Friday Night Dinner Blog

The Menu:

Dessert

White bean puree with cucumber* (see the Recipe section below for more ideas)

The Story:

This Friday Night was a little topsy-turvy: we started with dessert.  Then our main course consisted of more dessert.  And for dessert?  We had dessert. 

We also started Saturday morning with dessert. 

Dessert is my latest experiment. 

Let me explain: part of what The Picky Foodie does is work with small businesses and corporations -- restaurants, hotels, food stores – to help them cater to those of us with food allergies and specific demands.  And many of my corporate clients often request dessert.

So I’m busy making cakes, cookies, raw and cooked, chocolate, vanilla – you name it, I’m testing it out.

DW was gone for the weekend, so I figured it was the perfect time to make a big, floury mess. Just me and the cacao.

But in fact I was not alone this Friday Night Dinner: my food-loving friend, had selflessly volunteered to come experiment with me.  However, there is only so much sugar two people can ingest.  By 9 p.m. our sweet tooths were tilting and both of us needed a little something savory. 

And when I say little, I literally mean little.  So I wizzed up one of my fallback staples, a simple snack-type bean spread that I usually reserve for when it’s just me and I don’t feel like much.

There’s a really lovely book I read last year in New York called Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant.  It was especially relevant to me at the time because the collection of essays was about what people eat when they are on their own, and living without DW for the first time in half a decade, I did notice a considerable and pretty immediate change in my eating habits. 

We eat differently when we're alone -- that was part of what I loved about “Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant”: it reminded me that we all have our little preferences that we probably wouldn’t foist onto anyone but that we regale in when there’s nobody else around. 

Personally, I would eat the same thing for days at a time – my favourite being raw rosemary crackers with Dr Cow’s cheese and a big salad heaped high with kim chi and fresh greens from the farmers’ market.  Even now, as I write these words, I find myself missing that meal. 

Eating with others entails a whole slew of social decisions and is, hopefully, a pleasure.  However, eating alone can bring a unique joy as there is no one to please but our selves.  Oftentimes, people find that they make less of an effort: “it’s just me” is a phrase I hear a lot from my single clients.  I disagree.  Last year, I spent many nights with my colourful plates of food, sitting at the windowsill of my charming little rented flat in Brooklyn watching the sky change colors savoring every moment and every bite.  

The Recipe:

This very simple spread can be dressed and redressed in many ways.  It's a bit like those weird hippie mood rings: easily variable and extremely flexible depending on your state of mind.  I have made it with curry powder at times, or I have added tahini and cumin or different spicy chilles.  I love it very lemony, but that is a question of taste.  It can be made into a dip or a thicker spread, and can even be made with leftover beans or used as a roadmap to spice-up dulled-down hummus.  In any case, it’s a great protein-staple to have in the fridge when you want something small and don’t feel like fussing. 

(White) Bean Puree:

1x 8 oz. can of white beans, or 1 cup of dry beans, soaked overnight and well-cooked

1 bunch fresh parsley

pinch thyme

¼ t dried rosemary

juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)

1 small clove garlic (optional)

1 T olive oil

Water, as needed (optional, depending on the amount of lemon juice used)

Salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in the blender.  If you prefer not to use as much lemon or need additional liquid, add water 1 Tablespoon at a time.

Serve with cucumber or carrot sticks, crackers or well-toasted bread topped with fresh tomato.  Another idea is to spoon some into a lettuce leaf and eat as a wrap. 

Other small meal / snack ideas that I enjoy when it's "just me" that are easy to store as leftovers and / or combine with other bits and bobs:

-  miso soup with wakame

-  salad with kim chi and toasted sesame seeds and cashews

-  baked sweet potato fries with hummus or spiced pumpkin seeds and crumbled nori.

-  chickpea pancakes with a myriad of fillings – from hummus to guacamole to cashew cheese, to chocolate spread (homemade of course!)

-  slow-roasted vegetables including fennel, squash, sweet potato, leeks and the likes are a wonderful combo with almost anything -- I sometimes top them with leftover chicken or baked tempeh. 

-  Leftover roast chicken can be shredded into a chicken salad with chopped veggies (cooked or raw), fresh herbs, pressed garlic and some balsamic vinegar. 

I’m curious: what you eat when you’re on your own?  Please let me know in the comments section below.