Slow Cooker Lentil Rice Soup

December 24, 2009 at 8:59 pm (Recipes)
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‘Kay, I’ve been BAD.  McDonalds and Taco Bell led me astray.  I looked at all the fast food wrappers building up in my trash can and I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

Of course, I let the Los Poblanos box lapse again.  I re-enlisted.  I’ve also bought a slow cooker.  The image of throwing a bunch of ingredients in there and coming home to dinner was so enticing.  I’ve done a couple of recipes in it.  One was curried something white beans and pasta.  Ho hum.  The other was vegetarian chilli. 

I LOVE my little crockpot!  Reality seems to fall a little short of the “just throw stuff in there and wait.”  There seem to be steps involved like carmelizing onions or soaking beans, but, once I accepted that, it’s been very nice.  (Okay, actually it was the chilli that converted me.  How can you screw up chilli?  It was delicious, and the several little frozen containers of it in the freezer allowed me to savor it for some time.)

Anyway, today I’m trying this:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Lentil-Rice-Soup/Detail.aspx.  I like the “throw everything in and turn on the crockpot” aspect of it.  The less I mess with stuff, the less I screw it up.  Also, it seemed to have nice, commonplace ingredients.  I’m not fond of the mushrooms being in it.  (Mushrooms are fungus.  Athletes Foot is fungus.  I’m sure you get my point.)  However, hopefully their fugulness will be mitigated by stewing with all the other stuff.  Hopefully.

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Donut Peaches are Strange

August 22, 2009 at 2:23 am (I'm Weird)
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This week in the box from Los Poblanos, there was something called “donut peaches.” 

“Huh?” I thought, when I read it in the teaser last week.  What is a ‘donut peach?’  I waited to find out.  In my mind, I thought, okay, someone was getting a little sick of health food when they named this fruit.  Maybe it’s, like sweet or tasted donuty to them, or perhaps they liked to use them to make donuts. 

I waited for the mysterious fuzzy globs to appear.  But, no globes came.  Figs came.  I found strawberries in my weekly box, and onions.  Potatoes and eggplant and red leaf lettuce were there.  There were even some herbs:  Basil and cilantro.  But no fuzzy globes were to be found in the box. 

Don’t get me wrong, the donut peaches were there, and once I saw them, I understood the name.  See, imagine a normal peach.  Now imagine stomping on it.  That squashed shape is what gives donut peaches there name.  They’re like an inch high disk-shaped section of a normal peach.    I wish I had taken a picture, but I didn’t, and I’ve eaten all of them, so you will just have to use your imagination.

I did enjoy them, but mostly for their strange peach-tree-planted-too-close-to-the-nuclear-plant quality.  The flavor and texture were comparable with other peaches.  You do end up with a smaller peach to pit ratio; however, I’m not fond of peaches anyway.  At least they won’t roll off the counter.  Maybe that’s why they are cultivated – easier to process?  Actually, I think they are cultivated because they look freaky.  Either that, or someone’s trying to make a positive spin on the nuclear testing.

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Eggplant with Cheese and Breaded Topping

August 3, 2009 at 2:52 am (Recipes, Uncategorized)
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I made this:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantcasserolerecipes/r/r81116m.htm

It was icky.

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Baked Eggplant and Tomatoes

July 22, 2009 at 2:44 am (I'm Weird, Recipes)
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Okey Dokey, we got a boxy today (box of produce from Los Poblanos).    It had all sorts of interesting things in it: Spinach, tomatoes, cherries, cucumbers, basil, peaches, celery, broccoli, cantaloupe and, well, eggplant.

Now I like eggplant Parmesan.  Not a chance in this world I’d ever make it, though – slicing, salting, breading, frying, layering, baking.  Yeah, right.

So, I Googled several recipies and decided to try this:  http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/r/bl50418a.htm (mainly because I had all the ingredients.)

It is a thunderstormy day here and, because my house is old and creaky, it rains inside as well as out.  Also, the dog is terrified of thunderstorms.  So, I a had a 60lb chickendog glued to me.  I thought I started out well.   Salted water was boiling, eggplants were peeled, cubed, and lobbed in there. 

When the timer went off, I mixed in the tomatoes and such, then discovered that, ummm, well, you aren’t supposed to.  However, it all gets mixed together eventually in your stomach so I overlooked that little problem.  Then there was the fact that I didn’t have “garlic salt.”  I had garlic and I had salt.  Blithely continuing with the “everything mixes together” theory, I added fresh garlic and salt and whipped open the oven for the baking portion of the festivities.  Because, you know, I had turned to to 475 to preheat. 

