Vegan Pre-Irene Dinner

So, how does a vegan spend the day before a large tropical storm arrives?

In my case, he gets up early, goes to the farmer’s market in town, then to the greengrocer for remaining items, and lays it all out on the kitchen counters for afternoon cooking adventures. Best items included:

Heirloom tomatoes – red (Brandywine), yellow and green
Lacinato or Cavolo Nero
Tender swiss chard
Couple of bunches of variegated young beets
Fingerling potatoes
Red peppers
Fennel
Eggplants
Summer squash
Fresh strawberries (in August?)
Various country breads – ficelle with onions, Tuscan pane, light rye

collecting goodies on the counter

Next, he loads the recycle bins into the trunk and disposes of them at the transfer station in town – after all, it is Saturday morning, and I’ve been home for three days already, so it’s time to play with the garbage.

Then, it’s time for some real work, preparing for Monday night’s class. This includes reviewing a presentation by one of the students who is an expert on the topic and has volunteered to take part of the class lecture/discussion – a good learning experience for him and a boon for the instructor as well.

Another required task for today: go around the yard and move any items that can be blown by the storm to safer quarters. This includes relocating all of the plants inside to the greenhouse (do you know we have 13 Christmas Cactus plant? I didn’t.) Oh, yeah, and mowing the little lawn by the side door, since the ground will be soaked after the storm for quite awhile, and it is overgrown from no attention for three weeks or more.

After a brief, late lunch, I receive a delightful visit from a friend, who brings over his homemade vegan dessert gift (a peach cobbler made from his sister-in-law’s NH-grown fruit and his wife’s all-purpose cobbler topping). We share a few glass of a 1990 Rosenblum Cellars California Black Muscat with the delicious confection, and after his departure, I begin cooking for tonight and beyond, since I have no idea what the storm will bring, or how long the inevitable power outage will last.

Below are some of the recipes and photos for the major dishes. The meal was enough for one person – with leftovers for lunch – but it can be stretched to serve two with slightly increased quantities.

The heirloom tomatoes are spectacular with no more than chopped red onion, salt and pepper, olive oil, and a splash of red wine vinegar – marinated for 15-20 mins.