Oats(w/ Apples), Gado Gado, and White bean and Black Olive Soup

Breakfast



Oats with Dried Apples
prep time and cooking: still keep forgetting to time it (slow starter...). less than 10 minutes
rating: 4 out of 5. I like it, I will definitely have it again (In fact, our fruits are on a rotation). The flavor is mild, kind of sweet. The texture is very good.

Lunch



Gado Gado (Salad over rice with a peanut sauce)
Prep time and cooking: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It is a hearty and versatile bowl o' food. It is not so pretty, but many of the meals we have been having lately have not been so appetizing to look at...

Underneath the sauce:
A bed of fresh Spinach, chopped, shredded, torn or whole
Rice (Add 1/2 tsp turmeric to the rice as it cooks to turn it a lovely shade of yellow)
Assorted vegetables (we are using red cabbage and some green beans)

The Sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 Tbs freshly grated ginger
2 3/4 cups good peanut butter (mmm, grind it at the store...)
2 to 3 cups hot water
3+ Tbs rice wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
3+ Tbs soy sauce
2-3 Tbs brown sugar or honey
3+ Tbs lemon juice

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and ginger and saute over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the onion is very soft. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings. Set aside until serving time. Serve at any temperature.

You are supposed to add some stuff over the sauce, but we are not going to as they are mostly additional garnish... (minced onion, fresh ginger, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, unsweetened coconut and fruit).

From the Moosewood Cookbook

Dinner



White Bean and Black Olive Soup (served with Potato Rosemary Bread)
prep time and cooking: 50 minutes
Rating: 5 out of 5. I really liked the flavor of this soup, and it was very nice looking. It has a nice zing to it.

4 Tbs olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbs basil
3 small (5 to 6 inches long) zucchini, diced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bulb garlic, minced
fresh black pepper
8 cups water
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 cups (~3 cans) great northern beans
2 cups sliced kalamata olives (or black ones; we used Italian seasoned black olives)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and herbs. Saute over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

Add zucchini, bell peppers and garlic. Saute 5 minutes more. Grind in some black pepper

Combine water, wine and tomato paste. Add to vegetables along with the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes (or longer). Serve hot.

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook