Kitchen Sink Dinner

Life has been crazy. I mean crazy crazy. We moved. Yes again. Full circle. Back to Brooklyn. Through it all, Brooklyn was home. So we came back. It means new schools, new schedules, boxes packed and now unpacking, and Passover in the mix. Our kitchen has been out of working condition on both ends for a while, so when I went to post something for you guys (from the long list of overdue posts I owe you...), this one seemed the most fitting.

I prepared this dinner a while back one rare evening when I was home alone and not at all interested in ordering the same local Chinese food we were in the rut of ordering from.  I swooped through my fridge snagging whatever fresh and frozen produce looked good together along with leftovers I could quickly and easily reinvent.

I make this meal often, even for the whole family, and almost 100% of the time Richie argues that it's my best meal. Go figure!

I most often use some greenery as the base for the fresh side of the meal (salad variation) and leftover brown rice for the cooked side of the meal (grain bowl variation). Then I get creative with whatever else I have around. I look for a protein (this time tofu, sometimes egg...), seasonal flavors, good fats (avocado, coconut oil, nuts, seeds...). I try to put together a good mix of flavors and textures.

The only rule is that it needs to be able to be make in under 10 min!

Here's what happened this particular time:

SALAD:

bib lettuce

avocado

oat flour dusted date pieces

toasted pine nuts

dressing: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, dijon mustard, turmeric, cinnamon, salt (in measures that please your palate)

RICE BOWL:

in a skillet, heat in the following order:

coconut oil

whole garlic cloves until browned

marinated tofu (I love the Wildwood smoked teriyake)

cashews

frozen, shelled edamame

splash with shoyu or tamari and mirin then cook 2-3 min through

Serve it hot right alongside the salad. You can add avocado to the rice bowl too!