I went to a yoga class this morning and then went to work to teach a class about eating less meat and transitioning to vegetarianism. It was a fun class with lots of samples- my favorite kind!
Then I picked up some fresh produce and headed home. I was a little frustrated for a while because our house has been pretty messy lately. But I sucked it up and just started cleaning. I don't want to say how long it has been since I've mopped, so let's just say that it's a seasonal activity and winter was not the mopping season.
As a reward for mopping (why not?), I made myself a super awesome vegetable-centric dinner right before I mopped the kitchen. Then I took my food out on the deck when I was done and ate while watching the blue jays gather all the food the squirrels knocked out of the bird feeder. The lilacs and the apple tree have buds on them!
Now I'm relaxing with some Late July Vanilla Bean and Green Tea sandwich cookies, some almond milk, and season 1 of House, MD from the library- I can't think of much that is more fun than that!
My dinner was inspired by some rockin' good food I tasted from the Mississippi Market deli today. When you work at the same co-op for a long time, the deli food can get kind of boring sometimes. But I ALWAYS look forward to the spicy cucumber and peanut salad.
And now I'm also in love with the Green Beans Pomodoro. So I tried to replicate them at home. Sure, I could probably ask our deli manager for the recipe...but that'd be cheating! It's much more fun this way!
Green Beans Pomodoro
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 pound fresh green beans, tipped and tailed
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup drained canned tomatoes (I had fire roasted ones open)
sprinkle of salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl around bottom of pan. Add the green beans and cook, stirring a few times, until bright green with some browned sides. Then turn off the flame and add the garlic and tomatoes. Let the residual heat from the pan lightly cook the green beans for a minute or two more. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and top with the fresh basil. Serve hot or cold.
I didn't really write down measurements for the Spicy Cucumber Salad, but here are my approximations:
Spicy Cucumber Salad
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup roasted and salted peanuts
1/2 jalapeno, with seeds!
3 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
2 green onions, minced
Sprinkling of seasoned rice vinegar
Salt to taste
Combine everything and refrigerate until ready to eat. Tastes best after marinating a bit.
4 comments:
what a great reward for mopping! also, your mopping schedule sounds like mine... ours broke sometime in early winter and i have yet to purchase a new one. eep! it makes me more angry by the day, just to look at it. yet...i still have not gotten a new mop.
Those dishes do sound great! Especially after a hard days work.
I absolutely despise mopping. It's our deal that my boyfriend mops and I clean the toilets. I'd rather clean five toilets than mop the kitchen.
mm, those salads sound great! as does some relax time with vanilla cookies and almond milk. :D
Thanks for the salad recipes - yum! I absolutely love green beans.
Haha on the mopping being seasonal. I can totally understand. Dusting is a seasonal thing for me (only in odd numbered years - hee hee).
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