Special Edition Sunday: Date Night

Matthew (the jelly bean hoarder) was away all weekend retreating/doing his job.  So, we planned a special date night Sunday because April is the month of never seeing each other.
Back in September, when it was 65 degrees and sunny one morning (ahhh, remember that?), we brunched at Barbette, and loved it.  We decided to head back for dinner Sunday night.





We started out with some truffled brie to nibble on devour.
I couldn’t say no.





It was as good as it sounds.

I ordered a tasting of seasonal roasted vegetables, which also included brussel sprouts, but I inhaled them before Matthew you could take a picture.

I like brussel sprouts.



The creamed corn, was a little too salty, but other than that I loved these vegetables.  Except for the onion…ewww onion.

Matthew, who is eating meat these days, ordered Steak Frite.



It was good, I had a bite of everything on the plate. Shhh…don’t tell!

We were far too stuffed for dessert at Barbette, but instead went for a little walk, and then headed over to Izzy’s Ice Cream, for dessert.

No pictures, just goodness. If you live in a 60 mile radius and haven’t been to Izzy’s, go.  Right now. 10 AM ice cream is the best.

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Wishy-Washy Wednesday

The trouble with being a food blogger is that sometimes, I’m just too darn creative.

I spend my spare time day dreaming about recipes I could whip up, and before you know it, it’s 7:00 PM on a Wednesday, and dinner has yet to be made.

Another exercise in using what I had on hand was in order. Life is busy these days.  Don’t judge.

The on-hand ingredients were kale and tofu.  You’ve been warned.  Go ahead and stop reading if you’re bored to tears.

The best part about tofu is that it really doesn’t take long for it to absorb any flavor you might decide to marinate it in.

The best part about kale is that anything tastes good smothered in olive oil and garlic.
Italian Tofu and Kale

• 1 block tofu, cubed
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Italian Seasoning
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt, to taste

Marinate the tofu in all ingredients (minus the olive oil).  It doesn’t take long, but the longer the better.
Fry tofu in olive oil, and add in kale until dark green and wilted.  Season with garlic salt.
Jot down note to be better about meal planning next week, and to do some serious grocery shopping, and also to consider eating meat again (tofu is getting a little old).




Meat-less, but kale-ful.  All in all a good meal which I may or may not have consumed in my pajamas.

Mellow (Yellow) Monday

I’m having to get more and more creative with my blog titles.  I’m sure your mind(s) reel too: “what will she think of next?”

Monday was an exercise in making dinner with whatever we had on hand, and also an exercise in the color yellow.

We had the following items on hand: bulgur, chickpeas, frozen peas (they must have been on sale at Target at some point), and garlic.

Matthew also said he was in the mood for some Indian food, so I decided to give the curry powder on our spice rack,shelf, random high cupboard that I cannot reach, some action.

Curried Bulgur Salad

• 1/3 cup bulgur wheat
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 tbsp curry powder

This recipe was exceptionally low-key and mellow.  Soak the bulgur, saute the garlic in peas in the oil, add chickpeas, bulgur and curry powder.

Season.

Consume.

Yellow is a lovely color for food.  However, I have just been informed that I am supposed to wear yellow to school on Tuesday.

Yellow is not a good color for me.

How do you feel about yellow?

Sub-Par Saturday

It seems I have a tendency to make reeeeeaaalllly good bread, and simultaneously mediocre soups.

Saturday was no exception.  I told you I would let you know when I found a decent whole-wheat version of Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread, find it I did.

Check it out here.

I added in 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, and 1/2 cup of craisins.

Here it is post second rise.

The soup “recipe” is not worth repeating, but I will tell you it involved veggie stock, rotel, and kale.  Yes, I know, I have a problem.

The meal certainly didn’t LOOK sub-par.

I think I’m going to go have some more bread now.

Family Favorite Friday!

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I returned from my “mini-vacation” with my parents on Friday, and decided to whip up a family favorite around here.

Cilantro(!) Black Bean Burgers

• 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 poblano pepper, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• Cumin (to taste)
• Chili powder (to taste)

Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into fries
• Few sprays olive oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

I prepped the fries first, because I hate peeling things and wanted to get it out of the way.

Plop (a legitimate word) the sweet potato in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.

Spread on a baking sheet, and really give these babies some room to get crisp.

Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes, flip, repeat.

On to the burgers.

Sauté the pepper and garlic in a pan with the oil.

Throw in a food processor with the cilantro and process until blended.  Add the beans and pulse a few times.

Get annoyed because the camera is low on battery. Make husband charge it quick, and then take a picture of you mixing in the remaining burger ingredients.

Fry two minutes on each side.

See: fill tiny apartment with smoke.  Again.

Serve with cheese and fries, but no ketchup.  Matthew doesn’t like ketchup. I’m pretty sure he is an alien.

My Bad! Monday

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On to your regularly scheduled programming.

A lovely March snowstorm kept me in Minnesota this week, so I’ve just been relaxing away my spring break so far!

After Sunday evening’s pad thai meal, it appeared I purchased too much cilantro. Surprise, surprise. My bad.

So I decided to whip up some Chipolte style burrito bowls.

1/3 cup brown rice
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Lime juice, to taste ( I like mine limey)
Pinch of salt

15 oz black beans
Chili powder
Cumin

Fixin’s (Peppers, sour cream, cheese, and the like)

I lined up my produce to chop

I’m big on lining things up.  I like order.

Simply cook your rice according to your desired method (we love our rice cooker!), and stir in cilantro, lime, and salt.

Put the black beans in the microwave if your lazy like me, and then mix in the cumin and chili powder.

Make sure to line up all your fixin’s in cute little bowls for the sake of the food photography.

Add just the right amount of your favorite stuff and consume.