Falafel: The Return! (also, potato pancakes)

Determined not to let my earlier flop be my own foray into the world of low-fat falafel, I tried again last night.  The texture was similar to that which led to my foamy mess earlier, but baking these puppies did the trick.  I substituted spinach for the parsley, since I've been trying to use up our spinach stash. They were a teeny bit dry, but tasted great nonetheless.  Served them up in wraps along with "Hummus with Friends", some sautéed spinach, onions and of course, hot sauce.

Tonight,  I had a go with the Scallion and Potato Pancakes.  I'm not sure they were quite what the author envisioned, but they were pretty tasty nonetheless.  So much so that even Freya dug in! I was sure that she would pass, as she's not usually keen on anything coated/breaded.  She picked up the one I'd put on her plate and pronounced "crispy".  Uh oh.  A few seconds and one bite later though, and she was hooked.  Hurrah!  Served with chili/basil tofu, spring rolls, and rice.  Definitely a favorite.

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Upside Down Shepherd's Pie...a new favorite!

We've had a couple of sick days here (colds for Mommy and the Bean), so there was a day of takeout and a day of leftovers.  Before that, I somehow missed posting about our Mexican meal that included the wonderful "Unrefried Beans".  This clever recipe substitutes tomato paste for the fat that's usually in refried beans.  We make it with black beans and it is fab....our own, typically picky Bean wolfs it down well.

On to last night's meal:  Upside Down Shepherd's Pie with Caulipots.  This was definitely one of the favorites so far, for me and the man.  Caulipots are simply mashed potatoes mixed with mash cauliflower...simple but genius when you have a fussy veg eater.  For the shepherd's pie, I substituted eggplant for the shiitakes as we tend to boycott all things mushroom in this house. :D  Warm and savory, I can't wait to have this again!  I also added in a bit of spinach since we had some extra around. Served up with some nice "artisan" bread and spread.  Yum.

Pasta e Fagioli with Sweet and Salty Carrots

I've had Pasta e Fagioli many times, but it's always been served to me as a soup, so when I saw this recipe calling for only a very small amount of liquid, I was interested to see how it would turn out.  The recipe is quite simple and though not very different from dishes I've made on my own, it was tasty.  Karl heartily approved!  Toddler verdict was mixed...loved the spinach, pasta and tomatoes, but mostly enjoyed smashing the beans.  I tossed in some soon-to-go bad zucchini into the mix too, which gave a nice extra bit of veg.

Carrots, though super simple, were genius.  I've made maple-glazed carrots many times, but have not used salt before.  The results here were delicious...definitely one to make again.

and....spring rolls were on the markdown rack at the supermarket today :)

Two for two

After the falafeltastrophe, I was feeling a bit hesitant about further culinary adventures.  Last night and tonight though, have given me two recipes that may go in the permanent rotation.

The first, last night's Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini, was great served with couscous.

Today, the leftovers were even better though, I think, as the flavors really had a chance to infuse themselves into the tomato.  Yum yum yum.

Tonight was Irish Stew with Potatoes and Seitan:

This was the first of the dishes that Freya really got into (though she left the green beans).  Warm and soul-satisfying, Karl's only complaint was that it reminded him a lot of meat stew that he used to eat.  Served up with a side of baking powder biscuits.

Things that make you say "aaaargh"

Like say, when your falafel dissolves into the pan.  (I didn't even know this was possible)

About a minute in, when two falafels bite the dust. 

Later, you can see that they are not simply crumbling apart,
but dissolving into some sort of ectoplasm.

These were meant to be baked falafels, but I was running short on time, so thought I'd fry them up instead.  Ha! The consistency seemed fine, similar to many many a falafel I've made in the past, but well...

next time I will fire up the oven.

Then, the hummus, despite following the recipe to the letter, turned out super garlicky, causing Freya to exclaim "spicy!  spicy!"

So, here's what we *did* have for dinner:

Soup, which Freya devoured just a few days earlier,
only to turn up her nose tonight...the joys of feeding a toddler.

Earlier in the day (the hottest September day for 52 years!), Freya had pleaded to bake a cake.  Thankfully, they turned out lovely and we had at the least, a nice treat at the end of our meal of the damned.  You can find the recipe for Absurdly Easy Chocolate Cake here.

Pre-frosting

Best part of the night?  Freya chanting "Say it! Say it Mommy!", to which I would reply "arrrrrgggh" and Freya would giggle with unbridled glee.  She is one weird baby.  

Wonder where she gets that from?

Red Thai Tofu

Red Thai Tofu with Thai Basil Green beans and pineappley rice

This is my favorite so far, of the recipes I've used (yesterday was Green Potato Curry, but time for blogging got away from me).  I should've cooked the tofu a bit longer, but it was still scrummy!  The rice has just pineapple and some coconut milk.  I'd add some more spices in, but was leaving it a bit plain for the Bean.  Toddler verdict was thumbs-up to the rice and a serious no-head shake after one bite of beans :(  Definitely a dish I'd cook again though.

Black bean, olive and zucchini tacos

Yum!  I experimented with a new-to-me camera tonight, so the pictures are not the best.  This is the "taco" mix, mid-cooking.  I left out the jalapeños on Freya's account  (well, maybe Karl's too).  

All dressed up in a tortilla with salsa, peppers, onions, jalapeños and Cholula sauce.  

The grownups were pleased, but the toddler says "no", opting for a hummus-filled tortilla instead.