BeeZee

No photos, but frankly it wasn't a photogenic meal. I dined solo at a vegetarian Indian buffet for lunch. Had a fairly limited offering, but everything was interesting and had differing spice levels, I tried a spoonful of everything. Sweet and sour broccoli (sort of odd, the coating/sauce seemed like tomato paste base), some kind of daal, paneer makhni, some kind of cabbage dish (chopped up very fine and mixed with carrots), vada (crispy and not too doughy), aloo gobi, basmati rice. Dessert was pineapple halwa (the one item not of a browish/beige color!).

Yehuda brand, from Israel. For the types found in our local supermarkets, it is my favorite plain because it tends to be more well-done. So at least you have the flavor of burnt cardboard rather than just plain cardboard . Snacking on leftover charoset, it is nice on whole wheat matzoh.

Sis gave me her used Krups Espresso machine, wasn't up to snuff for her Sicilian hubby. So it's sort of a "junk heap" acquisition, I wasn't going to buy one, but for free...

I'm a purist, I like plain matzoh, preferably with a smear of whipped cream cheese. I can't say I've noticed much difference between the commercial brands (I know some people probably have brand loyalty, I get whatever brand the supermarket is giving me for free with my $50 purchase ). Whole wheat which is made with apple juice instead of water tends to not taste as "dry". I bought spelt matzoh last year and it wasn't markedly "better" in any way. My late uncle used to go into Brooklyn and get schmura (sp?) matzoh which is hand made and usually more of a round/irregular shape, and tends to be close to burnt. Interesting in smaller quantities. At the end of the day...it's pretty much edible cardboard no matter what.

I always wondered about how different cultures developed tastes for certain textures that others find "challenging"...for example, some of the jelly-like ones found in Asian cuisines (both savory and sweet). Fatty cuts of meat, gelatinous textures.

Lasagne with chopped kale, sauteed mushrooms, and a little chopped chicken. Made with Barilla no boil noodles, hence the extra liquid. I find that it absorbs more as it sits and leftovers are perfect...I tend to make the sauce pretty soupy to start. And I used a disposable pan, which doesn't help with it's lack of thermal properties vs a nice stoneware one.

I like grain salads, so I will cook them in diluted chicken stock and mix with whatever veggies need to be used. I had cut the broccoli into tiny florets and stem pieces, threw it in the pan with the barley for the last 2 minutes of cooking. It was good as a hot side as well as a room temp salad with the added vinegar.

Barley with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, crumbled feta. Made a larger batch, mixed with olive oil, added a tsp of red wine vinegar to each portion in the morning. I had cooked the barley in diluted chicken broth. Eaten at the desk, as you can see.

Huiray, the portuguese roll was like the 4th one across in the photos on your 2nd link, from Viera's bakery (that was in fact probably the source, since they are in NJ). It is a hearty roll with dense, yet moist crumb and a nice thick crust. Sturdy enough to hold up to any sandwich filling.

no pic, scarfed in the kitchen in the back of the office...whole wheat portuguese roll (split open, tore out part of the "guts"), mushed avocado into each half, topped with albacore tuna (from pouch, single serve) and a sliced roma tomato. Everything purchased from local supermarket at lunchtime for $3.49. Patting self on back for healthy and thrifty lunch!

I would think you could incorporate legume-based dishes...yes, they have carbohydrates but they are high in fiber and have a lower gylcemic index than "simple" carbs like white rice or pasta. I love lentils, for example...you can cook a batch, portion out and make cold salad (room temp) with viniagrette and some veggies, garnish with some feta if you like, or turn them into hearty soup.

They think that putting the phrase "serving suggestion" absolves them of any responsibility for the product in the box looking like the representation in the photo. I call that "sponge chicken" with it having 11% solution added... The only mainstream "healthy" frozen meals that I find the chicken texture acceptable in (it's in small chunks or strips) are the ones from Kashi. Plus a decent amount of veg.

fennel and orange salad, simple and refreshing after a weekend of heavy eating!

I have used soy milk without a problem, especially when it is a "minor player". Funny how you'll crave something more when it's off limits!

In central NJ, near Princeton. Power went out 9pm last night. Friend who lives about 10 miles away has power, so we are hanging out for a bit. Lots of downed branches, uprooted trees, power lines down or compromised by trees leaning on them. Scary driving around. My parents live 45 min south and lost power, my sister is an hour north and didn't. Wegmans supermarket near Princeton had power, so we got a hot lunch. Likely to be tuna sandwiches for dinner, and the yogurt before it goes bad in the un-powered fridge.

classic diced apple in tuna salad...fruit + fish, how can it be? but it works (particularly with granny smith apple, for more tartness) I wonder if it came out of a mash up in the 50's when someone had both waldorf salad and tuna salad on their plate!

Meatless Monday (actually, most days are meatless for me)...end of season eggplants from a co-worker's garden, baked with garlic/onion/green pepper. Ate it with some plain yogurt on top. Fresh eggplant is so sweet...sideways photo

Shel, I had good luck storing my beans tightly wrapped in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and stored in a screw-top glass container. Kept them fresh and fragrant. When I scraped the beans for a recipe that didn't require steeping the pod, I buried the used up pod in another glass jar with sugar, for vanilla scented sugar. If you like poached pears, they are really nice when made with a vanilla bean poaching liquid. I had bought my beans online from someone on Ebay that was recommended by several people in the "make your own extract" topic. The beans were plump and moist.

agree with grain or pasta salad, they hold up well for a while at room temp if the dressing is more of a vinegar base and it seems everyone will try a spoonful if it just has veggies and cheese

sweet: with cantaloupe (Mom's summertime lunch) savory: with chopped up grape tomatoes in between: with mango chutney

nope, unfortunately they are marketing chocolate-flavored cream cheese here in the States, too. I can't wrap my head around it.

Have bought the plain multigrain (lightly salted) twice and found them highly scarfable.

dang, I need a neighbor who "messes up" desserts like you do!

I've made the one in "The Perfect Scoop" and it fits the bill...I added broken cookies to mine to create the "crust" texture

tuna/avocado/chopped grape tomato salad + whole wheat pita and someone patiently waited for clean up duty