cooking what you've got- 2 dinners

I used to think that making involved and time consuming recipes was the sign I was getting to be a better cook, but now days, I think its making do with what's around.

On these particular days, I'd been preserving or working, but decided to take a break to make a nice dinner.  I had the staples (I always keep beans, rice, flours, noodles, lentils, oats/grains, and polenta on hand).  And, then I had some random veggies from the farmers market.

So, I came up with:

Stir-fried Brussels sprouts, carrots and shallots

Beer-braised black beans with asian chiles and fermented black beans (Thank you, Mark Bittman- this guy likes them too, and has a variation of the recipe)

Spicy fried wheat noodles with peanuts

  

 Another night I concocted:

Bourbon Orange Coriander BBQ'd Tofu from August's Swap

Succotash with sweet corn frozen last summer, peppers from the market and Chili Sauce with Chiles that I'd canned from Linda Ziedrich's book.



All said, both meals were a big hit at our house, re-heated well for lunches (a primary consideration for most menu planning), and were relatively healthy.  With a well stocked pantry, and a few good techniques up your sleeve- its easy to dream up inspired, seasonal, inexpensive and delicious meals!