Santa Fe Quinois

GRE Question:

Host A, B & C are having people over for dinner four days after the birth of a new baby. Host A is an omnivore with a catholic palate; Host B is a breastfeeding lacto-ovo vegetarian; Host C's diet consists solely of human milk. Guest X is an omnivore with large hands; Guest Y is a mostly vegetarian personwith crohn's disease unable to eat rice, dairy, eggs and (usually) gluten; Guest Z is a vegan who needs to consume massive amounts of protein and nutrient rich food to maintain her athletic regimen.

How can Host A create a meal that satisfies the dietary requirements of everyone at the dinner?

Santa Fe Quinois

1 box of quinois, cooked
1 Onion
3 cloves of garlic
Red Pepper
A Mess of Homegrown Tomatoes (three or four big ones, I think) peeled, seeded, chopped.
1 big can of pinto beans, drained
7 ears of corn, shucked by sister-in-law
Cumin
Paprika
Allspice
Coriander

Saute onions in wok (selected for its massive size). Add beans. Add some cumin and paprika (shake-shake will do), a couple of grinds of coriander, and a touch of allspice (I was really curious about how this one would go with the food and I think it brought something to the party). Add more cumin--shake-shake-shake--shake!

Add tomatoes and garlic.

Corn Baste (can baste be a thing?)

Olive Oil
A medium hand full of thyme leaves.
Salt & Pep

Lightly brush corn with oil, avoid putting leaves on corn.
Roast corn at 400 broil until it gets a little color. Turn with tongs so other side gets tanlicious enough for Blayne.
Re-brush corn, this time get that thyme all over the ears.
Cover with Aluminum Foil and cook for a while longer -- 10 minutes maybe? WIll continue to cook in foil so get it out of there when it looks done. I tested by taking a bite out of a couple ears--don't tell, ok?

When corn is cool-ish sliced kernels off the cob (I'm not into being to careful about getting every bit--we have mountains of Layman farms corn showing up every week).

In a massive bowl put in some of the quinois. Put in some of the corn. Put some of the bean mixture in. Layer until done, then toss.

When you realize the baby is delaying dinner (who would have it otherwise?), move the dish back into the wok and heat at low until X, Y & Z have all held C.

Serve with fresh cilantro, shredded monterey jack, tortillas and hot sauce ( blend 1 can stewed tomatoes with lime zest, lime juice and as many different kinds of mexican hot pepper sauces as you like).

Be humble in one's acceptance of compliments while feeling justifiable pride in meeting the dietary requirements of all involved.

Scratching My Pate for Paté

We had lots of green beans thanks to the nice people at Layman Farms Delivery and I wanted to move beyond roasted and steamed to something different. So I reached back into my high school cook book mania (how better to stave off the hunger of making weight for wrestling?) and dusted off a memory of vegetarian pate.

2 pints of green beans with ends laziliy cut off.
1 cup of lentils
3 cloves of garlic (more would be ok, but I was cooking for a wide audience)
Splash of cider vineagar
Salt & Pepper
Sami's chip

Cook lentils in water with vegetarian soup base.

Steam a pint beans on top of the lentils. When beans are verdant and taste good (better early than late, they continue to cook) throw them in the cuisinart with lentils.

Realize you have more beans. Trim and steam them until appropriately done. Wonder at how quickly water boils with a gas range. Congratulate oneself on a wise home purchase.

Add beans to cuisinart and start 'er up.

Add garlic, salt, pepper, cider.

Have wife taste it. Listen to her suggestion that garlic could be toned down for wider consumption.

Add Sami's chip (any binding agent would work--crackers, stale bread) to thicken.

Fridgetate for a day for optimum consistency.

Could include hot sauce or other pepper product (see garlic above).

Dinear Anocht Ain't About Pretty

While experiencing the painful melody that has haunted my days and nights ("What Would Brian Boitano Do?") tonight I cooked a family favorite from the Southern/Provencal cuisine column. Beans & greens.

1 can Northern Beans, drained.
1 diced Onion
3 thinly sliced Carrots
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, halved and half-assedly seeded.
Half an heirloom tomato from the garden.
3 Cloves of sliced Garlic
1 Big Bag of Collard Greens
A bunch of good Herb De Provence (not homemade).
A couple of Spoonfuls of Vegetarian "Better Than Bullion"
Salt n' Pepa('s here and we're in effect)

Saute Onion in a medium wok until it is getting there (translucent?). Add beans, carrots, garlic and heat for a while longer. Then add collard greens and tomatoes. Cover the wok.

Realize (thanks to your wife's memory--a miraculous achievement given the sleep dep. of new motherhood)
Start a second pot with water and the superior to bullion product. Take the collard greens out of the wok and put them in the pot. When you think of it, add a small pour of jasmine rice to the pot.

Let the greens cook on medium. Turn the wok off.

Put the greens in the wok. Heat it all (med-low/low). Add salt & pepperat the end (soup base is salty).

Serve with hard cheese (used asiago) and cayenne hot sauce.

Cooked in about an hour--time could be shortened significantly.