Meatless Monday, halfway

Hey friends! I hope that wherever you are, you're having as gorgeous a Monday as we are here in the Mitten. It has been cheerfully sunny all day, and I'm happy about it. Also, I may be in denial about the stack of to-be-graded papers that is really not shrinking as fast as it needs to. Ok, maybe not at all.

But of course, we are in denial, and so we will turn our attention to far more entrancing matters, like dinner.

Doesn't this meatless pasta dish look incredible? Penne, cauliflour and cheesy, mustard-y goodness. I'm totally sold on this one.

Ok, so I know that this lovely-looking salad isn't completely "meatless" (there's tuna in it), but it just is so pretty. Also, I'm sure that you could sub out the tuna and add in more greens, or maybe a different type of bean, to round it out. This is a dinner that just screams spring, don't you think?

What about you? What are you planning for dinner this week?

Meatless Monday: lemons and legumes

Hey all! Glad to be back posting another Meatless Monday. I confess, our diet has been pretty crazy this past week: Jake is working on thesis stuff, and I'm trying to grade my butt off so that I can truly have a real break over spring break. I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the grading tunnel! So, in that spirit, here are the meatless meals I'm planning to try this week:

Definitely still yearning for comfort food (the grading is halfway done...but still only halfway!), and so I am excited to try these black bean, avocado and goat cheese beauties.

And because the grading still calls, I'll need to make a big batch of something that we can eat off of for a couple of days, like this Moroccan chickpea salad. It looks so fresh, yet filling.

Still, what's a springy, comfort-food-ish week without desserts? (which, we all know, make the perfect antidote for stressed people;) I'm dying to try this lemon yogurt cake from Ina Garten, it will hit just the right note, I think.

What about you? Making any cool meatless dishes this week?

meatless monday: strawberries!

Ever since last summer, I've had the gnawing urge to get a strawberry pot. It all started when I was minding my own business, milling about the farmer's market. I was drawn to a farmer who was selling herbs and strawberries in pots. I chatted with him about how much work these plants would be to keep alive, about my "black thumb" and eventually, I walked away in a fit of nervous laughter and excuses.

Obviously, I'm haunted by this exchange. Or, as I often cast it in my memory, a missed opportunity. At this point (having managed to keep the plant alive, of course), I could be up to my elbows in strawberries. Like Tina from blissful eats, I could be making cakes full of the tiny, jewel-like fruits. 

I could be feeding my secret scone-obsession with these pillow-like treats Deb made.

But most of all, I could be re-creating one of my favorite salads of all time. It is not on any website (that I know of). It is a recipe that my friend, Jenni, and I learned while staying at a host-home outside of London.  It was invented by a super-cool, super-creative bartender-girl who had invented it, and who shared it with us:

• Mix of greens (dark, like spinach, with crunchy, like romaine)
• red onion
• ripe strawberries
• fresh feta cheese
• cooked couscous (or I like quinoa)
• plain yogurt (I like the Greek kind)
• Optional additions: greenhouse cucumber--chopped, bell pepper--chopped, drizzle of olive oil

Best. Salad. Ever. Try it, and let me know what you think! 

Meatless Monday

Happy Monday, friends! I am fixin' to head home, dodging some raindrops along the way. I am thankful it is rainy here in the Mitten today, because the pre-rain is so, so sticky.

Blech.

But now, the rain brings a sweet coolness to the air, and the dull ache in my head subsides.

Ah.

image source

Tonight, I had had the mind to make the Barefoot Contessa's Middle Eastern Salad.  For humid weather, it's the best: lemony-herby-crunchy-cool.

But now that it's raining and chilly, I am thinking something more along the lines of this Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili. 

That might take too long, though. I might have to whip up some popcorn to hold me over. My newest obsession? One of these mini-bags with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. 

Also, I have a pint of blueberries I need to use up. I saw these bars on Martha Stewart's website and now my mouth is watering. Except, I don't have any buttermilk. Any suggestions for what to make with blueberries?

Happy Monday, everyone!