FWF - Bad Orange

This week was really not so bad.  

That is a moldy orange, two not-so croquettes and a portion of a leftover egg roll.  Does anyone know why oranges go moldy like this?  The rest of the bag was perfectly fine so I'm not sure why this one went bad.  As for the egg roll, that was completely my fault.  I put the egg roll in the main compartment with the rest of the leftovers so it got soggy and therefore unappetizing.  Really, I should have put it in the other compartment of the take away box so it wouldn't get soggy.  Lesson learned (and hopefully not forgotten).
Thanks to Kristen (FrugalGirl) for hosting.

Long Overdue Greenling Boxes

Perhaps you guys won't notice the dates I received these boxes in relation to what day this post is going up?  That would be great....

July 18

Watermelon, Blueberries, Purple Eyed Peas, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Tomatillo, Cucumber, Okra, Parsley

August 1

Peach, Blueberries, Grapefruit, Pickling Cucumber, Microgreens, Asian Greens, Radish, Parsley, Pear, Onion

All the fruit and carrots went into smoothies as usual and the greens were sauteed and become lunches.  Both of which are boring so I won't really write much about it.  More to come on the tomatillos, okra and salad fixins.  Unfortunately, I ruined the Purple Eyed Peas with too much Marjoram so what we didn't eat that night just went in the trash.  Maybe I should have come up with a way to re-purpose, but I just couldn't think of anything at the time.  Oh well.

I haven't gotten another box since these two because I had way too much food to eat and if I am going to keep my Food Waste Friday posts to a minimum I need to eat what I have.  Also, my mom's garden has been quite productive and she has been graciously sharing.  Thanks!

Not Quite Croquettes

My husband loves Croquettes.  Crispy on the outside.  Light and fluffy on the inside.

I, on the other hand, am perfectly satisfied with just what I call a Potato Cake.  Mashed Potato mixed with Egg and Flour, formed into a patty and cooked in a skillet.

Of course I want to make him happy so I tried to make my Potato Cake more like a Croquette.

Things I changed from normal:

• Thicker Patty
• Coated the outside in Corn Meal
• A bit more grease in the skillet

As the title suggests, I wasn't quite successful.  Maybe it is time I actually read a recipe to a croquette and give that a try.  First though, I must have leftover mashed potatoes again.

FWF - Travelling Got Me

Another Friday is here and it is time to fess up to some waste.  I was unexpectedly sent on a business trip for the last half of last week so was unable to finish eating up the things I had planned on taking care of before they went bad.  On top of that, I found out at 5pm the day before that I was leaving so I didn't even have time to prepare and freeze a few things. Sauteed Yellow Squash & Peanut and Soba Noodle Salad

On to the good news.  I was able to save some old rolls before I left by turning them in to croutons. 

I cubed the rolls, then put them in a skillet over medium heat with a few pats of butter.  Give them a shake every few minutes so you can get all the sides nice and crispy.  When they are about done, I toss in the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.  Garlic would also be a nice addition, but honestly I didn't want to go the effort on this particular day.

Good luck to everyone trying to stay to zero waste.

Thanks to Simply Being Mum for hosting FWF.

My weakness

Hi, my name is Kristina and I am addicted to Quesadillas.

I go so far as to take some leftover omelette, mix it with some leftover sauteed greens and stuff it in a crunchy, fluffy and oh so delicious quesadilla.  Serve with some sour cream and I am in heaven.

I am sorry, but I fear you will see many, many more posts about random things that I put into a quesadilla.  Try it...I promise you too will love it.

Spaghetti Squash Salad

What do you get with one spaghetti squash, three tomatoes and some basil?

A delicious spaghetti squash salad of course.

Directions:
Stab the spaghetti squash a multiple times, just like you would if you were baking a potato.  Microwave until it gives to the touch.  This particular one took about 10 minutes and I was checking on it after every two.  Leave it to cool for about 5 minutes before you do anything else with it, otherwise you won't have any finger tips left.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out all the seeds in the middle.  Using a fork, flake the tasty strands of flesh into a bowl, adding in the diced tomato and chopped basil.  Add a splash of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and dive in.


P.S. I hate to admit, but the spaghetti squash and the basil came from Greenling and I forgot to take a picture that week.  Please forgive?  The tomatoes came from my mom (Thanks!)

