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June 7, 2008
CR Backyard Cookout!
Everybody knows that in summer I love to do CR-friendly renditions of American classics. Today was a holiday weekend-esque lunch, not because it is a holiday weekend, but because upon settling the CZ contract it feels like a holiday weekend to me. So I made:
Mini Mushroom "Cheeseburgers"
Special Sauce "Cheeseslaw"
Cauliflower "Potato Salad"
Danny California calls the above "scare quotes." Like the quotation marks, where they don't really belong, are supposed to scare you. Well, I hope they don't scare you because these recipes were quite good.
Mini Mushroom Cheeseburgers:
Large white button mushrooms, stems removed
Quorn grounds
Pickle relish
Walden Farms Thousand Island dressing (like McDonald's Special Sauce)
Fat free cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese
Avocado
Stuff the mushrooms with Quorn, special sauce, and relish. Top with cheese. Microwave 2 mins or until cheese melts. Top with avocado. These little bites taste like mini-cheeseburgers, but they have no saturated fat and they're chock full of calcium, B vitamins, protein, and other good stuff. Eat with a fork or pick up and shove.
Special Sauce Cheeseslaw
While I was searching Wikipedia for evidence that my definition of coleslaw was correct, I ran across a description of Cheeslaw, which is coleslaw made with shredded cheese. So I had to make some cheeslaw to go with today's backyard cookout theme.
Shredded cabbage
Fat free mozzarella
Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing
1 tsp pickle relish
1 tsp olive oil
MR loved that one.
And for the final: Cauliflower Potato Salad
1 tbsp Walden Farms Mayo
300 g cauliflower, steamed for 1 minute in 1 tsp lemon juice
garlic powder
Boar's Head spicy mustard
white vinegar
top with 1 tsp olive oil
I think this would have tasted more like real potato salad had I used classic yellow mustard instead of Boar's Head (which is a fabulous brand) but MR still loved it, and said it definitely reminded him of potato salad.
I am really enjoying my weekend to cook, clean, read, chill out, and pet the kitties. Got my hair and nails done, scrubbed the bathroom, am attacking the vacuuming and kitchen cleaning next. Actually read a book! The Other Boleyn Girl, buy Phillipa Gregory. Great book, easy read, I recommend. Lesson learned: the queen is not valued for her beauty, or her fine gowns, or her ability to read French and Latin and discuss politics, or for the sonnets written to her or the music composed to her. She is valued for her ability to produce an heir. And to put that heir on the throne. Everything else is conversation.
I briefly wonder if I missed my calling, failing to be a 16th century queen of England. I would have been damned good at the job. But it would have limited my ability to cook. So I'll be content with my lot as a modern day director of organizing. Or as my Pilates teacher would say, warrior princess.
The world doesn't have enough warrior princesses. I've done my best to raise a few, and I hope for more as the years go on.
If that fails, I'll go into business making innovative coleslaws.
Posted by april at June 7, 2008 11:46 AM
Comments
I am a warrior princess too, so was my great-grandmother who managed a farming estate in bosnia all by herself, on a horse for about 8 hours a day during the 19th century. So is mom, who has been running successful restaurants and bars for 30 years. Maybe "warrior princessness" is in the genes. I've been such a good warrior, trying to convert so many women over the years, alas, with no success. Most women prefer being subordinate, controlled and surrendering I gather. Otherwise, there would be many more warrior princesses with weird coleslaw recipes in the world.
Posted by: zeynep at June 7, 2008 3:18 PM