Saturday, July 15, 2006

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!


14 comments:

karen said...

The casserole looks delicious, I love quinoa. You are so right, real men do dishes! I have a card from a friend that has pictures of a man doing dishes, vacuuming, doing laundry and cooking. I keep it up on my mirror :)

You are so cute in your overalls. I would so love some of those brussel sprouts. Sauteed in some olive oil in a cast iron pan with a little sea salt- yum!

KleoPatra said...

Love yer overalls, Dori. You are lookin' G-O-O-D. "Farmer's image" or whatever, you look great in the garden, doin' something that brings you pleasure. It doesn't get much better than that, Dori!

Nice that the guys help out. That's what it's all about... or at least that's some of what it SHOULD be all about.

The casserole looks so good. I haven't had a casserole in YEARS!!

urban vegan said...

Dori, you should open a bed & breakfast. I say this selfishly, because I want to come over, eat your food, & help out in the garden, --all wearing vegan-chic overalls!

I find it appalling that most people--country, suburban or urban--are so far removed from the food they consume. Your blog proves it isn't hard to live a healthy, cruelty-free life and make a difference.

[And what nice men-around-the-house you have.]

Anonymous said...

Dori, you are such a cutie pie. I second Urban Vegan about the bed & breakfast!

How do you make your dilly beans? My mom used to make them a long time ago and I loved them but she doesn't have the recipe anymore.

Carrie™ said...

Oh Dori, I'm so envious. When I used to live in a house I had a garden and I used to spend hours in it. It's so soothing and therapeutic. Your leafy green "stuff" looks awesome! I'm with the other girls on the B&B - can I book a room?

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

count me in for the bean snapping party! "byoo" (bring your own overalls) LOL! i adore the overalls, but not as much as your message, "use your buying power to support what you believe in"

what's matt cooking next?

Eat Peace Please said...

First of all, you look super-pretty in your overalls! I like your "image" as you call it.

Next, I totally agree with you about buying and using what you believe in. I would love to help run some large cruel-corporate places out of business as well as supporting the good ones and I think it's wonderful how you put it.

I am like Melissa in the way that I hate parts of doing dishes. For some reason I never mind rinsing and cleaning, I just mind the putting away part of it. I am looking forward to what you make with all that swiss chard. And that casserole sounds great to me (of course an oven is necessary) and I like my veggies diced or chopped small too.

MeloMeals said...

You are so pretty and don't have the "farmer" imgage at all to me.. (at least not my farmer image!)

You have a real gift. I am so inspired by you.

Dori said...

I am totally flattered and am reminded of what Mark Tqwain once said, "A really good compliment can keep me going for several months." I am good to go for sometime now!

I told Dave about that bed and breakfast thing, he laughed and added that we'd be rather unique... the only vacation in which gals can come and get their own pair of vegan-chic overalls to take home with them. Funny, but we do have a five year plan with our little business and one includes having a room for rent at the bakehouse. It's far from becoming yet, but it is past the brainchild stage.

"are so far removed from the food they consume", you are so right and it is very, very sad!

BYOB (bring your own bucket)... I'm counting you in Vicki! :)

Dilly Beans, I'll post this recipe very soon. It comes from the book SUMMER IN A JAR: Making pickles, jams and more by Andrea Chesman. I love this book because you can make just one quart or pint of your favorite goodies instead of the massive recipes you see in some other books. Andrea has some other great garden and cooking books to, worth checking them out!

karen said...

Dori- we totally could have a feast! But I would have you make that roast that looks amazing to go with all our veggies! How did you prepare your brussels? I cooked the green beans in some of the broth from my seitan with sliced mushrooms, yum.

Amy O'Neill Houck said...

You look so great in your garden and with all your veggies!! I came home to my man cleaning up from dinner tonight too--isn't that great!!

TS said...

My hubby helps with cooking and dishes. He's a great guy, even if he is still omni. :)

Great pics, Dori. I like your image, too. And your veggies look good. :)

I agree that that casserole needed something else. I used a garlic hummus. Mine held together just fine, though. I couldn't get fennel here, either, so had to sub.

TS said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Harmonia said...

I NEED to make this!!! LOVE the overalls btw!