Category Archives: Vegetarian

TRUFFLED AVOCADO TOAST

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One of my New Year’s resolutions, like I imagine most of my readers, was to lose weight — a resolution I believe I’ve made every year since 6th grade.  And I’ve been trying hard to keep that resolution — at least it feels like I’ve been trying hard.

I used to follow a number of Weight Watchers “ambassadors” on Instagram, and they joyously eat the rainbow, delight in ethereal baked goods made from egg whites and protein powder, and regard fat-free cheese, yogurt, and cool whip as a sort of holy trinity.  Everything they eat (and I do mean EVERYTHING) is Instagram-worthy, or at least Instagrammed.  But as I’ve learned over the years, this kind of eating tends to favor quantity over quality, is not sustainable in the real world, and is not for me.  I’ve tried a few of the products — the plasticene Velveeta slices (only 1 point!), the snack bars that taste like they’re coated in candle drippings (only 2 points!), the fat-free plain yogurt with fruit (pucker up!), and the 1-point tortilla wraps that are gummy from cellulose fiber (OK, I kinda like these) — and have decided to focus instead on making healthier choices and eating smaller portions.  And just to be clear, I will never ever accept Fat Free Cool Whip as “frosting” — that is just sadness.

So I expect that I’ll be posting some healthier recipes that fit in with what I’m trying to accomplish.  ‘Nuff said.

Avocado toast seems to be a particular favorite among not just dieters, but the world in general, although it seems that it is quickly being replaced by sweet potato toast (I know, not really a “toast” thing, and I can think of other ways to ruin my toaster besides running slices of sweet potato through it 4 or 5 times in a row).  Long before avocado toast starting trending, however, my parents used to make it, mashing it on toast and declaring it was “just like buttah.”

l had a small piece of a precious black winter truffle left in my fridge.  To enjoy truffles, they need a base of fat and salt.  But copious amounts of fat is kind of a no-no at the moment — and then I thought of the avocado, which is “just like buttah.”  And it worked — avocado toast with thin truffle shavings and a touch of flaky sea salt — that was one special breakfast!  Winter truffle season is over, but I may revisit this when summer truffles are available.  And for those of you without access to fresh truffles, I have confirmed that a teeny tiny drizzle of truffle oil is pretty delicious on avocado toast, as I suspect truffle salt would be as well (oh, the grueling research I conduct).  No recipe, just photos.  🙂

 

GREEK SALAD

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I found this Brownie Girl Scout Beanie at an estate sale.  I was a Brownie, and my daughter was a Brownie, and we both just could not get excited about being Brownies.  Maybe it was the hat, described as “a six section beanie with loop at top.”  The Girl Scouts website states that it is made of “rayon/wool felt,” immediately followed by the statement that it is made of “100% polyester felt.”  So confusing, but really, it doesn’t matter — it could be made of cashmere and it would still look goofy.  The little dancing figure on it always looked vaguely sinister to me:

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Current beanies have blue figures, which look less evil:

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My kids attended a middle school that was housed in a Greek Orthodox Church.  One day when I was picking up my son, a Brownie scout walked by.  My son pointed to her and said, “Look, she has a baklava on her head!”  He had recently been to a bar mitzvah, and meant to say she had a yarmulke on her head, but given that we were in front of the Greek church, confusing a Greek pastry with a Jewish skullcap was understandable and smirk-worthy.

Inspired by the Brownie beanie and Greek middle school memories, I made a Greek salad.  I believe purists would argue that a real Greek salad does not have lettuce, but I am neither Greek nor a purist, and I kinda like it with lettuce.  Some people like to add anchovies, but we think they look like eyebrows and don’t add them to anything.  But really, it’s all about the dressing.  I’ve included photos for two different ways to prepare it, as a tossed salad and as a composed salad.  As with any vegetable salad, you can adjust the ingredients and amounts to suit your tastes.

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GREEK SALAD
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
 
Ingredients
  • For dressing:
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • For salad:
  • 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 12 grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced into ¼" thick slices
  • 1 small red or green bell pepper (optional), sliced into ¼" rings
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 12 Kalamata olives, pitted
  • 12 pepperoncini
  • Optional salad ingredients -- sliced celery, capers, sliced radishes
  • 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake vigorously to combine. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
  2. Place all salad ingredients except feta cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine. (Note: All salad ingredient measurements are approximate -- vary amounts as desired.) Pour dressing in desired amount over salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve. (This salad is especially nice served on chilled plates.)

 

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It’s all about the dressing

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Just lettuce eat our Greek salad

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Prepare it as a composed salad, but only if you like the sound of oohs and ahs