Lemon Pasta

I have too many lemons this time of year. I think I've mentioned this before. I spend time searching and testing lemon recipes. This one turned out very good. The flavor is bright and it feels creamy in the mouth. If you use oil instead of butter, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and a vegan cheese, it can be vegan. This is an example of simple delicious food that I easily can make. I think I adapted it from something I found in the Raley's Magazine. I sprinkled it with some of my left over lemon bread crumbs.

Hickory Nut Cake My Sister and I Made as Kids

me and my sister

When my sister and I were kids, or maybe teenagers, we found a hickory nut cake recipe somewhere in a book we were reading. I had the impression it was one of the little house on the prairie books, but now don't think that is right. 

Anyway, we had a hickory nut tree on the farm and my Dad liked them, so we thought we'd make it for him. Of course, he had to crack the hickory nuts.  Have you ever tried to crack a hickory nut? They are super hard. Dad used to get out the hammer. This is why the recipe has such a quantity range for the nuts -- you just use what you feel like cracking! 

Baked Eggs

I got this idea from a post on 101 Cookbooks. She posted a recipe for poached eggs on rice. While her recipe looked really good, I wanted something a bit easier for me to put together (no poaching, plus I had no greens or some of her ingredients) and to use up my left over rice. This means you should experiment and use what you have available.

Veggie Bowl

Here is a nutritious and easy meal for when you have left over veggies, protein and fruit. Some might call it a salad, but lettuce is not the main event here.

Start with something green and leafy, like bok choy, chard, kale (if you use kale, cut it fine then rub it for a few minutes with some lemon or oil to help it breakdown and it will be easier to eat), spinach, or lettuce. Then add toppings. 

Toppings will generally fall into these categories: roasted, raw and pickled vegetables, protein, fruit, grains, seeds, nuts and anything else hanging out in the refrigerator. Then top it with a nice dressing, I like to make a rice vinegar, garlic, mustard and olive oil dressing. 

Here is a bowl I made recently.

Garbanzo and Spinach Orecchiette (Little Ears) with Crispy Lemon Bread Crumbs

This is one of those vegan recipes I slip in every once in a while. If it involves pasta - I can pretty much feed my hubby anything. I found this recipe in the Sunset Magazine about a year ago. I've made a few changes and adaptations to it. It makes about 8 cups. Enough for four people. We don't really like left overs unless they are pasta, so we are good with larger pasta recipes.

It comes together pretty quickly. My strategy is to chop up what needs chopping first so I can then focus on the cooking.  Since I'm a pretty slow chopper, it helps me not feel stressed and rushed if I'm trying to chop, cook, etc. all at the same time. That might work for you too.