Experimental food corner.
Jul. 20th, 2002 11:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaI wasn't very hungry this evening, but I figured it would be a bad idea to forego dinner. I was in the mood for something light, and something that would help me fill my remaining Lean Plate Club goals for the day. (I was down one serving of fruits or vegetables and one serving of whole grains, and was due for a fish-dairy-or-vegetable-protein meal.)
I found a red bell pepper in the fridge, cut the top off, scooped the seeds out, and put it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees. While it was roasting, I thawed a small handful of frozen bay scallops under hot water, cooked up some whole-wheat couscous, and minced tiny amounts of some vegetables: maybe a tablespoon of fresh tomato, a smidgen of onion, one clove of garlic. I sauteed the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, added the scallops and tomatoes, and seasoned generously with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Then I mixed it all in to the couscous. It tasted a little one-note (pepper), so I added a splash of lemon juice. That turned out to be The Very Thing.
By that time, the pepper was hot and softened but still held its shape. I spooned in the filling (there was too much) and settled down with my dinner. It was So. Good. The couscous was melt-in-my-mouth light, filling without being heavy, with buried morsels of sea-flavored goodness. The seasoning was piquant but not overbearing.
I don't know why I don't cook for myself every night.
I found a red bell pepper in the fridge, cut the top off, scooped the seeds out, and put it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees. While it was roasting, I thawed a small handful of frozen bay scallops under hot water, cooked up some whole-wheat couscous, and minced tiny amounts of some vegetables: maybe a tablespoon of fresh tomato, a smidgen of onion, one clove of garlic. I sauteed the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, added the scallops and tomatoes, and seasoned generously with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Then I mixed it all in to the couscous. It tasted a little one-note (pepper), so I added a splash of lemon juice. That turned out to be The Very Thing.
By that time, the pepper was hot and softened but still held its shape. I spooned in the filling (there was too much) and settled down with my dinner. It was So. Good. The couscous was melt-in-my-mouth light, filling without being heavy, with buried morsels of sea-flavored goodness. The seasoning was piquant but not overbearing.
I don't know why I don't cook for myself every night.
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no subject
Date: 2002-07-20 09:08 pm (UTC)I've been trying to cook Good Stuff for myself this month while my sister's gone, instead of reaching for the Cheetos. Today's main meal was a perfectly ripe Brandywine tomato, sliced in thick slabs, some rings of Walla Walla onions and a small fistful of shredded basil, served on a piece of toasted sourdough with a single slice of bacon cooked till most of the fat rendered out and it could be crumbled small. It was sooooooooo good I didn't even need any mayo.
It's hard for me to cook in small quantities - most of my favorite recipes start with an entire head of cauliflower, or four big potatoes, or a quart of stock, that sort of thing. I'm good at improvising big recipes, now I need to experiment with improvising small
Re:
Date: 2002-07-20 09:19 pm (UTC)I understand what you mean about cooking small. I learned to cook for myself alone - I was living at home, and the only vegetarian in my family - but somewhere along the line I apparently decided that it's not worth actually cooking for one.
I went through my LJ this evening and saved all of the cooking and restaurant review posts I could find as "memories." That was fun, although there weren't as many as I expected. Either I missed some, or I'm not posting enough about food.
no subject
Date: 2002-07-20 09:53 pm (UTC)I don't know why you don't cook for *me* every night.
-J
no subject
Date: 2002-07-20 10:03 pm (UTC)Delicious
Date: 2002-07-21 01:41 am (UTC)Cous cous is a wonderful food anyway.Makes note to prepare some this week.
MKS
no subject
Date: 2002-07-21 05:12 am (UTC)You never come to the table when I call you.
Re: Delicious
Date: 2002-07-21 05:19 am (UTC)Exactly.
My eating partner has a long list of food dislikes. I try to keep some of those things on hand, so that when he's away I can tell myself "here's your chance to have artichoke hearts!" or spinach, or whatever.
Re: Delicious
Date: 2002-07-21 06:15 am (UTC)MKS