Meatless Monday #4: Zucchini Tofu Stir-fry

I've mentioned this in past posts, but here you finally have a photo. It seems almost silly to write down the recipe, since this is one of those things I tend to make with whatever is on hand, but it came out especially yummy this time, so here you have it:

Ingredients:
- one medium zucchini, sliced
- half a pint of mushrooms, white or baby Bella, sliced
- half a container of firm tofu, cubed
- three tablespoons of cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- one large clove of garlic, minced or pressed
- 3/4 teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced
- a dash of sherry
- a few drops of rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil

Heat up the olive oil in a wok or frying pan, toss in the mushrooms and zucchini. While they begin to brown, put the tofu cubes in a bowl with some soy sauce. Once the mushrooms and zucchini have begun to soften, toss in the cabbage, then use a garlic press to add the garlic (or mince it very finely if you don't have a press) and add the ginger too. Let cook for a minute or two, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a minute or two more. Stir gently to make sure all the flavors are well blended and all the veggies are cooked. Serve with rice.

Or you could be like me and skip the rice. I like the texture it adds, and the way it soaks up the extra sauce, but I just don't need the extra carbs (and I had forgotten to put any rice on before starting the stir-fry). This makes enough for two portions, so for me that means a dinner and a lunch. Yummmmm!

Oh yeah, and a very belated Meatless Monday update (#3)

Last Monday, this is what I ate for dinner--my fave potato salad, but with beets from my mom's garden mixed in. I had to make a ton, because both the beets and the potatoes were about to go bad. I ate this for lunch and dinner at least two days in a row (and no, I'm not planning to eat potato salad again this coming week). I think I had cereal for breakfast (again), and lunch was leftover stir-fry of beet greens, chard, and mushrooms. So, not the most exciting Meatless Monday, but since I was home sick Tuesday and Wednesday, I had more time to cook. That meant that later in the week I feasted on other meatless fare, including more of my mom's basil walnut pesto, another variation on the zucchini pancakes (what can I say? they're yummy!), macaroni and cheese with fresh tomato, a tofu smoothie, a pecan-gorgonzola-blueberries-baby greens salad with homemade balsamic vinagrette, and biscuits. Don't worry, not all at the same meal.

I was out of town this weekend, so I didn't get to the farmers' market, but I still have a zucchini left from last week, and I think I might try experimenting with legumes (probably masoor dal?) and maybe quinoa this week. Wish me luck!

Swatching

This is my new Woven Gems Inca Cotton (the colorway is "Desert") that I got from Sangeeta when I went to visit her and watch HP6 together. I love it. So much that despite having so many WIPs that are *this* close to being done, I chose to spend my limited knitting time today swatching it to see what hoodie-sweatshirty type pattern I might be able to knit with it (possibly Under the Hoodie?--that's a Rav link). I'm getting 17 sts to 4 inches on US 7s, but I'm thinking of going down to 6s and seeing what happens. Meanwhile, any suggestions?

Meatless Monday #2

Sorry, no pretty pics for this post. But I am happy to report that my fridge is bursting at the seams with fresh local veggies, thanks to my mom's garden and a trip to the farmers' market with my parents, who came for a wonderful surprise visit with their dog Ozzie on Sunday.

Meatless Monday's menu
Breakfast was honey-nut cheerios, currants, soy milk and a Danactive. Lunch was mom's potato salad and a peach. Afternoon snack was applesauce. And dinner was linguine with sauteed baby bellas, mom's basil-walnut pesto, and extra parmesan. Doesn't sound all that exciting the way I described it, and without photos you can't see how yummy it all was, but I assure you, it was delicious. Nothing like Mom's cooking!

Planning for the week
Now comes the rest of the week. Although I haven't vowed to be meatless the rest of the week, I have an amazing amount of fresh veggies I will need to use up. Suggestions are welcome! Here is my inventory:

• 3 large-ish beets, with greens attached


• 4 or 5 scallions


• about 1 lb of new potatoes


• 8 or 10 huge leaves of chard (I swear, they're 2 feet long!)


• 1 small sweet onion


• 1 medium red onion


• a decent-sized bunch of basil


• 1 1/2 pints of baby bella mushrooms


• 2 tomatoes


• 3 or 4 pale green zucchinis (one very large, the rest fairly small)

Additionally, I have a package of tofu, some frozen trout, a dozen fresh eggs, and 2 hard-boiled eggs. I am thinking stir-fry for sure one night using some zucchini and mushrooms with the tofu, and probably fish another night, but beyond that, I don't know. More zucchini pancakes? Cold potato soup? Quiche?

Spain Socks

I didn't have time in Spain to do much knitting, but I did still manage to come home with one more FO: my Spain Socks! I re-started these a bit before my trip to Spain back in March/April to help Taz get settled, and I finished them on the way over to Barcelona on this last trip. They're basic toe-ups with PGR short-row toes and heels, and a 2x2 ribbed cuff. I knit them on US#1's, using Socks that Rock in the Knitter Without Borders colorway, purchased at MDSW 2008. Now I just have to figure out if any of my clothes will match these socks!

Alpaca Saddle

Oh my goodness, there were definitely moments when I wondered if I was ever going to be able to write this post reporting that the sweater for Taz is done. But it is!!! I wish I had better pictures, but the lighting was far from ideal in his Barcelona apartment, and I was working with an unfamiliar camera. I also wish he weren't so shy and would have let me show his face in these pictures so you could get the full effect of how handsome he looks in his new sweater.

Here's a Rav link to the project info. The pattern is from an old 1966 pattern booklet called “Men’s Classics” put out by Bucilla. I found it a bit difficult to read at first because the pattern is laid out almost like a chart, with columns--one with directions, and the others with the stitch count (or whatever) for each size. It's also written for two different yarn weights, depending on what you prefer. I didn't really do any mods, other than forgetting to use smaller needles for the ribbing. I would have expected so much straight stockinette (in gray, no less) on such small needles to get pretty boring pretty fast, but it truly didn't. I'm sure part of that was because it was such a labor of love (awwww), but I also really found it meditative, and the yarn was so soft and nice to work with, I actually found myself looking forward to knitting on this. That fact could have something to do with the fact that I actually finished a sweater project in less than a year. (Ask me how long it took me to knit Samus, or where I'm at with my other sweater projects).

Anyway, the verdict on this sweater from my end is that it was a joy to knit, and I'm proud of how it turned out. The verdict from Taz is that he loves the color and the softness, it doesn't itch, it seems to fit well, and it's going to keep him so warm he won't be able to wear it until November or December in Barcelona. I'll take that as a compliment!