at home with ann

We're rolling right along with our CSA share at Tangerini's Farm  and I'm happy to report nothing has gone to waste so far.  I usually misplace some bag of pickling cucumbers in the back of the refrigerator and find them again when they look really scary.  I confess that when faced with a bunch of vegetables, I often throw them in a stir fry with a peanut soy sauce and call it a day.  Today, I branched out a bit, and the result was a filling dinner salad that was refreshing in the midst of this hot and sticky weather. The dressing flavors were a bit strong for my tiny taste testers, so I simply portioned out the vegetables and some chicken before topping with sauce to make them mini plates. Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Peanut Sauce recipe modified from My Kitchen Escapades Ingredients: About 4 chicken breasts, cooked (I used boneless skinless, but you could easily pick off a roaster or rotisserie chicken, or use shredded chicken cooked in the crock pot)...

You know how when you order take-out Chinese food and you get way more fortune cookies than the number of people in your party?  The highly sophisticated formula for food per person used by takeout Chinese restaurants is a mystery to me.  Since we always order enough for leftovers, it's ok  to get four cookies for two people.  A few weekends ago we ordered from a new-to-us place that turned out to have extremely generous portions.  Our order of two appetizers and three entrees (we like variety) came with seven fortune cookies.  Seven.  We ate the food for three meals, Jon even had some for extra breakfast and we still ended up throwing some away, along with five of those fortune cookies.  The shame of ordering nearly enough food for a football team prompted me to make a little healthy salad for us to detox on Monday. Wheat Berry Salad 1/2 cup dried wheat berries, steamed - I soak mine overnight, and then simmer in fresh water for about an hour...

As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too much quinoa.  At the market the other day I was trying to decide between buying barbecue ribs for dinner or a giant bag of quinoa.  While I like ribs, I knew I'd get much more mileage (and nutrition!) out of the quinoa, so I did the virtuous thing.  This hasn't stopped me from dropping not-so-subtle hints to Jon about the barbecue stand I want to try, however.  I'll wear him down eventually.  Add anything you want to quinoa, stir in some sort of sauce or dressing, and you have a meal.  Perfect for summer.  This is a combination of fresh summer vegetables topped with the amazingly delicious Lemon Tahini Dressing from Oh She Glows .  We had this on it's own as a light entree one night, and the leftovers as a side dish for burgers.  And, you know me, I topped mine with goat cheese, but that's entirely optional.  Summer Quinoa 1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth 1 larg...

At long last, we had Taco Night this past weekend.  As some of you know, tacos are my husband's favorite food, and he would be happy if we ate them every week.  I like tacos quite a bit myself, but we need some balance.  This makes enough to serve at least 4.  We usually eat the tacos in tortillas the first night, and taco salads for the leftovers. Ground Turkey Tacos Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey Canola oil 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 Tablespoon each cumin and chili powder 1 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne or habanero pepper Tortillas Shredded lettuce Chopped tomato Shredded cheese Sour cream Hot Sauce Other topping ideas: pickled jalapenos, avocado, mango, salsa In a saute pan, or large frying pan, brown the meat.  Drain in a colander and wipe out the pan. Heat canola oil over medium heat, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute a few minutes. Re...

I thought I had a fridge full of vegetables ready to go into a stir fry.  When I actually took a look, it turned out to be mostly broccoli, but broccoli is good stuff, so broccoli stir fry it is.  As with any stir fry recipe I share with you, all the ingredients and amounts are customizable to your tastes or what you have available. It's all about creating a mixture of vegetables (and meat if you're into that), a savory sauce, and some grain to serve it over. Broccoli Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce Ingredients: 2 bunches broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups) 1/4 bell pepper, sliced (I thought I had more, but no) 1 onion, sliced 2-3 carrots, cut into matchstick slices 1-2 teaspoons canola oil any other vegetable you like - celery, mushrooms, bok choy, whatever spaghetti, soba noodles, any kind of noodle or rice Peanut Sauce 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy) 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon each sesame oil, mirin, and rice wine vinegar 1/4-1/2 teaspoon c...

Before we get started today, I need to jump on the royal wedding bandwagon. I've actually always been on the royal wedding bandwagon.  In 1981, my mother and I watched Charles and Diana's wedding together.  I was too young to remember watching, but I do remember that dress.  I visited St. Paul's Cathedral when I went to England at age 15, and hoped I'd run into William around London and he might decide that I'd make a good princess.  If it wasn't going to be me, Kate makes an excellent choice.  I confess that I haven't seen all the coverage yet today (although of course I DVR'd it), however, my first impression is that she looked lovely and they seem very happy.  It has been reported to me that they had the same hymn at their wedding as we did at ours, and also my mother said Kate didn't look as beautiful as I did on my wedding day, but mothers are supposed to say things like that. I should have made scones.  Instead I made couscous. This salad ...

Last night was pizza night, because it was Friday, and Good Friday, and I actually had someone to eat dinner with for a change. I used the usual recipe for pizza dough , and did an assortment of vegetable toppings.  One pizza had lightly sauteed red peppers, and onions.  The other was topped with roasted broccoli, asparagus, and grape tomatoes.  The sauce on both was just crushed tomatoes, oregano and garlic.  For cheese I used freshly grated mozzarella and a few dots of ricotta.  I would highly recommend topping pizza with ricotta, it adds a whole other flavor of mild creaminess. Also, Jon would like to add that the Chimay Grande Reserve you see in the background of these pictures is excellent, and a perfect accompaniment to pizza.

I love seafood, especially fish, and I'm making an effort to incorporate more into my diet.  All those good omega-3s and all that.  While canned tuna can be high in mercury, canned salmon is all good.  Of course, you can use fresh if you have some leftover from dinner the night before.  I liked this salad so much I'm planning to stock up on canned salmon next time I go to BJ's.  And also the huge multi-pack of Sharpies, because those are obviously necessary. Inspired by Kath Eats and her Super Salmon Salad , this can definitely be a dish where you throw in whatever is in the fridge and strikes your fancy. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried wheat berries, cooked according to directions.  I soaked overnight, and then drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, and simmered for 45 minutes. 1 can salmon, drained 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 Tablespoon fresh Vegetables - these are just what I had around, use whate...

It's not all hors d'oeuvres and pasta around here, folks.  While we did a pretty good job last week keeping vacation indulgences to a reasonable level, I'm still feeling ready for a bit of a detox.  Maybe a break from the rum for a few weeks.  And a few meals including whole grains and plant based protein.  And gallons of water. I've had my eye on this recipe since January when I saw it on Oh She Glows .  I've never cooked with wheat berries before, but based on my love of couscous, quinoa, and good old brown rice, I knew this would be another favorite.  I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Hard White Wheat Berrie s and I am happy to report they were very easy to cook.  I sort of want to go to the Red Mill and meet Bob.  He looks kindly. Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad based on Oh She Glows and Bob's Red Mill Ingredients 1 cup dried wheat berries 1-2 cups cooked chickpeas, or one can 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 large English cucumber, chopp...

Polenta is made from cornmeal.  It's a great alternative to pasta in Italian themed dishes, and many varieties are gluten free.  This recipe uses prepared polenta, which is sold in tubes.  I usually find it above the fancy cheese case at the market.   Baked Polenta with Sausage, Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce adapted from MyRecipes Ingredients: Olive oil                   1  can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes                   1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano                   1  medium yellow onion, halved lengthwise, then cut into thin wedges                   1  medium yellow, red, or orange bell pepper, ...