Vegetarian Foodie

Hurry, Make Dinner

Do you ever have those nights in which you are hungry (well, everyone is hungry) and you just have to be there in the kitchen smiling and secretly hoping to find something inspiring to make?

This meal arrived out of desperation and is almost 3 ingredients or less....

• Spaghetti
• Walnuts
• Cheese (In this case Parmesan which has a permanent home in my kitchen)
• Green Beans (washed and stemmed)
• Garlic (however much you like)
• Olive Oil to drizzle here and there
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Prepare Spaghetti
2. Heat Olive Oil in a pan and add garlic.... then add green beans. Lower the heat and add the walnuts.
3. Top spaghetti with green bean mix and add cheese
4. Salt and Pepper to taste

Look- (relief!) it turned out super yummy:

Cucumber and Radish Salad

Finally after days of rain the sun has come out. I am looking forward to a brisk walk and smelling the after rain smell. I also must confess that I love to admire the droplets of water that rest on the underbelly of leaves.

Things here have been crazy busy and there is a lot of exciting things brewing but more on that soon.

Our annual Valentines Day dinner was a smashing success and the daughter did a great job of decorating the table:

And from OutDoor Living a great salad recipe that we have made our own and is currently the favorite among friends and family:

Cucumber and Radish Salad

3 Cucumbers sliced
4 Radishes thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of fresh dill chopped
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 Garlic Cloves minced
A drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: Top with Feta Cheese

1. Mix the cucumber and Radish in a serving bowl
2. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, dill and garlic
3. Pour dressing over salad
4. Add dill, salt and pepper and Feta if you choose

Enjoy your week end!

Shopping Therapy...

I am in love with these salt and pepper shakers. In fact, there are plenty of lovely things to eat off at Anthropologie right now...

Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil...

This week end past we had the pleasure of having friends over for dinner. The husband enthusiastically decided to cook snapper for dinner with a sauce consisting of fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. I agreed to prepare the sides (I don't eat fish myself).

My favorite moment of the evening was me leaning against the counter sipping wine while the husband impressed me with his garlic skin peeling technique. He placed the knife sideways and pounded it with his fist. The skin separated quite easily leaving the clove there naked -ready to be chopped.

Notice how much garlic has been chopped in the bowl. Then the husband says, "Wow, it sure is time consuming to chop two cloves of garlic". I almost spit out the wine in my mouth as I held back a laugh.  Yes, he thought two cloves meant two heads of garlic. Imagine how the sauce might have turned out...

The following sauce not only could not only top a fresh fish but also top a plate of angel hair pasta or crusty bread (in every case just add Parmesan!)

Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
3 Ripe Tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped (This Gazpacho recipe explains how to blanch tomatoes)
2 Garlic cloves chopped
8 basil leaves shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic cloves until they are browned
Mix together garlic, basil and tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

The View From My Kitchen

It was a stormy week end here in Southern California. While brewing some hot chocolate I happened to notice this scene from the kitchen which has resulted in my favorite photo this week:

More on food soon...

Spaghetti with Zucchini

Spaghetti
4 garlic Cloves Minced
6 Zucchini chopped into bite sized pieces
the Juice of 1 lemon
6 Large Basil Leaves cut into Strips
2 Handfuls of shredded Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Prepare Spaghetti in a pot of Boiling Water
• Heat Olive oil in a pan to saute both the garlic and zucchini until browned
• Add to the zucchini pan: salt and pepper, lemon and basil.
• Remove from heat and pour on top of the pasta
• Top with Parmesan cheese

Perfect dish in the winter when one needs a taste of sunshine...

Stuffed Tomatoes

The following recipe for stuffed tomatoes is very delicious especially beside a salad. If you need a delicious appetizer I suggest you stuff cherry tomatoes. 

Stuffed Tomatoes

4 Large Tomatoes
3 Cups of Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup of Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Basil Chopped
2 Garlic cloves Chopped
A handful of Kalamata Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Soak the sunflower seeds in water for 6 hours
• Cut off the tomato top and scoop out the seeds in the middle.
• Blend the sunflower seeds and sun dried tomatoes.
• Mix with olives, basil and garlic.
• Stuff the tomatoes and replace the lids

Spanish Rice with Quesadillas

Me gusta Spanish rice and quesadillas. Mi familia le gusta Spanish rice and quesadillas too... Te gusta?

Spanish Rice

Rice of choice (Brown or white and the quantity should reflect the appetites of the diners)
A Handful of Cilantro Chopped
Chopped tomatoes (2)
Diced Spring onions (4)
A Handful of Chopped Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Lime Wedges

Tonight some pals are coming for dinner and lucky for everyone it is Taco night!

Spaghetti with Goat Cheese

Goodbye spaghetti with tomato sauce (although that too has its place) but your new look is scrumptious and easy.   

The recipe was inspired by a Food and Wine recipe which I modified to suit my vegetarian tastes. The result was a handsome recipe that is a certain keeper for the repertoire. 

Spaghetti
Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves sliced
A Pinch of Red Pepper
2 Handfuls of Cheery Tomatoes Halved
A Head of Spinach Washed and Sliced
1 Cup Goat Cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the Spaghetti
2. In a large skillet add olive oil, garlic and red pepper. Cook until the garlic is browned and add the tomatoes. 3-5 minutes later add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add the tomato mix to the spaghetti and top with goat cheese

Enjoy this colorful and aromatic dish while it cooks....

A recipe that sucked, the cat agreed

The Ultimate Recipe That Sucked.... I have actually blocked it out of my mind because it was quite devastating and luckily some time ago. I couldn't resist this picture (see below) which has been collecting digital dust in my Food Photo. The Main dish was maybe involving eggs and also I recall (like a bad dream) that it was bitter and green and the cheese was not melted properly.

I left the dish on the table as we stood chatting about  our local Mexican taco stand and the idea of take out food while the family cat Phidias jumped up on the table (he is Greek), ate a few bites and proceeded to sniff and turn up his nose.

Not all dinners are delicious and beautiful like this one: WOW Delicious YUM!