early this fall, my dad and bonnie visited us to watch my talented sister perform with the santa cruz symphony. they arrived laden with gorgeous home grown veggies. my dad’s mouth watering signature dish is something that lies between caponata and ratatouille, and thus the vegetables he grew lent themselves well to making this dish.
a few weekends ago, we attended a fall barbecue thrown by my mom and willie. there were amazing quantities of delicious food, lots of good people and conversations, and paddle boats to have fun with on the lake – all which made for a fabulous fall afternoon.
what the heck is a tagine, i bet you’re thinking to yourself. yeah, i was right there questioning with you until i utilized the powers of google a couple of days ago. technically, tagine refers both to north african (think moroccan) stews as well as to the vessel they are cooked in for hours upon hours. while i love moroccan food, there aren’t any restaurants in santa cruz, so i have to head over the hill to san jose or san francisco to consume the amazing four (plus) course meals that are standard at moroccan restaurants. and usually, i’m so involved in the experience of eating the amazing moroccan delicacies served at these two restaurants (and there is only one veggie meal, not a whole menu of options) that i have never before noticed the name of the dishes i love – tagines!
as a 40 hour per week working stiff, i absolutely love finding quick and easy recipes to make on week nights so mike and i can squeeze in a run or swim and still sit down to eat dinner at a reasonable time. these edamame rice bowls fit right into that category – the prep work involves a little chopping, some nuking of pre-made frozen rice, and the boiling of water for edamame beans – and voila, in 15 minutes or so, you’re enjoying a great one bowl dish. (while we’re on the topic of frozen pre-made rice, have you ever tried the stuff from trader joe’s? it takes only three minutes in the microwave before you have brown rice that tastes like it’s been cooked over a stove slowly for over an hour! you have to try it if you haven’t already – it’s a fantastic way to cut corners and save time on recipes.)
i am really quite biased against mixes. let me be blunt – i hate to use them because i think that i could put together something better from scratch, and i’m particular about flavors, ingredients, etc. the only thing i make from a mix is falafel (and hummus, on one occasion…ok, and pancakes once or twice. shoot, my statement is really falling apart here – i sound like a hypocrite!!).
but seriously, to me, falafel is a magical delicious food that either comes from a box or a falafel eatery. period. but in this month’s vegetarian times, there was a recipe for making falafel from scratch, and i figured that if there was ever a time to tackle this delicacy, this was it. so i put the ingredients on my grocery list, headed out to the store, and surprisingly quickly and easily blended myself some delicious falafels.
