Ginger Bok Choy & Soba

Ginger Bok Choy & Soba (page 176)
with the addition of shelled edamame

I've made a similar dish several times, except I usually use whole-wheat noodles and call it "lo mein." I enjoy bok choy very much, and it always makes a great addition to Asian-type noodle dishes. This time, I went to the trouble to especially seek out soba noodles, which are generally more expensive than the whole-wheat noodles I usually have hanging out in the cupboard.

I tossed in a few handfuls of shelled edamame for a bit of extra oomph.

This was tasty, and enjoying, and comforting. But not necessarily great or exciting. Maybe it's just because this was really nothing new for me. As I mentioned, I've fed the family something similar many times, and I'll probably make it again many more times. It's a great lazy way to use up veggies and make a one-pot meal with pantry staples.

Tempeh Helper, take 2

Tempeh Helper (page 171) with Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce (page 173)
substituting zucchini for green peas

My first attempt at the Tempeh Helper was a real disappointment. We all found the natural bitterness of the tempeh too overwhelming for the dish, and it just really wasn't even palatable. Blech. I concluded that pre-steaming the tempeh would probably be a good idea, which is exactly what I did last night. It adds an extra step, but the recipe is simple enough that it's still pretty fast to get on the table. I simply used the microwave to steam it in a dish with a little water while I began the "Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce."

I also got a great tip from Lazy Smurf in the comments from the last Tempeh Helper post: apparently, Wheatsville carries a locally made tempeh that isn't as bitter tasting. I had the opportunity to swing by Wheatsville the other day (not my usual part of town), so I picked some up. This stuff is great! Made by The Hearty Vegan, it is flavorful, yet mild. (I also picked up a package of their tempeh sausage patties, and those are awesome, too!)

I switched up the pasta this time, using whole-wheat elbow macaroni instead of tiny quinoa shells. And, I diced up a zucchini and tossed that in the pot instead of using frozen green peas.

So, in conclusion - the change in tempeh protocol and brand made a huge difference in this recipe for this family. The kids liked it a lot, and so did El Hombre. Me? I thought it was okay. I've never been a huge fan of dinner-from-a-box style foods, and of course, this recipe is modeled after Hamburger Helper. I'm not sure if I'll ever make it again, but if this kind of food is your thing, it certainly is a fast, easy weeknight meal.

Pasta de los Angeles

Pasta de los Angeles, page 177

Right off the bat, I was slightly suspicious of this dish. "Pasta goes Mexican!"? Hmmmm.

I have to say, it wasn't bad. It really wasn't great, either, but it wasn't bad. Most interesting, however, were the reactions from the rest of the family. El Hombre, who I thought for sure would be the most critical, actually seemed to like it. He said it was reminiscent of a seafood-y pasta dish (?!?), like it had those little canned cocktail shrimp in it somewhere. Huh?!? SweetPea, my nine-year old, said it reminded her of the Pasta con Broccoli, and then proceeded to douse her portion with Caesar Chavez salad dressing. Okay. SweetPotato, the seven-year old, thought it was okay, but a bit on the sour (lime) side, and the black beans were the best part. She ate the beans and left the pasta.

As for me, my reaction was "Meh." It was okay. I'm not really convinced that this is what the angels are having up there in heaven. I'd rather eat my black beans, tomatoes, and cilantro in a tortilla, or a salad, or over rice, but this was interesting to try once. I probably won't make this again.

Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto

Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto, page 174
(actually a wider pasta, more like fettucine)

My tummy is full and happy. Tonight's dinner was an all-around crowd-pleaser, with an enthusiastic thumbs-up from everyone, including both kids and the grandpapa.

I was a little concerned when I realized, halfway through making dinner, that this recipe is supposed to serve only four, and there are five of us. So I cooked up about 3/4 of a pound of pasta, instead of just a half-pound, keeping my fingers crossed that there would be enough pesto for this to work. As it turns out, there was no need for me to worry: the recipe for the edamame pesto made plenty, and by the time it was all mixed up with the pasta and sauteed mushrooms, there was plenty of pasta for everyone.

I can tell you right now that I'll be making this pesto again, and not just for smothering pasta. I'm dreaming about using it on steamed veggies, stirring spoonfuls into soups, spreading it onto sandwiches...

Tempeh Helper

Tempeh Helper, page 171

I'm bummed that this one turned out to be a disappointment for us tonight. However, I'm not willing to completely write it off; I think I might try this again, but with a minor but essential adjustment. The girls had high hopes for the Tempeh Helper, and I did, too - it seemed like such an easy peasy kid-pleaser after a long day out, when it's just me to cook and clean-up since El Hombre is out of town for work.

The problem was the tempeh. There were no instructions to pre-steam or boil the tempeh before crumbling it into the pan for browning, like most tempeh recipes, which I believe removes some of the bitterness that tempeh sometimes has. I kinda wondered about this... was it assumed that I would already know to do this step, and therefore it was not written into the recipe? Or was this step unnecessary for this recipe? I went with the theory that maybe it wasn't necessary; the recipe was, after all, billed as a quick-dump-in-the-pot kind of dish. So, I didn't steam the tempeh before cooking, and I ended up regretting that decision. The tempeh had a fairly bitter bite to it, and neither of the girls even finished their serving. Sad. They suggested maybe "Tofu Helper" would be a better idea.

Someday I might give this another go, with the extra step of pre-steaming the tempeh. Maybe.

Has anyone else tried this recipe? What did you think?

Pasta con Broccoli

Pasta con Broccoli, page 169

Well, we finally have a dud.

Isa says up front that this is "simple food," but frankly, it was just boring and bland. I even used twice as much minced garlic as what the recipe called for. To be fair, I did leave out the red pepper flakes during the cooking process, for the girls, and didn't add them in until my serving was on my plate. So I suppose it's possible that cooking the red pepper along with the garlic, thyme, and brothy-wine (or is it winey-broth?) would have lent better depth to this dish.

Speaking of the girls, they thought it was okay, so perhaps it's not fair to call this a complete flop. At least it appealed somewhat to the kid-palate.

See that sprig of basil up there? That's what saved this dinner for El Hombre and me. I added it to the dish purely for photogenic purposes at first, but ended up shredding a few leaves and adding it to the pasta on my plate. That helped tremendously.

I probably wouldn't bother making this again, but if I did, I would certainly bang it up by adding about ten times as much garlic and a handful of the shredded fresh basil.

Fusilli Roasted Veggie Primavera

Fusilli (actually, Gemelli) Roasted Veggie Primavera, pg. 167
and mixed romaine salad with oranges and red onions

We all enjoyed this very much.

I couldn't fine whole wheat fusilli at my grocery store, so I substituted whole wheat gemelli. "Gemelli" is just as fun to say as "fusilli," anyway, right?

The roasted veggies were sweet and super delicious. I did bump up the oven temperature about 25 degrees during the last half of the roasting, because I wasn't sure they would get done otherwise. It probably would have been fine.

El Hombre commented that mushrooms would have been a nice addition here. Of course he did, the silly mushroom-lover that he is. I think the "optional" fresh basil garnish was just the right thing to finish it off, in term of taste. You can't beat fresh basil.

Overall, a very nice dish. It was a very easy and forgiving recipe (For example, I didn't a have pound each of zucchini and yellow squash - it was more zucchini and less yellow squash. Who cares, right?). I've never been very enthusiastic about pasta primavera dishes in the past - usually, they seem a little boring and bland to me. But this was definitely not boring, and I'd definitely make it again.