Avocado's Number

ב"ה

There's nothing like the holidays to make one come up with new recipes. I was supposed to go to a friend for supper last night (but the heat kept me home) and I wanted to make something to bring with me to eat, so, because it was יום טוב (Yom Tov -- holiday days) and I could cook, I decided I was going to make a salad that would be an entire meal in one. I also decided to try to put in all the colors of the vegetation rainbow.

I boiled up 1/2 cup dry whole spelt orzo. While I was doing that, I also sauteed up an onion and some frozen shiitake mushrooms. In the meantime, while the food was cooking, I started cutting up the "rainbow" -- for red: Apple (one whole, chopped), tomato (1/3 to 1/2 container of grape tomatoes cut into four), and dried cranberries (cranberries with apple juice and sunflower or safflower oil -- 2 Tablespoons) -- for orange/yellow: carrot (one-two coarsely grated) -- green: cucumber/Kirby (three Kirbies or one small cucumber diced) -- blue/purple: dried blueberries (see the comments on the dried cranberries -- 1 Tablespoon).

After the orzo and onions/mushrooms were cooked, I cooled them (in a room with a fan -- that helps it cool faster) and added them to the "rainbow". I also added 1 Tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. It came out so good that the first time I made it, I ate just about all of it in one sitting. The most recent time I made it (ok, this was tonight and it was only the second time) I also added 1/4 of a 10 ounce package of frozen broccoli florets. I love the way broccoli tastes in salads.

I also made a buckwheat pasta and sauce dish for Yom Tov. I opened a small can (not the really small can, but not the really larige can) of whole tomatoes. I sauteed up an onion and some mushrooms as above. I also added quartered, sliced zucchini and eggplant (the long skinny type). When the veggies were done, I added the can of tomatoes and then I added my favorite spices -- turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and garam masala (and sometimes brown mustard seed) -- 1/2 teaspoon of all except the cumin and chili (which I used 1/4 teapoon of each). I cooked 1/2 package of buckwheat soba noodles. When that was done, I added the pasta to the sauce and served. It was delicious.

Check out my other blogs:

Israel and it's Place in the World
Jewish Singles
Strong Jewish Women

Check out some of my squidoo lenses (articles):

Strong Biblical Women
Strong Biblical Women 2
Why Be Vegetarian
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 1
Vegetarianism: Getting Started 2
Why be Vegetarian?
Rosh Hashana
Quick Vegan Cooking
Creating new recipes from old
Hanuka
About the Jewish Calendar
Witches and Morality
Math Hints 1 -- Adding Fractions
Presidents1: George Washington