Last night was an awesome night. We had over Mike and Mary Jane as well as most of their family. Mike, Jo and Isaiah were in town, and that was sure cause enough for the festivities!
I am not Betty Crocker. Generally I don't even like to cook. However, if it's an occasion, that all changes. Ron and I scoured the internet looking for new things to make. We decided on a couple of recipes that seemed within our scope of abilities, but totally using ingredients that we were not familiar with. It was going to be an adventure in cooking!
The menu was set, with one last minute addition. Since the weather has turned cold, we decided to start with a nice, warm soup. This was the only thing I didn't have a "recipe" for. I remember a long time ago, Jo trying to teach me how to cook lentil soup. Her basic instructions were just to throw in there whatever would make you happy! So, we tried to follow that idea and I think we were pleasantly surprised with the results.
We ended up with a great pot of lentil barley soup with tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, peas and potatoes. Holy cow! Add a little salt and viola! (The leftovers are going to be our supper tonight!)
Our main courses were wild. Keep in mind, that everything we made was from scratch. I've done things with food I've never done before. Knowing that my specialty is orange spaghetti, you should realize I am totally out of my box with this menu! I even cut fresh herbs. Does anyone out there realize what chopping fresh basil and parsley can do to a white cutting board?? Eww!
We made Raw Vegetable Lasagne Extravaganza! This was marinated (home made garlic and herb marinade) sliced zucchini (I'm such an idiot, I had to call Jo and ask her if I was supposed to peel the zucchini first!) layered with Artichoke Pate, Tomato and Herb Paste, marinated chopped peppers, carrots, onions, topped with another slice of zucchini. This was a big hit! Very tasty.
Our other main dish was in my opinion, the big winner - Spicy Fried Tofu with Peppers. WOW! It wasn't so spicy that I wouldn't eat it, just spicy enough to make it so tasty. Here is a picture of both of the Spicy Fried Tofu with Peppers and the Raw Vegetable Lasange Extravaganza:
Trust me, the picture doesn't do it justice. I thought it was quite a feast.
Ron and I had so much fun getting ready for this. We would each grab a recipe, a piece of counter and we went to town. We made one heck of a mess! But, you wanna know what? Mike and Jo even volunteered for K.P. Hello?? Does life get any better than this??
One thing I definitely did realize last night. I am glad to be home. Sometimes I contemplate my decision of leaving Texas. I was making a lot more money there, the job market was booming. On down days, I ask myself if I did the right thing. Then last night happened. Our house was filled with family, filled with laughter, filled with baby giggles, filled with toys all over the floor. Trust me, it does NOT get any better than that!
If anyone is interested, the recipes were taken from http://www.veganchef.com
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