bee creative

#15

Roasted grapes on vanilla ice cream.

Pair number 15.

#14 choice

Today's farmer's market basket. Not visible: corn, onions, celery, peppers, apples and a small cauliflower.

Minestrone. In order of addition:  olive oil, onions, sprinkle of salt, 4 cups of water, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, carrot, one half pint of home made chunky tomato sauce pulled from the freezer, and another pinch of salt. About a total of 6-8 cups chopped vegetables when raw. Topped with celery leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Pairing 14.

#12 fast food

Fast food since most was prepped earlier.

Potatoes + lentils + apples + the tiniest bit of cumin with a drizzle of yogurt mixed with lemon flavored olive oil.

Pairing number 12.

Digital pair...or layer. It was fast too.

#11 almost didn't happen

Tonight it was a struggle to make my daily pairing...

Dinner was a cucumber yogurt smoothie.

Glad it was just me to feed tonight.

I'm reading Pressure Cooker Why Home Cooking Won't Solve Our Problems and What We Can Do About It by Sarah Bown, Joslyn Brenton and Sinikka Elliott.  I'm about half way through and still in the section of why feeding a family can be so difficult. The link above is to an interview with one of the authors. The suggestions in the interview have more to do with low income families, although the book profiles a variety of income levels. I'm very curious what other solutions they have in mind. Unfortunately, I suspect that food as an issue is a symptom of a bigger problem. An illness of culture.

Examples of what I've been harvesting from the garden the last couple weeks. I am thankful it is something that I can do, that I have the knowledge, the space, the resources. 

#10 primary

Most referenced cookbooks (Enchanted Broccoli Forest is by Mollie Katzen), still sorting out which ones I find most inspirational.

Pairing number 10.

#9 prepare ahead

Another day at home, mostly because I could. And it was a good thing.  One of the things that gets me through the week with healthy meals is being able to prepare ahead.  Today I made lentils.

The lentils could be made into any number of things.  Today they were mixed with potatoes, peppers, onions, a bit of kale, some squash, a pinch of cumin and chipotle.

Pairing number nine (slightly spicy):

#8 fieldnotes

Last night there was more thunder and lightening than I have ever experienced before.  I sat on the floor so that I could see out the windows better, and honestly an iron bed didn't seem the safest place to be.

Sky colors for pairing number eight.

Another way to use grapes:  Cook in a bit of butter and maple syrup until just warm.  Yummy with pancakes. 

#7 eye appeal

Tomatillo soup with pumpkin seeds toasted in chipotle. The tomatillo soup needed help...maybe more cumin?

(I made this a couple weeks ago and then froze some.)

Tomatillo soup, potatoes, and cheddar cheese.  Better.  The pumpkin seeds would have been nice here too though.

Zucchini soup made by adding zucchini paste to broth and then blending.

A topping that adds a different texture or a color contrast always makes something look more appealing to me.  A dollop of sour cream or yogurt would have been good on the zucchini soup but I was trying to cut back on the dairy.  Having said that, the zucchini soup actually tasted the best. 

Thinking about how a topping can be a pairing.

Pairing number seven.

#6 simple

I spent most of the afternoon today hanging out on the porch recovering from having my last two wisdom teeth pulled. It's all fine, but I will admit it was not wise to wait so long...

Soft foods today.

Really appreciating simple, like mashed potatoes with some cheese.

Simple can be good enough

Pairing number 6.

 

#5 short and sweet

 

Favorite seasonal desert...apple cake. 

Made this weekend to use up a few apples.

Honey can be used in place of sugar but it changes the texture completely.  Oat flour is nice if you don't want wheat.

Pairing number five.