Green Beans , etc.

Lunch choice for today was accidental (down below is why). So after all the drama I went through today, I didn't have any appetite for food and for cooking. 
I made a simple but as my husband puts it, a "sexy hot" dish.
As you know from my previous posts, now I live in the area where organic food, and good vegetables per se  are rare find. In a local supermarkets there is a small produce section with only one-two organic items in it. Not good enough. 
Therefore I buy my produce at the little store with a cute name "Squash Blossom". They have some basic organic vegetables and fruits in stock, and if I want an extra I just have to order a box.  
And a box of green beans arrived...

I cut the ends from the beans, washed it and boiled it for 2-3 minutes. 

In a cast iron skillet I heated a Tbsp of olive oil, added 1/4 tsp hot pepper paste and 1 tsp fire roasted tomatoes flakes. 

One stir, and green beans went in the skillet. 
Another 30 seconds, another stir, and it's ready. 
Seasoned with a good quality sea salt and pepper to taste. I served it with a leftover pasta from yesterday (I don't like to through away food). 
Potatoes  would be my other choice. 
Shave a few strips of a sharp cheese on top. 
Crunchy, flavorful, and hot(spicy) - all I needed for lunch today.

***

For about a week I my energy level was lower than usual. On Monday I couldn't run my five miles, and had to cut it down to 3,2 miles. On Tuesday I had one yoga class only instead of planned two. 
My first thought was that I was coming down with a cold. Until this morning, when I woke up from a toothache at 4 AM. I got out of a bed, took Alive, and impatiently (meaning I was walking back and forth, checking clock every 5 minutes just to see that only 5 minutes passed) waited for a reasonable time to call the dentist office. By the time office was suppose to be open, I was all ready to go without even the call. They were very nice to see me immediately, and my dentist announced his verdict: I have an infection because my wisdom tooth lost it's filling. Bummer! 
Deep breath, another one... Nothing I can do about it, so just accept it. Another news, the tooth has to go... after I treat the inflammation with antibiotics for a week.  
And my saga with the dentist begins... I need to tell a little secret, which is not that little in my mind: I am panically afraid of any dentists. 
So this week is going to be a very interesting one: I need to talk myself into the fact that I HAVE to see the dentist in a week again. 
Deeeeep sigh. Another... I am brave... I can do it... 

***

Do you want to know what was planned for lunch today? 
Squash spread from the Weekend in Photos post. 
It is coming, stay tuned!






Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Chasing a Geese, and Kale Tuesday

Monday morning I woke up to a bird talk outside.  A chirping of a song birds was interrupted by a goose "talk". 
It sounded like: "Honey, I think we should make a stop here. Look at this beautiful water, let's rest". And the goose-honey would respond: "No, this paddle is not a lake. Let's fly few more miles to a really beautiful lake with a gorgeous view".  
Of course, all I heard was just geese honking, but intonation was such as a couple on the road trip deciding where to make their next stop. 
I grabbed my camera and went on the balcony to take a few shots. There they were: a beautiful couple of Canadian (possibly) geese . 

Then another goose made his landing but was quickly chased by honey-goose. Left alone, they gazed on a grass, changing their tone from anxious to romantic. Honey-goose was on a watch out when his other half cleaned herself. 

I watched them for about an hour to be amazed by their pure tenderness,  and care they show to one another. 

Love was in the air...

***


For Kale Tuesday I made a 

Pasta With Lovage Sauce and Kale.

Ingredients:

• Medium size onion, sliced
• One garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp dry lovage (more on this herb in the next posts)
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup pure tomato (I use Eden Crushed tomatoes in a glass jar)
• 1 cup pasta water (when you drain the pasta, save one cup)
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Kale - half bunch
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat cast iron or stainless still skillet, add butter and oil.
Add sliced onions, stir until translucent.
Season with salt.
Add lovage (if using) and stir.
Add minced garlic (don't burn), give it a few stirs and add water from pasta and tomatoes.
Reduce heat to a medium and cook about 10 minutes, stirring a few times.


Kale can be used raw or blanched.  Wash the kale, brake it into  a bite size pieces, removing from the stem. Place kale in a colander and pour boiling water over it. 


Arrange pasta, sauce and kale on a plate and toss a small amount of pine nuts on top.

***

What did you enjoy today?

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Spring Rolls

Spring really rolls into town...

This simple weekend meal was a big hit, and intriguing ingredient had some teasing effect to it. 
So, my dear friends, let me reveal what was wrapped in that rice paper: Enoki* (Enokitaki) mushrooms instead of a traditional  rice noodles and bean sprouts. Those mushrooms have a crunchy-crispy texture, and they look like noodles, somewhat. 

Enoki are white long ones, Beech mushrooms are to the right

Another two mushrooms for the spring rolls were Shiitake mushrooms (delicacy loaded with a healthy benefits),  and Brown Beech mushrooms, that have a pleasant nutty flavor. 

