Author Archives: Alison

Garden Views

Garden Views

The vegetable garden has pretty much been a bust, first garden here, horrible weather, not much dedication to gardening on my part, but we’ve had a few interesting sights.

This was supposed to be zucchini. As soon as it started to grow like a cucumber vine instead of a zucchini bush, I knew we had something not-zucchini. They’re long squash, and quite tasty except for the tough skin:

The tomatoes have also been largely unproductive, unless you’re a chipmunk or a pill bug, but this big ugly brute was right tasty:

Now, back in Bloomfield, where I had a busy, thriving garden, I begged for one of these guys to feast on the veggie parasites – even paid for egg cases that never hatched. Here’s our visitor doing a Superman impersonation:

There you have it – the sum total of the excitement in the vegetable garden all season long.

Lentils and Bulghur/Simple Syrian Salad

Lentils and Bulghur/Simple Syrian Salad

I got this from Madhur Jaffrey’s “World Vegetarian” and fixed it up to our family’s taste.  There’s a store in Montclair, NJ, called “Spice It Up” (973-744-3344) that has a Berber Spice that we adore more than any of the Berber Spice recipes I’ve found online.  They’re very nice about shipping, and if you call them, order some of their Paradise Fig while you’re at it.  We can hardly imagine eating salmon anymore without Paradise Fig seasoning.  Anyway. . .

                     
* Exported from MasterCook *

                           Lentils and Bulghur

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  2                     onions — sliced thin
     1/4           cup  olive oil
  1                cup  dried lentils
  3 1/2           cups  water
  1                cup  bulghur
  3          teaspoons  Berber Spice Mix
                         

Cook the onions in the olive oil until they are browned and crispy.  Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels

Add lentils and water to the pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Add bulghur and Berber Spice Mix to the lentils, bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.

Serve with Simple Syrian Salad.

                                    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 422 Calories; 15g Fat (29.7% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 59g Carbohydrate; 22g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 19mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 3 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

                     
* Exported from MasterCook *

                           Simple Syrian Salad

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Salads, Dressings

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  1                     english cucumber — quartered and sliced
  2                     tomatoes — diced
  2             medium  onion — halved and sliced
  1           teaspoon  salt
  3        tablespoons  lemon juice
  1           teaspoon  dried mint flakes

Toss the cucumber and tomatoes with the salt, then add the lemon juice and mint and stir to mix.  Let sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature and serve

                                    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 47 Calories; trace Fat (4.9% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 541mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat.

NOTES : 47 calories, 3 grams fiber, no fat – but it counts as no points for Weight Watchers.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

Korean Cucumber Salad

Korean Cucumber Salad

I can’t believe I forgot to add this one.  It’s one of our favorites, usually served along with either the Tofu Indonesian Style or our dinner of cooked fish, laver, and kim chee, but it’s wonderful all by itself, too. 

                     
* Exported from MasterCook *

                  Korean Cucumber Salad (Oh ee mu chim)

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Salads, Dressings

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  1                     cucumber — sliced thin
  3        tablespoons  rice vinegar
  3        tablespoons  sugar
  1         tablespoon  soy sauce
  2          teaspoons  sesame seeds
  1 1/2      teaspoons  garlic — minced
     1/2      teaspoon  chili powder
     1/4      teaspoon  salt
                         

Mix all dressing ingredients.  Add cucumber.  Let sit in refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

                                    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 61 Calories; 1g Fat (12.3% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 396mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : If you’re lucky enough to live near an Asian market, try to get the red Korean chili powder.  For the cucumber, the long, seedless English cucumbers are the best.  If you’re using regular cukes, you might want to seed them first, and use two or three.  Only one Weight Watchers point!

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0