unexpected yummy spelt noodle salad/spaghetti

Ingredients:

1/4 block tempeh - cut into ~1x1 squares

seasoned salt (your preference)

1/2 tsp - thyme

1/2 tsp - red pepper

1 tbs - Bragg's Amino Acids

1/2 c. onions

1 clove garlic

2 mushrooms

1/2 c. sliced carrots

1/2 c. cilantro

1 tomato

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

squirt of Bragg's

salad greens

whole spelt noodles (or whatevs)

DISCLAIMER: all measurements are estimated as i tend to just throw stuff together and make a decision intuitively and according to taste...(this sometimes turns out horrible...but i wouldn't share that recipe with you...)

in my head...i thought i was making a grilled tempeh salad... you know: tempeh, salad, otro raw veggies, dressing...

so i started by throwing a little olive oil over the tempeh...in addition i sprinkled lightly some seasoned salt, thyme, red pepper, and a squirt of Bragg's amino acids (i think that's it...) i let it soak for forever (i'm impatient so it was probably like 10-15min)

...as i was heating my cast iron i remembered i had some onions left over, so i thought i'd somehow incorporate those...you know: grilled onions. could taste good on a salad, right?

 i added some olive oil to my skillet and threw in my onions. 

...looking into my skillet, i realized i had more onions than was appropriate for just a salad... 

..i added the tempeh in after a minute and it verified my concern...

so i cut up a clove of garlic and added it to the onions after a few minutes... 

then i sprinkled a handful of sliced carrots in... 

and 2 sliced up mushrooms...

this mix wasn't quite green enough for me so i grabbed a handful of cilantro and put the whole leaves straight in....

along with one diced tomato.

next i scattered a couple seconds worth of cumin, some more seasoning salt,  a squirt of Bragg's amino acids, and a dash of paprika.... and let it all simmer so the flavors could soak in...

while the simmering was happening, i boiled some water and had some whole spelt spaghetti noodles softening up to al-dente perfection (4 whole minutes!)....Drain!

i created a light bed of mixed salad greens, a second layer of noodles, and third of my concocted toppings....

delish!

oh! i also added some seasoned cheese curds to mine for an extra topping but i think if i had had a different kind of cheese it might have been better...maybe some parmesan? but it tasted fine without!

veggie tomato soup

1 med onion chopped

1/2 cup green beans chopped

1 lg green pepper chopped

3 garlic cloves (i love garlic)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbs olive oil

fry these til near soft

i used a separate frying pan

add ~1 cup diced tomatoes

here i switched to the pot in the picture

1 can tomato soup

~7oz coconut milk

1 can corn

1 can drained black beans

1/2 small bag of spinach

~black pepper

~seasoned salt

~bouillon cube (i used chicken flavor - that’s just what i have)

~splash of worcestershire sauce

1 jalepeno diced

for the initial adding of ingredients i keep the stove at medium heat.

once the spinach has softened a bit and is more involved in the rest of the soup i turned the heat to simmer and stirred occasionally.

notes:

*dice green pepper and green beans.

*simmer vegetables to your desired consistency

i’m no expert.... but i, otherwise, find this fairly delicious served hot with a piece of whole wheat bread.

or...for the unhealthy one...or child inside of you....add goldfish. (the cheesy cracker kind)

vegetable soup

2 small yellow squash sliced

1 medium onion sliced

3 cloves of garlic diced

1 can of beans (i had a mixed variety)

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 large handful of various greens (mostly kale)

~2 tbs oil

~1.5 cup water

~1/2 cup soup stock

~1 tsp cumin

~2 tsp basil

~1 tsp seasoning salt

~1 tsp pepper

i started out boiling the squash a bit

and grilling the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of oil or so

i emptied out enough of the squash water til there was just enough that just a few squash were peeking out the top....maybe 1.5 cups left?

added the onions and garlic to the squash&water

boiled til it was NEARLY to the softness i like...

added the beans and tomatoes (did NOT drain the cans)

threw in seasonings as preferred.

added the kale/greens....

boiled a while...

grabbed a hunk of bread from a bakery

enjoyed. :)

...recycled the cans :)

cooking.

somehow i think i just made something delicious.

i cook randomly and at random. ...just throwing thing in that i might think would taste nice.

so....

i had a couple handfuls of wilting spinach and kale from my garden and knew i needed to do something with it. that's where it started.

1/5 onion: chopped

1 green pepper: chopped

2 cloves garlic: chopped

2-3 tbs. oil (olive, grape, whatever...)

i kinda stir fried these up in my cast iron skillet (i would usually use more onion...it's just what i had)

when they were to my desired tenderness i added:

~3 tbs kilimanjaro sunrise ginger syrup

1 can kidney beans (wanted black beans, but again...what i had)

1 can of cream corn (i meant for it to be normal corn, but.... i opened it

and it surprised me! ...now i didn't have to add any sugar...

2 handfuls of spinach and kale: i wadded them up in my hand and sliced them

in small slices slightly sifting them out the end...

.... like i learned to do in africa.

2 leaves from my onion (kind of like chives....i just did this because

i didn't have any more onion)

2-3 tsp seasoning salt

2 tbs sambal oelek fresh ground chili paste

i think that's all...

oh, brown rice! :) make it separate and lay this topping over it.

dinner

pop the pop top can...
peel back the tin.
smoked kipper herring
warmed in the oven
along with pita bread
greens from my garden
spinach and kale
smoked amish cheddar
sunset wheat ale.
slide down the cupboards
down to the floor
to the hardwood
green rug-ed floor


here i am.

HERE i am.
here I am.
here i AM.

here. i. am.