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last minute dinner for two September 30, 2009

Posted by molly in : pasta , add a comment

everyone has a fallback dinner to make last minute when they didn’t have anything planned. back in san diego, i would have gone to my local taco shop for a nice big burrito. but, with a lack of any cheap and quick food that’s worth the calories in barnes, and with my new found appreciation of pasta, lately it’s been our default meal.

i didn’t eat pasta for several years because i thought i was allergic to all of it. turns out, i should have just paid attention and realised that not all pasta is made with eggs. slowly, i started to incorporate it back into my diet a few months ago. i tend to prefer spelt or gluten-free varieties, just to fend off any unwanted tummy trouble.

anyway, back to today. minimal was the name of the game. i couldn’t carry much else home with me from the gym, so i needed one or two simple ingredients. then i came upon this recipe at recipegirl. i bought some chopped tomatoes and courgettes, and with a few tweaks, here’s what i came up with.

(by the way, brag alert, we have the best garlic bulbs ever from paris, courtesy of my friends elisa and gabe who came to visit last week direct from france on a worldwide tour)

spelt fusilli with thyme and courgette

i should probably work on my dish-naming. but i couldn’t possibly call it ‘al forno’, seeing as how mine involved no oven time. anyway, this serves 2 (as long as one of you eats a lot more than the other).

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the particulars:

  1. saute the courgette and garlic with the oil in a frying pan until fragrant and slightly softened.
  2. meanwhile, get the pasta water boiling in another pot.
  3. add the chopped tomatoes, thyme, and chili flakes to the courgette and garlic and season. stir on a low-medium heat.
  4. throw the pasta into the water (should be boiling by now).
  5. turn down the heat on the sauce and add the tomato paste. continue to stir until it becomes as thick as you’d like it.
  6. drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. toss.
  7. serve with freshly grated cheese on top.

lesson learned: this could be really great with some fresh thyme rather than dried.

because they're THAT good. September 29, 2009

Posted by molly in : particularly random , 2comments

i’ve lived in london for over a year now, and the list of things i miss about the states has slowly been whittled down to a mere few. some of these things are makeup products, others are tv shows, but most are food.

there is one shop in london i’ve found that carries larabars, the healthy food blogger’s favourite snack, but they don’t have much of a selection. imagine my delight when my wonderful mom sent me a little box packed full of peanut butter cookie and chocolate coconut chew larabars!

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nothing beats these bars for their simple ingredients and healthy pick-me-upability. in the photo above, we also have a pure chocolate brownie bar (sent from the states and just as delicious) and a nakd berry cherry bar (from the uk — tastes a lot like an odwalla bar to me, not as simple ingredients).

my chocolate coconut chew that i plan on scoffing later contains just: dates, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, and unsweetened coconut. winner.

with so many seemingly “healthy” snack bars available (nutrigrain, par exemple), it’s so great to see these tasty treats becoming more popular. i remember grabbing a handful of these in my weekly shop back when i was living in san diego. little did i know i’d miss them so much in the future. i should have stockpiled while i had the chance!

the healthiest fish and chips ever September 28, 2009

Posted by molly in : british, fish , 2comments

my cold has disappeared! this is most exciting. i woke up with a clear head and generally sunny outlook on life. funny how the day after a cold can do that to a person.

so dinner was nice and healthy. and i hadn’t even thought about the slight nod to british cuisine until phil said “it’s like the healthiest fish and chips ever”. agreed and noted.

healthy fish and chips

i found this recipe in delicious magazine a couple of months ago. but, had i read this recipe about a year ago, i would have said NO and turned the page. because i loathed fennel. but my tastebuds have done a bit of maturing this year. and this dish would SUCK without the fennel seeds. the amounts listed here perfectly serves 2.

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the particulars:

  1. heat the oven to 400f or gas mark 6
  2. cut the sweet potatoes into large wedges, and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. drain.
  3. put the potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, half the fennel seeds, salt, and pepper.
  4. roast for 15 minutes until just tender.
  5. season the fish and sprinkle over the rest of the fennel seeds and 1 tsp oil. add to the tray and cook for another 5 minutes.
  6. serve with green salad. (the salad above has watercress, spinach, tomato quarters, mange tout, and cashews, with a homemade vinaigrette)

i am a big sweet potato fry fan – maybe just a sweet potato fan in general. and the fact that this dinner can be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes makes me grin from ear to ear. nothing beats a quick, yet still tasty, and HEALTHY (bonus!) dinner.

lesson learned: cook this more.

a big red pot of awesome September 27, 2009

Posted by molly in : mexican , 7comments

i’m not trying to jinx myself, but i have a feeling today was the last day of my cold. and i made sure of it by making a huge pot of vegan chili for dinner (with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow and perhaps the next day and the next…). so much spicy goodness in this dish – my sinuses thanked me!

spicy vegan chili

this recipe has been printed and saved in my notebook o’ recipes for months now, but i’ve only just cooked it for the first time tonight. i found it on door sixteen ages ago. we made only the teeniest, tiniest alterations. it’s hearty, spicy, and filling. the ingredients serve 6-8 people, so make sure you have a pot big enough. i used a big red le creuset pot which you can see in the background. the photo below is of phil’s portion (most of the photos on this blog are, since he is the photographer!) complete with a couple of slices of soda bread.

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the particulars:

head over to anna’s original post for the instructions. i don’t want to take away from her description of how best to cook it!

lessons learned: by accident, we used 1 can of chopped tomatoes, when we should have used two. we also used 3/4 cup of bulgar wheat instead of 1/2 cup. this gave us a nice burnt layer at the bottom of the pot, although the balsamic vinegar got rid of that right at the end. still, i would highly recommend stirring and checking on it frequently, and not using extra bulgar wheat.

comfort food for my nose September 26, 2009

Posted by molly in : risotto , 3comments

my little cold reared its ugly head today while we were out shopping, and after picking up some groceries for the next few days, i decided that i needed comfort food for dinner. i put together the following — all risotto dishes are comfort food to me, but this one has some really unique flavors. i love the engagement with the dish while it’s cooking, rather than just leaving it to simmer.

baby greens, pine nut, and basil risotto

based on a waitrose recipe. serves 4.

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the particulars:

  1. melt half the butter in a large saucepan. add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 mins until soft. tip in the rice and stir to coat in the butter, then add a ladleful of hot veg stock. simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed. continue adding the stock in this way until you have about two ladelfuls left.
  2. meanwhile, shred the leaves of the baby greens and add to the risotto with the remaining stock. simmer until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice and greens are just tender.
  3. stir in the pine nuts, basil, remaining butter and cheese. season to taste and serve straight away.

lesson learned: mine ended up a bit too watery. that damn impatience again! just at the very end, i should have let it simmer a bit longer. bah well, it was still delicious.