Vegetarian – Page 23

it’d be an apt description to say that
i’m a Pragmatic Person
capable of viewing varying perspectives
down to earth
realistic
sensible
i pay bills every month
my grocery lists are documented based on
the locations of the ingredients in the store –
for efficiency.
i forgo the cute heels
for the more utilitarian flats
when going to the mall

but the thing is,
it’s all a farce
i’m really a friggin mess
i daydream,
my head is usually in the clouds
sometimes i make up stories
and i say them out loud,
the more far fetched the more likely
i’ll share it with ~~people~~ dw
i never allocate time or funds for
dry cleaning
and yet my closet is riddled with
chiffon, silks, and other lovely frocks
that shrink within 5 feet of a washer/dryer.
i spend chunks of my day
wondering why i can’t be a hobbit
living in the Shire,
reading under a tree by day
and drinking ale at night

and so with a practical mind
last Saturday i went to the market
to pick up our CSA stash
i mentally prepared the week’s meals,
calculating portions,
pantry availability,
that kind of thing
and then i saw green tomatoes,
the first of the season
and everything was forgotten
i nixed the beets that would’ve been two meals,
what with the ruby orbs AND leafy tops

by itself, it’s not an impractical purchase
green tomatoes are Summer,
and as such, should be sampled at least once
but we were in the midst of a heat wave
and i don’t know about you,
turning on the stove to dodge oil splatters
to fry up these little beasts is
So Impractical

but i didn’t want them languishing on the counter,
eventually to rot,
or worse,
attracting those blasted fruit flies.
into a pot they went,
with skins,
simmered with mint
and this
and that
and then this chutney was born

beyond spreading it on toast, maybe,
or at best, on pork tenderloin,
(like how we did for dinner the other night)
i’m not sure what else we could do with
this condiment
practical and impractical indeed!

Green Tomato + Mint Chutney
note: if i ever make this again, which let’s face it, i will when it appears again next summer, during a heatwave i’m sure, i would cut back to just one cup of sugar. it was just a smidge too sweet for my liking.

ingredients:
1 ¼ lb green tomatoes (washed & chopped)
1 jalapeno sliced, deseeded
½ cup herbs such as mint (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece ginger (chopped)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBL soy sauce
2 cups organic sugar

method:
in a food processor add the tomatoes, jalapeno, mint, &
ginger.

pulse until desired consistency.

pour mixture into sauce pan and add remaining ingredients.

simmer on gentle boil until it’s reduced, about 45 minutes.

yields: 1 pint/ 16oz / 2 cups

if you knew me from years ago, then you would know me as a girl who lacked patience.
there is a certain part of me that finds enjoyment in the instant gratification:
i don’t do guessing games, just tell me already damnit
or
during a fro-yo date digging into my treat before dw has even sat down just so that i can relish being first,
manners be damned.

if you really knew me though, you would know that i am also the girl who is decidedly un-impatient.
i sat in the rental car, in the rain,
last week waiting for my friends to run the Nashville half marathon,
— a race i was supposed to run in but because of the torrential fallout from the sky i decided to skip,
and instead, waited for 3+ hours for them
to run, celebrate and then sit in traffic in search of warm beverages.
in my 15+ years of dating i have been at the cusp of running away,
had soap opera-esque relationships
and
in all those times i somehow always stood my ground
and waited.
because you see, i had a conviction that i had to be patient,
that despite my advancing age {it’s all relative},
despite all my counterparts having hit the relationship milestones already,
i knew,
i just knew that with a little bit of patience,
i would get there eventually.
i was 33 when i met dw.
thank gawd i had enough patience to wait for him to enter into my life.

for the last two years when spring comes around,
i keep a careful eye in the produce section of our local market
for asparagus.
you see, while you and i might be reveling in the newly blooming trees,
while the tulips are fighting their way to the light,
dw is looking to satiate his feening for one of his most favoritest veggies.
it’s a fleeting season for asparagus,
the natural cycle for it is once a year,
and brief.

sure, we can get it year round now,
it being imported wherever in the world is experiencing Spring.
but there is something sweet in the waiting,
in being patient.

tell me: what’s your favorite thing about spring?

asparagus + scrambled egg salad tartine
this was inspired by the recent aforementioned jaunt to nashville where we brunched at marché. i followed gordon ramsay’s method of scrambling eggs.

half a bundle of asparagus, cleaned and ends trimmed
4 eggs
1 tsp chopped chives
1 TBL margarine
a dash of So Delicious coconut creamer
2 slices of bread (we like ezekiel)
homemade vinaigrette (i made a very simple concoction of pickled mustard seeds, diced red onions, olive oil)
salt + pepper to taste

for the asparagus, roast them up in the oven at 450F, seasoned with olive oil & salt/pepper, for about 5 minutes. dw likes it with crunch, i like it a little on the soft side.

meanwhile, toast the bread and scramble your eggs to your preference. i could write it out for you but i think the video explains it far better than i could. when ready to plate, add in about 2 TBL of the vinaigrette to the eggs, mix it gently and then scoop onto toast. top with the roasted asparagus and serve with a side of baby arugula.