 Hakone Garden, Saratoga After two weeks of dine-out lunches and meandering about the San Francisco Bay area, Mom returned home to Hawaii. We sent her home with a suitcase full of Trader Joe's omiyage and a list of Korean tofu houses in Honolulu. Now, it's back on my own. Mom's not one for spicy food, so we're adding a little more pep. Here's what I am cooking this week. MondayOrange Salsa Pork Chops, Okinawan Sweet Potatoes, rice, and curry-roasted cauliflower.
Straw, blue, rasp and blackberries!
| FridayTacos--No Mix, and my own GuacamoleAfternoon snacks for the ravenous teenagersBerries are in peak season. Drizzled with yogurt and granola. I've also bought fresh tamales from Whole Foods, tortillas with shredded cheese and salsa, Kee Wah Bakery croissants and pork curry puffs, and yes, two bags of potato chips. After all, they are teenagers. Eat Well. Be Well. |
 Because Mom has been continuing her tour of Bay Area eateries, including a second tofu house, there have been a lot of leftovers for dinner. This week's selection included dim sum, Korean tofu house #2, and Japanese curry. I actually missed making dinner. So here's what cooking for the rest of the week. ThursdayBraised kabocha, made by Mom My Mom's Chicken Katsu, made by me Easy Roasted Asparagus, requested by Mom Rice FridaySpaghetti with Simple Tomato Sauce and Meatballs, requested by Mom. Eat Well. Be Well.
We can carry the vegetarian challenge one more day, especially since the hot weather makes me unlikely to want to cook anything. But meat returns, and the husband is relieved. Here's what's cooking this week. MondayIt was about 90 degrees in the Bay Area today and I really didn't feel like cooking. So I've made a variation on C's Orzo Salad that requires even less cooking. I'm calling it On-the-fly Orzo Salad, and it's at the bottom of C's Orzo Salad page. Fresh berries and maple yogurt for dessert. Instead of cooking onions and corn, I'm using fresh mozzarella balls, red peppers, cucumbers, a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, the last of the roasted tomatoes, fresh basil and a little bit of balsamic vinegar.  Kai choy in the garden TuesdayBanish the Bottle Teriyaki Chicken, musubi, Ponzu parmesan yaki corn, and kai choy sauteed in the teriyaki sauce. Kai choy is in season and the hot weather will either wilt it or turn it to seed, so we'll be eating a lot of it this week. WednesdayNakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad. Both my kids have after-school sports on Wednesdays now, so it has to be something that can be made well in advance. Another great hot weather meal salad. ThursdayAmped Up Macaroni and Cheese and the other half of double batch of From Scratch Pork Loin that I made a couple of weeks ago and froze. FridayFish and rice. Omi's Shoyu Fish, rice and more kai choy. Snacks and lunch foodDecidedly vegetable based for my voracious teenagers. Fresh black-, blue- and straw-berries. Fluffy Wheat Bread, Steve's Hummus, roasted cauliflower with curry (as suggested from Facebook), Baba Ghanouj and more Roasted Tomatoes. Fresh vegetables, in-season berries and warmer weather. Finally on our way to summer. Eat Well. Be Well.
 Omi's Shoyu Fish |  Nakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad |
I did it. 5 days of vegetarian dinners, even with an unplanned night out at DishDash with a friend who was in town on business. Although an unidentified member of the household opted for lamb kebabs on the night out, I've been completely meat-free since Sunday night. I don't feel any different. I'm not craving cheeseburgers, but I am still reminiscing about Japadog. This wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I had some lovely and perfectly filling lunches (below).  Apples, brie, nuts and crackers |  Trader Joe's pizza and salad | Lunch highlights included the fruit, cheese nut plate (above left), a Trader Joe's Pizza Olympia and a green salad (above right), leftover DishDash Sambusak. However, "going vegetarian" does not necessarily equate to healthy eating. For example, here is a list of completely and perfectly vegetarian foodstuffs that definitely do not constitute a healthy lunch.  1) Potato chips: Many are marketed as gluten-free to boot.
2) Chocorooms (left): Addictive little Japanese biscuits with chocolate in the shape of mushrooms. Like real mushrooms, they are cholesterol-free.
3) Communion wafers: these have obvious spiritual benefit.
