Saturday Dinner: Chile Relleno Casserole

Recipe: Simple Recipes.

Weekend Dinners

Saturday: Dinner and drinks (do we have enough liquor?!) at Matt & Gayle's. I offered Rocco a taste of my Chameleon - Blue Curacao liqueur, orange juice, 7 Up - but he was not interested. Dan made curried lentil burritos with a garlic cilantro yogurt topping, cooking for a record non-holiday dinner crowd; Matt, Gayle, Dan and I, Pat, Janine, Sarah, Emma, Hannah, and Abbie. I think Garret had something safe and bland. This recipe is one of our favorites, passed on from Hattie and Linda. It usually requires a special ceremony when it is passed on, and the recipe should only be shared in this context. If you would like to learn more, I might email you the stipulations. ;-)

Friday: Dinner at home while watching Martian Child...Not bad, go ahead and rent it. This dinner was quick and filling - just veggies and eggs!


Linguine with Chard & Egg

1. Cook linguine al dente; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, saute 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil with some red pepper flakes for 1 minute.

3. Add the chard and saute until wilted; remove from heat.

4. Add pasta and toss with salt, pepper, handful of grated Parmesan.

5. Divide pasta among bowls and poach or fry 1 or 2 eggs per serving.

6. Top each bowl with an egg and some hot sauce if desired.

Pasta in Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

[Din-din & my hand-embroidered doily!]

When you only get about three hours together every night before falling asleep (maybe 4 on the weekends), you learn to power-pair-bond. One of the ways we do this is cook together. Despite the small kitchen, it works, and it's just as good a time as any for talking or kissing. We made this a few weeks back, but it was so tasty, we took a pic. Here's the recipe:

Pasta in Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

2 onions, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 small red chile, chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
13 oz can peeled tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 tblsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
8 oz pasta (recipe calls for fettucine but we used what we had on hand)
5 fl oz cream

1. In a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan, cook the onions, garlic and chile in the olive oil over low heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper and other ingredients except for the pasta and cream. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened.

2. Put a large pan of lightly salted water on to boil for cooking the pasta. A small splash of oil in the water prevents boiling over. Boil the pasta while sauce is cooking, and when tender but still firm to the bite, pour cold water into the pan to stop the cooking. Drain noodles in a colander.

3. Add cream to sauce, stir and heat through without boiling. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve at once.

Update on the Vegetarian Pledge

October was full of reasons to celebrate as well as raise awareness for all kinds of things from Breast Cancer & Domestic Violence Awareness to National Popcorn Popping Month and International Month of the Dinosaurs. I also focused on Vegetarian Awareness (my hubby is veg) and took a 30 day pledge to eat vegetarian and see what it's like. Here are my conclusions:

• Fast food is unfriendly and unhealthy for vegetarians on-the-go. The first weekend, we drove up to B.C., Canada, and I had a hell of a time finding anything to eat along the highway. There's Subway veggie sandwiches, yes. Sometimes you're just not in the mood for Subway though! My only other options were french fries, fried zucchini, fried onions...You get the idea. This would probably be easier for me if I liked cheese; it would at least open up options for cheese pizza, veggie-cheese dishes, and (more) fried food--the cheese sticks, popper, nugget, etc. Over the course of the month I discovered Burger King's veggie burger (I order w/o mayo - God, they put so much mayo on their sandwiches!!!) and I luckily have the good ol' northwest chain, Burgerville, which carries a veggie burger and a black bean burger that are so hearty and healthy and scrumptious!
• You rarely find vegetarian soups to go. This is kind of a part of fast food. When I go to grocery stores to get something from the deli or soup for lunch, it is really hard to find soup that doesn't have meat in it. It is even harder to find non-meat soup that isn't made with chicken broth. This is an issue for me because I LOVE SOUP.
  
