Happy Hour

Tuesday night we had a neighborhood Happy Hour at Shiso Tavern. Got to meet a few more locals.  I started with a Peach Bellini and an order of Vegetable Spring Rolls to split with Tommy.  They were nice and crunchy.  For the main course I ordered the Tofu Pad Thai.  I have never had Pad Thai before.  There were lots of noodles with friend chunks of tofu surrounding the bowl.  After I had about 2/3 of the dish I noticed something that was not tofu or a vegetable. EGG.  It was not distributed throughout the dish so I probably ate very little. So when I get home I look up recipes for Pad Thai and see that egg is a common ingredient for the dish.  Live and learn.

At breakfast on Wednesday, I started making new dishes.  First up was a Zucchini Breakfast Scramble. It was similar to the other ones I have made.Sauteed onion, garlic and zucchini were added to cubed firm tofu. Chili powder and soy sauce were the spices.  This was served on top of a sprouted wheat english muffin and topped with Watermelon Salsa.

For dinner, I had a saute of butternut squash, onion and kale with walnuts and dried cranberries. Some veggie stock, lemon zest and juice, and soy sauce were the sauce. The original recipe was from a fitness magazine.  My only adjustment was leaving off the crumbled goat cheese, though I did add it Tommy's plate.  I am finding that I am using certain staples a lot more than I did before.  A bottle of Tamari (type of soy sauce) would last several months, now it lasts several weeks. I am miso paste for soups and dressings.  I never really used it before. I am also  keeping a good stock of vinegars - rice, sherry, apple cider, and balsamic.  I use at least one every day. Fresh lemons and limes are a must have. I keep several vinaigrettes on hand for salads - miso, soy ginger, and balsamic maple are some of my favs. I will be making more this week.  Tahini, a sesame paste, is very useful for hummus and chickpea dishes.