Layered Salad Lunch

There are some days that what I pack for lunch puts me in my happy place and other days, it is just fuel.

This my friends was a happy place kind of day.

What you see there is a layered salad of Cucumber, Sauerkraut, Brown Rice, Tomato, Basil and Spinach with a drizzle of Olive Oil before the spinach and basil went on top.  Per usual, salt and pepper were added at the office.  The chewiness of the brown rice complimented the textures of the fresh vegetables.  Then the sauerkraut brought the right amount of acidity to the party.  Usually vinegar is too strong of a flavor for me so I loved the subtle twang of it.

I love summer and all it has to offer.

Eating Leftovers Plus Tomatoes

What to do when a friend asks if you want their leftover veggie enchilada at the end of dinner out because they are going out of town and won't eat it?  My answer will of course be...Yes!  Why waste good food?

To round out the meal, I sliced a garden fresh tomato and topped it with just a bit of salt and pepper.  This is something I don't do often enough.  Summer in Texas is great for tomatoes and when they are so fresh you really don't need to do anything to them to make them delicious.  Tomatoes have been plentiful in my parent's garden this year.  They have been kind enough to share :)

A great and free dinner.  Doesn't get much better.

Food Waste Friday

I am going to try and start joining Food Waste Friday every week hosted by TheFrugalGirl so wish me luck in keeping the food waste to a minimum.

First up is a bowl of home made cilantro bean dip.  Of course, I forgot to take a before picture so you just get the empty bowl.

The dip was great and I had pulled it out of the fridge to use in a Quesadilla and saw the top quarter inch was a different color than the rest with a slight film over some liquid that had pooled up in one of the spoon holes.  I was really quite sad because I was looking forward to that Quesadilla.

On a happy note, this onion was not wasted.

The black mold is Aspergillus nigerand can easily be washed off or the outer layer can be removed before use.  No reason to waste a whole onion.

Meal Planning

Sometimes I actually have to plan out what I am going to make for the week because there are so many moving parts that I can't keep them all straight.  Other times, I just wing it.

This particular week there was a plan

Cabbage Potato Hash

 Potato Salad

Ingredients for Portuguese Fried Rice

This was an amazing dinner.  In a screaming hot pan, with some olive oil, start with the onions and potatoes.  Once they are mostly cooked start adding in everything else.  Stir regularly to keep it from burning since the pan is hot.  The only thing not pictured above is the brown rice, which was just cooked on the stove.

Greens ready to be sauteed

This was quite the week of food.  The hot dog and kraut was eaten Friday night as we were headed out the door to go to Weatherford.  Not a bad on the run meal at all, but as you can imagine no picture was taken.

Office Lunch

Yes...I confess....I am a lunch bringer, not a lunch buyer.  I miss out on a lot of great restaurants and some socializing, however, I like the food I make.  A restaurant rarely makes me as happy about a lunch as what I could have brought from home.  That doesn't mean I am bringing gourmet meals, actually far from it.

I present you with Exhibit A...

At 7 am while making my morning smoothie, I pull out of the fridge, a cucumber and fennel fronds (remember they taste like dill?).  From the cupboard came a small onion, roughly 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.

Dice the onion first, sprinkle it with the sugar and set aside while you do the rest.  That allows the onions to soften and some of the bite will be taken out.  This particular morning I was feeling brave and used the mandolin on the cucumber.  Lucky for me, no fingers we cut off in the process (a valid concern since it has happened before).  I'm guessing that is about 2 tablespoons of diced fennel fronds.  Toss it all together and package to take to work.

Then consume at your desk like a lonely person...

Just in case you are wondering about salt, I didn't add any when I put everything together in the morning.  I keep salt and pepper shakers at my desk and then try the food before adding.  This solves a few problems

1. I don't feel like tasting for seasoning at 7 am.
2. Salt will pull the moisture from the cucumbers and make them softer by the time lunch comes around. Not particularly a problem, but I like crispy cucumbers.
3. If I am not in the mood for salty food, I can leave the salt out all together and give my heart a break. 

Of course, go ahead and salt if you feel like it.  It is your cucumber salad after all.

P.S. I don't actually measure things when I am putting them together.  The above are just estimates so give it a go and just give a splash rather than measuring.  Saves some dirty dishes and adds a bit of adventure to the day.