Monday, July 15, 2013

Summer salads--

It's about 1000 degrees where I live today, but I'm no gloomy Gus. I decided early this morning that I'd put together a "room temperature" dinner. So here goes:
Three bean salad
Pesto( no nuts) chicken
Savory brown rice

Three bean salad
One can cut green beans
3/4 can chickpeas
3/4 can kidney beans( dark or light)

In a bowl, Gently layer or mix the beans

Dressing:
Mix together in a beaker
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup oil
1/4 Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt/ pepper
A few pinches Oregano if you like

Dress the beans lightly-- you won't use all the dressing
Leave beans in refrigerator for a couple of hours and turn beans every so often.

Pesto
Cup of fresh basil-- washed and dried
8 cloves of garlic, halved
1/2 cup olive oil
Chop basil and garlic in food processor and add in oil.
Chicken thighs( I used 10)
Steep chicken in pesto for two hours-- again turning over so all chicken gets covered.
Bake chicken in 350 oven for an hour.
(I start chicken on underside and then turn skin side up for last 20 minutes. )

Savory Brown Rice
Add in for every cup of rice, half a chopped-- with skin-- Granny Smith or other tart apple And a handful of Golden raisins.
Enjoy!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cheap Eats and Frustration

Cheap Eats was the cover story--picturing a hundred appetizing bites-- of a popular NY magazine last week. And there are ice cream trucks on every corner. And boardwalks full of mini- hoagies and Korean taco trucks and fried Oreos. ( Ok it's Jersey)
Food is everywhere this summer. Everywhere-- and much of this food my kid can't eat-- and that's very tough.
The very intractableness of it-- that these allergies are so dangerous, so many. That they do not change.

I don't really know how to be supportive in this context or what to say: "stiff upper lip?" Well that's been his whole
life.
" It'll get easier/ better" --probably not.
"Don't go out" -we all know that doesn't solve anything and definitely accentuates the worst.
So I settle for writing a post-- rather more gloomy than my usual ones-- and ask my readers if they've any good ideas. Please write!