Homemade Torillas

Tonight we made homemade tortillas. It's pretty easy. You just mix it up, roll it out...

...and fry it on a hot, ungreased skillet.

We also had some coconut macaroons.

(yep, I got a new camera)

Falafel

Mmm. Awful Falafel. I never really 'got' falafel until I started to make it for myself (I use a mix, I'm not quite that talented!). I don't make it very often because it kind of seems like a waste of oil (I almost never fry anything), but it's so delicious. I don't know if it's just this mix (I get it in bulk so I don't even know what brand it is) but it's easy, yummy, and is a good excuse to test out my deep-fry methods (this would be: put a bunch of oil in a pan, heat it, fry things. Verrrrry technical).

My dad was in town this weekend and we'd been eating all kinds of good things. Terri requested falafel for dinner Sunday, and even though I knew my dad had no idea what this is, I made it. He liked it! He even ate two helpings (we made them as burgers).

I didn't get the tahini sauce that I usually do to go with it, we just used ketchup and mustard, but they were quite good. The trick seems to be getting the oil just to the right temperature. I think mine was a bit too hot - they got really dark, but it could be I also just let them fry a few seconds too long.

Anyway, falafel is fun for the whole family. I suggest you try some!

More Asparagus

On a search for more ways to prepare asparagus, my friend and I found this recipe for Asparagus and Red Pepper over Quinoa. It's on the Cooking Light website. Oh wait, maybe I can link to it. There!

Fantastic! It's a very simple stir-fry, with yummy soy and sesame flavors, over super-healthy quinoa. You could also probably use brown rice or couscous. I cooked the onions a little longer than they said, and also poured only half the dressing over everything BUT the tofu, then took out the peppers and asparagus, added in the tofu and the rest of the dressing and cooked it until the tofu seemed nicely saturated, then added back in the veggies and stirred it all up.

Bright, healthy, tasty, and easy.

(soon, I will get my new camera and will start having photos! It will be a whole new thing!)

Asparagus with Pasta and Balsamic Glaze

Now, this is one of my favorite recipes. You take a pound of pasta (small curly pieces, not long strands) and boil it up. Simmer down 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar (to about 1/4 cup, nice and syrupy). Saute sliced red onion, the asparagus (chopped into 1" bits), some basil, some pepper, some lemon juice.

Drain pasta, add asparagus mix, and drizzle with vinegar. Stir well. Stir in about a cup of shaved Pecorino Romano.

This is so good, and so easy. It tastes much fancier than it is, and it's so satisfying. I love asparagus season!

Has it really been that long?

Man, has it been over two weeks since I've posted?

Here's what I've been making (I'll warn you, it's not very exciting)

• Homemade tomato soup with barley
• White rice with various vegetables (sauteed or steamed)
• Smoothies (rice milk, frozen fruit, bananas, supplements)
• Lots of steamed asparagus
• Ummm, a batch or two of plain pasta?
• ....

Yep. This no-dairy, low-fat, vegetarian thing has sort of sapped my inspiration. But, I'm feeling freshly renewed to try it out. I just remembered that I have some vegan cookbooks (which is essentially what I'm doing), so I'm going to try those.

And this weekend, I'm going to make this:

• Pasta with Sauteed Asparagus and Balsamic Reduction and Romano Cheese

('cause I think I can handle a little pecorino-romano)