A day of experiments

It's been a quiet day in this little apartment, though I did manage to convince myself to go for a run by the river earlier in the afternoon. I am currently enjoying my dinner with a glass of red as I write this.

Experimentation is sometimes a necessity- for instance when the pantry has a paucity of readily preparable goods. Things I had: a can of oysters, a tin of sardines in oil, half a green cabbage, some potatoes and onions, frozen greens, tomatoes, and fruits. Strange assortment, you say? I took it as a challenge. I cracked open my Silver Spoon cookbook and set my imagination to work...

Lunch: Curried Oysters over grits

I was skeptical...it was delicious.

Can of oysters (small can) went into a pot with a few good shakes of curry powder, and about 1 cup of frozen greens (I used collards). I put the grits in a bowl with water and microwaved it for about 4 minutes. Pour curried oysters over the grits - done. Seriously - it was delicious.
(omit grits to keep it paleo. maybe riced cauliflower?)

Dinner: Potatoes with Anchovies and Cabbage

Also delicious. Very buttery with the strong cabbage and anchovy flavors absorbed and mellowed by the potato.

Anchovies went into the pot with a little more olive oil, and about 1/4 of the cabbage shredded, 1 chopped onion, and 1 chopped red potato.

Add a good 2 tablespoons of parsley, 2-3 cloves of garlic, and a splash of sherry or dry white wine.

Cook over medium until the potatoes are soft.

Salad:

Grape tomatoes, freshly sliced parmigiana cheese, splashes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with a pinch of basil I dried myself last Fall when my poor plant died from want of love (and water). The flavor is much stronger than the store bought dried basil.

Finally, I had about 1/4 of a cabbage left and I was tired of seeing it in my fridge, so I made Cabbage Chips.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Separate out the leaves of a cabbage (green or red, though Kale works even better for this) and cut in half or quarters - the size of the 'chips' you want.

Arrange them on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil (easier than trying to brush them) and bake for 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them. They are done when they brown a bit and are crunchy, like chips! Sprinkle the warm leaves with a pinch of sea salt. Wonderful healthy snack!

That was all my fun for the day - study time now!