It’s so easy, it’s scary. And I have to ask myself, “Why didn’t I try it before?” I’m using it on all my salads lately. It was especially good on my fuji apple, blue cheese, candied pecan salad I made the other day. Light enough to let all the fabulous apple/cheese/pecan flavors shine through.
Shake together. Eat on salad. It really is that simple.
This is seriously one of the best dishes I’ve had in a while! I made it for my family party last Sat night. It was a hit. I got there late and was afraid everyone would be full and not want any. A few people tasted it and word got around that “you’ve got to try it!” In a short time, it was gone!
It’s perfect for the vegetarian going to a meaty party. It’s a hot, hearty meal that can act as a vegetable side dish for those who eat meat and act as a main dish for the veggies. I hope to make it again soon. (as in the next week). It was that good!
It’s also perfect for if you have to travel, because it can be made ahead of time, a day early, and refrigerated if you want to. You just have to pour the cream and sprinkle hazelnuts over the top and bake it 40 mins before serving. I made mine Friday afternoon and baked it right before I walked out the door. With towels around it, 45 mins later, it still required hot mitts to pull it out of the car.
The recipe is from epicurious.com, originally published in Bon Appetite’s November 2007 issue.
Now, go make it, I tell ya!
I made the best dinner for myself tonight (yes, I’m proud of me!). I went to the grocery store to buy all my ingredients for a Christmas Brunch I’m co-hosting on Saturday. I went tonight so I wouldn’t have to fight crowds this weekend which are bound to be thick.
Though the word “vegetable” is the root of “vegetarian”, me eating lots of vegetables isn’t always the case and I was feeling inspired by a Vegetarian Times magazine article about this very fact. So, as I leisurely browsed the produce section, I got the idea to try making something with acorn squash. Also, as you can see from my previous post, I just recently had an acorn squash main dish at Lark Creek, and I figured it couldn’t be that hard. It’s hearty enough to be a main dish for me and since my husband was working overtime, he wouldn’t have to eat any (he doesn’t like squash).
So, here’s what I made. It’s really an amazing flavor. I was very impressed with it. The sweet maple syrup mixed with a bit of tang from the balsamic and the undertones of sage and hazelnuts… Ahh… Perfect for a cold night. (You might need to play with the proportions since I didn’t measure anything. I rarely do.)
I rarely read through the booklets of coupons/advertisements that come through our mail. But this time, I happened to flip through the papers and ran across one from Planet Organics. (I found it sort of ironic that they were joining the mass mailer bad for the planet train, but that’s a topic for another time).
Planet Organics is an organic grocery home delivery service with locally grown produce and natural & organic grocery items. You can sign up for a service where they deliver fresh produce and/or grocery goods in a variety of sizes and preferences. Delivery can be either weekly or every other week and prices range from $32-$75 per box.
I really want to try this. I’m forever buying veggies and fruits at the store and then running out or they go bad before I use them. I need a few veggies and fruits each week. Plus, I think something like this would make me branch out and use other vegetables in my meals rather than the same ‘ol standbys.
(If anyone uses this service, let me know how it is!)
After many long weeks of no “date night” with the husband, we finally decided to get out and go somewhere! We’d heard fabulous things from friends about Lark Creek in Walnut Creek. So, we made reservations and a few hours later headed off to the WC.
The place was pretty crowded at 9pm when we showed up for our reservations. The temperature outside was so bitterly cold, everyone was huddled inside waiting for a table. We were a little early, so we sat at the bar a few minutes and got a couple of drinks while we waited.
When we were seated and started reviewing the menu, I was very impressed at the vegetarian selection available. They had much more unique and interesting options rather than the one token pasta you may find at the very bottom of the page.
So I went a little crazy with the cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving. I had two different parties to go to in the Thanksgiving season and I efficiently decided to make homemade cranberry sauce for both. Smart, eh? Well, it would have been smarter had I had a concept of how much to make.
I bought 8 – yes eight – bags of fresh cranberries. I used 7 of the bags and made a MASSIVE batch of sauce. It was delicious. And everyone loved it at both of my parties. And then I had a bunch leftover. So, I got creative. Me and my cranberry sauce, persimmons, apples, and a package of agar agar. It turned out delicious and with the different weights of the ingredients, it was slightly layered which would look great in a pretty mold. Let me see if I can remember what I did…
I’ve always had a love for Amy’s Organics products. They are the perfect go-to meals when I have nothing else in the house and want nice, hot, comfort food. Plus, being all vegetarian (some vegan), I can get the old favorites in a meat-free, quick and easy version – veggie loaf, shepherd’s pie, pot pie, etc. And on top of my own love for their food, I support and appreciate what they stand for.
Since I already liked their food, you can imagine my excitement when I ran across their new line of Light In Sodium products. That’s always the problem with pre-packaged, frozen food. It seems to have way too much sodium. But now, I can get some of my favorite Amy’s food lower sodium (yay for me and for all the other quick meal loving veggies!). Tonight, since my husband was gone for the evening and I was starving after my hard gym workout, I decided to grab my low sodium veggie loaf for dinner. With only 340mg sodium (compared to the normal 690mg), I’m happy to report didn’t taste any different than the original.
Three cheers for Amy’s! I hope my local stores start carrying a few more products from their light in sodium line!
