Mamom's fumi salad recipe

Thanks to everyone for all of the kind messages encouraging me to keep the blog going.  That is my intent, though I'm sure my posting frequency will not be what it once was.  The one person that most consistently expressed her desire for new blog posts was my grandmother, Mamom.  Tomorrow would be her 86th birthday, and this is for her.  Happy birthday, Mamom.

I started this blog for two reasons; I wanted an easy way to keep track of recipes that I enjoyed, but more importantly I wanted a way to update my parents and grandparents, Mamom and Papa, on my life in Michigan.  Every time I talked to them on the phone or sent an email it seemed like there was nothing new to report, but writing in this blog allowed them some insight into my day-to-day life.  Mamom was one of my biggest cheerleaders from the very beginning, and I would constantly get emails saying "I loved your latest Eat This and I can't wait to try that recipe" (she never called it a blog, always my Eat This).  Over the last few months she asked repeatedly if I thought I would eventually have time to write more, and I always said that I intended to get back to it soon.  It was a shock to the entire family when Mamom passed away two weeks ago, and I think that the only way to appropriately say goodbye is through an Eat This.

I have so many memories of Mamom that I don't even know where to start.  Before I was old enough to go to school, Mamom and Papa took care of me while my parents were at work, and after I started school I spent most afternoons and summers with them.  I don't ever remember watching tv with them (except for the news) because Mamom always had something planned.  We went to museums, we ran errands, we volunteered, we went on walks and bike rides, and we went berry picking.  Everywhere we went, I reached up to grab her hand.  I was never "Katie" to Mamom, I was always "her Katie."

I've never met a woman who was so proud and supportive of her children and grandchildren, and I think we've all kept going at times because of her encouragement.  In fact, her responses to my first (private) blog posts prompted me to open this up to a public blog.  She also encouraged me to cook way before I started the blog, and whenever I made a meal for the family she would talk about it for days (sometimes years).  While I was home last week I met some of her friends for the first time, and the vast majority of them mentioned something about my "gourmet cooking" (ok, so she sometimes exaggerated just a bit).  I don't consider my food gourmet in the least, but to her it was because I was the one that made it.  This loyalty and pride extended to the rest of the family and to her friends.

I also have many food-related memories of Mamom.  She introduced me to pesto, hummus, and kale, just to name a few.  I also have fond memories of her pumpkin ice cream, turkey and dressing, eggplant casserole, and baked spaghetti pie.  And don't get me started on her blackberry cobbler.  But one of the dishes that comes to mind first when I remember Mamom is her fumi salad.  Mamom always made a large batch of this salad whenever the rest of the family was in town, particularly during the summer.  I never get tired of this salad, and it gets better as each day goes by.  I've shared a similar salad before, but last week I flipped through her recipe box and found her official recipe.  Mamom, this Eat This is for you.


Mamom's Fumi Salad
(Printable version)

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 medium head of cabbage, shredded
8 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 packages of ramen noodles (any flavor)
1 cup canola oil
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Combine cooked chicken, cabbage, green onions, almonds, and sesame seeds in a giant bowl (or two large bowls).  Place the ramen noodles (not the flavor packets - you can throw those away or save them for another recipe) in a large ziploc bag, and crush the noodles with your hands or a rolling pin.  Add the noodles to the cabbage mixture.  In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients, and then stir this dressing into the salad.  Mix well and refrigerate for at least a few hours before eating.  Serves 8-10.

Warm butter bean, red onion, and spinach salad with mustard recipe

Even after making Brunswick stew this week (which is getting better and better!), I still have butter beans in my freezer (for some reason I thought it was a great idea to cook 3 pounds of them a few months ago).  Before I made the stew, I was inspired by Gel's kitchen to make this salad.  I made the recipe and it was pretty good, but then I got the idea to add whole grain mustard.  Sometimes I have random last-minute ideas that fail miserably, but this one took the salad from ok to wonderful.  Next time I'll probably add more spinach, but it was great just as I made it.  I tried the leftovers warm and cold and couldn't decide which way was better.

