It has been unusually cool here this summer, but still – Tomatoes! I couldn’t grow a thing in the ocean fog, so believe me when I say that this is a vast improvement.
Early Girl Tomatoes
Tag archives: vegetables
Roasted Vegetables
08Jan10Roasted veggies are so easy to make, and so tasty. Even people who think they absolutely hate Brussels sprouts (almost) always like them roasted like this. I used Brussels sprouts, broccoli, potatoes (new, purple, and mini Yukon Gold), sweet potatoes, eyeball (pearl) onions, beets, carrots, and garlic. I drizzled liberally with olive oil and seasoned the vegetables with salt, pepper, and thyme. I also added a little water to the dish and stirred throughout roasting so they wouldn’t dry out. These took about 2 hours at 375°, but roasting times vary according to size, amount, etc.
Willy's Smokehouse
27Feb09Willy’s Smokehouse BBQ & Grill on Cannery Row in Monterey. I highly recommend it!
Willy’s Sugarbaby: “Ketel One Vodka,Watermelon Liqueur & Watermelon Juice”
Smokehouse Punch or Memphis Jackberry. Can’t remember for sure!
Filbert’s Watermelon Soda:
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp:
Hog Fries: “Crispy Potato Wedges, baked Beans, pulled Pork & melted Cheeses, Guacamole, Salsa Fresca & Sour Cream (it’s the Bomb!)”
Oak Grilled Salmon Filet: “Brown Sugar & Pepper-rubbed, served over Dirty Rice & Fresh Vegetables”
Chopped BBQ Salad: “With Black Beans, Crispy Corn, Avocado, Cucumber, Tomato, Ranch Dressing, BBQ Sauce and your choice of Pulled Pork, Smoked Brisket or Smoked Chicken”
Meatloaf Monday: “Ground Beef Brisket meatloaf, baked with our Monterey Mojo BBQ Sauce and served with Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy”
This wasn’t mine, but I did try the mashed potatoes. They were so delicious!! I’m ordering a side of them next time.
Cornbread Muffins With Ancho Chile-Honey Butter:
Fire-Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob With Ancho Chile-Honey Butter
Crispy Fried Twinkie: “With Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream”
I had to try it at least once. It wasn’t bad, but a little too greasy. The ice cream and raspberry sauce were awesome.
Mehak Indian Cuisine in Berkeley
27Feb09Maddy and I took my Mom to Mehak Indian Cuisine (2449 Sacramento St. in Berkeley) for her birthday. She’d wanted to go to Breads of India, which is right across the street, but it wasn’t open yet. I’m glad Mehak turned out to be so good… it’s a rather unfortunate name, but a great restaurant!
Navrattan Korma and Aloo Gobi
Tandoori Salmon
Vegetable Samosa
Papadum
The Plate of Indian Food
Masala Tea, creamy and delicious!
Vegetarian Tacos even meat-eaters will love!
27Feb09
Ingredients:
2 cans reduced sodium garbanzo beans
1 packet Taco Seasoning (any brand)*
shredded lettuce
stone-ground corn tortillas, lard-free flour tortillas, or hard taco shells
diced tomatoes
avocado
shredded cheese*
sour cream*
any other items you like on your taco
Directions: Combine garbanzo beans with taco mix. For juicier filling, use all liquid from garbanzo beans. For less juicy filling, use liquid from only one can. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lightly mash the garbanzo beans with a fork or bean masher. This not only keeps them from rolling out of your taco shells, but gives them a ground beef-like texture. Heat the tortillas under a broiler or in a non-stick skillet. Spread some of the bean mixture on the tortilla, then top with the other ingredients. Enjoy!
* To make this a vegan dish, make sure the taco seasoning does not include whey or milk solids, and substitute vegan cheese, such as Vegan Gourmet: www.followyourheart.com/cheese.php and sour cream, such as Tofutti’s Sour Supreme: www.tofutti.com/soursupreme.0.asp
Adapted from the Garbanzo Tacos recipe found here: vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5911.0
Willy's Smokehouse
17Feb09Willy’s Smokehouse BBQ & Grill on Cannery Row in Monterey. I highly recommend it!
Willy’s Sugarbaby: "Ketel One Vodka,Watermelon Liqueur & Watermelon Juice"
Smokehouse Punch or Memphis Jackberry. Can’t remember for sure!
Filbert’s Watermelon Soda:
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp:
Hog Fries: "Crispy Potato Wedges, baked Beans, pulled Pork & melted Cheeses, Guacamole, Salsa Fresca & Sour Cream (it’s the Bomb!)"
Oak Grilled Salmon Filet: "Brown Sugar & Pepper-rubbed, served over Dirty Rice & Fresh Vegetables"
Chopped BBQ Salad: "With Black Beans, Crispy Corn, Avocado, Cucumber, Tomato, Ranch Dressing, BBQ Sauce and your choice of Pulled Pork, Smoked Brisket or Smoked Chicken"
Meatloaf Monday: "Ground Beef Brisket meatloaf, baked with our Monterey Mojo BBQ Sauce and served with Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy"
This wasn’t mine, but I did try the “Loaded” mashed potatoes. They were so delicious!! I’m ordering a side of them next time.
Cornbread Muffins With Ancho Chile-Honey Butter:
Fire-Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob With Ancho Chile-Honey Butter
Crispy Fried Twinkie: "With Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream"
I had to try it at least once. It wasn’t bad, but a little too greasy. The ice cream and raspberry sauce were awesome.
Finally, some baby pumpkins!
22Aug08
It’s exciting to finally see some pumpkins on the vine Maddie planted from one of the seeds from her class Jack O’Lantern last Halloween. I was starting to worry because the flowers keep shriveling up and falling off. I’ve never had a pumpkin vine before though, so I’m sure that’s just part of the process.
Pumpkin Vine Progress
07Aug08
Madison grew this plant from a seed from her class’ Jack O’Lantern. When we brought it home in May it had just two leaves. I’d say it’s doing pretty well now. 
How great would it be to be able to donate one of the pumpkins to the class for this year’s Jack O’Lantern!
We’re having a great time trying to nurture a garden in the sandy soil. It’s so sandy that it’s like walking on the beach, or the desert. Nothing has ever been done with the backyard either, so it’s completely devoid of top soil. So far we are having very good luck with the parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, basil, jalapeno peppers, tomato vines (no tomatoes yet though) and pumpkin and gourd vines. We are growing strawberries, peppermint, rosemary, and more basil and chives in containers and those are all doing great. The main problem with gardening around here is that it’s so cool (we’re lucky if we hit sixty degrees) and overcast most of the time. This just means that plants take longer to flourish. I’m trying to be patient though. Hopefully it will pay off before too long!
