Two-Part Dinner

When I cook for myself alone I end up with one bowl of colorful mushy-tasty stuff. This isn't very appealing to many people. I think only my mother would find it appetizing. She is the queen of mixing unusual foods together. (It can get a bit scary when she mixes too many different kinds of leftovers. Even I start to think twice...) My mom cultivated in me the enjoyment of food combining. I get so excited about some of the most classic combinations (such as kale with sweet potatoes or tomato sauce & pasta with broccoli) and basically this is how I make meals now, when I cook for other people. I think of two or three colors, textures, tastes and make 2 or 3 dishes that I think go together particularly well--also keeping in mind a balance of nutritional components. I'm trying this out on Greg. He doesn't enjoy a dish with too many flavors, or textures. But that's ok. I appreciate simplicity too, and am glad that when cooking for the two of us I strive to find a compromise between what is tasty, healthy, simple but interesting.

Often I end up preparing three separate dishes to make a complete meal. That is okay. But when I can make a 2-dish meal I find it very satisfying. Here is a meal I made last week that was three things at once: healthy, varied-yet-simple, and tasty (Greg liked it too!).

Quinoa-Chickpea Pilaf (recipe from a great cookbook called Veganomicon)
with Spiced Soy-Roasted Vegetables

I made up the title for the second dish. I make roasted vegetables often, using various vegetables and herbs and spices depending on what is good at the market. The one rule is that I cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces (bite-sized), use some vegetables that compliment one another or my meal (for example last week I roasted sweet potatoes and white potatoes, and when they were half-cooked I added brussel sprouts and zucchini....something starchy, something juicy, something orange, something green...) AND I use soy-sauce to keep them moist while they are roasting. I also add dried (or fresh) herbs such as oregano, thyme, dill, tarragon (sparingly), and then some cayenne or my new favorite, hungarian paprika. Last week I added tons of this hungarian paprika. I just found it in a neat store down the street which has great spices and other exotic ingredients in nice little packages, measured in the store.

I'll post the recipe for these roasted vegetables separately. Make them and adapt the recipe to fit your refridgerator, farmer's market, or to compliment other things you want to make (such as rice, soup, pasta, polenta).