Today is a hot day. The breeze started to cool me down only around 4:30 p.m. Before that it was only making it warmer.
I declared today a lazy day but, I also knew there were a few things to take care of. Since, I hate wasting food, I knew I had to cook some string beans, some eggplants and a forgotten zucchini.
I sauteed onions in olive oil, added some chopped tomatoes and cooked the string beans in my pressure cooker. I like this cold but, it can also be eaten warmed up. I am going to pan fry the eggplants and the zucchini. I have already cubed them but, the eggplants are soaking in salty water to get rid of the bitter taste. This will also be a cold dish I think I will have this with garlic, yogurt sauce. These are for tomorrow. I should pull out a frozen steak for tomorrow from the freezer.
Tonight, I am having Tom Kha Soup, some mushrooms (broiled in the toaster oven) and the remaining okra (in the oven too).
So far, it has been a successful week in terms of eating out of the freezer. I have two steaks, two portions of frozen falafel and a bag of frozen okra left to be consumed before my trip. The falafel was too salty. I am not going to buy that brand again. As I go through stuff in my freezer and pantry, I am making a list of groceries that I should buy after I come back home. I have a little butter and a little olive oil left. I need to stretch the olive oil till I go on my vacation. I have 3 cans of olive oil, 2 lt each but just do not want to open one and then leave for 6 weeks. Not that it will go bad or anything, but, still...
While I was cooking today, I dropped a bottle and broke it into a million pieces. Ugh! I hate cleaning up broken glass but, I had it coming. I should have just put the bottle back in it's place before tackling the veggies. Thankfully, it was empty.
I better go get started with the eggplants. Hope, everyone is having a great weekend.
breaking and trying to clean up glass is one of the worst things, isn't it? Enjoy your lazy day.
ReplyDeleteI still keep seeing tiny fragments in different light. Ugh!
DeleteHi Tpol. We are at the hotel on the beach in Long Island but unfortunately the weather is terrible. I made falafel from scratch this past week, had some and left the rest in the freezer for next time. I just dump everything in the food processor. I used to make them from cooked chickpeas but it learned from a Lebanese friend to use only soaked chickpeaI. I had the best falafel iin 2016 in Budapest because they were very small and super crispy. Here, in the states, the eggplant are sweet and no longer need to be soaked in order to get rid of bitterness. A bientot.
ReplyDeleteHey Farah! Soory about the weather. However, getting away even for a little while is still good. Enjoy your weekend! When you get a chance (definitely not now), please share your falafel recipe in one of your comments. I like to bake them though. I try to avoid fried food despite loving it.
DeleteThanks for the idea of the garlic/yoghourt sauce!!! I haven't had that for ages. And today I picked loads of tomatoes from my garden and my neighbour handed me (yet another) bag of green beans so I think I know what I will be eating tomorrow. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Garlic yogurt sauce is so common here. I love plain yogurt. However some dishes go better with garlic yogurt. Garlic is by no means a socially suitable herb but, in these days of social distancing, it is acceptable I guess.
DeleteI understand trying to get rid of things before leaving. I forgot to ask you the other day, how did you like the okra?
ReplyDeleteTry doing the falafel in the air fryer with just a little oil spritz. It should work.
Oh yes! I thanked you in a previous post. I loved it this way. I do not have an air fryer so, I just made it in my toaster oven.
DeleteHi Tpol. I soak about half a pound of chickpeas overnight or 2 hours in boiling water if I forgot to do it overnight. Drain and put them in a food processor, I add at least 2 bunches of scallions ( I use the green and white part), any herbs you like ( parsley, fresh coriander, chives, a little menthe), a glove of garlic, cumin, black pepper, and salt to your taste. Pulse all together until you obtain a coarse meal. The mixture should be very green. I form a flat little patties that I pan fry with just a little oil to make them very crisp. I pan fry just what I need. I keep the rest in the refrigerator for couple of days or in the freezer for longer. This kind of falafel have a lot of resistance starch that acts like fiber since the chickpeas are not really cooked. I recently made them with tons of scallions chives from my garden, a little menthe and they were fantastic. Toaster oven works very well too. I air fry in my toaster oven all the time when I put it on toast. You have the heat from the top and the bottom. I used the air fryer in my daughter’s house and don’t really see a difference. Have a nice trip with your friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Farah! I will try it as soon as I get back. I copied and pasted it in a folder.
DeleteOh, garlic yogurt sauce? What do you put in it? Fresh garlic, and yogurt for sure, but what else? I'm intrigued. I make one with dill and feta... But I'm always looking for new recipes...
ReplyDeleteHonestly just a little salt, crushed garlic and yogurt. That is all. This is a favorite on top of meat filled ravioli or fried zucchini, eggplants or peppers. When I use it over my ravioli, I add crushed peppers, dried mint leaves and sumac to my plate. And then on top of all, melted butter which is close to burning but, not quiet. So much different than what you have tasted before. You can use garlic yogurt sauce to make any bland food edible. So, it is great to use while trying to lose weight. I sautee dark green leafy veggies with onion and top them with it too. Very healthy.
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