This enticed me outside for the whole afternoon, enjoying the sunshine while tidying up the yard and keeping an eye out for more signs of spring - such as these little beauties. Knowing that once outside, I would not want to have to either take time away from enjoying the fresh air and sunshine nor would I want to wait for supper... I simply put veggie chili in the crockpot for supper. I cooked a pot of wild/brown rice blend at lunchtime and put it in the fridge until time for supper to be served with the chili. Cooking and cooling the rice ahead of time makes sense because: 1. it saves time; 2. it cools the piping hot chili down enough that the family doesn't end up losing the skin off their tongues as they gobble down their dinner! I'm happy to say that dinner tonite was simple and filling. I served homemade 9- grain bread (which I brushed with olive oil and minced garlic before placing in the oven under the broil element to lightly toast it) alongside the rice & chili. Very simple and best of all ready to eat when we came in starving from outside.
I also decided to treat the boys with a favourite dessert tonite. (This just supports my son J's statement that I always serve the "good stuff" when we have friends over. So, I guess this pudding was made in your honour, L!)
Sorry about the sideways photo - I was in a hurry to get the shot before the boys got a hold of the pudding and inhaled it. Chocolate stove top pudding made with soymilk and maple syrup is always a hit at this house and it is very easy to make. I love simple meals.
This enticed me outside for the whole afternoon, enjoying the sunshine while tidying up the yard and keeping an eye out for more signs of spring - such as these little beauties. Knowing that once outside, I would not want to have to either take time away from enjoying the fresh air and sunshine nor would I want to wait for supper... I simply put veggie chili in the crockpot for supper. I cooked a pot of wild/brown rice blend at lunchtime and put it in the fridge until time for supper to be served with the chili. Cooking and cooling the rice ahead of time makes sense because: 1. it saves time; 2. it cools the piping hot chili down enough that the family doesn't end up losing the skin off their tongues as they gobble down their dinner! I'm happy to say that dinner tonite was simple and filling. I served homemade 9- grain bread (which I brushed with olive oil and minced garlic before placing in the oven under the broil element to lightly toast it) alongside the rice & chili. Very simple and best of all ready to eat when we came in starving from outside.
I also decided to treat the boys with a favourite dessert tonite. (This just supports my son J's statement that I always serve the "good stuff" when we have friends over. So, I guess this pudding was made in your honour, L!) Sorry about the sideways photo - I was in a hurry to get the shot before the boys got a hold of the pudding and inhaled it. Chocolate stove top pudding made with soymilk and maple syrup is always a hit at this house and it is very easy to make. I love simple meals.
7 comments:
Hey Katherine, you must give me your chili recipe, L said it is WAY better than any I have ever made!
What a compliment! Thanks L! And here I was apologizing to the guys that I didn't think I got the seasoning just right... Nicola you will laugh when I tell you how easy this chili is. Two cans of mixed beans (I wasn't smart enough to plan ahead and soak beans), 1 jar organic pasta sauce with garlic, one chopped onion, 4 grated carrrots, 2tsp. ea. of dried basil and oregano and 1tsp. of chili powder (had to cut back on the chili powder as last time I seem to have overdosed it and made it quite blecky with cumin)
I could tell there was plenty of garlic in it, because L has been breathing on me!
Oooops! Forgot to tell you that I added chopped mushrooms to the chili this time (don't tell my boys that they were eating them - they insist that they hate mushrooms and are always asking me to delete them from my cooking and have been known to abandon the 'shrooms at the side of their plates whenever they spot them). I usually have sweet peppers in the list of ingred. but didn't have any and I guess they weren't missed. Seems my chili varies a bit each time I make it... uh-oh, that makes me sound like I have Heather's cooking style....
The garlic overload was on the bread ;o)
What do you mean "uh-oh" I have Heather's style of cooking? It's a good thing! No worries over missing ingredients, no fussing, just wing it, and it seems to me that your meal got rave reviews. So there you go, proof positive that my style of cooking is good, not "Uh-oh". Sheesh!
You knew you were going to hear from me on that, didn't you?
Could we also have your pudding recipe?
Hey in your yard clean up did you bag up any pine needles you don't want? I am on the look-out for pine needles.
I'd love your pudding recipe too please!!
I have to say though, that is a pretty cruel mushroom trick you pulled on your boys. As a fellow fungi-loather, I object to this kind of trickery!! ;o)
Knew that I'd hear from Heather about my avant garde chili recipe and also from Samantha regarding the devious inclusion of mushrooms...hee hee
Pudding recipe:
2c vanilla soymilk
2Tbsp. cocoa powder
2-3Tbsp cornstarch
apprx. 1/4 c maple syrup (how much sweetner depends on your personal taste - know that as you add more syrup you will likely need to increase the amt. of cornstarch for it to thicken)
Whisk 1/2c soymilk with the dry ingred. and then add the maple syrup while you warm the 1 1/2c soymilk in a saucepan set at med./low heat. Whisk in the sweetened cocoa mixture with the warmed up soymilk. Continue whisking to prevent burning (of course you could just use a double boiler to avoid this possibility... but I like living on the edge ;O)
As the mixture heats up the pudding will thicken -just keep whisking it until this happens and then remove the saucepan from the heat and let pudding sit covered for at least 10min. This waiting bit is the toughest (but serves the purpose of letting the pudding set up a bit). Now you can serve it up... Enjoy!
Post a Comment