thunder lovin' Jo

Monday, June 13, 2011

Edible Weekend

Breakfast

My version of the breakfast sandwich:

Sourdough english muffin - toasted

A slice of extra firm tofu - sprinkled with turmeric and a little salt, then grilled

A slice of vegan Canadian bacon - grilled with the tofu

Avocado

Dijon mustard

A smidge of Earth Balance vegan buttery spread

Assemble and attempt to eat slowly...

Dinner:

Kabocha Squash is the perfect squash for me, cuz I hate peeling squash and the peel of the Kabocha is edible!

Sometimes roasted, sometimes baked, sometimes added to soup, oh my? Oh yea!

2 cups of water

2 cups of bite size Kabocha chunks

Simmer for about 5 minutes until the squash is soft (but watch it closely it will turn to mush quickly)

Turn off the heat and add some Mellow Miso to taste

Serve simple.

Or you can:

Add some udon (I like the kind in the refrigerated section, it only takes 3 minutes to cook)

Add some kale during the last 2 minutes of cooking

Top with scallions

Top with cilantro

Sunday, June 5, 2011

I made this soup today for The Little One with a cold. For me it is reminiscent of a soup that would have come from a potage garden.
The base was leek, celery, and carrots that I sauteed in safflower oil. Then I added zucchini, spinach, and a handful of fresh basil, sea salt and pepper. The broth was the vegan "chicken" Better than Bouillon brand. I like to use this one to balance the intense flavors of all of the veg. After it had simmered for a bit I used the hand blender to purée. Garnished with chive flowers and served with simple grilled sourdough bread brushed with olive oil and rubbed with a clove of garlic. Yum!

Potage (from Old French pottage; "potted dish") is a category of thick soups, stews, or porridges, in some of which meat and vegetables are boiled together with water until they form into a thick mush.

Potage has its origins in the medieval cuisine of Northern France and increased in popularity from High Middle Ages onward. A course in a medieval feast often began with one or two potages, which would be followed by roasted meats.

European cottage gardens often contained a variety of crops grown together. These were called potage gardens by the French, as the harvest from that garden was used to make potage.^[1]

Wikipedia contributors, "Potage," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potage&oldid=329976198 (accessed June 6, 2011).