Blueberry Oatmeal

While in all honesty I previously held the opinion that oatmeal was only a step up from canned catfood - I was pleasantly surprised by blueberry goodness that filled up my breakfast bowl.

1 cup Old Wessex Scottish Style Porridge Oats
1 3/4 cup water
Couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries
Splash of milk
Dollop of honey
Pinch of cinnamon

Bring the water and frozen blueberries to a boil. Stir in oats. Leave at a low boil and continue to stir frequently for 6-10 mins. Add remaining ingredients to taste and dig in.

Serves 2

3 1/2 solid stars for the blueberry oatmal - very tasty, but not exactly gourmet. Lolita gives the Iams Ocean Fish Entree 2 stars - she'd much rather have a bowl full of Tartar Control Pounce Cat Treats. Fickle.

Sesame Broccoli

The sauce:
4 T soy sauce (I like reduced-sodium)
1 T Sriracha (or other chile-garlic sauce)
1 T rice vinegar
1 t sesame oil

The veggies:
1 T fresh ginger, grated
2 large cloves garlic
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 T sesame seeds
1 sweet (or mildly hot) red pepper, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms in a large pan over high heat until the mushrooms give up most of their liquid. Add the sesame seeds and red pepper and fry a couple minutes more, stirring constantly so the seeds don't burn. Add the sauce and broccoli, cover the pan, and let steam for a few minutes. Once the broccoli is cooked, take the lid off and let the sauce cook down if necessary (the mushrooms will absorb a lot, so you may not have much liquid left). Serve with rice.

This was a nice accompaniment to Shrimp and Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce, which tonight I made with a jarred sauce (Sharwood brand, quite tasty). Adding pressed marinated tofu would turn it into a great entree.

4 1/2 star side dish.

Grilled Rainbow Trout

A few whole trout (no guts if you can get it that way)
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cracked peppercorns

I marinated the fish before cooking for about an hour in a plastic bag with some olive oil and lemon juice.

Melt the butter in small saucepan. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Brush inside and outside of fish generously with the butter mixture.

You can place the fish on aluminum foil or directly on the grill and cook on medium or indirect heat. It's a tricky proposition turning the fish on the grill - I'd recommend flipping from the head to the tail. Cook until fish flakes easily.

Meatballs with Roasted Tomato Sauce

I made this to accompany a bottle of wine Jeff and I bought on our trip to the Fingerlakes region of New York last month. It's a fantastic red blend called Synergy, produced by Shalestone Vineyards. It was my favorite of all the local wines we tasted, so I wanted to make something really good to enjoy it with on a lovely, just-starting-to-think-about-fall evening. This simple dish, served over fresh pasta, fit the bill.

Roasted Tomato-Pepper Sauce
2 lbs fresh tomatoes (I used romas and some of our German Johnsons)
3 or 4 sweet or mildly hot peppers
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
4 to 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
small handful fresh basil, chopped
salt & black pepper

Grill the tomatoes and peppers until skins char; try to keep them whole on the grill so you don't lose all the juice. Let cool enough to handle, then peel. Core the tomatoes and remove seeds from the peppers, then chop or puree. (I pureed most of them but kept some big chunks to give the sauce texture.) Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent, then add the tomatoes, peppers, and their juice. Cook this down for a while, tasting for salt and pepper. Add the basil just a little before serving.

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
3/4 c fresh ground breadcrumbs
1/4 c grated parmigiano cheese
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together with your hands. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour, then shape into balls. I like mine about the size of big walnuts, but you can also make big ones or little-teeny ones depending on the presentation you want. Fry the meatballs in a little olive oil at fairly high heat until browned all over, then add to the sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, and finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce.

Serve over pasta. Leftovers freeze well, or make a great meatball sub.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb brussels sprouts (the smallest, freshest available)
2 slices bacon (I use turkey, but pork or veggie would be fine)
1 t lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper

Trim the sprouts and cut them in half. Dice the bacon and fry it until starting to crisp. Toss the sprouts with bacon, lemon zest and juice, oil, and salt & pepper. Roast at 425 F for about 15 minutes or until turning brown and just tender-crisp.

I love brussels sprouts, and the lemon-bacon flavor is mighty tasty.
4 1/2 stars.