I’m a lucky woman. My husband cooks for me just about every night. Even when he’s tired and doesn’t feel like it, he’ll put together something that’s usually amazing.
(Let’s face it, if he didn’t, we’d probably starve…)
The task of cooking for me is a daunting one. I’m a pain in the ass when it comes to food — I’m a vegetarian for going on 18 years now, and I’m mostly vegan, too. But that part is easy. The frustrating part is that I’m a picky eater, and my preferences change — sometimes I’ll find I really love something only to despise it a short time later.
I think I get my unadventurous palate from my dad. He loathed tomatoes, and by extension, all Italian food. I’m not that extreme — my main dislikes are onions (but onion powder is okay, and I’m usually fine with actual onions as long as they’re cooked and nobody tells me they’re in there), mushrooms (but I’m starting to like chantrelles), hot peppers and really anything that’s remotely spicy. I also don’t like things with an onion-like texture, like celery, but celery seed is okay. And I’m not into drippy, messy stuff.
So, you see, I’m a total nightmare and I feel bad about it. But Mike loves me and wants to make me happy so he keeps my preferences in mind when he cooks for me.
Today is his birthday, so I’m honoring him by having a little brag session and showing you some of the wonderful dishes he’s made for me recently.
In fact, I’m rolling out a new blog feature I’m calling Mike’s Eats where I’ll highlight his creations!
Let’s get started…
This is one of my favorites. It’s a veggie pot pie made with vegetarian ground beef, lentils, carrots, peas, and red potatoes sauteed in vegan butter, red wine and rosemary and baked in a nine-inch pie crust. Vegan.
Vegetarian pot pie ready to be devoured!Mashed sweet potato crowned with sauteed kale and chickpeas with tofu that’s been marinated then topped with vegan mayo and basil, then baked. Vegan.
Quorn Tur’ky Roast (we tried it shortly before Thanksgiving) with roasted multi-colored carrots and roasted cauliflower on a bed of quinoa. A piece of oven toasted French bread with homemade herb butter is on the side. Vegetarian.
Roasted acorn squash with wild rice, carrots, pistachios and Craisins, plus a bowl of homemade curried cauliflower soup. Vegan.
Tempeh club sandwich, Mike’s version of the Royal Tavern’s tempeh club, my favorite sandwich in the city. Marinated tempeh with tomato, lettuce and vegan mayo on toasted sprouted bread. Vegan.Quinoa with marinated tofu, roasted broccoli and roasted carrots. Vegan.
Eggplant stew with wild rice, cranberries, chickpeas, tomato, carrots. This is one of the few dishes he made from a recipe — the rest is just improvised. Vegan.Curried cauliflower soup made in our Vitamix blender using fresh cauliflower. Vegan.
Grilled cheese sandwich with havarti, cambozola and homemade herb butter on crusty French bread. On the side is roasted honeynut squash and Trader Joe’s pumpkin soup. We had this with a Southern Tier Pumking, the best pumpkin beer ever. Vegetarian.Vegan french toast with Morningstar Farms vegetarian bacon. V/V
Homemade tomato sauceDough waiting to be made into pastaRunning the dough through the pasta machineThe finished product — perfection! Vegetarian.Butterbeer adapted from a recipe in the Harry Potter books. Mike’s version contains homemade butterscotch syrup and whiskey and some other things, served hot.
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I’m coming to the east coast to attempt to steal your husband. All that delicious veggie food… Aaah. So beautiful. So jealous.
And this is Sassy, my 15-year-old puppy and interspecies life partner. She's my proofreader, too, so any errors in this blog should be blamed on her. (RIP Sassy, 2000 - 2016)
So, you see, I’m a total nightmare and I feel bad about it. But Mike loves me and wants to make me happy so he keeps my preferences in mind when he cooks for me.
Yum!!!! Lucky lady, indeed!
Busy boy, isn’t he?
Oh my does this stuff look good. Could use one of the beers right now. Dave and I will have to come back to Philly right?
mmm, it all looks delicious! 🙂
Oh no, you’re on to me 🙂
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I’m coming to the east coast to attempt to steal your husband. All that delicious veggie food… Aaah. So beautiful. So jealous.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Hahaha! If you wear a disguise to throw me off, I’ll still know it’s you from the Kate Spade!
Um, how lucky are you??? I’m going to try to make a lot of these. Especially the pot pie 🙂
The pot pie is like crack!!