However, the stinking pilot light had gone out.  For the uninitiated, oven pilot lights are back in the mysterious depths of the spider and dust filled “warming drawer” that no one uses for anything except to store cookie sheets.  Alas, the microwave would just turn it to slush.  I had to fix this.  Sigh. 

Pluckily, I got out the box of matches, cranked the gas, and struck one.  It briefly flared to life, but disintegrated, nearly igniting the dog.  Something about this reminded me of the fact that most people who get caught in gas explosions are just trying to relight pilot lights.  I made the dogs back off, crouched down, and tried again.  The match caught and I waved it vaguely and unsuccessfully in the general region. 

Honestly, why do they put the pilot light in the back of the bottom of the inside of the stove?  Oven manufacturers are idiots.  I had to lie on the floor, fending off dog slobbers, and stick my hand way in there, waving the match around where it seemed likely the light was located.  I became way too familiar with the fact that I never clean that portion of the oven and I live in a dusty region.  With spiders.

However, eventually, it lit, I stuck the casserole dish in and set the timer.  The house smells wonderfully of garlicy eggplant tomato goodness and I am reaaaallllly hungry.

But, I still think oven designers are idiots.

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Noodle Stroganoff w/veggies and tuna

July 13, 2009 at 3:56 am (Recipes)
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Okay, okay, I haven’t been posting.  It’s because I’ve been a baaaaad vegetarian.  Really bad.  Lotsa McDonalds and Taco Bell wrappers involved.  Trust me, you don’t want to know.

Yeah, I know.  McDonalds?  shudder.

Anyway, back to trying.  Unfortunately, I let the stupid box expire, again, so I am stuck with what I can find in the grocery store.  Tonight, I am using those packets called “pasta sides” from Albertsons.  I put the water and the butter in the pan, and add about 3/4 a bag of frozen vegetables, a can of water chestnuts, and a can of tunafish.  I think its not great, but better than a quarterpounder value meal.

Anyway, I started out okay.  I was doing two packets of the stroganoff noodles, so I threw 4 cups of water and about a half a cup of powdered milk, and a couple of globs of butter in the pan and set it to boil.  Then I went to my computer and started to play Mob Wars. 

FFFFTTHISSSSSSS!!!!!!!

The cat pretty much hung from the ceiling, the dog flattened to the floor and I said a bad word.

It had boiled over and gotten on the gas burner.  There were flames. 

So, I fixed that and added the powdered whatever stuff that apparently gives it all it’s stroganoffy goodness.  I set the timer.  I’m still not friends with the timer.  It goes off a few minutes early and when you turn it to “0″ it doesn’t shut off for a minute or two.  And, it’s really LOUD.  However, stuff boiled, the timer did its premptive shrieking, I gave it a little longer and took it off the heat when the noodles started sticking to the bottom of the pan.

We’ll see.  I’m really hoping for some good stuff in the box on Tuesday.  I’d love some Jerusalem Artichokes.  Please, please, please.  Okay, I just like them because they are weird.  But, if you make them with white beans, walnuts, parsley, tomatoes and oregano, they are very good.  Much better than nasty potatoes.

Anyway, I’m trying, again.  Wish me luck.

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Salad!?

May 8, 2009 at 5:05 am (Uncategorized)

Wow! I ate salad for supper. With ranch dressing. And liked it?! Need to get some whipped cream for strawberry shortcakes. ‘Tis the season.

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Artichokes

May 2, 2009 at 2:28 am (Recipes, Uncategorized)
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I never understood why someone would eat nasty things like pigs feet, liver, or mashed potatoes. People are weird in their food preferences. My brother in law likes kim chee. Kim chee is, as far as I can tell, fermented cabbage. Okaaaaay. Now, fermented grape juice I can deal with, but cabbage? ewwww!   Another one that I found bewildering is fermented mare’s milk. It just seems to fall under the “But, why?” catagory.  Maybe people were willing to ferment anything to get some joy juice. 

Anyway, my “but why?” food is artichokes. Lob those puppies in a big pot of water, throw in some butter, salt and garlic, boil the jeepers out of ‘em and yummmm.

Now, granted, fat, salt and garlic improve pretty much anything. You slather enough of them on and even baked potatoes are edible.  I am not brave enough to try it with kim chee, however.

