What I've been reading

"Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior" by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. A great resource for understanding how animals think and just a fun read.

and

"Sweetness in the Belly" by Camilla Gibbs. When an English girl is orphaned while she and her parents are visiting Morocco, she is raised Muslim by a local holy man. She later travels to Ethiopia where she falls in love in the middle of a political crisis. LOVED this book. I think it'll be one of my favorite reads of the year.

My full comments here.

Healthy/veggie recipes online

Moosewood is a mostly vegetarian (there are some fish dishes) restaurant in NY, and they also have published a series of cookbooks focusing on wholesome ingredients, lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. I have their "Moosewood Cooks at Home." I made the "Easy Artichoke Sauce" last night and served it over cheese ravioli last night and it was FABULOUS, definitely a keeper.

I found an archive of Moosewood recipes online that I thought some on my FL would appreciate. The artichoke recipe isn't on there, but I can post it if there's any interest. Lots of other good vegetarian/vegan/pescetarian recipes here.

I've actually been doing a lot of home-cooking lately. It heats up the kitchen, but this is also the time of year for great local produce. I've been having fun cooking and baking and assembling food with food I either grew myself (basil, peppers, dill) or that I bought locally from farm markets or U-pick places (peas, cukes, berries).

-Cheesecake brownies.

-Sweet & sour veggies (peapods that I picked myself locally, carrots and broccoli) over brown rice.

-Taco salad. These are surprisingly filling!

-Lots of fruit salads. Pit fruits are in season right now.

-Black cherry & apricot muffins. This was also from a Moosewood recipe. I think I'll use just a tad more sugar next time, and will bake them about 2 minutes less. They were good, but just a tad on the dry side, so I think I overbaked them a little bit.

-Homemade pizza with whole wheat crust and peppers I grew myself. This was a little disappointing because the crust stuck to the pan, but it tasted good.

-Tried my hand at homemade alfredo sauce recently, not something I've made more than once or twice. It turned out strangely thick and cheesy rather than thinner and more creamy, but it was still good. I served it over whole wheat rotini with sauteed mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkled chopped fresh basil (that I grew myself!) onto it. I served it with homebaked mini garlic loaves on the side. I had leftover whole wheat pizza crust, and I formed it into four mini-loaves of bread, brushed them with garlic butter and baked them for 12-13 minutes. They were really good to sop up the alfredo sauce.

-Caprese sandwiches made with the leftover garlic loaves. I had two of the garlic loaves which were made from the leftover pizza dough. I cut them in half, layered them with low-fat mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, fresh basil (that I grew myself) and drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a trickle of store-bought Greek dressing. I wrapped them up tightly in saran wrap and let them marinade overnight, and then had them for lunch the next day.

-Pita pizzas with banana peppers and basil that I grew myself as well as organic mushrooms from the store.

-Omelets with dill (from my yard), basil (that I'm growing in a pot in my screened porch) and a mix of sharp cheddar and smoked gouda. The smoky gouda is becoming a favorite cheese for inclusion in omelets.

-Fish sandwiches in the style of McDonald's, only better. We had guests coming, and based on our diet (pescetarian) and their food preferences (nothing too scary or unfamiliar), I got it in my head that I was going to make fish filet sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and green salad for dinner. I bought these organic fish filets from Whole Foods and J. picked out some fantastic soft puffy sesame buns, and we got tartar sauce. Cooked the filets in the toaster oven and served them on the buns with slices of cheddar cheese and tartar sauce on the side. The mac n cheese was from a box. Made green salad with cuke slices, shredded carrots and yet more cheese (sharp cheddar).

-My own sorta-kinda fattoush. I had stale restaurant pitas in the freezer, and I seasoned them and baked them into pita chips in the toaster oven. I added them to salad greens, added sliced cukes, and then dressed the salad with a weird dressing I made up. I was going to make it completely from scratch and then realized we were out of vinegar. So, instead, I took a tablespoon or two of store-bought Greek salad and added a bunch of dried mint and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice, and shook it together. It wasn't terribly authentic, but it had the right punch of mint and lemon that I like in a good fattoush, so it worked.

-Peanut-ginger pan-fried noodles with tempeh and veggies. This was partly from a package. J. bought a kit with noodles and spices and some canned Asian veggies (baby corn, bamboo shoots, etc.). I added tempeh that I marinated in a ginger-garlic-soy mix, as well as homegrown peppers and frozen organic broccoli to the mix. The sauce from the packet added some peanutty-chile goodness. I'd definitely try that again.