Week 6 - the return from Hand Surgery!

Despite the difficulties of healing from another hand surgery, I am happy to have all the feeling back in my fingers! The week before surgery was a flurry of spring cleaning and making as many dinners as my freezer would hold. My goal of cooking through this Veggie cookbook has been on hold for many weeks, But I am happy to have made it through Week 6 + !

One recipe I did sneak in during my pre-surgery week was a simple Bean and Rice Burrito. B's Step-Grandma came from Mexico, and since we got engaged, he has asked me to learn to make beans like hers. I continue to fail that mission, and I had high hopes this recipe would help. No such luck, these started with sauteed onions and garlic before adding the beans and cheese. Not a hit.

Next was the Pepperonata. I snuck this one in a few weeks ago, it was delicious! My whole family likes the bright colors of sliced peppers, and usually prefer theirs raw. I was a little concerned that they wouldn't like them cooked as much as this recipe called for, but they ended up reminding me of noodles. B and the kids loved it! Pepper Pasta!

On Monday I made the Risotto Verde. I hunted down some Arborio Rice, but I forgot to pick up leeks, so I started this recipe with regular onions. I was a little intimidated to try something I'm used to seeing top chefs make, but it really was pretty easy. One near-mistake, I added a white cooking wine instead of a dry white wine, and it was a good thing I didn't add any salt! It was almost TOO salty! A regular top chef mistake! The fam loved it, and since I have an iron deficiency, I love any recipe I can sneak some spinach in to!

Tuesday I made Spanish Tomato Soup, along with the Hummus from week 7, and the pizza dough from a few weeks back. the bread is always a hit, and I put my hummus in the food processor and then in the blender, it was my smoothest hummus yet!  I also took the left over risotto and added some italian-spiced ground beef and some grape tomatoes. B liked the risotto better this way. That was great, because I usually get stuck eating all the leftovers!  The kids and I loved the Soup. My Grand parents came here from Russia, and traditionally we eat soup with ложка, wooden spoons, and I have some tiny ones for the kids. I had planned to save them, as they are special to me, but hey, whatever gets my kids eating healthy!

Last recipe for the week, Cashew Paella. I picked up some saffron threads while shopping for the arborio, and I was so thrilled to try this recipe! I spent a few weeks in Spain, and I fell in love with the food and the lifestyle. Again, I was nervous to make something new, but it turned out delicious! My one mistake...I missed the note at the end of the recipe that said to skip the tumeric if I was going to use the saffron, and so I used both. I also used green AND black olives. Yum.