tris & tribulations

What’s a hungry girl to do when she leaves her credit card with her brother-in-law, has no groceries in the house, and it’s dinner time?

Improvise, that’s what.

I usually keep my fridge fully stoked; people would think it’s for a whole family… Nope, just me. I had plans most evenings last week and wasn’t home much at all over the weekend. I planned to do a full re-stock tonight (even hit Costco), but when I realized I was money-less those plans were shattered.

Luckily, I bought some fresh yellow tomatoes at the local Farmer’s market on Saturday and they became the basis of my meal. I started there and made stuff up as I went along. Emptying the embarrassingly stark fridge of nearly-past-their-prime ingredients, I discovered half a zucchini, some spinach, mixed greens, blueberries, baby cucumber, and a few pieces of kale. I sorta felt like I was on an episode of “Chopped”– here are some random, don’t belong together ingredients., now concoct an elaborately gourmet meal.. GO!

I sliced the beautiful tomatoes, tossing out the ends and set them aside. I took the zucchini and cut it into slices and placed them into a greased saute pan set on high. I sprinkled with some Italian seasoning and let them handle themselves. Next I sprinkled a tiny bit of Sea Salt and a droplet of Olive Oil on the wimpy amount of kale that I had. I got my hands dirty and massaged the leafy greens until they were wilted. I set them aside and chopped the zucchini, half the plum, and half a yellow onion I found. I placed all the greens (except kale) in a large bowl and tossed in the rest of the veggies. I threw in a handful of blueberries, drizzled a bit of oil, dijon, and red wine vinegar and thoroughly mixed everything together. I poured the salad on the plate, topped it with the kale and garnished with a few flax seeds.

I went into my garden and picked a few leaves of fresh Basil and brought them in for my “Napoleons”. I placed one slice of tomato on the plate, topped it with one basil leaf and one slice of zucchini and a drop of oil. I repeated these steps until I used the whole tomato. I drizzled the tower with some high quality balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of Sea Salt. I added the rest of the zucchini to the plate and Voila! Dinner is served.

Not a fully raw meal, but delicious nonetheless and I enjoyed every bite.

Now tomorrow night might not be as impressive if I can’t get my card back. Something tells me that half a plum, some almond milk, San Pellegrino, baby carrots, and random condiments can be combined by even the most accomplished of chefs to create anything edible.