Eating Dinner With My Family

I got the most beautiful tagine as a gift from my MIL.  I have been wanting one for a long time.  Now I am not timid in the kitchen, but I was a little nervous about using the clay vessel with the glass top stove, so after a bit of poking around on the Internet, I ordered a heat diffuser and a cookbook about cooking in these clay vessels.   The heat diffuser was recommended by the makers of my tagine but didn't say required, but I figured for 12 dollars it was worth the insurance.  I should have checked to see if my tagine fit inside my cast iron skillet, but too late:).  This is my first recipe out of the cookbook I ordered Tagines & Couscous .  If this recipe is the only one we like, the book was worth it.  We had some wonderful friends over, who didn't mind being guinea pigs to our first attempt with the tagine as well as the recipe;).  The only ingredient that I couldn't find at my local publix was the ghee.  The cookbook ...

I had plenty of leftover cooked lentils and Israeli Couscous after the vegan burger fiasco.  I also found like 3 containers of lemons.  The war with the fridge was on, again.  Lemons made me think of seafood; I choose shrimp as we hadn't had them in a while.  I knew I wanted to try to make a side of the lentils and couscous, but they needed something.  That something was 2 six ounce bags of spinach.  The result was really good.  I loved it, my husband really liked it, the boy hates cooked spinach so he was not in love with it.  I cooked the spinach like it is in the Italian Sausage Burgers with Garlicky Spinach .  It is really good by itself.  I let my husband saute the shrimp.  I wanted to put them on skewers and grill them, but he offered to saute them up so I let him.  I know they were sauteed in butter with some garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Lentils, Couscous and Wilted Spinach 2 cups Israeli Couscous, cooked 1 c...

This was a huge pain to make.  Pre make the lentils and couscous. The patties were difficult to shape and cook. Lots of work for what I see as very little return.  I didn't care for how sweet the patty was; the raisin flavor dominated.  I will give it this, I'm sure it was healthy.  I will also give it that it was a new and unusual flavor.  I didn't hate it, but I don't plan on keeping the recipe.  I haven't had a lot of vegan food, but I have to believe that there are better vegan burgers out there. Veggie Burgers With Pomegranate Ketchup 1/2 c  Raisins 1/4 c  roasted almonds,chopped 1/2 lb white mushrooms 1 c  steamed shelled edamame 2 1/2 c  cooked green or brown lentils 2 c  cooked Israeli couscous 2 1/2 t  curry powder 1 T  fresh lemon juice 2 t  ground dried porcini Kosher salt 1 1/2 T  canola oil 3    burger buns,split and toasted 1/2 c  ketchup mixed with 1 tablespo...