Asparagus Dudes

Tonight's quick dinner was penne pasta with asparagus and cherry tomatoes in an alfredo-type sauce.  We had honeydew as a side.  It was my riff on the Bertollini frozen pasta dinner.

First, I boiled penne pasta in a separate pot.

I melted butter in a saute pan, added asparagus cut in 2 inch pieces, threw in some shredded parmesan, added cream.  When it was getting warm and melty, I added the pasta and the cherry tomatoes and mixed that in.

For some reason, I have it in my head that asparagus must always been steamed.  But this saute method worked well, the asparagus came out great.

I cut the cherry tomatoes in half.  I don't like my food to explode when I bite into it.

Anyway was delicious--why not with all that cream.  My son was bored though, and put the asparagus pieces into the penne pasta to make Asparagus Dudes.

This could be a split-meal for part-vegetarian families by serving slices of cooked chicken breast separately, for the meat-eaters to mix in on their plates.  My husband had to be away from us for dinner tonight, so only the youngest child wanted any meat.

Pasta, Kale, and the Kids Liked It.

Two tricks to Kale:
1. Slice it into thin strips, disguising it as an herb.
2. Serve it so there's more carb than Kale.

I cooked mine in the pot after the pasta was drained, in olive oil and then a little water to wilt it, then I threw it on top of the pasta in the strainer and mixed it in.  If you want pasta, you'll be eating kale.

At the table to assemble themselves:

• Pasta with Kale (The pasta is Campanelle instead of Penne, and it was just right.)
• Cannellini Beans (I substituted white navy beans, and warmed them in the microwave)
• Parmesan Cheese and That Fancy Olive Oil with Herbs we were given for Christmas.
• (then leftover ham for the meat eaters, deliberately sweet to counteract the kale, since meat eaters are wimps.)

sides:

• bread
• crudites
• milk.

Potato Soup with Kale Garnish

<--The mere idea of kale on the plate.
<--Yum for me; tears for her.

It's been cold and rainy. Last week I planned two dinners that didn't happen: one a mildly yellow potato soup with green salad, another garlicky greens on ziti pasta with cannellini. I still have the ingredients for both, so I decided to make the potato soup with a side of sauteed greens. It was not a hit.

Menu:
Double potato soup (sweet potatoes and regular potatoes with half-and-half)
Kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic, steamed in vegetable broth.
Toasted Wheat hamburger bun as roll.
Milk or Cranberry Juice to drink

As a family dinner, this was a fail.
I forgot about the tendency of Kale to be bitter. I love it in a creamy soup, but obviously none of the children do, not even the vegetarian with the sophisticated palate. Also, the younger half of the family hate potatoes and most soups, though I refuse to acknowledge this.

Nevertheless, I assure you it was delicious. I love that greens / starchy soup / cranberry juice triad. However, I'm not sure I'm going to love it for three lunches in a row.

Heather cooking vegetarian from scratch

I was just visiting commenter's blogs and wanted to point you to two vegetarian recipes that Heather of What's for Dinner recently posted on her site.

Kid-pleasing Chili Mac

Lynette's Vegetarian Chili that can be made in a crock-pot. I keep saying I'm going to wean myself off canned Hormel's Chili vegetarian.

When Chicken Soup is Off the Menu

My kid has a cold, severe enough to warrant missing a day or more of high school, severe enough to warrant a visit to the doctor, and severe enough that we filled a prescription for antibiotics. And I'm super conservative about antibiotics. Apparently I believe I can stop global drug-resistant TB by my reluctance to treat ear infections.

Of course, being a Mom, I want to supplement all that medical stuff with highly nutritious comfort food. The home version of the RS compassionate service dinner. Chicken Soup would be my impulse, but of course with this kid, Chicken Soup does not apply. This kid is a vegetarian. In fact, she's THE vegetarian who got us all back into this.

