June's Foods

Today I present you with recipes that took me out of my comfort zone for one of the following reasons: 1) new ingredient, 2) hard to find ingredient, or 3) new cuisine. Enjoy...

This is Brussels Sprout Veggie Hash (pg 65):

Confession: This was the first time I ever had brussels sprouts. Growing up I was a finicky eater. If you ask my mom, she is still stunned that I am a vegan when I had insisted on eating meat and potatoes when I was younger. I had no idea that this vegetable was so leafy! It went well with potatoes on that particular morning. I am anxious to utilize these green buds in future recipes.... Suggestions are welcomed.

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't be--- This is the one! This is the one recipe that wasn't challenging:
Pasta con Broccoli (pg 169) was a simple pasta dish complete with with garlic, my fav.

Leave it to me to make a soupy dish the first really hot day of summer:
Curry Laksa (pg 186-187) was a dish I had never heard of. After reading Isa's blurb, I decided to do some further research on Wikipedia (reliable source, I know). I found out between the two that this Malaysian dish traditionally contains tofu, fish sticks, shrimp, and cockles. I'll just stick with my tofu and noodles.

I used the left over rice pad thai noodles to make this dish, Miso Udon Stir-fry with Greens & Beans (pg 182-183):
As the recipe title suggests, it called for brown rice udon noodles, which I couldn't find at Winco or Fred Meyer. Nor could I find the azuki beans which the recipe called for, so I used chickpeas. Isa, if you are reading this, I hope you don't get offended by all the ingredients I have to replace.

This is Quinoa Puttanesca (pg 75):
I hadn't ever heard of Puttanesca, which is usually served over spaghetti, but I've learned through online research that this dish's name means something like "quinoa whore." That makes the dish even more appealing to me. What makes it even better? It's full of flavor, and it's a little spicy. Notice the kalamata olives? I tried one, as I do in every recipe with olives, and I discovered, like always... I don't do olives. Needless to say, the dish pictured is Steven's.

Scarlet Barley (pg 69) and Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas (pg 127) was a pretty dish:
Before making this recipe, I had only one memory of beets. In third grade, my bff and I chopped all of our beets up on our school lunch tray to express our loathe of them. An upper elementary student went and "told on us." Supposedly we had to eat them in order to go to recess. We thought that drowning them in milk would make it more bearable. As I gagged, the bossy older girl told me I could go. That's some serious psychological baggage with beets, right? I thought cooking/eating them would resurrect the gag reflex, but I found it to be healing, as if I was conquering a fear. Darn those beets! All this to say, the grated beets made the quinoa that pretty red color. Afterward, my hands were also stained red, and my dear mother said to me over the phone, "Why didn't you use a food processor?" Duh! Duly noted for next time.

Last is something I threw together really quick using the Carrot Ginger Dressing (pg 52):
While boiling the carrots, I boiled some couscous and heated up whatever veggies I had in the freezer with some shelled edamame. When everything was cooked, I threw it together and voila! Dinner was ready.

Of these dishes, I think I am most excited about the breakfast hash. One thing I am still finicky about is breakfast. Certain things make me feel sick... I can't eat too much... I need some protein... I have lots of requirements, and the hash did it for me.

Next week Appetite for Reduction is flying with me to visit my parents where I look forward to having meals ready for them when they get home from work. Stay tuned.