Lunch for the Thundering Herd

Wow it’s August and where has the summer gone? i can tell you we’ve been busy; we moved my father in law from a townhouse, which he lived in for 33 years, to an assisted living space. I’ll start by saying that he is an archivist - I don’ t think he ever threw anything away. While daunting at times we found and learned some interesting things about him and his ancestors. 

Our garden is not having a banner year and whether it is because everything is late, we’ve had one hell of a lot of rain or something else, we’re a little sad. I will say the spinach and greens were wonderful, the kale is going strong and we have been flooded with green beans and peas so that’s something. I’ve counted about 10 squash, which is way under last year’s 30 but we’ll take what we can get. 

Dan’s biggest disappointment is tomatoes - he loves a sandwich with toasted whole grain bread, a little mayo and a super thick slice of tomato - it’s what’s on for dinner tonight but this will be the first sandwich of the year. 

We’re heading on a European riverboat cruise this fall but we did take time to head up to the lake for a week with Dan’s family (aka The Thundering Herd). The vacation was not without excitement!

Dan’s youngest daughter got engaged on the beach of Rush Lake on our first night - so exciting. She and her fiancé (who by the way is an awesome cook) have been together for 3 years, they seem to really compliment each other in the best of all possible ways and we are excited to have him join the family. 

Dan’s oldest daughter also had some excitement - gallbladder surgery - it was painful (as I understand) but she is feeling much better and on the mend. It was a little stressful but we are glad she is doing well. 

Our cooking of late has been our standard veggie fare; salads, stir fry, and occasionally something more complicated. We did a veggie grain bowl for our lunch meal at the lake and got good reviews. I made a batch of fermented carrots, cucumbers, radish and onions it adds a nice kick to what we’ve been eating. The recipe below is a scaled down version of what we served, you can easily add or subtract quantities or items as you wish.

Ingredients:

1 jar artichoke hearts in water

1 jar kalamata olives - cut in half

crumbled feta cheese 

1 can chickpeas 

Greek seasoning (oregano, parsley, basil)

lettuce - shredded 

1 zucchini - chopped

1/2 red pepper - chopped

1/2 orange pepper - chopped

1 onion - chopped

cherry tomatoes - sliced in half

1 cucumber - sliced and cubed

Roasted red pepper hummus

Quinoa 

pita bread
fermented veggies (radish, red onion, cucumber)

Vegan tatziki:

1/2 block medium-firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 English cucumber

Preparation:

Vegan tatziki:

Add everything but the cucumber to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until smooth stopping to scrape the sides as needed. 

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Grate the seeded cucumber, place in a clean dishcloth and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add it to the blender and pulse to incorporate.

Veggies and Grains:

Roast the chickpeas, onions, zucchini and peppers  with olive oil and greek seasoning until just crisp. Make quinoa according to package directions and chop all other ingredients. 

We served this buffet style with veggie chips and strawberries and nectarines - it was a hit!