Garden tomatoes for dinner

Garden tomatoes
Originally uploaded by zombie amelia

This year I grew four heirloom tomato plants from seed (I don't know which varieties they are, since the seed package was assorted heirloom tomatoes), and even though I can't enjoy tomatoes fresh anymore due to my allergies, I like to cook with them.

Tonight's dinner was a variation on something I make frequently- seitan with vegetables on pasta or rice topped with a little goat cheese.

This version started with a small garden onion, minced, sauted in olive oil with two cloves garlic, pressed. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Cook until the onions are clear and starting to brown. Add the crumbled seitan (this one was a tasty new variety we were trying, Upton's Italian sausage variety, which crumbled nicely.)

Saute the seitan with the onions for a few minutes, then add 10-12 sliced white mushrooms (or brown, I had white.) Mix and cook on medium heat until the seitan starts to brown and stick to the pan. You may have to add more olive oil as you stir. Add some chopped fresh basil (5-6 leaves) and a handful of pine nuts.

At this point, you should add the pasta to that pot of water you started boiling a while ago... I used angel hair, but you could use any number of things. This had a nice Italian thing going, so I went with that. Add the chopped tomatoes, there were 4 here, chopped coarsely, and cook with the seitan mixture until the pasta is done, about 5-6 minutes. The tomatoes should have just started breaking down and releasing their juices, but not be too soft and mushy. I like to cook them just until they start to break down because this is the freshest I can eat them.

Serve the seitan over the pasta and top with grated sharp cheddar goat cheese. Enjoy!

Tasty Cans: Thai Ginger Soup

Thai Ginger Soup
Originally uploaded by zombie amelia

Sometimes you just have to go for comfort out of a can.
Yes, yes, I know, some of you out there are foodies. Well, I'm not. I'm just trying to eat well and still have a life and a job and the cats and the husband and the knitting... yeah. Busy.

So some dinners come out of a can. There's nothing wrong with that! Just choose your cans wisely.

This dinner started with 2 cans of Thai Kitchen's Coconut Ginger Tom Kha Soup (yes- it does have a fish ingredient, but it's gluten & dairy free, so, do what you will.) It's pretty tasty soup- spicy, too.

I also sauted up 4 cloves of garlic, 11-ish mushrooms of assorted variety (crimini and plain old white) and one can of my favorite ingredient, Companion Mock Duck! There were also frozen egg rolls in the oven.

So, warm up the soup, saute the garlic, sliced mushrooms, and sliced mock duck in veggie oil. You may also want to add a little tamari or soy sauce to the mushrooms & mock duck.
When the soup is just boiling, drain the oil from the sauted mixture and add the mock duck & mushrooms to the soup... and it's amazing!

A spicy treat, especially good if your sinuses are a little plugged.