Eat Like a Rabbit

Our good friend, Garrett Nudd of garrettnudd.com has an opportunity to be promoted from guest photographer to guest blogger. Garrett also has his own blog (garrettnudd.net), which is so exciting, it needs no guest writers.

We had a fantastic and enjoyable Christmas Eve Dinner.

I really had a hard time finding a simple and appealing recipe for tabouleh. I finally found an excellent one. I served this as a series of "dips" for a buffet meal to a group of 20. People asked for the recipe when it was over and I overheard one educated individual say "That green stuff is good, too." Tabouleh and a hommus side went well with warm un-pocketed pita bread. I noticed a good number of people making sandwiches out of it.

Just in time for a Labor Day feast, we acquired some fresh corn on the cob and a recipe from foodnetwork.tv for lime cilantro butter to spread over the corn before wrapping in foil and roasting. The product was wonderful. I think that result was fabulous, even if not exceptionally healthy with the large amount of butter.

This is where the internet comes in really handy. I have rarely liked artichokes and never had a desire to learn how to cook them. But Paul wanted one, and I gave him leeway to purchase and cook it himself. He trimmed the tips off of the artichoke and put in a spaghetti pot with enough water in the bottom to boil and steam the vegetable.

This recipe is from "Moosewood Cooks at Home". It recognizes that lemon juice in a pasta dish sounds odd, but we enjoy it. The recipe does call for spaghetti, but we had bow tie and enjoyed it just as much.

In short, you saute the zucchini in oil and garlic, add lemon juice; pour the mixture over cooked pasta, mix in a shreaded white cheese (we chose Asiago) and serve. My favorite part is where I can add fresh basil from our herb garden. I like to make harvesting the herbs my husband's job so he feels like he is participating in the preparation of our food.

Compliments of "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home," this is by far my favorite soup recipe ever. I love how the broccoli did not overcook to that darker, nearly brown color--even after sitting a while. I used purple onions and orange bell peppers to create a true variety of color pleasing to the eye and to the taste buds. The color of the broth comes out a rather bright yellow when the egg and lemon are added. I feel you could easily skimp a bit on the egg and do just as well. I chose to use brown rice and was very pleased with the results, but it's nice to have a variety of options for cooking.