The Spread.

The Plate.

Steve: Guacamole, ’nuff said.

Apparently not ’nuff said, as there is a tad bit more to add. Steve made this guacamole initially as an appetizer type of addition. You know, get some chips, dip them into some guac, have a good time. However, upon hearing about the guac someone (Nick) decided to add to the theme with some salsa & carne asada tacos.

Guac.

Nick: Homemade Salsa, Carne Asada

As I mentioned before, Nick heard about Steve’s guacamole and decided to keep the theme rolling and make some tacos. It worked out splendidly. It’s rare that we ever help each other out, or coordinate within a theme, but this time Nick did and it worked.

There are two pictures of the salsa and another picture of the guacamole in this, but I feel the four-picture combo looks nice, so deal with it.

Zack (I think): Brown Rice, Stir-Fried Veggies

This was not a stellar addition, therefore, no pictures, apparently. I think it was a matter of timing, which forced the veggies to sit too long and thus get overdone. It looks like there was some asparagus and some bok choy. It really wasn’t all that bad, just not as good as it could have been/usually is. You can see them in the spread/plate pictures above, but there are no individual pictures of this portion. We’re sorry.

Not really.

Erik: Breaded & Baked Chicken & Shrmip

I don’t want to be seen as overly harsh on Erik, but really, this was not good at all. Not very tasty. Very dry. Very bad. The shrimp was okay, I guess. Pictures turned out alright.

(Luckily, I don’t think Erik reads these or knows that they exist.)

When Erik saw this blog post being written he said, and I quote, "Oh no." Yeah, it was that bad.

Shayna: Some kind of Quiche

I don’t know what was in it, but it was good.

Here's one picture. There may be another.

Yeah, there were at least two good pictures.

Ashley: Ginger Cake w/Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce

This dessert (kind of Ashley’s specialty if you haven’t noticed) was inspired by the other-worldly Ginger Cake from Chow here in the Bay Area (and, where Ashley used to work). Theirs is served with pumpkin ice cream, caramel sauce, whip cream and powdered sugar. Ashley is a vegan baking guru so she vegan-modified it and served it with dairy-free vanilla ice cream and a vegan caramel sauce – inspired by this article/recipe from Bay Area restaurant critic Michael Bauer. There was a little mishap with the ginger and we had to go back to the store to buy some, but it turns out the ginger was in a bag with some potatoes that I didn’t find until about a month later.

Anyhow, to the picture:

Fuck yeah.

The mini-spread

The (regular-sized) Plate

Ashley: Black Beans

Ashley flat-out loves herself some black beans. We were all the lucky beneficiaries of that love.

Unfortunately, nobody is a beneficiary when I have to use photoshop.

Zack: Arborio Rice w/pine nuts, cherry tomatoes & basil

That basil is there strictly for the purposes of this photo.

Erik: Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash & other various starches

These were extremely good. It appears as if there may be some garlic & parsley in there. I remember him using soy milk to mash it, too.

Erik, too (?): Grilled Corn

Apparently, this was the best we could do, photographically.

Shayna: Spinach Salad with caramelized onions & cranberries

I don’t quite recall what the dressing was made of, but I want to say it was a balsamic vinaigrette mixed with some jam.

Someone (Erik) was getting artsy with the camera here, obviously.

Ashley: Sticky Rice with Mango

Yes, two, count ‘em, two rice dishes on this particular Thursday. One savory (before), one sweet. Boo-yah!

Zack could be blamed for picking a not-ripe-enough mango. Who knows how to pick a mango? Zack certainly doesn't.

There were a lot of great photos this night, hopefully readers will feel this provides them with enough visual stimulus to be satiated.

A) I’ve waited so long to do them that it’s hard to remember exactly what I’m looking at when I review the photographic evidence.

B) I’ve got the night off so I want to get caught up, but I don’t want to rush through the recaps where the results might be twofold:

1. Poorly executed recaps with minimal information
2. Information overload for readers (however few of you there are), causing some of the posts to be lowly regarded.

C) I don’t know, the same dilemmas that caused me to be late in the first place. Namely, I’m lazy and suck at uploading and editing photos in a way that makes the reading/viewing experience enjoyable.

First thing first, you may have noticed that March 11th had no recap. While you’d be incorrect to assume that I simply missed it in the glut of recaps to do (over a month’s worth), I couldn’t blame you for making that assumption. However, there was no dinner on the 11th because the beloved Blazers were in town playing the Warriors, at the time riding a 9 game losing streak in Oracle Arena. They won, making up for the terrible experience earlier in the season where we were heckled by middle-schoolers.

On the 18th, however, we did have a meal. It was great.

The Spread.

The Plate.

Zack (Appetizer): Kale & Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

It started with some delicious Kale & Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus found on Vegan Yum Yum’s iPhone app. You don’t need an iPhone to make it. (Quick sidenote: VeganYumYum has great recipes and great photos. Really high-quality stuff. Check it out.)

