Simply Eating

I have been reading more by the classic food writer MFK Fisher. Her An Alphabets for Gourmets starts with 'A is for Dining Alone'. Last night as I ate alone while reading this section I was thinking of a friend who had asked me recently if Dandelion the Bitter Green and I ate dinner together every night. My immediate answer was yes, with the caveat 'except when he's at rehearsal or a show or works late or I have yoga or a class...' It started to look like the time we ate together was more of the exception than the rule. The moral of this story, from my own experience as well as MFK Fisher's, is that dining alone is sometimes nicer than dining with someone, especially if that someone is not one as she says. The trick is to treat yourself right. Eat at the table. Use proper utensils. Eat from a plate or a bowl instead of the pot. Have a nice glass of wine or beer. Simply enjoy tasting your food.

Last week I made soup as I was typing this up. Here's a picture of the results. Barley, cauliflower, carrots, and adzuki beans. Simple but good.



Thursday and Friday we ate leftover soup and then takeout burritos due to schedule issues. Saturday I ended up making another soup served with amazing Arizmendi sage and apple bread. The soup was squash, adzuki beans, sauted greens, with green onions as a garnish.



Sunday night we made brown rice, steamed veggies, and broiled tofu. Also simple but really satisfying.



Monday was roasted brussel sprouts with a red lentil-almond butter dish, served with more brown rice. The lentil dish was super easy to make and very delicious if you don't have issues with lentils (like my boss).



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Red lentil-almond butter dip

Boil 2 cups of water in a pot.
Add 1 cup of red lentils when it's boiling.
Turn the heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
When it seems like most of the water has been soaked up, add four spoonfuls of almond butter to the pot. Stir well to dissolve. (Note: If you want to be fancy you can dissolve the almond butter first in a little bit- less than 1/4 cup- of hot water and then pour it into the pot.)
If the lentils are sticking to the sides of the pot add more water bit by bit.
Add a few dashes of soy sauce or tamari.
Cook until the mixture has a consistency you like: dip-like, paste-like, or even thick sauce-like if you like-like.
Wait slightly for it to cool enough to eat with rice or grain or bread.
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Tuesday night I ate leftover soup. Soup rocks!

Wednesday night we made brown rice and lentils (french lentils this time, which if you haven't tried are amazing-- small and speckled they hold their shape well in a longer cooking time). We also roasted a big tray of veggies, cauliflower, carrots, shallots, broccoli, and butternut squash.