Now the only problem is deciding how I want to use my last bag of butter beans.  Do I make more of this salad?  Do I try mashing them up like potatoes (an interesting idea I just read about)?  Any favorite recipes out there?

Warm butter bean, red onion, and spinach salad with mustard (adapted from Gel's kitchen)
(Printable version)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 large red onion, sliced thinly
2 1/2 cups cooked butter beans
salt and pepper to taste
2 large handfuls spinach
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard (I used one with horseradish)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and then saute the onion until it's very tender (about 10 min).  Add butter beans to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and stir everything around for a couple of minutes.  Then add spinach, stir well, and cook until the spinach wilts.  Stir in the mustard and serve.  Serves 3-4.

Dijon mustard potato salad recipe

I'm weird when it comes to potato salad; I think that mustard is a necessity, while mayo is optional.  Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with "classic" potato salad (as long as lots of yellow mustard is involved), and it's perfect for a summer picnic.  At other times of year, though, I prefer a classier version with Dijon mustard and oil.  This was probably the best one that I've ever made because the mustard didn't overwhelm the taste of the potatoes.  It was also lighter than most potato salads, which I appreciated.  I'm submitting this soup to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and hosted by Chris from Mele Cotte this week.

Dijon mustard potato salad (inspired by Vegan Yum-Yum)
(Printable version)

3 pounds red potatoes
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey or agave nectar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
4 green onions, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped

Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks, add them to a large pot, and cover potatoes with water and a sprinkle of salt.  Boil potatoes until they are soft (about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your chunks).  Drain the potatoes and let them cool for about 10 min.  Stir together mustard, oil, vinegar, honey, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Add green onions and parsley, and then combine the dressing mixture and the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Taste and add more of any of the dressing ingredients, if necessary.  Serve warm, room temp, or cold.  Serves 8.

Wild rice, pecan, and cranberry salad recipe

I now present my favorite dish that I made for Thanksgiving #1.  The best part of this salad is that it's good warm, room temp, or cold, so you can make it whenever you feel like it.  I started cooking my rice about the time the turkey went in the oven, then prepared the rest whenever I had a few minutes to spare.  I loved the combination of rices, pecans, and cranberries, and the dressing was subtle enough to let the other flavors shine through.  Quality nuts do make a big difference - I used ones from the new crop of south Georgia pecans that my mom picked up a few weeks ago.  I love them so much that I put pecans in just about everything I made for both Thanksgivings (and quite a few sneaked into my mouth during preparation).

Wild rice, pecan, and cranberry salad (adapted from Simply Recipes)
(Printable version)

2 cups brown and wild rice mix (I used Lundberg Wild Blend)
4 cups water (or more, depending on rice directions or if you're using a lot of wild rice)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp butter or oil
1 cup dried cranberries (I prefer the ones sweetened only with fruit juice)
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
zest of 1 orange
salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice, water, salt, and butter in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 50 min.  Remove pan from heat and let sit an additional 10 min (or more, if you're not ready to assemble the salad).  Stir rice, cranberries, pecans, and green onions together.  In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, and orange zest, and season with salt and pepper.  Toss this dressing with the rice mixture.  Serves 8.

Thai cabbage salad with chicken recipe

You probably know by now that I can't get enough cabbage, so I definitely wasn't disappointed when Mom suggested that I get one when we picked up my CSA share last week.  We didn't end up eating it while my parents were here, but I knew that I could put it to good use.  I decided to do a cabbage salad, but I wanted to try something different than my usual Chinese cabbage salad.  This Thai version looked delicious, so I gave it a shot.

I really liked the way that this turned out.  The cabbage wasn't swimming in dressing, so it retained its crunch even after several days.  It had a nice amount of spice, too, with that wonderful Thai curry taste.  I really don't think that salting the cabbage does much, so feel free to skip that step if you're short on time.  And next time I just may add some shredded coconut.  It can't hurt, right?