4) Soft drinks, specifically diet Cherry Coke. Absolutely no nutritional value, but on a Thursday afternoon that included a carpool, a broken car radiator and a funeral, emotionally, it ranked up there with the communion wafer.
5) See's Candy Molasses Chips and Dark Chocolate Frango Mints
So while I won't give up four legs, feathers or gills completely, I can envision 2 or perhaps even 3 vegetarian dinners per week. A friend of mine has the great suggestion of roasting vegetables over the weekend, storing them in baggies and then using them throughought the week.
So I can definitely see vegetarian lunches exclusively. As long as it's not Chocorooms, potato chips and Diet Coke. At least not very often.
Eat Well. Be Well.
| | We are taking a vegetarian challenge this week. The husband is the least enthusiastic about this week's prospects. However, the teenagers are quite excited precisely because the husband is less than excited. As well, these are some of their favorite meals.
Here are the parameters, as defined by my children.
1. Dairy and eggs are allowed.
2. Kamaboko is not allowed.
3. Anything that was once capable of independent locomotion is not allowed.
4. No facsimile meat. Soy chicken tenders, imitation crab and pretend bacon bits are not allowed.
| MondaySimplest Spaghetti, Asiago cheese bread (from Safeway) and a a green salad. TuesdayGrilled Tofu Steaks (see above), salad and rice. My daughter also informs me that this is a vegan meal. WednesdayPanini with roasted tomatoes, arugula-which-is-now-growing-like-a-weed-in-the-garden, zucchini, onions and either mozzarella or provolone. ThursdayMom's Miso soup with somen, green onion, nori and an egg swirled in. A photo I found on Pinterest, reminded me that this is a lovely combination to eat. FridayEasy Eggplant Parmesan or Weekday Lasagne. I haven't quite decided, but I'm leaning toward the lasagne. Coming up with a week's worth of vegetarian dinners was much easier than I thought. We'll see if we're all craving cheeseburgers by the end of the week. What are you favorite vegetarian meals? Take the vegetarian challenge and tell me how your week goes! Eat Well. Be Well. | |
Here are two more ridiculously simple yet ono recipes with made with items that are always in your pantry.  Formerly known as " Costco (and Others) Pork Loin." This marinade is 5 ingredients and fool-proof. Garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Marinate for as little 15 minutes before grilling. 30 minutes on the grill and you are done. I made a double batch (4 pork loins) and I'm thinking I'll freeze an uncooked one for "one of those days." Click here for updated recipe.
 With another nod to Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa. On Wednesday night, I had one potato, two potato, three potato, four. By Thursday afternoon, no more. Plain ole' brown potatoes with olive oil Hawaiian salt, pepper and garlic. 40 minutes or so in the oven, with a flip at 20. Crunchy outside, fluffy inside. Click here for the recipe. Have a great weekend! Eat Well. Be Well.
90 degrees one day and 55 degrees the next. Try cooking, let alone dressing for days like this.
shorts, pool and grill today
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Sweaters, umbrellas and the oven tomorrow
| But we are lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Transition seasons mean taking advantage of spring vegetables; think greens and asparagus, as well as the occasional kabocha when the weather gets cold. Monday Sunny and pleasant. One of those trademark Bay Area days. Misoyaki Butterfish, My Mom's Japanese Coleslaw and rice. Butterfish was fresh and on sale yesterday. Even better, we had it grilled instead of the usual bake. Great when grilled, and is updated as such on the recipe.  Homegrown arugula TuesdayStill pretty nice, but clouds are a-coming. Having Macadamia Arugula Pasta because the arugula in the garden is happy and waiting to be eaten. Wednesday is Rain DayOven cooking. Mayonnaise Chicken, Roasted Asparagus and TBD cooked potatoes--likely also roasted somehow. Thursday is Grill DayGrilled Pork Loin panini with mushrooms and Jarlsberg cheese, or sriacha mayonnaise and leftover coleslaw. The husband made a great and very easy pork loin rub/marinade over the weekend. This means we bid adieu to the pre-seasoned pork tenderloins. The new method is just that easy, and no preservatives. As a bonus, we can make a lot and keep the rest for sandwiches during the week. Recipe posting later this week.Friday Daikon was also on sale and looking very fine. It's still too cold for Na-omi-take tofu, so I'm trying a modified agedashi tofu. Pan saute or grill tofu slices brushed with a little sesame oil. Grate the daikon, mix with ponzu and green onions. Slather over the tofu and eat. Braised kabocha to balance out the high-strung flavor of daikon/ponzu. Rice and kim chee. I do like the sound of this meal already. Adventures from Vancouver start this week too. Eat Well. Be Well.
