My first two weeks back in Denver

As you can tell, I've been a bit late updating my blog. I'm getting back on track slowly but surely. Instead of having individual postings for particular recipes though I'm just combining a time period into one post. I'll start out with a few of my new room and move onto food and recipes I've used in my first two weeks back in Denver. 

MY ROOM

This is the wall with the door. To the right of my desk is the door to my room. To the left of the pink chair, that wall is the wall with a few different windows on it. After having some issues last year with using poster tape on my pictures (it tore the paint off the walls leaving them looking very polka-dotted, which got me and Britney worried that we would lose out on part of our deposit---thankfully that didn't end up happening!!) I came up with the idea of stringing pictures up on my wall. I attached the pics with paper clips and just tacked the ends of the four strings to the wall. The purple pennant at top says "DREAMERS" and is from the program I work with!

This is the wall opposite the wall pictured above. I found a place for my world map, to continue learning the geography, and later hung up the pink globe from the ceiling, in far right corner.

This the wall to the right of the main door to my room, across from the windows. I have a closet on the left and the bathroom is the right door. I hung up Robyn's Cal Band Manifesto of 2010 and her two beautiful paintings of Brett Dennen too!

FOOD

These upcoming recipes don't actually have previously-created recipes. I've been getting all these wonderful bags full of fresh produce from my farm and have to come up with things to do with them. Also, Britney and I have been lucky enough to receive a few things from her coworker's family's garden so we have lots to use up!!

This random dish I made with beets, beet greens, mung beans and some other surprises. It looked kind of nasty but tasted good, what a wonderful surprise that was!! :)

One of my new favorite dishes: sauteed sliced zucchini with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top. I would eat that for meal after meal if I could....

In addition to all the wonderful produce we've received, we've also had several melons to eat. This one I had to take a picture of because it was so big!! Almost as large as my cutting board, about a foot or more long!

And look at the HUGE seeds!

This was something I bought at the Taste for Colorado event. I don't normally buy food out but Robyn's Cal band friend Dan and I were hanging out in Denver and the restaurant I'd wanted to go to was closed. We ended up buying tickets and I bought this Indian tostada as they called it. It doesn't look all that special but it was wonderful. Great flavors. I also bought a BBQed ear of corn that I devoured! 

Green beans sauteeing with lots of browned garlic!

Corn on the cob--another thing we have tons of from the farm. I love love love it. By itself. With Earth Balance (vegan butter), S & P!!!

Grain and veggies--I forget what this one is ha

Fresh salad with lots of cucumber, greens from Pam and Rich's in Granby and tomatoes! (Tomatoes from Pam's garden in Boulder)

BRITNEY'S AND MY FIRST SUNDAY COOKING LESSON SESSION

The hugest zucchini I think I've ever seen (it even may have been bigger than the one Aunt Tami gave me earlier this summer).

Britney was shocked at how big it was...longer than my cutting board! She took the middle meat out and roasted it. Then she made the stuffing and stuffed it. 

This is the craziest gazpacho you've ever tasted: 

White Gaszpacho with Watermelon Rind (Adapted from Ronna Welsh, Purple Kale Kitchenworks, printed in The Week September 9, 2011)

• 3/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds (I used whole almonds)
• 1 cup loosely packed parsley or mint leaves, or a combination (I used fresh basil from the garden)
• 1 stalk celery, cut into chunks (didn't have)
• 1 dozen cherry tomatoes (didn't have, so I used some tomato salsa from Pam and Rich)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 cups bread cubes, like ciabatta or sourdough, hard crusts removed (didn't use because Jill is gluten free)
• 5 T EVOO
• 2 lbs cucumbers, preferably thin-skinned types like lemon or English (about 4)--I peeled mine
• 8 cups cubed watermelon rind, pale pink and green parts, hard skin removed
• 1 T sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar (I used plain white vinegar)
• 1 T sale

In a food processor, combine almonds, herbs, celery, tomatoes, garlic, bread and oil. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

If using thin-skinned cucumbers, cut into chunks. If using thick-skinned ones, peel and seed, then cut in chunks. Working in batches if necessary, combine cucumbers, watermelon rind, vinegar and salt in processor. Puree until smooth. Whisk together well with the other puree. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar if needed. For a smoother texture, puree in blender, in batches. (I didn't do that because I don't have a blender and that's one more thing to clean up!)

Chill until very cold, at least 2 hour or overnight. Taste for salt before serving. Served 8-12. 

This is the final product of the stuffed zucchini. I cut a bulb of fennel into quarters, roasted it and then chopped it up. Added that to a pot of cooked millet (small yellow grain I learned about last year), some sauteed onions, garlic, zucchini meat, the green stem of the fennel and beet greens. Topped off with some nutritional yeast, S & P. 

It was so yummy I was PUMPED!! I love fennel so of course that helped me love it that much more too!!! 

Can't wait for our next cooking session! It was a blast!!

Note:  We made the food and enjoyed the food with a refreshing beverage Jill (my new roommate) recommended: watermelon, basil and a few ice cubes blended together---YUM!!