Refreshing Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Weird fact: This is my secret blog. It's not entirely secret; my whole family and a few friends know about it - but that's it. Why? I'm not really sure. Maybe it's just because this blog is not as polished as I would like it to be yet, maybe it's just because I'm self-conscious about the fact that it exists for some reason.

I'm sure that I'll share this blog with more people, but for now I end up sneakily taking photos of my food when no one is home or awake. Luckily, my roommates mostly seem to sleep until noon so I often see no signs of life before leaving for the day. It does mean that my posting schedule is a little erratic. Most food bloggers seem to schedule their cooking around blogging; I cook when I want food and then hope that I'll get a chance to take a picture before I've eaten the whole dish or it has been in the fridge for so long that it no longer looks appetizing.

This probably makes it harder for me to achieve the consistency that I want in this blog, and therefore makes it less likely for me to share it. I guess I've created a bit of a cycle of positive feedback, but for now it is what it is. This salad, for example, was made yesterday and then smuggled into my room this morning for some photos before I ate it for breakfast. And by breakfast, I mean second breakfast. Don't judge.

This salad is so refreshing - the bright and tangy flavours from the herbs and lemon juice go well with the fresh and hydrating vegetables (or fruits, if you want to be technical) and the red onion and seeds add a little extra crunch for texture. Plus, it's so easy to make.

Simple and light, this salad is perfect for summer. It is somewhat inspired by greek salad - the lemon, herbs, and salt make the tofu somewhat reminiscent of feta. If you want to go further towards a greek salad, add some olives or even feta. I used tofu for the protein content (which also makes this vegan) but adding feta and removing some or all of the tofu would also be delicious - just be sure to adjust the salt and lemon quantities accordingly.

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1/3 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 package extra-firm silken tofu
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, to taste
• 2 tsp salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Directions

1. Chop fresh vegetables and herbs and mix together in a salad bowl.

2. Dice tofu, and mix with 3tbsp lemon juice, dried herbs, and salt.

3. Add tofu mixture to vegetables and mix. Taste, and add additional lemon juice to salad if desired.

4. If making in advance, leave the salad in the fridge until you are ready to eat it. This salad stores well as the flavours infuse the tofu more over time, but it can also be eaten immediately.

5. Add sunflower seeds just before serving, and enjoy!

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Poached Eggs, Greens, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce

This morning, I was faced with a harrowing choice. After about ten minutes of agonizing, page-turning, mind-changing, and reading and re-reading, I made the split-second decision about what to order for breakfast.

I'm always that person at a restaurant who reads the menu at least five times, asks everyone else what they are eating, debates out loud the pros and cons of various dishes, and then insists on ordering last to put off making a final decision. Breakfast, though, is especially difficult. Breakfast might just be my favourite meal - possibly brought on by years of morning practices. I like new and exciting foods, but I also like my breakfasts to be familiar comfort food with SOME nutritional value to start off my day right. As one of my friends pointed out, though, usually the biggest factor in deciding what to eat for breakfast is sweet versus savoury.

Sweet breakfasts are usually my go-to at home - fruit with yogurt and granola or oatmeal topped with cinnamon are pretty standard for me. Probably because I want something different, I usually get a savoury breakfast when going out - usually an omelette full of veggies and cheese, with lots of toast and home fries. Delicious, and not the worst thing for me, but maybe not the most healthy or budget-friendly.

Earlier this week, I decided to make a healthier and quicker version of this breakfast, all in one bowl. Flavourful tomato sauce simmered with herbs and balsamic vinegar, mixed with potato and some wilted greens, topped with soft poached eggs makes for a perfect breakfast: flavourful, nutritious, filling, and comforting. I make variations on this for other meals as well (sometimes adding or subtracting potatoes and other vegetables, or using fresh tomatoes or jarred pasta sauce or even soup) but it made an especially satisfying breakfast.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup strained tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
1 tbsp dried basil
salt, to taste2 small potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup baby arugula (or other baby green or chopped green)
2 eggs

Directions:
1. Add tomatoes, water, vinegar, basil, and salt to pot.
2. Add chopped potatoes and cover pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until potatoes are mostly soft (about 15 minutes).
3. Add parsley and arugula. Stir into sauce, and leave simmering for a minute or two until arugula begins to wilt.
4. Make sure that sauce is bubbling gently (but not boiling) in order to properly poach the eggs. Crack both eggs over top of sauce, replace lid, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until eggs are poached.

Note: Once the eggs are as poached as you want them to be, put everything into a bowl right away so that the eggs do not keep cooking in the pot. Alternately, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stove just a little early. The eggs will continue to cook for a few minutes. This is especially helpful if you want to eat this right out of the pot. Which I may or may not do on a regular basis.


Also, if you have fresh basil use that - add lots of basil, the more the better! Likewise with fresh tomatoes, just dice them, use a bit more water, and squash the pieces a little while you are cooking them.

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Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Pasta

Remember that time when I thought it would be a great idea to start a blog right before the end of the semester? While I was looking for a job? Posting about three times a week would be no big deal, right?

Then remember that time when I spent all day every day in the geography library on the computers waiting for my project to (hopefully) work, except for my few escapes to the gym or to work? And all the food I made was when I got home well after dark and I was too hungry to save any of it to photograph during daylight? Except for that time I made eggplant curry and didn't wash the cilantro enough and didn't have enough coconut milk so it turned out horribly and I got really upset because I was really tired and threw out the little bit that was left. I did eat most of it though. Promise. Food waste is one of my big pet peeves. I wish that I could say lesson learned, but the cilantro gets me every single time.

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Comfort and Spice and Everything Nice: Peanut Tomato Soup

Fact: I love potlucks. I am slightly addicted to potlucks. In my ideal world, every day would be a potluck.

Fact: I love peanut butter. I love cooking with peanut butter, and sometimes (read: way too frequently) just eat it straight out of the jar by the spoonful. In my ideal world, every meal would involve peanut butter.

Fact: I love soup. I usually have at least three varieties of soup in my freezer. In my ideal world, I would make soup every single day.

Can you see where this is heading?

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