Paella with Braised Fennel, Green Beans, Apple Wood-Smoked Tofu and Mushrooms deglazed with Sherry

Dinner 08/31

Paella with Braised Fennel, Green Beans, Apple Wood-Smoked Tofu and Mushrooms deglazed with Sherry

One of our all-time favorites! The recipes for both the Paella and Fennel are here.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 1

Part 1

Well, our month-long vacation is over, the kids are back in school, so it must be time to update the blog...

We went to the Kent Farmers Market almost every weekend -- here Surprised Cat is Surprised by the Squash Blossoms (and everything else from the market)


Starting off with Socca, Grilled Corn and Tofu -- the corn came from Heron Hills Farm at the market and the tofu was cherry-smoked, marinated in olive oil, tamari and black pepper, then grilled.


Also from the market, these lovely Watermelon Radishes -- sprinkled with salt and served on a slice of no-knead bread with a little Earth Balance for the radishes to stick to.


Squash Blossom Fritto Misto (recipe) were from the Cinderella Squash growing in our front yard. Stuffed with vegan cream cheese, shallots and smoked paprika, then dipped in the batter and deep-fried at 375°F until golden brown.


Speaking of deep-frying, these lovely Vidalia Onion Rings were gorgeous -- served with a little Vegenaise & Smoked Paprika dipping sauce.


I don't even remember what this was used in, but I just liked this picture of the Cthulhu Mushrooms. ;)


For dessert one night, Liz made her Chocolate and Coconut Milk Ganache Tart with a Walnut Crust topped with Sea Salt -- because we had an opened can of coconut milk that needed to be used, so we used it. A slight riff on her usual method with the walnut crust to make it GF-friendly.

That gets us through the end of July, Part 2 will cover the rest of August next...

Hatch Chiles

Dinner 08/25

Roasted Hatch Chiles

It's that time of year again, when Hatch chiles start showing up in the markets. We bought a dozen or so of both the hot and mild, roasted them (as shown), then peeled and de-seeded the chiles. Finally, we then vacuum-sealed and froze them for the winter ahead. We saved a couple for dinner tonight (quesadillas with oyster mushrooms & tomatoes from the garden) and the Hatch chiles added a nice change of pace flavor profile the the usual jalepeno or serrano chiles.