Yes, I know the week doesn't start on Tuesdays, but things sometimes take longer than you think. And Monday showed no signs of pausing just for me. So here's a quick re-cap on what's cooking this week.
Monday
This was a very long day. We did takeout Chinese. Hot garlic eggplant, Singapore-style noodles, sautéed pea shoots, braised spicy tofu and lemon chicken. I could have made all of these things at home, but we'd be eating them sometime Wednesday. Chinese takeout gives us variety, is pretty reasonable, and makes for great leftovers.
 ThursdayThis really needs to be the day the San Jose Sharks take one from the St. Louis Blues. All our collective mojo will be channeled to that effort--because we all like to believe that a good luck jersey and a teal and black manicure have the absolute and uncanny ability to cause positive outcomes for hockey games. So it'll be Crock Pot BBQ Pork Sliders as the TV dinner. Start it in the morning and have dinner right in time for the puck drop. FridaySomething nice and soothing for whatever happens on Thursday. Shabu-shabu will be a restful way to end the week. All I need to do is boil water. Eat Well. Be Well. -->GO SHARKS!
A good week of leftovers means no wasted food. While my children don't hear the "starving babies in third-world countries" saga that my mother always told me, they know better than to argue when leftovers are the meal du jour or in this case, de la semaine.
 Quiche is long gone, Costco chicken picked to the bone, hard-boiled eggs made into sandwiches and after-schools snacks, and the last of the ham and Greek salad are getting eaten today. Plus, a long-forgotten recipe for salmon cakes was revived. Here was the highlight leftovers meal. Salmon cakes. New recipe in the Greenhouse, working out measurements. Leftover Greek SaladThe lemon juice makes this salad keep well. Just keep the feta cheese on the side and add it at the time of serving. Purple rice from last week's purchase at Hankook. The rice doesn't taste that much different, but it looks pretty.
 Easy roasted asparagus is a new addition that is pretty well based on the Barefoot Contessa, who I adore. We've made it twice, and it was a hit at Easter brunch. Click here for the recipe. Good food makes good leftovers. Eat Well. Be Well.
This week, I bought a bottle of gochu-jang sauce (Korean chili sauce) for various dishes of what I hope will be spicy goodness. Very thankful for the Korean grocery store! Simultaneously, I'm plowing my way through various cookbooks I've borrowed (See Saturday Night Cookbooks from a couple of weeks ago). So far, The Big Book of Potluck and Brunch! have been the best. PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook, In a Small Kitchen, and Make This, Not That will be going back to the library early. This week, along with gochu-jang, the Barefoot Contessa is up. Here's what's cooking this week.  Meatloaf, roasted asparagus, salad & rice Monday
Myles Last Resort Meatloaf, roasted asparagus with parmesan (Barefoot Contessa), homegrown salad and rice. One barely needs a recipe for the asparagus, it's olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan at the end. The husband also just finished the marinade for bulgogi using chicken for Tuesday's dinner. TuesdayMake your own Bulgogi chicken wraps with sesame (gochu-jang?) mayo. Inspired by the Korean food trucks, I'm using tortillas, baked bulgogi chicken and perhaps adding a layer of sesame-kochu-jang-flavored mayo. For veggies, I have bean sprouts from the Korean grocery store, kim chee, shredded lettuce and cukes. There's a good mix of hot/cold, cool/crunchy/spicy/creamy that should work well. WednesdayCold rainy weather returns. Perfect for spicy tofu soup using gochu-jang, enoki mushrooms, onions, and won bok. There are about 5 recipes I'm comparing for this right now. ThursdayBack to the Barefoot Contessa with parmesan chicken salad. This is basically chicken katsu with parmesan cheese added into the panko. The Contessa has a lemon vinaigrette I'm trying out. FridayKorean stewed chicken with spinach, or spicy chicken with broccoli. Both use gochu-jang. By week's end, our taste buds should be spiced out and well prepared for a robins' eggs and marshmallow peeps break. Just in time for our annual Easter Brunch. Eat well. Be Well.
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