Peachy Keen Green

Purple Carrot's  Crispy Sheet Pan Tofu  was the final meal in the trial, and was among my favorites. It was relatively easy, and not unlike meals I already make, with a couple nice twists, including the lentil grain mix, dressing, and layering of sauce on the bottom with grains, tofu, and veggies on top. The lentil grain mix also reminded me of the mujadara we like so much at Zadna; I should throw lentils into rice/quinoa more often for the interesting flavor and added protein! I don't expect to order more from Purple Carrot, partly because each delivery (a) felt like 3 new tasks I had to do before the ingredients went bad, and (2) it felt wasteful with the shipping (from Las Vegas!),  packaging (many teeny plastic bottles and bags with ingredients), and lots to tear down and recycle. We're trying Thistle prepared meals at the same time, and I like a lot about it: It's very tasty (especially the salads), it appears at our doorstep, and we just put the bag with freezer p

The best things I've learned so far from a 2-week  Purple Carrot trial are (1) the surprising fun and beauty of layering items on beds of other items, (2) using a peeler to make zucchini ribbons (delicious tossed in a little lime and salt and used as a raw topping, like for soba), and (3) easy, flavorful cashew cream sauces that pull the dish together. Two (of the six) meals in the trial -- Smoky Portabello Tacos and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Cashew Sauce   -- both had really good cashew cream sauces. These two were my favorite meals (partly because of the tasty sauce!) and they were the easiest to make, too. Photos and recipes below! See also How to Make Cashew Cream . Ingredients Jalapeno Cashew Sauce: 1/3 C cashews 2 garlic cloves 1 lime, juiced 1 jalapeno, deseeded and roughly chopped Serve on: Corn tortillas topped with Spanish rice, sliced portabellos sautéed in a little soy sauce and liquid smoke, diced scallion, sliced radish, and shredded purple cabbage Spicy Cas

We had a super fun, impromptu potluck today at Judi and Nick's, featuring soba noodles with Kira's special sauce. So delicious! The amounts below are guesses based on watching Kira mix; no measurements were made. Kira says measure with your heart. Aaaw! p.s.  A week after posting Kira's recipe, I got the ingredients for this tahini-sauce based soba: Panko-Crusted Tempeh with Lemon Zucchini Soba & Avocado  from Purple Carrot. The best part was the zucchini ribbons! Just take off slices with a peeler, toss with a little lemon, and toss on the plate. Easy and yummy. But Kira's overall recipe is better and easier. I'll just toss zucchini ribbons on it next time. Ingredients Sauce: 2 T tahini 1 T white miso 2 tsp sriracha 2 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp powdered ginger 1/2 tsp powdered garlic 2 t rice vinegar Toppings: 2-4 Just Egg folded patties 2 Sweet Earth Applewood Smoked Plant-based Ham deli slices 2 diced scallions (optional) 1 zucchini, sliced into