Take a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints out of the freezer, put on a platter, and watch in amazement as your guests eat the entire box.
Red Lentils with Grilled Tomatoes and Eggplant and Mustard Greens
You need:
8 ounces red lentils
3 cups of stock or water
1/2 tablespoon paprika
5 cloves garlic
2 pounds (20 or so) roma tomatoes
1 large eggplant
1 bunch mustard greens
Toasted pine nuts
Paremsan cheese
Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper.
Line two baking dishes with foil and grease with olive oil.
Make a vinegrette of about 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, a good amount of black pepper, some salt.
Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in one baking dish. Brush with vinegrette.
Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch pieces, and layer in the other baking dish, also coating with vinegrette. Did you run out of vinegrette? Make more.
Bake both at 350F for 40 minutes. Pull out the eggplant, do something to keep them warm, and bake the tomatoes for 30 minutes longer.
Meanwhile. Bring your stock to a boil, add the lentils, garlic, and paprika. Return to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for at least 20 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. Drop the heat down to low and stir continuously for five minutes, until the lentils end up being more of a paste than anything else.
Wilt the mustard greens in a wok, or whatever, with some water.
Plop the lentils on your plates, nestle the greens around them, put the tomatoes and eggplant on top of them, then cover with more vinegrette, pine nuts, and parmesan.
Serve with crusty bread.
Tofu Soup:
Press your tofu.
Set 3 quarts of some mixture of stock and water to boil.
Chop into small cubes: 2 turnips, 2 carrots. Chop one onion. Cut one half of a large head of cabbage into small pieces. Put all of this in the stock, boil for an hour or two.
Combine in a bowl: Three tablespoons orange juice, three tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons five spice powder, one teaspoon garlic powder, a teaspoon or two of honey, salt and pepper. Whisk until pretty well blended. Cube the tofu and stir in bowl, coating with Flavor Goodness. Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a hot wok, and add the tofu, stirring constantly until browned. Add oil if it sticks.
Remove from heat, portion the tofu into bowls. Pour soup stock into bowls with lots of Sriracha sauce and serve immediately.
Salad: "Mixed Spring Greens" with cubes of feta and a vinegrette made of of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and 'Sicilian Blend'.