A brown bag special: Me, He and Quinoa Casserole

WHAT'S IN THE BAG TODAY?
Personally if I was just cooking to keep myself happy, I would make a loaf of bread a week and have a variety of soups. I might make a batch of something sweet once a week or maybe make some jelly for my bread. But I'm not cooking just for myself and my family EATS... alot! I guess that just gives me alot to blog about. If it can encourage another family to support socially conscious eating practices as well as join the effort to STARVE cruel factory farming practices, I will do my part and take as many along with me as I can entice. My blog proves a family DOES HAVE choice.... use your buying power to supports the what you believe in. Once you do "it's all in the bag", just take it home and eat it. And now for the rest of the story....

Next, here I am checking in the green beans... Dave snuck the camera out saying it's time you all saw me for once. A while ago I commented about needing to lose my farmer Dori image, now you see what I am talking about. Okay I confess to the world now that I love wearing overalls. I have all sorts of natural colors, although once I had a bright red pair, varying pant lengths and even long and short dresses made this way. Okay, pay "back"....

IN FRONT OF EVERY GOOD WOMAN...
It is often said that behind every good man is an even better woman... today I'll prove that and show you that this even better part is armed with a camera. My main man (in the green) is standing beside my second best (My son Matthew in the red). This is 6' and 6'3"ness of great guy-dom doing the dishes like all "real" men do. Yes, if real women eat tofu quiche, real men do dishes duty. My daughter always takes out the trash... "anything but the dishes please" is her motto.

So, what are we eating now?
This is my version of Dreena/s Quinoa Hummous Casserole from the Vive Le Vegan cookbook. Another great recipe to use up a little zucchini AND quinoa with other garden abundance (or CSA shares). I thought it needed a little something more decorative on the top, so I sprinkled it with seasoned bread crumbs to make a slightly crispy crust and I like my veggies diced or small. This is good stuff!

The bottom is quinoa, cooked in my rice maker.... 2 Cups grain, 4 Cups water and 1 tsp sea salt. Veggie bouillon instead of water would make the base of this casserole more flavorful, so I will change this the next time I make it. Then the next layer is hummous... I used Dreena's Yam Hummous, it is a pretty orange color. This hummous offers the casserole a lemon tartness, but I think a roasted red pepper hummous with a more complex savory flavor would be sublime! Next comes the roasted veggies. I did roast these prior to making my casserole and stored in the frig until I was ready to assemble this meal. In the roasted veggies Dreena uses fennel, which I had no access to so I roasted 2 cups cauliflour sprinkled with 1 tsp ground fennel seed, 4 cups diced zucchini, sliced red pepper, and a few mushrooms along with the rest of her seasonings.

Personal note: I like a casserole to stay together at the base to make nice square serving portions. I think that I will use a base of 1/4 cups oat bran and 1 3/4 cup quinoa grain with 4 cups good salty veggie broth to the rice maker to see if it will give it the cohesiveness I want in the base. This meal is a good use of quinoa, I like it.... I think that is the second time I said that!

One more picture... dirty face and overalls, I hold nothing back here. You can also see what's coming up soon on my table. I have brussel sprouts and swiss chard here. I made 12 jars of dilly beans today and have to deal with about 15 pounds of green beans this evening yet.

I'm so glad to be home from the sorority house and all day class. I learned alot, but it is hard to sit for such long periods of time. I know that learning is great, but must say living is better! Luna I'll put up links to pictires of my campus and soroity house soon. Glad you visited!

Have a good weekend...... green bean snapping party at my house!