I must admit my brain’s translation feature no longer works, ever since it equated “Covid-19 Quarantine” to “Eat Like You’re In College, Jacqui.” Cookies, ice cream, croissants, snack sized candy, and the lovely spirits; my food choices have morphed into meals I don’t recognize until they show up on the scale. To begin to counter this, I cooked a wonderful recipe from Liz Moody’s cookbook Healthier Together, also presented online by Skinnytaste.com. Green Detox Soup With Toasted Hemp Gremolata.
Dinner last night was another recipe from Michelle Tam on the Nom Nom Paleo site, this one called Tandori Shrimp. It was as easy and yummy as advertised.
Are there yummy ways to cook clams besides the standard chowders? Yes, and I’ve been missing out for most of my life! Two nights ago I tried, Coconut Broth Clams with Lemongrass, from Gina Homolka, the author and recipe developer for the website Skinnytaste.com.
I followed Homolka’s suggestion by adding toasted artesian bread (brushed with olive oil) to dip into the broth. I paired it with a small, simple salad. The aroma and the flavors – Yum!
Skinnytaste.com continues to be a favorite source for inspiration. The recipes are given one or more labels, such as Low Carb, Paleo, Gluten Free, etc. and I’ve pretty much always enjoyed the meal.
Note: this recipe is labeled Under 30 Minutes, but make sure you see the caveat – the clock starts after the clams are cleaned, a soaking process for at least and hour and fifteen. I’m glad I did my “mise en place,” because then the recipe goes pretty quickly.
Thanks to Covid, I’m starting to enjoy cooking at home again. Last night, I tried Pureed Broccoli Soup from Eating Well, a healthier version of this standard (yum). I thought I’d share the recipe with my friends. Note: I doubled the parsley and I always add a dash of lemon juice to brighten the flavors, a trick I learned from Deborah Madison in her wonderful book, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Linking to it, I just realized she released a new version in 2014!
It only took a global pandemic to get me to stop eating out all the time. Now I’m on the hunt for fast and easy dinners. Last night, I found Roasted Halibut Cheeks w/Lemon Butter. Yum. Thought I’d share with my friends. This recipe was posted by Eric Akis at the Times Colonist website. Check it out!
The image is also from his post. I was so taken by my dinner’s aroma that I snarfed it right away.
From Facebook, and the community, Tuna Salad is Gross
Do you believe tarragon, pickle relish and tuna salad can make a difference in someone’s life? They can, and they did for me.
From the Placerita Jr. High School Page.
At my ninth grade commencement from Placerita Junior High, I gave a speech that began with, “Veni, Vedi, Vici.” I then co-opted the phrase to mean, “We came, we saw, we conquered.” I added the Latin because it sounded smart and back then, surviving junior high was the equivalent of conquering the world.
After the ceremony, my mom took me to a small cafe in “The Valley” for a special lunch. And being fourteen, I ordered something familiar, dependable. Tuna salad. With four+ kids at home, we made the mixture quite a bit and we always followed the same recipe.
From the Facebook community, Tuna Salad is Gross,
– Canned tuna (with salt)
– Lots of mayo
– Lots of pickle relish, until the goop morphed into mayo-relish.
– Slather more mayo on squishy bread and then spread the tuna in a thin layer.
Imagine my shock when the sandwich I’d ordered for lunch was different! Served in a croissant, the salad had no pickle relish and just enough mayo to coat the fish and the roll, all topped with tomato slices. My tastebuds could actually pick out both the flavor of the tuna and the buttery, chewiness of the croissant. Plus, I noticed an unfamiliar spice.
It got me thinking. I’d always been a literal kid, did what I was asked, believed what I was told. And tuna salad was made one way (see previous family recipe). But if this staple of life could be altered, what else? Realistically, my teen brain probably worried, “Holy Partridge Family! We’ve been making this wrong all along. Are we even less cool than I imagined?”
Looking back, it seems a little silly, but the gist of the realization set in. I remember the moment, and the knowledge eventually helped me understand how things I’d assumed were set-in-stone might be open to change.
Note: This is not the actual sandwich from long ago, just a recreation using sustainable tuna.
That aha should have been enough for one lunch. Or maybe not. I also complained to my mom about never knowing the name of the mystery spice. This was, after all, in the chef’s secret recipe.
And then she surprised me. Mom suggested I simply ask the waitress to ask the chef. He might answer or he might not. When the waitress reported the spice was tarragon, I learned that little ol’ me could speak up – outside of home and school – ask questions of adults and expect to have them answered.
Had this option been explained to me before, but I’d only clued in after this tuna experience cemented it into my brain? Honestly, I don’t know. I probably never will.
Okay, tarragon is technically the only spice in this story, but when I chose to include pickle relish as a spice, it gave me a better title for my blog post. And that’s part of what I learned that day. Not only could things be changed, but I could drive that change and maybe use it to my advantage. And if that doesn’t give a kid going into tenth grade a little self-esteem, I ask you, what would?
Do you love easy sauces that taste wonderfully gourmet?
As of today, I’m a new fan of a Sorrel Puree, a quick and easy sauce for eggs and potatoes. I found the recipe in Deborah Madison’s, “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,” but she also mentions it on her website, culminate.com. I’ve included the directions from that site in the post below.
“I pull away the stems by folding the leaves back and running the stems up the center. Then I drop them into a pan with a little butter and cook until the leaves dissolve into a purée. It’s not pretty, but it’s a great asset.”
How do I know the puree is tasty? Since seeing the movie, “The Hundred Foot Journey,” I’ve been craving a great omelet. Using a variation on Madison’s instructions, I made mine with lots of blanched parsley, dill, shallots and tarragon, filled with a little tomato and a shaving of sheep cheese. Then I “basted” it with the sorrel puree. Shhh…I might have first dribbled melted butter on top.
This will sound arrogant, but my omelet turned out to be one of the best that that I’ve tried in a long time. I think the wonderful, gourmet taste was due mostly to the sorrel puree and then the extra herbs inside. Madison claims the sauce is ideal for both eggs and potatoes. I’m looking forward to repeatedly verifying that claim.
By the way, I was fortunate to enjoy my favorite omelette at a restaurant on Mont. St. Michele in France – with a side of lobster and a creamy French sauce. It was eons ago. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the details. But the image of the restaurant in my head looks and feels a lot like La Mere Poulard.
Note: If this posting seems a random based on my normal topics, I’d planned to post it in my upcoming blog, “Scrumptious in Seattle.” The new blog isn’t ready, but I’m starting to launch the twitter account (ScrumptiousNsea).
