September 21, 2011 in Musings etc · No comments

Wow, I haven’t written these “what’s for dinner” posts in a while. Before I looked it up, I was certain that I did the previous one this past spring – which still seemed like a long time. Turns out it was last November! I’ve been busy since then, first with school, then with working longer hours, then with family visiting from Russia, and now, again, with working longer hours. Of course, I haven’t given up on cooking, but most of the food I’ve made during the past year just hasn’t been that remarkable. Plus, a lot of it was stuff I’ve posted about before. Also, to be honest, during much of this time, I simply didn’t remember that I used to write a “what’s for dinner” series on my blog, so I didn’t keep track of what I’ve been making. Last Sunday, however, I threw together a salad that was so simple yet tasted so good that it made me want to tell someone about it – and I remembered that I could write about it here! Here is the salad, along with a few other things I’ve made recently. Many of them incorporate ingredients from our garden (or, rather, two gardens: we are still renting a plot in someone’s back yard but now also have a P-Patch) – beets, carrots, peas, cucumbers, Swiss chard, garlic, and green onions.

• Quinoa, black bean, zucchini, and parsley salad, dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grated parmesan, and salt. The zucchini is lightly stir-fried in olive oil. Made a couple of servings on Sunday night for lunch during the week, ate them on Monday and Tuesday, and just made another batch that will – hopefully – last me through the end of the week. It was that good!
• Lots of blini. I’ve been practicing for my upcoming class!
• Beet salad with walnuts, raisins (I usually add prunes but didn’t have them in the house this time), and garlic. Part of my Fall 2011 dinner party menu - earthy and sweet, with just the right amount of kick.
• Beet greens or Swiss chard sauteed with garlic and mixed into pasta with a creamy/cheesy sauce or served alongside my standard breakfast of couscous, quinoa, or rice topped with fried eggs
• Grated tempeh salad with finely chopped raw veggies and herbs, such as cucumbers, carrots, peas, zucchini, green onions, and parsley, in various combinations
• Homemade bread and (sadly non-homemade) butter with homemade blackberry or plum preserves. Whatever didn’t fit into the canning jars – and that delicious foam skimmed off the top of the bubbling jam – is the cook’s reward! The bread is either no-knead bread or a version of Reginald Beck‘s baguette recipe that he taught in his Fearless Baking class at PCC Cooks. I add a little sugar and sometimes replace 1/3 of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
• For dessert: zucchini bread, based on this recipe

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