Thai cabbage salad with chicken (adapted from Serious Eats)
(Printable version)

1 small cabbage, shredded
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
juice and zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Toss cabbage and salt together in a large colander and let sit for 30 min.  Then rinse cabbage and let it drain for a few minutes.  Combine cabbage, carrots, chicken, and cilantro in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together curry paste, fish sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, cayenne, and lime juice and zest.  Toss this dressing with the cabbage mixture and sprinkle with peanuts.  Serves 4-5.

Lentil salad with feta, kohlrabi, carrot, bell pepper, and onion recipe

Lentils are one of my favorite legumes because of their versatility and ability to blend with many flavors, as well as the fact that they cook quickly (relative to dried beans). I love variations on lentil salads, and in brainstorming about what to make for dinner, something got that idea in my head. The best part is that I was able to incorporate some of my CSA loot (kohlrabi and carrot) into the salad.

Lentil salad with feta, kohlrabi, carrot, bell pepper, and onion

(Printable version)

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, sorted and rinsed

1/2 large or 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and diced

1 purple (or other color) carrot, diced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small Vidalia onion, diced

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp olive oil

juice of large lemon

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils in a medium saucepan, add water so that it comes a few inches above lentils, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until lentils are tender (about 40 min). Drain lentils and let cool for about 20 min. Combine cooked lentils with remaining ingredients and stir well. Serves 5.

This might be my favorite version of lentil salad that I've made thus far. I really enjoyed the addition of kohlrabi and carrots. If you don't have kohlrabi, you could easily substitute jicama or cucumber for a similar crunchy texture. I meant to add tomatoes to this too, but am just remembering that at this very second. Perhaps tomorrow I'll stir in a few diced tomatoes before I enjoy this for lunch. I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair, which was conceived by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook and is hosted by Sunshinemom at Tongue Ticklers this month.

Purple cabbage salad with carrots, almonds, and raisins

Ok, we've finally come to the last salad that I made for Memorial Day (but don't worry, dessert is still to come!). With potato salad already on the menu, I didn't want to make a traditional slaw, but couldn't pass up the chance to have cabbage.

Purple cabbage salad with carrots, almonds, and raisins (adapted from Vegan Yum Yum)

1 head purple cabbage, chopped into small shreds

4 large carrots, grated

1 cup raisins

1 cup sliced almonds

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp water

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar)

3 Tbsp olive oil

Combine cabbage, carrots, raisins, and almonds in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, adjust dressing ingredients to taste, and toss with cabbage mixture. If you need to make this in advance, leave out almonds and add them just before serving. Serves 6-8.

This was definitely my favorite of the Memorial Day salads. The potato salad was light and had a great potato flavor, the bean salad was colorful and summery, and the cantaloupe and mozzarella salad was different and delicious, but this had a great mix of sweet and savory, as well as crunchy and chewy (and it included cabbage!). I have to give much of the credit for this salad to my mom because she chopped the cabbage. I generally don't have much patience when it comes to chopping cabbage for slaws, and I end up with huge chunks (take my Chinese cabbage salad, for example). That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it tends to look much nicer and is far easier to eat when it's in these small perfect shreds. The colors of this salad were beautiful, too, and it made for an even more exciting meal. I will definitely be making this salad again!

Colorful black bean salad

Although I probably could have stopped with the chicken and shrimp kabobs, potato salad, and cantaloupe and mozzarella salad, I decided that a bean salad would be fun, summery, and perfect for Memorial Day. And I certainly couldn't pass up another chance to use more local tomatoes while I was in Florida (I got back to Michigan yesterday, and am already regretting that I didn't fill a suitcase with them).

Colorful black bean salad (adapted from Could It Be... SEITAN?)

2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can, rinsed and drained)

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

juice of 2 limes

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir well, and serve immediately. Serves 6.

