Love of Food

I have talked about food on here before, but mostly in terms of trying not to eat it.  I have never talked about our lifestyle in regards to food or my love of baking and cooking.  I did do one recent post with a couple of recipes but that doesn't scratch the surface of this area of my life. 

I love to bake and I love to cook.  It's not that I want to do it all the time, but when I get a new recipe it's like a dollar burning a whole in my pocket. This is a trait that my mother instilled in me since I was a little girl.  I hope to pass it on to Ainsley as well. 

Although I learned a lot of what I know from my mother, I have taken that to a different place.  All my baking skills are still pretty much what I learned from her, but when it comes to cooking, my life has taken a different path.  13 years ago I became a vegetarian.  That seems like a life time ago.  My reasons at the time were to win over this awesome guy and let him know that I was serious about a relationship with him. 

Now my reasons are totally different.  When I look back over my life, I have always loved vegetables, not all of them, but a lot of them.  At this point in my life, I can look back and say that my life is much happier living without the consumption of animals.  I am in no way an animal activist.  There are things in my life that have a definite right and a definite wrong.  This is not one of them.  One of the reasons I like being a vegetarian is because it forces me to be creative.  It forces me to think beyond chicken, steak, and fish. 

I do get in ruts.  I have been in one lately.  Over the past few weeks, I have made a deal with myself.  I am going to try a new recipe every week.  I think it's too much to try a new one everyday.  One a week is enough.  The rules are (since you know I love rules) that the ingredients must be fresh and the vegetables not always the same old same old.  I'll post some of the recipes of the good ones on here.

Here's this week's recipe taken from Epicuriuos.com.  I loved it because it seemed like a bunch of really good fresh ingredients.  Lots of green and healthy goodness, plus we are growing Brussel Sprouts in the garden and I needed to find a recipe for them.

Brussel Spout and Cabbage Pasta
1/2 lb Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and quartered
2 Leeks (white and pale green parts)
3/4 lb Cabbage cored and chopped
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Butter
4 cloves Garlic
2/3 cup Dry white wine
4 cups water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp thyme
3/4 lb pasta
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook leeks and cabbage in 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter with salt and pepper in a large pot over medium heat until soft (5 minutes).  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated (2-3 minutes).  Add water, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp thyme, and remaining oil and butter.  Simmer covered until the cabbage is tender and the liquid is reduced by half (about 15 minutes).  Stir in the Brussel Sprouts, simmer, cover and cook until tender (about 10 minutes)

Cook the pasta in another pot and save 2 cups of the water when you drain it. 

Put the pasta in with the vegetables and the reserved 2 cups of water.  Simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and toss with the parsley and remaining thyme.  Serve with lemon wedge.

Happy cooking!