, as that was the plan tonight, but it was excellent, regardless of the burning lips. Laura said she loved it too. I'm going to go ahead and rate it a 9 on her behalf.
This recipe was given to us by our pal, Devin who posted it on our walls and then followed up with a message that we "need to make" it because he made it last night and it was "so good"! So, we did. Thanks, Devin!
Spicy Thai Noodles
Spicy Peanut Thai Noodles
Original recipeThis meal came together too fast to take many pics, but I think the one of the end result says it all. It's as fantastic as it looks.
2 inches grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp Sriracha
2 tbsp brown sugar
Trust, me, you'll want to mix these ingredients first, so you can tend the stove. Grate your ginger and measure out the other things, set aside and start chopping mushrooms and garlic. We went light on the hot sauce, as you can tell.
Fry:
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced thick
3 garlic scapes, chopped
Mushrooms & garlic scapes
We skipped the zucchini because we didn't have any, and added more mushrooms instead. We also substituted the garlic from the original recipe with garlic scapes because we just harvested ours yesterday. And by we I mean Laura.
Boil 5 minutes:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 package fresh linguine
Drain the linguine and combine all three of the above mixtures until well incorporated. Don't overcook the linguine, because you'll hate yourself.
Add:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 peanuts, chopped
These are the ingredients that really make this dish by adding the important flavors and textures. I wouldn't recommend skipping any of them.
Spicy Peanut Thai Noodles, uncombined
Spicy Peanut Thai Noodles
Reviews/Comments
Okay, so this was super damn spicy, at least for us. You'll notice the original recipe calls for 3 tbsp of Sriracha. Let's just say thank God we didn't use that much. We must have wussy palates when it comes to heat, although we both enjoy it in moderation.I give this a 10. I might go for a milder version next time, as that was the plan tonight, but it was excellent, regardless of the burning lips. Laura said she loved it too. I'm going to go ahead and rate it a 9 on her behalf.
In Other News...
...soon we'll have snow peas!
Pea blossoms
Thursday, July 9, 2015
BBQ "Chicken" Burgers
Day 260
I had dinner at Mom & Dad's and Dad barbequed chicken burgers. He also barbequed "chicken" burgers, which they got for me! How thoughtful is that???
In the pic above, mine were the two slightly smaller, more oblong shaped ones on the far right.
It was a good-sized burger and I only had room for one, but the other one is in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. Whoop!
BBQ "Chicken" Burgers
I had dinner at Mom & Dad's and Dad barbequed chicken burgers. He also barbequed "chicken" burgers, which they got for me! How thoughtful is that???
Barbequing chicken burgers
In the pic above, mine were the two slightly smaller, more oblong shaped ones on the far right.
It was a good-sized burger and I only had room for one, but the other one is in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. Whoop!
Enormous burger
Good Eats, Good Company
And I got to eat dinner with a lovely young lady, and my folks.
Burger & Alyssa
Reviews/Comments
These. Were. SOOOOOOoooooOOOO. Good. Soy or not, they were amazing. The texture was so real, I broke pieces off to inspect them a couple times, but I saw the frozen patties in the bag and read the ingredients myself. I wish I had taken note of the brand, but I'll find them.Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Corn Fritters with Herb & Scape Fried Potatoes
Day 259
Some corn fritter recipes are pretty fancy, but I'm not about fancy cooking, and besides, we've tried one of those fancy corn fritter recipes before and it was no better than this one. Here's how I make mine:
Ingredients
2 cups pancake mix (just add water kind)
1 can cream corn
1/2 can kernel corn
1/2 cup water
Oil for frying
Paper towel for draining
The pic below shows my corn fritter ingredients with the exception of the butter. Not sure what the butter is doing there. I used it for the potatoes, not the fritters.
Directions
Mix the pancake mix, corn and water to make a batter. Adjust as necessary, it should not be runny or doughy enough to form in a ball, but enough to drop in thick spoonfuls into the oil. Thicker than muffin batter. Thinner than cookie dough.
I fried these in butter which was a naughty thing to do, but then I threw in some garlic scapes, scallions and fresh herbs and redeemed myself by adding nutrients and antioxidants. hehe
Fritters 10
Potatoes 10 (says she was full)
Corn Fritters with Herb & Scape Fried Potatoes
Corn Fritters!
We love them so. They are simple to make and very cheap. 'Cept for the maple syrup, but some things are just worth it. We make a good homemade pancake syrup with butter, sugar and maple flavoring but, naturally, it's not as yummy as the real maple tree by-product.Some corn fritter recipes are pretty fancy, but I'm not about fancy cooking, and besides, we've tried one of those fancy corn fritter recipes before and it was no better than this one. Here's how I make mine:
Ingredients
2 cups pancake mix (just add water kind)
1 can cream corn
1/2 can kernel corn
1/2 cup water
Oil for frying
Paper towel for draining
The pic below shows my corn fritter ingredients with the exception of the butter. Not sure what the butter is doing there. I used it for the potatoes, not the fritters.
