ICE CREAM!!!

Date: 01/17/2011

Cook:  Jen C.
Menu: Onion and Lentil Soup with Caramelized Cabbage, Green Salad...but that isn't what is important.  What matters is that this mealgroup night involved ICE CREAM SAMPLE TIME!!!

So good, flavorful and warming!

Never underestimate the deliciousness of a simple green salad with beets and yummy dressing.

The soup was frickin' delicious, I have no idea how Jen pulled that magic off, especially since she spent the day in NYC shopping for a gelato freezer for her newest endeavor, ICE CREAM.  We lucked out in that Jen C.'s vendor just so happened to be bringing her samples that day, so for dessert we chowed down on:

YES!

YES!

YES!

 My favorite was peanut butter fudge, no surprise there.  What was surprising was how much I like the cinnamon raisin.  That was my second favorite.  The blueberry was also delectable. 

That night we had a big ice storm.

My trusty steed

Mango BBQ Beans with Coconut Squash Rice

Packed up and ready to roll!

 

 

Date: 01/13/2011

Cook:  Jen G.
Menu: Mango BBQ Beans with Coconut Squash Rice and Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Super tasty, pretty simple/straightforward -- what else could a girl ask for?  I actually like the rice recipe way more than I thought that I would so it might be a repeat soon, since we just got another butternut squash in our produce share.  Both the Mango BBQ Beans and the Coconut Squash Rice are from Appetite for Reduction.

Quinoa, Kale and Bean Stew and Biscuits

 

Date: 01/12/2011

Cook:  Rachel
Menu: Quinoa, Kale and Bean Stew and Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I cannot thank Rachel enough for dinner tonight!  I was so hungry when I got back from romping in the snow (add air quotes if you please -- I am not really the snow romping type) with my kid.  You know that kind of hungry where you feel like you have just been out in some really cold weather for quite a while and now you want to fill yer pie hole with something warm and comfort-y?  Yeah?  Then I really must recommend this meal to you!  We got home to find our meal awaiting us, and that was such a wonderful moment! The tasty stew was full of vegetables and hearty goodness, and the biscuits complemented it perfectly. 

We worked up an appetite doing wintery things like this...

...and came home to eat this!  YAY! (again, poor photo does not do nom food justice)

Enchiladas

Yeah, not the best looking picture, but it was tasty as heck.

Date: 01/10/2011
Cook:  Jen C.
Menu: Enchiladas with Cabbage-Carrot Slaw

Jen C. gave us the hook up with some really delightful enchiladas this evening.  Even the kid said, "oh, those look GREAT!" when we opened the container.  (He also enthusiastically told his dad upon the latter's arrival home from work, "IT IS A MEALSHARE NIGHT!! AND JEN MADE US ENCHILADAS!!")  The sauce was supergood and a brilliant use of leftovers from a brunch that Rachel and her partner hosted yesterday (Rachel did this awesome thing where she created a make-your-own-ranchero station).

I spent all day and evening working on a project that is due this weekend, and then had a steering committee meeting to go to for a local grassroots environmental group.  It was a joy to not have to worry about providing dinner tonight-- I am grateful for meal group.  Thanks!

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Tamarind Quinoa

Date: 01/06/2011
Cook:  Jen G.
Menu: Curried Cauliflower Soup with Tamarind Quinoa

Jen G. here!  I was so lucky to get two fabulous cookbooks for the holidays, Color Me Vegan and Appetite for Reduction.   In deference to a mealshare member's request to stick more closely to an Eat to Live-style diet, I wanted to make something extra-specially healthy and, well, delicious...so I cracked the spines of the two books and did some perusing. 

The soup (from Color Me Vegan) was straightforward to prepare and delicious but once pureed according to directions it was quite thin.  The quinoa (from Appetite for Reduction) added a fantastic flavor and excellent mouthfeel. 

The non-Eat to Live-ers got a chunk of seemingly lackluster (I didn't eat it myself) banana bread.

Chickpea Rice Soup with Cabbage

Rachel's generous meal fed an extra person at Jen G.'s house - served up with salad, and hummus for the yummy bread

Hi there! Its Rachel here with another wintery missive from Suburban Vegan Meal Group!  I made dinner for my lovely friends on Wednesday night, and since it was a cold evening, I thought it would be the perfect time to try out Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Chickpea Rice Soup with Cabbage.    The soup is an easy, filling dinner, perfect for a weeknight, especially if paired with salad and bread.  The fresh dill elevated the taste of the more mundane ingredients - chickpeas, cabbage, carrots, brown rice.  The rice made it a very hearty meal, and I used only a tablespoon of oil for enough food to feed 7!   We had an interesting experience with the dish as well, because two of us found it too salty, while the others thought it was perfect.  I tend not to add a lot of salt to my food, so for me, the 1 tsp along with the broth made it saltier than I would like. It was interesting to see how different our perceptions were!  And it highlights another benefit of Meal Group - if something ends up not being the perfect dinner for you, you're not left with a week of leftovers.   I loved the dish, and would absolutely make it again, but will probably use a low sodium broth and omit the salt, and let people salt the soup for themselves.  I've included the recipe here, and am intrigued by some of the variations - I bet this would be delicious with mushrooms. http://www.theppk.com/2010/12/chickpea-rice-soup-with-cabbage/#comment-14734   I'm really looking forward to seeing what Jen G. makes tonight!

Thai Veggie Stew

Date: 01/03/2011
Cook:  Jen C.
Menu: Thai vegetable stew with basmati rice

I could regale you with tales of the fun afternoon the three of us (randomly) spent at Corrado's - which is a really bizarre place, and skilled in parting you from your money, because OMG I TOTALLY SHOULD GET BLACK SESAME SEEDS! AND GARLIC OIL! TEA IS ON SALE! HAHA LOOK AT ME, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CHICKPEA FLOWER WHILE ASKING RACHEL WHERE IT IS! OOOH!...and...and...and... - but instead I will talk to you about Jen C.'s thai veggie stew. 

It was full of cauliflower, broccoli (two favorites in our house), snap peas, peppers...all in a flavorful, coconut milk base.  I am not skilled in the rice department, so I always appreciate people who serve me non-crunchy, tasty rice.  Thank you for another wonderful meal, Jen C.!