This was really good, light, and definitely perfect for the beginning of summer. Mom said it was her favorite of the salads that I made, particularly after adding the oil. Not only was it tasty, but it was also a very colorful addition to the table. My grandmother has lost most of her sense of taste, but she enjoyed the color and texture of this salad. I have to admit that I didn't think of this while I was making it, but I'm glad that she was able to enjoy it too!

Cantaloupe, mozzarella, and mint salad

I saw this salad a few weeks ago, and knew that I had to try it out. It combines several things that I would have never thought to put together, which always grabs my attention. Plus, Dad had a ton of fresh mozzarella and Athena cantaloupes are just coming into season in Florida, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it out.

Cantaloupe, mozzarella, and mint salad (adapted from Wheat Free Meat Free)

1 cantaloupe, cut into bite-size pieces

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks

juice of 1 small lemon

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serves 6.

I liked this, and Dad said it was his favorite of the salads that I made for Memorial Day (because it was so different). The fresh taste of the mozzarella and cantaloupe meshed well together, and the mint added to this nicely. It's incredibly simple to make, and was a good addition to the meal. I also want to try this with honeydew (as Wheat Free Meat Free's recipe describes).

Lighter potato salad with onions and garlic

I love potato salad, but I'm very picky about it. I like simple ones that allow you to really taste the potatoes (something similar to mayonnaise soup with small chunks of potatoes is not my idea of good food). One of my friend's made a great potato salad a couple of weeks ago, and inspired me to try one out for Memorial Day.

Lighter potato salad with onions and garlic

5 large red potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks

1 Vidalia onion, sliced thinly

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp dried dill

1 tsp Greek seasoning mix

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes, and cook until fork-tender (20-30 min). Drain potatoes, let them cool for 5-10 min, and add onions. Stir remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and adjust seasonings to your liking. Stir about half of the dressing into the potatoes and onions, and add more until potatoes are sufficiently coated, but not swimming. Ideally let it sit in the refrigerator for a while before serving. Serves 6-8.

This definitely satisfied most of my requirements for potato salad - it was light and emphasized the potatoes. The garlic was a little bit overwhelming (my cloves were huge), so I would either use smaller cloves or fewer of them next time (I can't believe that I just said that I plan to cut back on the garlic!). I love that the turmeric gives this a beautiful yellow color and a slight mustard taste. It's such a fabulous spice!

Jicama and orange salad

I wasn't very familiar with jicama until a few years ago when a friend made a salad that had loads of jicama and a great crunch. I still don't use it that often because I rarely think of it, but I did enjoy it in a kamut pilaf recently. It's perfect for giving things a good crunchy texture, and goes with almost anything because it doesn't have much of a flavor on its own (although I recently heard it compared to an apple-pear). When I saw this salad in this month's cookbook, I knew that I had to give it a shot.

Jicama and orange salad (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics")

1 small jicama, cut into thin sticks

4 navel oranges, peeled and sections cut out (leaving membrane between sections behind)

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, and let sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Serves 5.

I've enjoyed this, although I think it's missing something and I can't figure out what. The ratio of jicama to orange is low (perhaps my jicama was too big?) so it's a little bit bland. Perhaps using cayenne instead of chili powder would give it more of what it needs. I can also see adding a grain (rice? wheat berries? kamut? barley?) or another fruit (grapes?) to give it a bit more substance. But, that being said, I've still been enjoying this as a snack. It's particularly good on a warm day when you want something cool and crunchy.

Pan-fried chickpea salad

I read through hundreds of recipes a day (thank you, Google Reader!), and mark many to save for future adventures. Occasionally I get the urge to stop everything that I'm doing and make one immediately. That's what happened here... only I couldn't do it immediately. I cooked up a bunch of chickpeas last weekend, I happened to have a red onion around, I always have yogurt... what was missing? Leeks. I love leeks, so I figured that I should wait to make this until I could acquire one. After a quick trip to the store, I was ready to get cracking.

