Posts
I have to confess that spontaneity has always made me a little bit queasy. Lucky for me, my dear hubby is the "king" of being in the moment, changing plans on a dime, and deciding at the last minute. Although my basic training in these areas was rough, I am now a (mostly) happy participant in the land of "spur of the moment fun"....( But, at times, I still have to get out the oil can and grease up my wheels.)
When I called my dear friend Sheri to see if she and Dan wanted to attend the Grand Opening of the Rondout Music Lounge and hear our friend and neighbor, Harvey Sorgen play with his jazz trio, she, in turn, invited me and my hubby to go sailing and have a picnic dinner on their boat beforehand.
This called for changing plans, which had included eating dinner out. My immediate response? "Picnic Dinner for a Sunset Sail? OMG! I'll never be able to do it in this limited time!" See what I mean about me and spontaneity? I had about 1 hour to get it together.
Luckily, I had made a Swiss Chard salad that very morning. This is a NY Times Magazine recipe, part of a healthy selection of other salad recipes, most not vegan but very adaptable to the vegan palate. This recipe is quick and easy so I could have made it within the time limit if I had to.
The Teriyaki Tofu is a breeze when you use a delicious product called "Soy Vay"....and your toaster oven.
While there is more than a healthy dose of sugar in the bottled "Soy Vay", it is made of pure, no preservative
ingredients and is great as a last minute marinade for just about anything.
The Cucumber salad, very simple, is also from the NY Times. I just looked at the date the recipe was published in the paper. It is from June 2005 and I have been making it every summer since. If you own a mandolin (no, not the stringed instrument!) you can make uniform very thin slices of an entire large cucumber in about a minute. If not, get out your sharpest knife and focus....
The green beans (haricort vert) and carrots came out of the garden today. They too were quick and easy, done by briefly blanching then dressing them.
I have no excuse for the Cape Cod Potato Chips. I just love them, and as my family will attest, I have a "problem" with chips. Crunch crunch.mmmm, mmmm.
As a summer drink, a dry/brut Proseco is impossible to beat. It is light, crispy, bubbly and as intoxicating as a waterfall on a hot afternoon.
Picnic Dinner Quickie (for 4)
Cooked Chard Salad w/Lemon Caper Vinaigrette
Homegrown Haricort Vert and Sliced carrots Salad w/Sherry-Shallot Vinagrette
Sweet and Sour Dilled Cucumber Salad
Veri Veri Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
Cape Cod Salt and Pepper Potato Chips /Appetizer
Proseco-preferably Brut
Fresh Strawberries for dessert
Cooked Chard Salad w/Lemon Caper Vinaigrette
1-1-1/2 lbs Rinsed and Copped Swiss Chard
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp capers w/a drop of their brine
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Blanch the chard in boiling water 2 minutes.
Drain, and squeeze out liquid.
Combine remaining ingredients is a small bowl
Drizzle vinaigrette over chard, toss, chill and eat!
Haricort Vert and Sliced Carrot Salad with Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette
1/2 lb. haricort vert
2-3 carrots
1 small or 1/2 large shallot, minced
1 tsp Country style Dijon Mustard
1/4-1/3 c extra virigin olive oil
2-3 Tbs Sherry Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rinse and trim Haricort Vert
Peel and thinly slice Carrots (at an angle so they're pretty)
Blanch Haricort Vert and Carrots 2-3 minutes
Run them under cold water to stop the cooking.
Drain and place in bowl.
Toss with Vinaigrette and Masticate!
Sweet and Sour Dilled Cucumber Salad
2-3 large Cucumbers, peeled
2 Tbs sugar
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 c finely chopped fresh dill
Thinly slice cucumber w/a mandolin or lots of patience and attention.
Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Toss dressing with Cucumbers
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, up to 4 hours.
Veri Veri Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
1-1/2 lbs Tofu, drained (I place the tofu between 2 plates, place weight on top, and spill water off, turn over plates and tofu and repeat.)
1/2 cup Veri Veri Teriyaki Soy Vay
Organic Canola cooking spray
Pre-heat toaster oven to 350
Spray toaster over pan/tray with canola oil.
Carefully slice tofu (You should be able to get 5-6 tofu steaks per cake of tofu.)
Place tofu on pan/tray.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, turn over, spooning sauce onto second side and bake for another 10 minutes.
Cape Cod Salt and Pepper Potato Chips
Open at your own risk.
Eat them up and try to share.
The food was really good, the company was wonderful and the Sunset over the Hudson GRAND and beautiful!!! Skon and crew provided a smooth silky sail, complete with colorful, billowing spinnaker, wing on wing... Like we were saying as it was happening, "just like a mini vacation!"....Thanks Dan and Sheri!
(Harvey's trio at the Rondout Music Lounge was superb. This venue used to be the old dark "Sturgeon". The new owners have done a really great job of bringing out the old architectural details, including brick walls, wide board floors, tin ceilings and large windows. The staff was super nice. But...the menu needs a makeover. I imagine it will develop beyond the 5 or 6 meat dominated items now on the menu.....good for the owners that I'm not a food critic.)
Overall, I loved and totally enjoyed this evening out....and we stayed out past midnight!
No comments:
Post a Comment