• If I didn't live on the outskirts of a city like Portland--one that is VERY vegetarian and vegan friendly--I would most likely be screwed. This comes back to the on-the-go thing, as well. Portland's neighborhoods teem with vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants, bakeries, food carts, and cafes. The local grocery stores take pride in this quality, while chain stores offer more than the usual staples. (Most grocery stores, even in the Midwest where I'm from, are regularly stocking at least a small amount of alternative products. Brands like Morning Star Farms, Amy's Kitchen, and Boca are routine in chain grocery stores by now.)
• I had to grow a tougher skin. There are people who felt free to openly smirk, criticize, look at me like I'd gone crazy, etc. just because of my diet. This is the part that always fascinated me when Dan became vegetarian. Many people with meat-oriented diets became angry or self-defensive. It's just FOOD!
• I'm getting good at giving things up. I had a much more difficult time giving up alcohol (more about that later) than meat. I've never "craved" meat like ribs or steak, I hate seafood, and deli meats creep me out. Sure, I grew up on pot roast and potatoes, loved chicken, and enjoyed Thanksgiving turkey, but I was always a picky eater--which made the diet change less difficult for me than it could have been.
• I'm staying vegetarian. I haven't noticed any major health changes, but I am less stressed and more proud of myself as a vegetarian. After taking an Environment, Food, and Culture course at Marylhurst, I've always felt guilty eating things if I didn't know where they came from, how the animals were raised and slaughtered, and, simply, carrying around the knowledge that mainstream food culture of our country is detrimental to our health and nutrition, social and economic justice, and the environment. In addition to our vegetarian diets, Dan and I also strive to pay close attention to what is in all of the products we buy, where they are coming from, and their nutritional value.
  
• I do not judge people who eat meat. I don't think everyone in the world should or could be a vegetarian. My hope is that we could all pay a little more attention to our bodies, nutritional needs, and the overarching consequences of our appetites.

If you would like more information about understanding the connections between food, diet, environment, politics, and culture, I encourage you to read Food Politics, Diet for a Small Planet, Food Revolution, and/or Fast Food Nation.

Voting Party 2008!

Dan and I had Matt, Gayle, Abbie, and Garret over for dinner last night AS WELL AS a voting party. We discussed the measures in our pamphlets, played SORRY, watched the world series' last game, and pigged out!

I proudly made 2 spicy fall stews baked in kabocha squash,avocado-cucumber salsa, and buttermilk biscuits. I forgot the cheese, which made it vegan, and the buttermilk biscuits were totally store-bought and popped in the oven ten minutes before the squash finished. (Trader Joe's! Holla!) I received a standing ovation and 5 stars for my hard work, and I have to share this recipe because it IS SO GOOD. ENJOY!

Vegetarian Times doesn't have it copied from the magazine onto the web site yet (it's from the October issue), so I will painstakingly write the whole thing down for you. Because it IS SO GOOD. Note: I doubled the recipe to accommodate 2 tall, hungry, manly men.

Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin
Serves 6 :: Gluten-Free

If you can't find a large pumpkin, bake the stew in two small pumpkins or squash.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered
1 15 oz. can hominy, rinsed and drained
3/4 tsp. salt
1 3-4 lb. pumpkin or squash -Sugar Pie, Cheese, Red Kuri, Kabocha, or Buttercup-
2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (or not!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.

2. Add tomatillos, hominy, 1/2 cup water, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if neccesary.

3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.

4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on baking sheet (parchment paper suggested but I didn't use it...) and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with salsa.

Per serving 221 cal; 6 g prot; 9 g total fat; 31 g carb; 10 mg chol; 699 mg sod; 6 g fiber, 10 g sugars.


My Avocado-Cucumber Salsa (Magazine recipe calls for poblano chiles but I forgot to get them! And again, I doubled everything. Who uses only 1 clove of garlic, anyway?)
Makes 1 1/2 cups :: Vegan, Gluten-Free

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalepeo chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 ripe avocado, diced