This was a great quick weeknight meal. I made a batch of pinto beans on Monday evening, and then later that week I sautéed some kale in garlic and red pepper flakes, and I added some of the pinto beans to warm them up. Presto--dinner in ten minutes! It was tasty too.
Bob's boss surprised us with a lovely bag of homegrown tomatoes--something we haven't had all season. Besides eating them plain like candy, a couple of ways we have been enjoying them are:
On salads (with some more of The Grit's ranch dressing).
With hummus and sprouts. These little snacks look surprisingly elegant and are tasty, light, and perfect for an afternoon bite to eat.
I make a lot of smoothies, and this one was particularly delicious--peaches and raspberries, with cinnamon and ginger and a little scoop of cashew butter.
Sweet potato fries, spiced with cinnamon, chili powder, and cayenne. Another easy meal--15 minutes in the toaster oven, and perfect with a salad.
I made these cookies to help drag Bob out of bed on Saturday (ahem) afternoon... They're Dreena's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies, made with spelt flour and using carob chips in lieu of chocolate. They came out so soft and squishy and... unbeatable. We both thought this was the best batch of these cookies yet. I've stayed out of them pretty well, though--I've eaten about one of them over the course of the weekend. I'm still trying to tame my sweet tooth...
Today we went downtown to get a bite for lunch. I've blogged about the Raging Burrito before, but I wanted Bob to have a chance to try it. I ordered these veggie tacos, with grilled portabellas and peppers and salsa fresca and guacamole, and a side salad with sun-dried tomato-chipotle dressing. Bob ordered a burrito--a very tasty burrito, mind you, but not much to photograph. It was huge and he brought half of it home for dinner.
I checked out the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook and decided to try the Colby Cheeze. I haven't really used it yet, but I've tasted it and I think it's... kind of bland, honestly. The pimiento flavor is overwhelming, and it's just missing something. Once I try it on something, I will let you know the final verdict.
That brings me to the end of the weekend. I hope you've all had a good one, and I wish you a fantastic week!
14 comments:
I love the simplicity of your beans n' kale meal - SO delicious, yet SO easy to prepare; looks like you found some great uses for those lovely homegrown tomatoes!; Dreena's cookies look fabulous, and I like that you used carob chips instead of chocolate (you know how I am with only using carob in recipes that usually call for cocoa/chocolate); I look forward to the verdict for your homemade cheeze! :0)
Dreena's homestyle cookies really are the best aren't they? Your quick and easy dinners look nutritious and delicious. I'm craving home made french fries now. Even though your uncheese might not taste that great, it sure looks perfect. I haven't been too impressed with the recipes out that book to be honest with you. I'm still searching for some good cheese substitutes.... I love cheddar... I would also like a good mozerella to put on pizza.
that's so awesome that you got some homegrown tomatoes! i loved the presentation of sliced tomatoes with hummus & sprouts! the cheese looks good, but bland eh?
When I make the cheese I always go for the "Chedda" version with miso. I have to admit that the first time I made it, I was kind of like, meh. But the more I used it the more it grew on me and I really like it now. It certainly doesn't taste like cheese but I find it's a fun condiment to add to dishes. I don't eat it cold too often. Usually it's eaten with something else so perhaps the other flavors help give it that ooomph you might be looking for. It melts best if you grate it. If you use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, we use slices, get our bread buttered and ready, microwave for a few seconds to help it melt, and then grill it (we also use a little Spike seasoning).
On Amazon, someone suggested making macaroni and cheese with it. Grate the cheese and then melt it in a pot with a little soymilk, add lots of margarine and a fair amount of salt, and stir the sauce into cooked elbow macaroni. I haven't tried it that way but it sounded good to me.
Good luck with it.
great photos!
Those cookies look sooo yummy! I love it when cookies stay soft and moist. Your pinto beans and kale looks like a great, healthy, simple dinner! Sounds like you had a great weekend, foodwise at least :-)
ginger! That's something I never add to my smoothies! great idea!
I love the tomatoes with hummus and sprouts. The tomatoes in season right now are perfect for this with their thick nature. yum!
Aren't fresh garden tomatoes the greatest?! I have a co-worker who has been sharing her garden's bounty with me as well, and I am loving it! Living in an apt I have really been missing being able to grow things...
Everything looks great, and your cookies look perfect!
Courtney
Beans 'n greens are always great. I'm so glad you're enjoying home grown tomatoes. I've been buying many pounds of them at the farmers markets. I love your little tomato and sprout snacks.
I guess I'm lucky that I never was a cheese fan, but I'm still anxiously awaiting a great vegan version.
Your little tomato cups look lovely. I love sprouts on just about everything.
Unlike atxvegan, I was a totally cheese head so i'm anxious to see how you like the Uncheese. I have the cookbook and made a few of the recipes but have had hit/miss results.
Have a great week!
Beans and Greens are the best.. I love so many different variations of this dish...
the tomato cups and hummus look great..
.. the carob cookies look great.. my mom used to use carob all the time, but I haven't tasted it in years.. I should revisit it..
even though I just woke up, those beans and kale look amazing!!! yum. so simple and delicious. If I could cook for only myself, I would eat stuff like that a lot.
I also love your little tomato & hummus creations. cute! what a nice idea.
:)
Wow- when I saw that first picture, I thought I'd accidentally gone to my blog instead of yours because that looks exactly like something we would make and eat! We make big batches of beans in the pressure cooker and then mix them with different greens and veggies throughout the week.
Looks like you guys have been eating well! Yay for homegrown tomatoes!
BEans & greens--the simple, perfect, healthy dinner.
I think the uncheese recipes are all in all pretty good if you don;t think of them as "cheese." I find most of them to be great sandwich fillings for lunches.
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