Cameraphones are terrible cameras.

If, despite that awful photo, something about tonight's dinner appeals to you, proceed as follows.

Put on a pot of rice while you decide what should go with it. Drop in a couple bay leaves to flavor it while it cooks. Set the timer about halfway through since you forgot to set it when the rice came to a boil.

While the rice cooks, root through your pantry and the boxes that contain some pantry items (disregard this second part if you haven't just moved house). Eventually discover a can of black beans and a jar of salsa verde. Mexicanesque ideas will overwhelm you.

About now, the rice should be approximately halfway done. Or maybe even completely done if you used converted rice (which I don't recommend, but have in my house for some bizarre reason and need to use up). Wherever the rice is in its cooking process, you should chop up some cilantro. Or parsley. Or whatever you like. You should also look in the fridge and get out the salsa you made for Sunday's breakfast. It's a pretty fast recipe, so you could probably even make some salsa right now, if you want to inconvenience yourself for 3.5 minutes or so. Oh, and find some corn. Frozen, canned, whatever.

Now open up the black beans and the corn and the salsa verde (and do whatever needs to be done for your rice situation). Dump about half the bean juice out, and put in a quarter to half a cup of salsa verde. Microwave the beans for 2 minutes, or until hot. Get your rice off the stove and add a big handful of cilantro, a couple spoonsful of cilantro, and some corn. Stir it all up and make a plate.

Look at your plate and decide it's lacking in greenstuffs. Return to the fridge and find a bag of butter lettuce mix, but no satisfactory dressings. If you look behind the mountain of your fiance's Jell-O cups and move aside that 6 pack of Sam Adams Oktoberfest, you'll find a container of plain yogurt. Success! Now, go look in the makeshift pantry you keep in the (rarely used) bathroom and dig out the balsamic vinegar. Put some yogurt and balsamic in a tiny fish-shaped Japanese-style condiment dish and quickly discover that though cute, the dish is far too small to accomodate the amount of stirring necessary for blending a dressing. Stir it up anyway and wipe up the mess with a paper towel.

Drop a few handfuls of salad mix on the plate (and a few lettuce leaves on the floor), drizzle over the dressing, and, as an afterthought, crumble some queso fresco over the beans.

Put in a DVD (Rushmore, if'n you're sticking to my plan), settle in on the couch, being sure to hog the whole thing as the fiance is away at class, and enjoy your evening!

Now Even More Delicious!

I've posted a recipe for peanut sauce before, but reading the newest issue of Vegetarian Times gave me an idea for an even better version. It's simpler, tastier, and quicker to make. This is probably the best peanut sauce dish I've ever eaten. It's so great, in fact, that we ate it 3 times in one week.


Spicy Peanut Udon and Veggies

For the sauce:
- one third cup peanut butter (I like creamy, but crunchy would work, too)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

- 6 oz udon noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 8 oz frozen vegetables, steamed or stir-fried (I used a mix including sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, and red peppers)
- one-half cup frozen edamame (optional)
- 3 large scallions, diagonally sliced about one quarter inch thick
- one quarter cup chopped cilantro (cilantro haters may substitute basil or parsley)
- lime wedges (optional)

Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a large bowl with about a quarter cup of hot water (I used water from the boiling pasta pot). The sauce should be about the consistency of heavy cream, so thin it with additional hot water if necessary.

When the pasta and vegetables are cooked, add them to the sauce along with the frozen edamame, scallions, and cilantro. Toss well and serve with lime wedges. Serves 4.

I made a second version of this dish last week, which was just about as perfect as the original. It was after midnight, and we had spent the last 12 hours moving and cleaning. All I could find food-wise was a packet of ramen, a jar of peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Sriracha sauce. A very light dinner for 2 was had.

Midnight Peanut Ramen
- 1 packet ramen noodles (discard flavor packet if it isn't vegetarian friendly)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

Cook ramen according to package directions. When noodles are done, add remaining ingredients (along with whatever else you might have in the pantry or fridge that sounds good) and stir well. Consume with gusto. Serves 2 as a midnight snack or 1 as a dinner soup.

The creamy, peanutty broth was particularly satisfying after a long day, and has set my mind to wondering about the possibilities of a peanut soup. Maybe with some coconut milk? Or even some roasted pumpkin? Perhaps when fall comes around I'll start working on that...