food matters project: Edamame Cakes with Soy Drizzling Sauce

Whoops, I bought the shelled edamame. Well I took the time to read the recipe again while I shelled the edamame. OK,I was a little hesitant to make the recipe for this week because it reminded me of the FAILED chickpea cakes that disintegrated when they hit the oil.

So I was glad to see egg and flour are added, this should keep the cake from breaking up when it hits the oil.

My husband was planning on steaming Ling Cod in his ginger-garlic-soy steaming broth. Perfect for the edamame cakes.  He also steamed a few pork-corn dumplings...mmm!

A nice cold Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc made a nice accompaniment with our dinner.

This recipe was great and I had everything I needed without going to the store.  Yay!!!

To see other versions check out The Food Matters Project for the recipe go to Kathleen and Tom's blog!

FMP: Greek "Nachos" with Feta Drizzle

Start with the drizzle...super easy, really! OK, Greek yogurt, feta, mint, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest...blitz. Add salt and pepper...done. In between making the drizzle and toasting the pita chips, I took the extra mint and made myself a perfect Mojito!!! I served the "oh so delicious" Greek Nachos with Grilled Rosemary-Garlic Chicken...mmmmm! The recipe can be found in Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook. Download it to your Ipad, like I did, or go to http://joinmefordinner.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/greek-nachos-with-feta-drizzle/ To see other versions, go to http://thefoodmattersproject.com/2012/08/20/greek-nachos-with-feta-drizzle/#comments

the food matters project: corn-avocado salad (with a little something on top)

I really enjoyed this recipe, especially now that produce is looking so great from the Farmer's Market. The flavors are fresh and light, perfect for the warm weather we are finally experiencing here in the Northwest. The recipe can be found in Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook (buy it or borrow mine) or by going to Jenn's blog http://vanillalemon.com/2012/07/16/the-french-laundry-gardens-corn-avocado-salad/ To see the other versions, go to http://thefoodmattersproject.com/2012/07/16/corn-avocado-salad-with-a-little-something-seared-on-top/ Hope you like it!!!

the food matters project: "whoops" fig, blue cheese and pecan crostini

So, I was suppose to make one of the "updated" tea sandwich recipes, but I went one page too far and made the Pear "crostini" with spiced pecans and blue cheese. I replaced the pear for fig and made both spiced and plain pecans. Oh well...this paired nicely with a cold Riesling. For the tea sandwich recipes, go to http://dinnerwithaura.com/2012/07/02/updated-tea-sandwiches-with-chilled-avocado-radish-basil-soup/ To check out other variations of the updated tea sandwiches, go to http://thefoodmattersproject.com/2012/07/02/updated-tea-sandwiches/

Salsa!!!

“If you swap the basic proportions in your diet—increasing unprocessed fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains—you’ll wind up losing weight and improving your overall health while also improving more difficult-to-measure situations like global warming, the environment in general, and animal welfare.” ~Mark Bittman, The Food Matters Cookbook Cinco De Mayo Weekend, perfect weekend to make SALSA!!!  I actually spent Cinco De Mayo driving 4 hours with my husband and dog, to Washington State University, then moving our son out of his fraternity...ugh, then driving back.  We later celebrated Cinco De Mayo at our favorite Sushi bar.  OK, the next day, it was all Mexican all day! So I started with the Tomatillo-Black Bean Salsa, mind you, I have no idea how to pick out tomatillos.  I just picked them randomly.  I used canned organic black beans, I had no time to deal with dried beans.  I chopped everything by hand and the salsa turned out delicious. The corn salsa was a different story... First of all, corn isn't really in season yet, so the corn I bought was a bit pitiful.  My husband grilled it, but was worried the little tiny kernels would not be ale to take the heat.   The corn salsa was ok.  I'll try it again later in the summer when corn is in season.

For the recipe got to http://bigeatstinykitchen.com/2012/05/07/a-tale-of-two-salsas-basic-salsa-and-rhubarb-salsa/
To see other interesting versions go to http://thefoodmattersproject.com/2012/05/07/five-quick-salsas-for-chips-dips-and-other-stuff/#comments

Baked Rigatoni with Brussell Sprouts, Figs and Blue Cheese

This week the Food Matters Project recipe is Rigatoni with Brussell Sprouts, Figs and Blue Cheese.  The recipe was chosen by Twenty by Sixty, click here to get the recipe.  OK, I like all the stuff, but together?  We'll see...

I had hoped to get brussell spouts from the farmers market, but no luck, however, I was able to find organic brussell sprouts in the produce department at my local grocery store.  No luck with the figs, but I had frozen some, so I used those.  The figs were a little mushy, but I tasted them and their delicate flavor was still there.  I was a little worried, because dried figs were the alternative choice, and I think dried taste so different.  Oh well...

I used an Oregon Blue Cheese, Oregonzola, very yummy by the way!

I'm not a fan of whole wheat pasta, but I chose one that was organic and made in Italy, should be fine!

I have to admit, I wasn't excited for this recipe, especially since I missed the first three.  OK, not pretty, but not bad.  I had a second serving and really enjoyed it with a nice Pinot Noir. 

Give it a try!