Safe Butternut Squash Penne

It's neither mac n' cheese nor squash ravioli in a brown butter sauce, but it's delicious and perfect paired with peas.

Rice penne
2 jars butternut squash baby food
1/2 shallot, minced
olive oil, cheap + expensive
salt + pepper
chopped walnuts

Sautee onions in cheap olive oil until translucent. Add baby food, walnuts. Cook down to a paste. Cook and drain rice pasta. Coat penne in sauce, drizzle expensive olive oil over top, salt, white pepper.

Safe Pork chops

Delicious, simple pork chop dinner. Made and left in the oven while fetching a loved one from the airport, this made for a perfect and genuinely safe latenight dinner.

Pork chops patted dry and coated in salt, pepper, and a dash of turmeric. Browned on the stovetop, then baked at 350 for 20 minutes until cooked through (but not dry).

Potatotes boiled, drizzled in expensive olive oil, salt, pepper. Broccoli rabe sautéed then given the same treatment. I dipped my pork in apple sauce.

Safe Moroccan Chicken Tagine

I bought a marvelous tagine in Marrakesh, from Mohammed Fish n' Chips, a toothless fiery pusher-of-all-things, 3+ years ago. It's served as all kinds of things since then (holder of earrings, kitchen secrets, and most recently a 45 Sculpture), but not once per its dedicated purpose. It was a chilly wet day here in Seattle, so I decided it was time to test its abilities. Proof positive: it's not a decorative souvenir - it's an efficient and elegant cooking vessel.

I based my ingredients solely on what was around, so it became another purple meal. I imagine I'll try hundreds of variations on this theme now that I know how quick and satisfying tagines can be.

1 chicken breast
turmeric
cumin
cinammon
salt
pepper
yellow carrots
carrots
1 baked purple potato
1/2 shallot, sliced
dates
olive oil
honey

Heat oven to 375. Cut chicken into cubes and roll in spices - I just sprinkled each liberally straight into a bowl, shook it around, and coated the chicken. Brown on one side, uncovered in the oven. Turn over, cover in water, add vegetables (save for the potato), cover, and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove lid, add sliced baked potato and some honey, and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Stir and serve.

Thanks to the Itinerant Eater for reminding me to eat by my wanderlust.

Safe Summer Squash Curry Noodles

Threw together a very satisfying dinner tonight - colorful, seasonal, simple.

Rice spaghetti

1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp green curry paste
julienned yellow squash
julienned white onions
shredded carrots
salt
white pepper

Sautee everything together for about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked rice noodles and serve.

Next time: add basil, chicken

Safe Buttered Noodles

Also known as rice fusilli with olive oil and a frozen basil cube (thanks, Trader Joe's), salt & pepper.

I'm feeling super sick today, perhaps because of too few calories and too much activity yesterday (hiked to Scenic Hot Springs on nothing but the morning's pancakes), or perhaps it's the diet fade-in, or the period fade-in. Poor body, that's plenty to deal with.

So I needed some simple comfort food. Easy to make, easy to digest. And the result? Nearly as delicious as semolina fusilli with rich fresh butter and garlic.