Pan-fried chickpea salad (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can chickpeas (or 2 cups cooked)

1 leek, sliced thinly

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup chopped red onion

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add chickpeas and cook until they begin to brown. Add leeks and continue to cook until chickpeas are golden and leeks begin to brown. Add garlic, cook for another minute. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients; taste and adjust as necessary. Serves 3-4.

Yummy! I had no plans for this fitting into a meal... I just wanted to satisfy my cooking urges. It's a good snack - I have to admit that I've snuck a few spoonfuls from time to time. It's unbelievably simple, and a great way to use cooked chickpeas.

Speaking of chickpeas, I often have trouble getting them tender when I cook them. This time I cooked them in the crock pot (on high for about 4 hours) while I had two other pots of beans going on the stove. I think they came out much better this way.

Southwestern Kamut Pilaf

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. Brown rice would be a great substitute for Kamut in this pilaf.**

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love wheat berries. I figured I would like their grain siblings, but hadn't yet tried them. But then last week The Perfect Pantry inspired me to experiment with Kamut. Kamut is an ancient wheat variety, and the berries are somewhat bigger and lighter than those of traditional wheat. I already had some in my pantry and easily found a wheat berry recipe that could be adapted for this adventure.

Southwestern Kamut Pilaf (adapted from "The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook")

1 cup Kamut, picked over and rinsed

2 Anaheim chiles, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small jicama, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 medium onion, diced (use a red onion if you have it)

1/3 cup cilantro, minced

juice of 2 limes

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 2/3 cups (or 15 oz. can) cooked black beans

Combine Kamut and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Drain and set aside. Put the chiles skin side up on a baking sheet and press down to flatten. Broil them for 8 min, or until blackened. Then put them in a paper bag and let sit for 10 min. Peel the chiles and dice. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serves 5.

The verdict? Kamut is possibly even better than wheat berries. It has more of a subtle flavor that almost hints on buttery. But, all in all, it's very similar. And this salad is great. I rarely use jicama, but love the crunch that it adds to things. If I were to make any changes, I would add another chile because it's a really good flavor that is a bit too subtle for me. Hmmm... I wonder how this would be with a tomato chopped up into it. And maybe some corn! Ok, so this could be tweaked a lot, but it's really good as is. This is going to make me look forward to lunch all week!

Chinese cabbage salad

I spent a lot of time with my dad's parents when I was growing up and, as a result, ate many meals with them. For some reason there are several dishes that Mammom used to make that really stand out in my mind, while I can't remember others to save my life. The ones that I remember are luffa (ok, that was only one time, but it was definitely memorable), spaghetti pie, eggplant casserole, and fumi salad. Perhaps I remember them well because they were some of my favorites (except for the luffa experiment). Fumi salad is one of those great things that you can make in massive quantities (I remember her huge tupperware container that seemed to hold endless amounts of it), and it only gets better as time goes along. I'm sure there's a limit to that, but it was always gone before we got anywhere near testing the limit.

A few years ago, I tried to recreate fumi salad. The basic idea is to combine lots of shredded cabbage, green onions, crushed up ramen noodles, almonds, and chicken (if you want), and a dressing based on vinegar, oil, and sugar. I made it several times, and it was always delicious. It's a great thing to take to events, especially if you need to prepare something in advance. This week I had a head of cabbage, but no real plans for it, so I decided to make a fumi-like salad with a few tweaks.

Chinese cabbage salad

3/4 head shredded cabbage (go ahead and use the whole thing if you want - it wouldn't all fit in my bowl so I boiled the rest)

3 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp honey (or agave nectar)

Combine cabbage through sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Taste the dressing and add more of something if necessary. Add dressing to cabbage mixture and stir well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Serves 4 (unless you sit down with the bowl and eat half of it, like I might have done...).

This was pretty good the day after I made it, but really good yesterday and today. I like the addition of the jalapeno - it adds a subtle kick to it without being overpowering. The peanuts and sunflower seeds are also good and crunchy - I don't miss the ramen noodles at all. I eat a lot of boiled or roasted cabbage, but this is another great way to eat it and keeps things interesting.

