Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cilantro Mashed Potatoes, Jalapeno Gravy, and Seitan Sausage

Tonight's dinner was awesome.  And I can say this without bragging, because I didn't do a single thing.  My wonderful husband, whose culinary repertoire to this point consisted of grilled cheese and english muffin pizzas, decided to make dinner for me tonight.  I teach until 10 pm, so by the time I get home I am totally exhausted and starving and not feeling like making dinner.  But!  Tonight!  I didn't have to do a thing but sit on the couch and play with our daughter while P was cooking up a storm.  I wasn't even allowed in the kitchen!

He made cilantro mashed potatoes with a white jalapeno gravy that was spicy and creamy and delicious.  He also made a mixture of chard, corn, jalapenos, onions, garlic, plus some tomato-coriander seitan sausages I made last week.  The mixture was cooked up with a base made from jalapenos and cilantro; it was pretty spicy, but the sweetness of the corn really balanced it out.  All of the vegetables are either from our CSA or the farmers' market, and the whole thing was delicious!  I was amazed by how fantastic everything tasted and how well it worked together -- and extra-thrilled that I didn't have to do a damn thing!

P had his in layers -- corn tortilla, potatoes, gravy, and the sausage mixture on top.  I made myself a taco, with a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy on the side.  We both had seconds . . . and I might've had thirds if there'd been anything left.  



He says he intends to cook like this once a week from now on.  I am totally excited -- and will be sure to post P's contributions to our seasons of Karen.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Grilled Kale

Last weekend, we barbecued with my dad -- and he had the idea to grill some kale along with our corn and veggie burgers. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first -- but he talked me into it. And I'm so glad he did! The kale turned out amazing.

It had that delicious smokiness from the grill, and was crisp on the edges while the rest of it was still nice and soft. We made sure not to cook it too long, so the kale wasn't bitter -- and it turned out with a perfectly rich, smoky flavor.

The preparation was simple -- we tossed everything in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little bit of cayenne pepper. First, we grilled some CSA carrots and spring onions with the chopped up pieces of kale stem; once those started to get nice and soft, I threw in the leafy part of the kale. I made sure to keep stirring up the veggies so that the kale didn't get charred on one side, but the whole cooking process only took about ten minutes.


You can see our farmers' market corn and black bean burgers in the background, but the grilled kale was definitely the star of this meal! Grilled kale is definitely a must for our future barbecues!