Today is the beginning of our weekend, from working in a restaurant. We are only permitted to do take out. It looks as though people are not spending money right now. I fear for the businesses that may have to close, as many already have.
They say that shortages will increase as the supplies are not going to make it from the United States,other parts of Canada and Mexico. I would say that these are the sources of almost all items in Canadian grocery stores. Having said that, I am not that afraid overall. I have been safe and protected all of my life so I rely on this trend to go on.
I am stocking up slowly on dry goods and frozen goods but I don't have that much space in our studio apartment. I won't panic buy but I will take every free moment to feast with my partner as often as we can. If we run out of supplies we can look back at my Hive posts and see that we had once eaten whatever we wanted. The party continues....for now.
Yesterday after work I made use of the fridge and cupboard items. There was an abundance. With a plant based diet I can take lentils and convert them into something filling and enjoyable that doesn't cost much. I had an eggplant sitting in the fridge which I purchased from the markdown bin. It was 99 cents. Eggplants last for a while in the fridge, until I make Baba Ganoush out of them. I started by putting them in the oven under the broiler which is all that works in there. I oiled them with a brush first and put them under a low broil.
Baba Ganoush
1 eggplant
juice of 2 lemons
3 or 4 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons tahini(sesame paste)
salt to taste
Splash of olive or just a little water if needed to move the blender.
After grinding this I put sumac on top. This is common Middle Eastern seasoning with a slight tart taste. I also added sesame seeds and black pepper.
After putting it in the fridge I started to make some lentil balls. I was going for a more Asian flavor with these. I thought I would mix it up a bit.
The main ingredients were red lentils and brown lentils ground up uncooked,and shitake mushroom stems which were in the freezer. The mushroom stems were being thrown out at work so I kept them, cooked them and ground them up. I had them in the freezer for a while so I had to drain the moisture out with a sieve.
Lentil shitake balls
3 cups ground cooked shitake mushrooms
1 cup ground red lentil
1 cup ground brown lentil
1 onion diced
1 carrot shredded
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 small Asian peppers
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup or more vegetable stock
3 or 4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon miso paste
1 tabespoon tomato paste
Salt if necessary
I browned the onion, garlic and ginger in a pan first then added to the mixture that was ground up in a processor. I added more broth to make sure it wouldn't be to stiff. The lentils harden up as they cook and need moisture to cook properly.
I formed the balls and got them ready to steam. I wanted them cooked before I pan fried them to get them brown. They could be deep fried without steaming but I wanted to keep them from being in the oil for too long.
I have the weirdest electric steamer that was given to me. It holds quite a bit and has a double tray. I just turn the timer on to half an hour and walk away.
When they were done I fried them in a oil until they were browned.
The sauce I made for them is one of my faves. Spicy peanut sauce. I just mix peanut butter with lime juice, garlic, hot peppers, ginger soy sauce rice vinegar,sesame oil and sweetener which in my case was agave nectar.
In order to call it a feast I would need more items. I still had salad items which was my fried food redemption. I love salad anyway and usually have it everyday. I noticed organic lettuce is now difficult to find unless it cost a fortune.
I boiled some potatoes then browned them in the lentil oil for some extra something.
We love this slow eating and nibbling on relaxed nights. I just watch a movie and Marc plays video games. He is a child at heart. So am I most of the time. Though I worry like an older person.
At the end of this, there was so much leftover. I had a few bites of this and that. I was full. It's nice to have leftovers.
Thanks for dropping by.
