Seitan Stir Fry

Abandoned Edibles
broccoli, chicken-style seitan, white mushrooms, zucchini, onions
(additional ingredients: better than bouillon chicken soup base, olive oil, butter, white rice, soy sauce, spices, etc.)

What I did: I made stir fry. Veggies + high heat + butter and oil + bouillon and spices + white rice = dinner! I am not in the mood to write tonight, can you tell?


The Verdict
Easy, simple, good. Yum.

Taste: 8
Creativity: 6
Appearance: 8

Improvements for next time: more veggies, of course!

Seafood Chowder

Abandoned Edibles
heavy cream, canned salmon (dent in can), baby carrots, onions
(additional ingredients: whitefish fillets, shrimp, clams, saffron, mushrooms, seafood stock, chicken stock, lemon juice, dill, butter, olive oil, potatoes, spices, etc.)

What I did: sauteed potatoes, onions, and carrots in butter and olive oil. Added seafood & chicken stock and clams, simmered for about 20 minutes until potatoes were almost soft. Removed tail from shrimp, cleaned canned salmon, added both to mix along with heavy cream. Seasoned broth with dill, salt and pepper, a tiny pinch of saffron (that shit is EXPENSIVE!), and lemon juice. Added whitefish last--thickened chowder with a roux, simmered until done.



The Verdict
Very rich and very delicious! Borderline orgasmic, actually. I could only eat a cup at a time, but my dinner date ate two bowls. So: SUCCESS! God DAMN, I love seafood.

Taste: 10
Creativity: 7
Appearance: 7

Improvements for next time: celery, maybe? Just a bit.

Zucchini 'Noodles' with Bison Marinara & Sauteed Mushrooms

Abandoned Edibles
zucchini, red pepper, white mushrooms, bellavitano cheese
*BONUS* leftover AEs: marinara sauce (additional ingredients: onion, garlic, butter, ground bison, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, spices. etc.)

What I did: first of all, I must confess--I have discovered a new favorite cheese. Bellavitano is DELICIOUS, and I got the leftovers from the sample we put out at the Co-op the day prior. It's parmesean-esque in flavor, but not as hard--yet still deliciously crunchy at times: perfect to pair with marinara. I had an abundance of zucchini, so I decided to cut them into thin strips along with the red pepper and sauté them in a little bit of vinegar, olive oil, butter, and spices as a sort of 'pasta' base for the sauce. I crumbled the bison in a pan, cooked it, threw in some marinara (also added a pinch of sugar to offset the acid of the tomato base) and sauteed some onions and mushrooms on the side. I built the dish with the zucchini as the base, bison marinara on top, and added the mushrooms/onions with crumbled bellavitano cheese as a garnish.



The Verdict
GOOD. This was really quite delicious. I probably should have made even MORE zucchini 'pasta', but I was hungry and in a rush. The vinegar was an important addition--I used just a tad--but I suspect it contributed to both the flavor and pasta-like 'texture' of the zucchini and peppers.

Taste: 8
Creativity: 8
Appearance: 7

Improvements for next time: there was a texture variation with the peppers and zucchini, and I think I could have sauteed the peppers a little longer. Also: more Bellavitano! This cheese is seriously DELICIOUS, I could have definitely used more.