Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Cooking on Monday

Today's Harvest: Oranges, a Lemon, and Sprigs of Curry Leaves

It rained in the early hours of the morning, today, but, it stopped by mid-morning.  Then, the sun shone until late afternoon, when the clouds rolled in, again.  

Live and Learn had commented on yesterday's photo of the radishes and oranges from the garden and asked if I have ever thought of making an orange and radish salad!  I had not thought of making one, actually, but, today, I decided to make one!   


Orange and Radish Salad


I peeled and sliced the three oranges I picked today and sliced the four radishes I had picked yesterday.  Added the juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of sugar, and some shichimi (a Japanese spice mixture).  I left it to marinate for about 45 minutes and added a bit of chopped up radish leaves as a garnish (raw radish leaves are edible).  My daughter and I shared this salad for a late breakfast.  I liked how the radishes tasted in this salad (I don't like just plain, raw radish); my daughter, on the other hand, didn't care much for how the radishes tasted in the salad (she prefers the plain, raw radishes), but, she loved how the oranges tasted!  

Thank you, Live and Learn, for suggesting this salad!  

Afterwards, I cut up the rind of one orange to have on hand, to add to cakes or muffins I might bake:


Julienned Orange Peel 

Later in the afternoon, instead of making a meal plan for this week, I just went ahead and cooked!

Spicy Beef Saute

The leftover roast beef was sliced and sauteed with curry leaves, onions, and bell pepper strips, with curry powder and chili powder to make it spicy.  We had it with rice and curried green beans for a late lunch.  There is just enough of the roast beef saute for one more meal.  For dessert, we shared an avocado.


Smoked Sausage Saute

I also cooked a smoked sausage with onions, tomatoes, and the radish leaves.  We had that with rice for dinner.  Pomegranates for dessert, followed by a piece of cornbread (made with one of the boxes of cornbread mix we received from our neighbor N).

I am planning to make a shrimp curry, later this week, and that is about all the meal planning I am going to do for this week!  There are lots of leftovers to be finished.  We had discussed placing an order for groceries to be picked up, tomorrow, but, we didn't put in the order, after all.  I am a bit low on fresh vegetables, but, I have two ears of corn that need to be cooked, some carrots and tomatoes, frozen vegetables, and three or four more radishes that are ready to be picked in the garden!  

Today, I did a partial freezer inventory to see what meat I had and I cleaned the fridge, wiping down all the shelves and washing the drawers.  I got tired before I could get to the door shelves, however (my hands started to cramp).  I'll do the door shelves another time.  I also scrubbed the sink and the dish drainer.  Then, took the trash bins to the curb for pick up, tomorrow morning.  Finally, I practiced the piano and chatted with friend R.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Rain in the early morning (garden got another good soaking)
- Sunshine in the afternoon
- Oranges and lemons from the garden
- Weekly trash collection services
- A working heater (going down to 37F, tonight!)

Today's joyful activity was trying out a new salad and doing some cooking!

Have you tried orange and radish salad?  What are you planning to cook this week?


10 comments:

  1. No, I haven't tried an orange and radish salad. The combination doesn't appeal to me but I like both so may be worth a try.

    I'm eating home cooked ready meals from the freezer this week, so chilli, fish pie, slow cooked lamb, and chicken casserole.

    You'll need your heater if temperatures are dropping that low. It's 4°C here today so I am wrapped up in lots of layers. I can't wait for spring!

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    1. The salad was something new and different. I've seen a recipe for orange and red onion salad, but, I don't like the taste of raw onions, so it isn't something I would make for myself.

      Your meals this week sound delicious and hardly any work since you've already cooked them! I haven't had lamb in a long time; somehow, it is not something readily available at the supermarkets, here. The ethnic stores have it, but, I haven't gone grocery shopping there in almost a year.

      It's 41F right now, which is 5C according to the handy-dandy online conversion calculator, and I have the heater going full blast! Our high today is supposed to be 56F (13.33C)and low will be 38F (3.33C). But, it is sunny and clear. :)

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  2. I wasn't sure what the combo of radishes and oranges would be like, so thanks for trying it. It sounds like you might might variations of this in the future--especially since you have the ingredients right in your backyard.

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    1. It tasted pretty good to me, but, as I said, my daughter didn't much care for how the radishes tasted. But, yes, I might try variations of it in the future. :)

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  3. Everything looks so good! I've never tried an orange and radish salad. What I do is an old Italian thing, cut up the oranges and drizzle with olive oil with a little salt and pepper. Sounds a little weird if you've never had it but it's delicious! Give it a try with one of your beautiful oranges :)

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    1. I often sprinkle my fruits with salt and pepper before eating, but, not oil! I'll have to buy some olive oil to try your recipe (I have regular vegetable oil, sesame seed oil, and coconut oil, but no olive oil!)

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  4. I like the look of your orange and radish salad. I sometimes put pieces of orange in a salad with lettuce, cut up celery, a little bit of sliced red onion and maybe a sprinkling of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

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    1. It was interesting and one way to get me to eat radishes! I like to add tangerine segments to lettuce salads (or other fruits like peaches, apples, strawberries, grapes, etc.) But, for the most part, I like to eat the oranges as they are for dessert. :)

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  5. Your salad looks nice- and a good idea from Live and Learn.
    You are a very good orange peeler. I am not at all. Mine always look so mangled!
    (good idea saving the peel)
    You've made some delicious looking meals and have a nice assortment of foods in your home.
    I've been doing a little cooking as well. I made French Onion Soup yesterday so we will have that for a few days and this morning I made a baked egg custard.

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    1. Thank you; it was a good salad! The trick to peeling oranges is a good, sharp knife! Your French Onion Soup and the baked egg custard sound delicious! :)

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