Wheat berry salad with cranberries, apples, and pecans

I'm going to a holiday party tomorrow night and need to bring something, but it has to be something I can make in advance because I'll have to go straight from the lab. I was looking around for recipes, and thought that this would be a great time to try out the wheat berries that Dad got me for my birthday. I used a recipe for wheat berry salad as a guide and went to town. After the berries were cooked, I tasted a few to make sure they were done, but I couldn't stop eating them plain! Anyway, I threw everything else with them, and it's really good. It's a good thing I'm really full from eating the oranges after I juiced them because otherwise I might not have any salad left to bring to the party. I bet it will be even better tomorrow once the flavors have gelled together.

I'm glad I like the wheat berries because I picked up some that were on the clearance rack at the natural foods store (I'm not sure why they were on clearance, and I'm sure they won't be as good as the ones Dad got, but they'll do). I'll have to experiment more with them (next on the docket might be a risotto...).

This weekend's adventures

Even though the weather was nice this weekend, I still managed to do quite a bit of cooking.  On Saturday I cooked a lot of the veggies that I got at the farmers' market and also made a lentil salad.  I was trying to recreate something that I have had several times before, and I came pretty close.  I cooked lentils and let them cool a little bit, then added red onion, red bell pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, pepper, and feta.  Then I put it in the fridge to have on Sunday (it's good when it's still warm/room temp, but I think it's even better cold).  I highly recommend it, and it's incredibly easy!

Yesterday I experimented with crackers.  I love crackers, but now that I'm trying to avoid all of the preservatives and numerous variations of corn and soybean products added to everything, they're off of my shopping list.  I found several easy recipes, and decided to try one out.  This one came out of the King Arthur Whole Grain book that I got from the library, but I also found it at Kitchen Link.  I made half of a batch in case it was a disaster, and I reduced the sugar quite a bit.  I wasn't able to roll the dough out quite as thin as they describe, and it definitely did not resemble a square (more like weird abstract art), but that's ok.  They turned out great, especially the ones that I let get extra brown and crispy.  I never would have thought of putting paprika and vanilla together, but it definitely works (and tastes very similar to wheat thins!).  I'm looking forward to making a bigger batch soon!

I've also made a few desserts recently that I forgot to mention before.  Last week I made oatmeal raisin cookies sweetened with apple juice concentrate (and raisins, of course).  They don't have the typical cookie texture and are more gummy/chewy, but they taste really good.  I'm not sure that the consistency would work well with other cookie types, but it goes along nicely with the oatmeal.  I've also been making individual servings of fruit crisps from time to time.  The peaches at the farmers' market have been amazing lately, so some nights I'll slice one, add some lemon juice and cinnamon, sprinkle some oats on top, and bake it for a while.  It's SO good, and easy enough that I can make it fresh every time I want it.  I'm very sad that peach season is winding down, but I guess I'll have to try it with other fruits.

My new favorite spice

With everything that went on this weekend, I forgot about the potato salad that I made last week. I've been looking for something interesting to make with the potatoes that Jess gave me, and then I remembered how much I enjoyed the potato salad that she made one Sunday night a few months ago. She got the Mother's Day potato salad recipe from a vegan website. I adapted it quite a bit (I didn't want to use nutritional yeast or relish, and I didn't have any Old Bay). Basically I mixed up some mayo, turmeric, dill, minced garlic, a little piece of a veggie bouillon cube, and a little bit of greek seasoning and tossed it with my cooked potatoes. The turmeric gives it a slight mustardy flavor (since that's one of the main spices in mustard) without overwhelming the potato taste. It also gives it a brilliant yellow color. I'm now trying to find more and more uses for turmeric because it's so tasty, yet subtle. And apparently it has the most health benefits out of all of the spices! Now if only I can avoid permanently staining my hands/countertops/floors yellow...