She likes thai yellow curry vegetarian, so this afternoon I fetched that for her.
She likes Campbell's Tomato Soup, reconstituted with milk, so I made that for her.
Tomorrow for lunch I'm making Indian Tomato Curry at her request.
Tomorrow for dinner I'm making more Thanksgiving yams. Possibly trying that other bloggernacle yam recipe I can't find now, mashed with roasted banana and maple syrup.
I thought of cream-of-butternut squash soup, and a vegetable pie with carrots.
But—I seem to be overplaying the beta-carotene. The poor kid will end up healthy but a strange shade of yellow at this rate.

Also, I'm off the rails for translating my emotions into food prep without the chicken soup. I've been offering her hot chocolate or orange soda in between her herbal tea—not exactly healthy. I made biscuits from scratch that, though light and fluffy, were not liquid enough for a sore throat. So I ate half the biscuits myself, with butter and jam, and was not comforted.

How do you do Mother with Sick Vegetarian Child?

My kids think they are vegetarians if they eat one tiny broccoli floret.

When people hear that I cook vegetarian two to three times a week, I usually get incredulous stares. “Your kids really will eat like that?” Yes they do. This was not an overnight decision. If I had sprung it on them all at once there would have been mutiny. Some days I still get a few grumbles.

Wednesdays at our house became “Spaghetti Wednesdays”, a nod to the east coast Prince Spaghetti Day (can anyone remember that commercial? Go find it on Youtube). Homemade meatless spaghetti sauce. The kids and Mr. Wonderful missed the Bolognese sauce I used to make , but they got used to it after a few weeks.

The next meatless day became Monday. Why Monday? I learned very quickly not to mess with the traditional meat-and-potatoes Sunday dinner. By Monday, I look forward to a vegetarian meal. Besides, if Monday’s dinner is a bust, there is still Family Home Evening Treat to look forward to. The only one who complains on this day is my carnivore Firstborn. He claims his 15 year old body needs more protein. When I point out the protein in the meal (legumes, grains, and certain veggies) he usually stops grumbling, at least vocally. And he eats. At my house you eat what is on the table or you starve.

Sometimes I’ll add a third meatless meal on Friday or Saturday. Pizzas on homemade whole grain crust are great meatless meal – how many kids usually prefer cheese pizza? I leave this day as optional. Since we make our own pizza, I leave the choice of topping up to each family member, making sure that I provide lots of veggie toppings and just one meat choice (usually turkey pepperoni.)

There you have it. An easy way to get started: turn your first veggie night into a learning experience. Try an ethnic vegetarian dish. Play some music from that country. Learn a few words. Tell you kids that they might serve a mission there someday (I get a few eyerolls with that one but I persevere). Start a family night tradition.


Jop Chai
Pull out your chopsticks. Find Korea on a map. Put together music and language for a family night.
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Moosewood Simple Suppers
My changes and additions in italics

4 ounces bean thread noodles
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 Cups thinly sliced onion - I like to use half white onion and half green onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage or coleslaw mix (napa cabbage or bok choy work well, too)
1 Cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 can stirfry baby corn , drained
8 ounces veggie crumbles (I make an omelet using 1 egg per person. Finish the omelet and slice thin like the veggies. Sometimes I use tofu instead. Yes, my kids eat tofu - but that's another story)

Sauce
¼ Cup low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar
½ Cup water
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Soak bean thread noodles in hot tap water to cover until softened, about 15-20 minutes. When soft, drain and cut into more easily eaten lengths, 4-5”. Toss with a little oil to keep from clumping.

While noodles are soaking, heat oil in large pan or wok, add the onions and garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and sauté for a couple of minutes. Stir in the peppers and continue to sauté until crisp-tender (add the mushrooms here). Add the veggie crumbles (or egg, and stirfry baby corn) and cook for another minute or two. Combine the sauce ingredients and add them to the vegetables. Add the drained noodles and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until noodles have absorbed most of the sauce. Serve hot.