Corn fritter ingredients
Directions
Mix the pancake mix, corn and water to make a batter. Adjust as necessary, it should not be runny or doughy enough to form in a ball, but enough to drop in thick spoonfuls into the oil. Thicker than muffin batter. Thinner than cookie dough.
Corn fritter batter
Drop into the oil and cook 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
Corn fritters
Herb & Scape Fried Potatoes
These were sooo good. If you haven't had scapes but would like to give them a try, let us know and we'll try to save you a few. Locals only, of course, for fresh sake.
Scapes & scallions
Thyme, rosemary, oregano, & parsley
I fried these in butter which was a naughty thing to do, but then I threw in some garlic scapes, scallions and fresh herbs and redeemed myself by adding nutrients and antioxidants. hehe
Herb & Scape Fried Potatoes
Reviews/Comments
Laura loved the fritters. She didn't eat all her potatoes. I loved them both. I let Laura rate separately.Fritters 10
Potatoes 10 (says she was full)
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Asian Garden Salad
Day 258
Laura made the dressing, and it was awesome. She followed the original recipe with the exception of adding the teaspoon of sesame oil.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
Directions
Mix well.
Asian Garden Salad
From the Garden
Laura's garden is growing and some of the plants are already ready to harvest. The lettuce in particular needed to be thinned out and there are always tons of scallions. We also picked some kale and a couple radishes, which went amazingly well with the Asian dressing.
Red & green leaf lettuces
Garden veggies
From the Store
We also added to our salad some slivered almonds from the Bulk Barn which we toasted in a dry frying pan and a some Mandarin oranges from Sobeys. Laura topped hers with some Farkin chowmein noodles, too.
Toasted slivered almonds
Mandarin oranges
Asian Ginger Dressing
Original recipeLaura made the dressing, and it was awesome. She followed the original recipe with the exception of adding the teaspoon of sesame oil.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
Directions
Mix well.
Asian Ginger Dressing
Asian garden salad & dressing
Reviews/Comments
This meal was absolutely delicious and gets a 10 from both of us. The only downside is the prep time, since all the veggies had to be washed well, then dried, and chopped. But, it's worth the time. So fantastic.Sunday, July 5, 2015
Pimped Out Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burgers
Day 256
I love the idea of veggie burgers that have lots of protein without the soy. I could eat veggie burgers at least 3 times a week.
1. Diced some portobello mushrooms to give it a better bite/texture. Didn't really work. Well, the texture was better, but they didn't hold together better.
2. Added more salt. I know you can't see it in the pic, but it's there.
3. Used more toppings. Last night we just had cheese, ketchup and mustard on these. Tonight we had:
I love the idea of veggie burgers that have lots of protein without the soy. I could eat veggie burgers at least 3 times a week.
Pimped Out Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burgers
Pimped Out Burgers
We had these last night but tonight we made a couple improvements:1. Diced some portobello mushrooms to give it a better bite/texture. Didn't really work. Well, the texture was better, but they didn't hold together better.
Portabellos
2. Added more salt. I know you can't see it in the pic, but it's there.
Burger mixture
Burgers with cheese on the grill
3. Used more toppings. Last night we just had cheese, ketchup and mustard on these. Tonight we had:
- Avocado/lime spread
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- Garlic dills
- Grilled mushrooms
Tomato slices
Laura's pimped out burger
My pimped out burger
Reviews/Comments
They were impossible to eat but sooooo effing gooood. Got a 10 from me. Laura gave them a 9. Said they'd be a 10 if they'd stay together.Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burgers
Day 255
I mashed 2 1/2 cups of the beans and then started chopping the pepper and shallot. Mixed everything just as the recipe said and they were super easy to form, and stayed together well.
Mixed the mashed beans with the egg/panko/veggie mixture and was a nice texture for making patties.
Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burger
Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burgers
I stuck to the recipe and it was fairly quick and easy, but there were a few steps. I used 3 jalapenos and blackened them (a bit too much, maybe) then scraped out the flesh.
Jalapenos
I mashed 2 1/2 cups of the beans and then started chopping the pepper and shallot. Mixed everything just as the recipe said and they were super easy to form, and stayed together well.
Eggs, spices, oil, pepper, shallots, panko,
cilantro & remaining beans
Mixed the mashed beans with the egg/panko/veggie mixture and was a nice texture for making patties.
Jalapeno Cream Cheese
The cooked jalapenos had to be diced then mixed with 1/2 package cream cheese (shown in above pic).
The recipe didn't really say how to fill the patties with the cream cheese mixture. I did the best I could and they turned out fine and didn't melt into the pan or anything. I think maybe I could have used more of it though.
Black bean burgers cooking
Reviews/Comments
These burgers were really good and held together well while cooking, but the buns we used were too small and the burgers fell apart while we were eating them. Also, the burgers had a really beany texture, so kind of mushy, rather than having a bite to them. They were nice and crispy on the outside, actually, it was just the inside that needed a nicer texture. The flavor was good after we added more salt.
There is enough of the mixture for about 6 more of these, so we plan to incorporate some cooked diced mushrooms and 1/2 tsp more salt to them. Then they'll be perfect.
Jalapeno Popper Black Bean Burger
I rated them an 8 1/2. Laura gives them an 8.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)