Ready, Set, Go

As happens every week about this time, tomorrow starts a new work/school week.  In my life, those weeks roll much better if I have taken a little time over the weekend (exactly 90 minutes today, in fact) to prep some food to get us through a few of the upcoming days.  We have a bit of a leg-up with these basics ready to go.

Cukes 'n onions, salt, pepper, white balsamic vinegar.  Done.

Chickpea salad with tomato, onion, olives, feta cheese, parsley, cucumber, Cavendar's Greek seasoning, red wine vinegar, and a tiny pour of olive oil.  I cooked the chickpeas from dried last night while I watched football--Go HOGS!--and have more in the fridge.  This salad goes great as a dinner side, or popped into a pita for lunch, sometimes with whatever other leftovers are around.

Vegetable soup.

Roasted vegetables for Lucy's Tofurkey lunch sandwiches.

Balsamic roasted onions for....anything and everything.  I think this week I want them on top of some mashed tomatoes or creamy polenta.

Here are a few other staples waiting in the fridge to make our lives easier during the week.

Cook's treat for all this productivity?  I got to rub a hunk of a fresh baguette in the unctuousness of the balsamic/olive oil/onion goodness left in my Pampered Chef bar pan.  I'm not sure, but I think my eyes rolled back in my head after I ate that bread.

Have a happy week!

What's that orange stuff?

I was way too tired to even think about dinner tonight, much less cook it, so I charged my minion with rustling us up some grub. After a minute of obligatory grumbling ("Oh, you mean I need to fix something for YOU, too? Cause I was just gonna eat cereal.") she did her usual vegweb search and found this recipe that we both loved. It's amazing how much flavor a touch of olive oil, garlic, and red onion can impart. This recipe as shown is probably only one serving. The carrot ribbons make a perfect "pasta." We topped lightly with marinara; don't use too much sauce so the other flavors come through.

Carrot Spaghetti


3 medium carrots
2 small cloves garlic
1/4 of an onion, diced (optional)
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup of your favorite pasta sauce

Directions:

Wash the carrots well, especially if they are not organic. With a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots into long thing strips and sprinkle with salt. Finely dice the garlic and onion (if desired).

Coat the bottom of a large pan with the olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. When hot, add the carrots. Toss frequently (this works well with tongs). When the carrots start to soften, add the garlic and pepper (add onion here too if you like). Keep tossing for a couple of minutes until some of the carrots get brown around the edges (don't burn!) and the garlic is golden.

Serve with your favorite pasta sauce (tomato based, I really can't vouch for alfredo or other fancy sauces).

The nice thing is that it can be twirled with a fork the same way as regular pasta!

The Runner's Dinner

Lucy plans to run at 8:30 tonight, pending a temperature check, so she requested dinner for 6:30. We had whole wheat pasta with fresh baby spinach lightly sauteed in 2 teaspoons of Pampered Chef's garlic-infused canola oil; then topped with fresh chopped tomatoes and minced garlic (both of these are uncooked) and freshly grated parmesan. Remember freshly cracked pepper and some kosher or sea salt. Speaking of salt, Mario pours a ton of salt into his nearly boiling water when he cooks pasta. He says the water should taste like the sea. I agree that it seems to bump up the flavor of the pasta if you add a good amount of table salt to the boiling water. Stay cool!