A few quick foodie things

It has been a very long time since the last time I added anything to the blog. I am properly ashamed of my laziness. It has, however, been quite a productive, busy half-year or so since last summer, and quite an eventful one too. 2011 was the year of the wedding - four? five? six? - along with my first trip to Vegas, followed almost immediately, alas, by the death and funeral of a very dear friend.

So Sansev, this food-focused blog post is dedicated to you, to the memory of the countless delightful meals you so lovingly prepared for your friends and family, and to the joy you brought to all of us - and to all of the lucky diners at the restaurants at which you chefed over the years. I miss and love you, dearly - and always will.

First up, a not-so-meatless-Monday dinner of udon noodle soup with mushrooms, broccoli, leeks, wilted spinach, and tofu in a garlicky beef broth (With a tiny bit of ribeye - for flavor. I also served pan-fried beef-pork potstickers on the side. What can I say, I'm not so good at cooking meatless dishes, to say nothing of entire meals. As G commented drily: "Well, you did serve goulash to a vegetarian, so..." ;o)


And next, little pasta purses filled with English pea, sauteed shallot, grated Parmesan smash, which was served in a lemon-garlic broth. [Recipe from epicurious.]


Then, a little bit of dessert: dark chocolate-bacon cupcakes with an easy chocolate buttercream and crisp bacon garnish. [Cupcake recipe here. Buttercream recipe here.]


And finally (for now)... A properly vegetarian meatless-Monday supper: spiced black bean crispy tacos with savoy cabbage slaw, quick-pickled onions, avocado slice, fresh cilantro, and goat cheese crumble. The tacos were inspired by a smitten kitchen recipe, though I made a few modifications.
(1) I heated the black beans over gentle heat with the cumin and a half-teaspoon or so of chili powder before smashing the mixture.
(2) I added a quarter of a medium red onion, thinly sliced, along with a few teaspoons of the pickling vinegar (recipe-instructions to follow) to the slaw, along with the juice from one lime.
(3) I substituted creamy goat cheese for the salty feta; just personal preference.
(4) I added sliced avocado, because why not? Also added a handful of fresh cilantro to each taco, because again, why not?
(5) I smeared a little bit of the black bean smash and a bit of goat cheese on the tortilla, topped with a little tangle of pickled onions, and then heated in a dry (no oil added) non-stick pan. Then I added the slaw, avocado, cilantro, and more pickled onions and goat cheese to the tacos.
(6) I like pickled things, so I quick-pickled half a thinly sliced red onion, like so: Heat 1/2 C red wine vinegar, 1/6 C sugar, pinch salt, and ~ 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour vinegar mixture over sliced red onions and let cool to room temperature. (Use a heat-resistant container.)