Lemon's Kitchen

Motherhood hasn’t stopped me from cooking, but it did keep me away from blogging. With my oldest in kindergarten and my youngest almost eight months old, it’s time to get back to the computer to share my cooking adventures.

My latest plan is to make better use of my cookbooks. I’m committing to one new cookbook recipe per week for 2014. The first recipe of the year was Garlic Lovers’ Lentil Soup from Lorna Sass’ Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. Lentil soup is often boring to me, but this recipe is full of flavor and very satisfying. Excellent leftovers, too! I’m finding that I use the pressure cooker more than the slow cooker, and I love being able to produce a healthy meal even when the day is ultra busy. I’m sure I’ll be trying more recipes from this book very soon.

Wishing you a very happy 2014!

Some last chance basil inspired this dish.  I decided to only remove the thick stems and try making pesto in the Vitamix, which turned out nicely. I don’t follow a recipe anymore, but the ingredients stay pretty much the same: basil, almonds, garlic, olive oil, water, and salt.  Use more water if you want something lower in fat, use more olive oil if you want something more traditional.

My favorite helper worked with me on this creation

Tuesday is usually the day I do the bulk of my grocery shopping and run errands, and by the end of the day I’m feeling a tad lazy. No surprise that Tuesday also happens to be the day I resort to “cheater” recipes —something not-quite-homemade, but with a homemade twist.  Last week’s inspiration came from my buddy Phil, who sells the most delicious bread at my local farmers’ market.  I just knew the onion focaccia would go well with my leftover confit and some Tofurky sausage. I steamed up some broccoli while the pizza baked and managed to sneak in a few rounds of Word Feud as well. Not too shabby!

Fall is a lovely time of year, but it brings with it the gloomy reminder that winter is near. I’m usually the one in complete denial that summer is over, and I desperately hold onto that until that first craving for hot apple cider kicks in.  Thankfully these cool October days lure me into the kitchen and the organic offerings at my local farmers’ market were easily transformed into this elegant dinner. I started with an eggplant and tomato confit, which is a favorite recipe from Richard Olney’s Lulu’s Provençale Table. It’s very simple: basically chop up a mountain of eggplant and a mountain of tomatoes and cook them down with a touch of olive oil, salt, and herbs. I don’t bother peeling the tomatoes and I don’t always cook everything down completely.  Serve the confit with some seasoned rice and some Field Roast sausage, and you have a meal that tastes like you started cooking at 6 a.m. Any leftover confit will go great on pizza later on.

Seasoned Camargue Rice

• 1 C Camargue white rice (or any long-grain white rice)
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Boil two cups of water.  Stir in rice, oil, and seasonings. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit for approximately 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to start my own blog!  I’ve been cooking since I was old enough to pull a chair up to the kitchen counter, and I have very fond memories of cooking with my mother….be it preparing a simple meal, baking a cake, or canning.  My tastes and cooking styles have changed along the way, but the passion remains. These days I go for easy, plant based, and reasonably healthy dishes that will (hopefully) appeal to my loved ones.

Thank you for joining me in my food adventures.