How Chill

I wasn’t in the mood to work over the stove this evening again. I’m sure I will be once the temperatures really drop. But this evening, I wanted something that was – chill. Yeah.

Just chillin’.

I had baked spaghetti squash last night. Tonight I took the tines of the fork and performed my favorite quick pasta exercise; transforming the squash into something that looks like angel hair pasta. My husband asked if it was pasta when he saw it on the plate. It really does look like pasta!

I have fond memories of spaghetti squash from growing up. This metamorphosis process always seemed so magical – in the oven it would be in one form, moments later – another.

I topped the spaghetti squash with grated cheese and olive oil.

On the side, there were some wonderfully tender, fresh salad greens from my CSA, topped with a smattering of Caesar dressing and sunflower seeds. Then, some chilled tofu, with a marinade: EVOO, balsamic, soy sauce, honey and minced garlic.

I checked out a new cookbook from the library today. The cover is extremely 1980s. It may be the most 1980s cover I’ve ever seen on a book. I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes. It’ll be like I’m digging them out of a slightly dated vault.

Do you ever borrow cookbooks from your library?

20-minute meal

I’m usually not in the mood to create a labor-intensive meal on a Sunday evening, even if I know I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. So tonight, I was looking for something quick & easy.

Whenever I want something very quick & easy, but also very nutritious, I turn to my food bible of sorts: The World’s Healthiest Foods.

No – they did not pay me to endorse this book. But, I do have to say: I feel like every household should own a copy of this book. It’s so nutritionally comprehensive. It’s a huge tome of knowledge. Each page reveals new insights. And there’s also lots of great recipes!

I love when I find shortcuts – like how to cook potatoes in 10 minutes. Which is what I did tonight, in my steamer. After chopping up some potatoes (some from my CSA, some from a farmer’s market), I tossed them in the steamer. 5 minutes of potato steaming later, and I added some green beans from my CSA to steam together with the potatoes. 10 minutes later, I pulled them off the stove and mixed them together with a little melted butter, some minced garlic, salt, and a dash of chile powder. Ole!

On the side, I made a very quick Asian-inspired tofu dish. I like to call this: “Quick Sweet Marinade”:

In a small saucepan, mix:
-1 tsp jam of choice (I used peach ginger)
-1.5 tsp soy sauce
-Some rice vinegar
-A splash of water
-A quick powdering of Arrowroot powder (this thickens the marinade)

Stir and bring to a quick boil, then toss in your tofu.

Have you invented any quick marinades or sauces that you would like to share? Please do…