Usually, the appearence of food is important to me.  I find facing the odd green paste of guacomole rather daunting.  Also, I don’t particularly like ice cream cones because they are so messy and sticky.  Peanut butter took half a lifetime to face with any enthusiasm.

But, for some reason, artichokes just speak to me. I think they whisper memories of my childhood and my mother cooking them and then eating these strange, prickly, wonderful things. So, even though they are messy, slimy, and green, artichokes are one of my absolute favorites.

Thanks, Farmer Monte!

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Anticipation

April 21, 2009 at 5:12 am (I'm Weird)
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I am so tired.  I should go to bed, but sleeping always seems like a waste of time.  What can I say?  I’m an idiot.  If you don’t believe me, see the post about mangos.

Anyway, I’m soooo tired.  I had lapsed on getting my weekly Los Poblanos boxes, but I renewed and I should get the first one in a while tomorrow.  I purged the fridge of the various tragedies therein in anticipation of the happy event.  It took multiple garbage bags.  There were so many things in there that I had been too lazy to take advantage of.  Red chard.  I love red chard.  It’s so good mixed in with other veggies and used as part of a casserole, or stew.  Cauliflower.  Delicious steamed with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Celery.  Zucchini.  They had all gone to a better (or worser, depending one never knows the true character of vegetables) place.

If you ever wonder if there is a difference between organic and not so organic vegetables, let them sit a little too long.   The organic veggies get fuzzy, or slimey, or squishy.  The not so organic ones mummify.  Granted the fuzz is gross, but the whole mummified veggie thing kind of creeps me out.  How can it be edible, if it can’t be broken down by bacteria and is immune to fungi?

The cooler is waiting, the shelves on the fridge are empty.  All sits in anticipation (or, regarding the mangos, trepidation) awaiting the influx of good, delicious, healthy, perishable foodstuffs.

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Mangos Scare Me

April 18, 2009 at 3:30 am (I'm Weird)
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So, after a hiatus of several weeks, I finally got my Los Poblanos box renewed.  I love my Los Poblanos box.  I get all this healthy stuff.  I eat well.  I don’t have to go to the grocery store.  It’s all good.  I’ve been missing it.  Well, if I would clean out my fridge, that is.  Some of the items from several weeks ago are still in there :~. 

None the less, I have decided to face the slimy green demons and start fresh with a new box next week.   Farmer Monty has been sending the weekly box list even though I lapsed and it has been so intriguing.  Asparagus?  Artichokes?  What is this!  I want some!  So I caved.  I renewed.  With bated breath I awaited the box list this week. 

Mangos.

I admit it.  I’m scared of mangos.  Stop laughing!  There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.  See, my food experiences have been someone limited.  I had never eaten one until they came in the box last year.  I thought they were odd, but I couldn’t stand to throw them out and I had resolved to eat more macro, less boxed.  So, I screwed my courage to the sticking place, cut one up and ate it.  I think it nearly killed me.  Seriously.  I was sick – not uncomfortable, not a little off, I was throwing up even water for days.  I did not eat AT ALL for a week.  I actually went in to see a doctor because I realized I was loosing it.

Now, understand, I don’t like doctors.  I’m sure they are nice people, well, some of them.  The other ones are jerks.  But, either way, they can’t solve most of my health problems.  If it isn’t killing me, it will get better on its own, so why pay moneyfor someone to poke around and tell me, “Oh, yeah, well, it will get better soon.”  I severed a tendon in my wrist, paralyzing my thumb, and I did not go to a doctor for a week.  I kept hoping it would get better. 

But, I went to the doctor over the Mango Incident. 

Why would I have such an issue over an innocent and perfectly delicious mango?  Well, you see, I had never eaten a mango.  I did not know anything about them.  When I cut it up and ate it, I ate the rind as well.  Well, mango rind isn’t digestable.  According to some websites, it causes an irritation similar to poison ivy.  I got to explore projectile vomiting.  It was horrible. 

So, I am scared of mangos.  The Los Poblanos delivery van should play the “Jaws” theme when they leave those little bombs on my porch.  But I will face my fear and eat the blasted things anyway.  Hope they don’t kill me this time . . .

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Simple, but Good

March 29, 2009 at 5:39 am (Recipes, Uncategorized)
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I should get extra greenie veggie points today. For supper, I had celery sticks with peanut butter, an apple, and cheese.

The celery sticks and apple were both from Los Poblanos.

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