When I found the link to this recipe I wished I had taken a better photograph.

Shayna (?) – Rice Salad with Mango (?), Green Onions (?), Cranberries, I think.

If you read more than three entries in this blog you will notice a common thread amongst our dinners. Virtually every week there is some sort of rice dish, usually a salad or risotto (even a dessert!). They are delicious. We do repeat them (not individual dishes, per se, but a general rice dish). Nobody cares. This week it was a rice salad. I don’t know who made it, I don’t know what was in it. So, what you read above is guess work. Take a look at the pictures and vote for yourself (there’s nowhere to vote, other than in the comments).

Looks like mango, cranberry and green onions to me. I could be way off though.

Nick: Corned Beef Hash

It was probably soon after St. Patrick’s Day. This isn’t something that anyone should be questioning, regardless of how long it takes them to write a blog post.

Nick, lording over his dish. All is well with the universe.

Erik: Taco Pizza

Yeah, I said it. Taco Pizza. Great (well, maybe not great) in theory, okay in practice. Guacamole as the sauce, topped with black beans, tomatoes, beef, bell peppers, cheese, cilantro. I’m pretty sure Pizza Hut used to make one of these, maybe they still do. I thought they would be gross then, but I think there’s some potential here, just needs some practice.

At least the photos turned out great!

See what I mean?

Steve: Veggie Stir-Fry

Steve hates us. Steve hates cooking. He’d rather be on his chair, chatting on Gmail, watching Boy Meets World on one monitor and having something (anything, really) going on his gigantic TV while we enjoy each-others company in the kitchen. But, he does put in some effort sometime (probably just to indulge in the delights of our cookery). This time he bought some veggies, threw together a tasty-smelling sauce and then threw it on the stove. It turned out pretty damn good, actually.

Not nearly as photogenic as the pizza taco.

Zack: Sweet Potato Salad with Red Pepper Vinaigrette

I have nothing to say about this dish. Pretty sure it was from Bittman’s How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. It was kinda spicy, kinda sweet, maybe a little too mushy. I enjoyed it. It’s not particularly pretty looking though.

Getting a closer look, it appears this may have had cranberries in it too.

On to the photos:

Ashley: Lemon Pepper Pasta

Zack: Banh Mi Chay/Xíu Mại

So, I was probably late to these Vietnamese delicacies when I discovered (or was introduced to, whatever) Baguette in Corvallis a few years back. I mean, if they have somewhere dedicated to them in Corvallis, they were probably gaining popularity in the rest of the United States decades ago (also there was a NYT article about their popularity soon after I started eating at Baguette, which if you read snarky blogs means that it’s already not popular anymore). Get with the times Corvallis restaurants, at least get some web sites, I had to link to a yelp page. Anyhow, I started making my own tofu banh mi (apparently, Banh Mi Chay, according to the internet, correct me if I’m wrong) once I found this recipe for Smokey Miso Tofu on VeganYumYum, and it was time to bust ‘em out for the Thursday dinner. I also made some pork meatballs for the meat eaters. Combined with some pickled daikon/carrots, some cucumber, cilantro and Sriracha/Veganaise and you’ve got yourself some tasty sandwiches.

Smokey Miso Tofu. Yum Yum. Vegan.

Mmmm.

And another one.

Shayna: Grilled Potato Salad

Erik: Fruit Salad

I love pineapple. The word pineapple in English was first recorded in 1398, when it was originally used to describe the reproductive organs of conifer trees (now termed pine cones). When European explorers discovered this tropical fruit, they called them pineapples (term first recorded in that sense in 1664) because of their resemblance to what is now known as the pine cone. The term pine cone was first recorded in 1694 and was used to replace the original meaning of pineapple. Also, I love Wikipedia.

The Full Plate:

That looks pretty darn good.

The Spread

The Plate. Details to follow.

It only took a few days, but I fell back into my old blogging ways, which is to say that I stopped blogging. It’d be nice if someone else wanted to pick up the slack, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.

I’m going to be brief, just because I wanted to get something up here to keep this thing alive:

Zack: (Appetizer!) White Bean Puree (I never really thought about the bean puree as a spread for bread/toast until eating at Vegan Super-restaurant Millennium, but it’s a great and easy addition)

Flavors: Garlic, Rosemary, Onion

Final Product: White Bean Puree. Great on toast.

Erik: Spaghetti & Meatballs

You can blame me if this looks stupid. I'm terrible at Photoshop and all other Adobe Creative Suite programs.

Shayna: Orzo Salad w/Olives, Pine Nuts, Cherry Tomatoes, etc.

Ashley: Mixed Greens Salad w/Cucumber & Soy Yogurt Dressing

There's very little photographic evidence of this salad, but it was indeed there.

Zack: Malaysian Inspired Tofu Curry (Again, from Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone”)

Nick: Lamb Curry

Two Curries, combined.