• Heat the cast-iron or stainless still skillet on a medium-high setting.
• Add an oil of your choice (I used a little olive oil).
• Add Shiitake to the skillet and cook for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. 
• Then add Enoki and Beech mushrooms, and continue another 5-7 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust the seasoning.
• Remove from the skillet.
• Julienne cucumbers, carrots, or any vegetables of your choice, add a few herbs (cilantro, dill, or parsley)
• For a vegetarian roll - I used tempeth, for non-vegetarian - any meat of your choice. My son had his with a shredded pork. 

Follow the instruction on a rice paper package. 
I wasn't quick enough with the first one,  it all became soft, sticky, and I had to peel it from the board. 

Prepare all of the ingredients first, have it all ready before you, and only then  start with dipping rice paper in a water.  

Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice. We had it with a hot chili paste. Our son put on his some ketchup... no comments.


Easy and delicious. I am going back to Asian Market for more Enoki mushrooms, they are great in soups too.




*Studies show that Enoki are high in proteins and antioxidants. 


Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Weekend in Photos

Football, aka soccer food in our family...

Some of the fellow bloggers commented that the new camera is addictive. 
I've been busy all weekend long, but at some moments I did remember that I had a new camera and took a few pictures. Here is our weekend in photos:

Sauerkraut

Homemade Spring rolls

While building a greenhouse...

someone forgot to read the instruction, and had to pay the price by taking it apart to switch some panels...

Squash ... dip? spread? caviar? you name it!

Saturday dinner: garlic and cream (organic pasture raised) mashed potatoes with sauerkraut...

In case you wander what happened to those apples:

It is addictive...


I will be posting some of the recipes of the weekend food here this week. Those spring rolls have an interesting ingredient!
And please, help me name that squash whatever it is dish! 


Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Winter Surprise

As you know, I am slowly becoming a friend with my new camera. And the best way to learn about your new friend is to spend some time together, to hang out...:)
As I look at the world around me through another eyes, I see unusual in casual. 
This morning I was looking closely at the pictures I took (that parsley and carrots in my garden from the yesterday post). Then some color grabbed my attention, a small orange spot. What was it? Thinking no longer, I went to my garden, looked at the carrots... 
Oh, dear... Do I have a carrots? In February?! I pooled a few, still amazed and really surprised. I wasn't sure what to think, so I just took another pictures. What a treat! And a smell... is indescribable (are they going to invent a computer with a smell transmission feature?!) 

With all that camera talk I haven't post any food in a while. What's been cooking in my kitchen?
I was working on some appetizers and was surprised (again) of the outcome. 

Artichokes with eggplant stuffing

I love artichokes, and I love eggplants. Today I had both and decided to combine two flavors with some cheese. Unless you have access to frozen artichokes, this is not a quick fix meal: artichokes needs to be boiled for 40-45 minutes. 
While artichokes were cooking, I baked the eggplants and sauteed two leeks. 
Then I diced the eggplants, mixed it with the leeks, seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic and dill. 
Then artichokes were filled with eggplant stuffing, sprinkled with a cheese and popped in the 425F oven for 10 min, just so the cheese is lightly browned.  
Picture (above) is not that "magazines-are-in-the-line-to-get-it-for-a-cover-page", but the taste of this little jewels is great. It melts in your mouth.


Were you winter surprised in some way?


Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Digital Times Call for Digital Measures

A very first shot...

Today I spent most of my free time  reading a new camera's manual and getting to know my new digital friend. How did it go? It went all the way to page 28 from 258 pages of the Manual. 
I feel like I am learning a new language! What did I signed up myself to with this camera? As you know, this camera was my long, a very long time dream. Such a long time that the Canon replaced several models in this line... 
No, I don't think this long each time when buying anything. It took me just a few weeks to choose a new car: I went from Toyota to ... Toyota.  
The rest of my purchases just go through my head in this order: need? buy! don't need? don't buy! 


This was a first time I was so meticulous, so detail oriented, so difficult, if you want. Reminds me of that episode in When Harry met Sally where they were in the restaurant and Sally was ordering:
"But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of the can then nothing".


Back to the camera. I am in the process of becoming a friends with her. Yes, it's a girl but she hates(!) pink, brrr... 
First, I think, she needs a name. 
It would make my relationships with her much warmer and funnier. And then I can share all my secrets with her (oh, well, maybe not all but many), and through her eyes with all of you, my friends.


So lets think of the name. Do you have any suggestions?




Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian

Give Yourself Permission to Rest

The exhale is as important as the inhale. It takes both to make a complete breath cycle. 
Learning how to relax and let go is as important as the actions we take in life. 
Because so much of our western society focuses on achievement, it is often necessary to give ourselves permission to be still and let go, even if only for a few minutes.
We can take a minute or two here and there during our busy day to close our eyes and breathe and be present, and we can give ourselves permission to relax our bodies when we lie down for a nap or for sleep. While the mind will continue to supply things to think about and process, we can give ourselves permission to relax our attention to these thoughts, and let them go by without needing to hold on and process them. 
We can relax our bodies deeper on each exhalation, and relax our attention too.

Bryan Fowler, 

Yoga Instructor at Marvin Altman 

Health and Fitness Center, Fort Smith, AR

***

Give yourself permission to rest...

Until next time, 

Cowboy Country Vegetarian