Ashley: Strawberry & Apple Crisp w/Non-Dairy Ice Cream

So. Fucking. Good. (The Crisp, not my photo editing.)

Oh yeah, Nick came through with the Champagne saber again, why wouldn’t he?

Examining...

Posing...

Prepping...

Popping!

Who doesn't love a good champagne sabering?

Recipes to come, maybe. That or hopefully another recap. We’re getting there! We can make this happen, people!

Here is a selection of our planning e-mail chain:

Zack: We should also plan on getting hammered right?

Sarah: Hammered. With a capital H.

Erik: I am doing twice baked potatoes. Hammered?

So, with the plan to get sufficiently hammered, here is a rundown of the menu.

Zack: Polenta Gratin with Mushrooms & Tomato (From Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

Vegan. Non-Vegan.

Ashley: Spanish Rice

Yum Yum.

Erik: Twice-Baked Potatoes

I don't want to overstep my bounds here, but this was a mediocre effort from Erik. Even he wil tell you that.

Sarah & Steve: Grilled Veggies & Portabellas with Pesto on Ciabatta

Perhaps the highlight of the meal.

Shayna: Pizza!

Tomato Sauce, Spinach, Potatoes, Pine Nuts, Basil, Cheese. Am I missing anything?

I should probably post some recipes, but I’d have to go into a book and copy them down. I’ll hold off for now. Until then, more photos!

The Spread.

Sandwiches.

Pizza, it's time for your close-up.

I'm on a plate.

This is what the NYT claims it could look like. Good luck.

I have a tendency to get myself involved in blogs that quickly disintegrate from substantial and regular posting to little-to-no-posting for months at a time. This blog appears to be heading toward minimal posting from the get-go, and with our only established blogger leaving us for the time being, perhaps it will be up to me to pick up the slack. (In part of my effort to pick up the slack I tried to pick a new header image, after about 45 minutes of trying to fuck around with Photoshop in order to scale images and canvas sizes I finally just gave up and probably picked a worse picture. If anyone wants me to change it, let me know. I will do it.)

So, on Sarah’s suggestion, I am posting the Savory Citrus Salad recipe I used from a few weeks back. If you’re a regular diner at our Thursday dinners, which if you’re reading this blog, you probably are, then you may or may not know that I get a substantial portion of my recipes from Mark Bittman, either from one of the three books of his that I own (How to Cook Everything, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and Food Matters) or from his Bitten Blog, or Minimalist Column/Videos. The man pumps out recipes like nobody’s business and I tend to enjoy them and they tend to be slimmed down, or minimalistic (word?). Plus, I think he looks like Jeffrey Tambor and anything that reminds me of Arrested Development is a good thing:

Him?

In an effort to make the recipe vegan I replaced honey with Agave syrup, but other than that, this is basically the Bittman recipe (oh, and I just willy-nilly selected my citrus elements, you can dissect the image below and figure out what I ended up using).

Photographic proof that maybe this salad existed. Or that I at least bought some citrus.

2 blood oranges or tangerines

1 pink grapefruit

1 navel orange

Salt

1/2 small red onion or 1 shallot, chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon honey/Agave

Lime or lemon juice to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon or a pinch dried. (I also used some Basil here because some of my tarragon was getting mushy in the fridge).

1. Peel citrus, removing as much pith as possible, and slice into wheels. Remove any pits, layer fruit on a serving dish, sprinkle with salt and garnish with chopped onion.

2. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, lime juice and tarragon until well combined; taste, adjust seasoning as needed and drizzle over salad.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Check back soon for more recipes and hopefully a new header image.

1. sweet potato & chipotle soup (me)

2. black bean & potato enchiladas (Ashley)

3.  naan (Trader Joe’s) w/ bell pepper tapanade (Steve)

4. citrus salad with oranges/grapefruit/tangerines (Zack) –THIS WAS AWESOME! He should post this recipe. [UPDATE: He did. Click the preceeding link and proceed to deliciousness]

5. Erik’s “Taquila [sic] Lime Chicken on the Barby”

6. Lime margarita’s on ice with simple syrup (Zack)

The citrus salad deserves a repeat (or three-peat) in my opinion, and I think Steve’s chopped bell peppers should be attempted again with additional spicing. Who doesn’t love papas y frijoles? Don’t eat chicken, but I do lust and it looked as good as bacon.

Here’s the recipe for the Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup, which a coworker passed on. (Looks like it’s originally from Martha’s cache–I found it here, so consider yourself cited, Martha.) I added more adobo and pepper  at the blender stage–but constant tasting is a must as canned chiles in adobo can quickly take something from tolerable heat to intolerable, tongue numbing pain. My first time blending a really hot (temperature) mixture–note: put a towel over the top of the blender; ours leaked. I’m not huge on soups without ANYTHING to chew on, so I garnished with mix of parsley, chopped almonds (and I’d also now suggest, purple cabbage), and of course, a sprinkling of parmesan.  Along with the naan, pretty, pretty, pretty good.

- Sarah