The Suburban Herbivore

I’d like to start off by saying something good about this place. The servers were really nice and attentive. And I was pleased that they had several vegetarian choices on the menu. There. That’s all I’ve got.

The food was bland and boring. I ordered the wrapini, which came with black beans and some kind of possibly pickled vegetable, though neither was actually listed as an ingredient on the menu. It was supposed to have cilantro rice and cheese, but did not. I get concerned when the menu appears to list the ingredients for an entree, and then it actually is made differently.

The “pico de gallo” was absolutely tasteless, and was made with green bell peppers, not any kind of hot pepper. Though I didn’t sample it, the portabella mushroom sandwich was described by a lunch cohort as “okay”. I could have also ordered a salad. I believe those were the choices for me.

So if you find yourself on Main Street near East Campus and are so starving that you have to stop, you will be able to eat here. But I’d advise you to keep walking if you can. You should at least be able to make it to the Federal.

We got several things today that I think of as difficult to use: kohlrabi (pictured), radishes, and bok choi. I’m really more of a summer vegetable person. But I’ll come up with something. I have a pretty good recipe somewhere for sesame radishes. Other goodies received: strawberries, kale, green lettuce, and green garlic. We will need to eat the strawberries soon – they mold very quickly. Shouldn’t be a problem…

For supper last night, I made asparagus and mushroom risotto and baked italian tofu, served with a green salad. I’ve started using the red-leaf lettuce from Wednesday, and also used up the asparagus. For dessert, I made a crumb-topped strawberry pie with the berries I got that day. Everything turned out really well! But I am concerned that I’m not going through the greens fast enough…

We went to the farmer’s market in Durham late in the morning intending to buy strawberries (if any were left) and flowers. Fortunately, there were plenty of strawberries. I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers I wanted to get, but fixated on some purple ones. Since it was near closing, the farmer gave me two bunches for the price of one!

The first share of the year! Here’s what we got: asparagus, strawberries, red-leaf lettuce, green lettuce, bok choi, tatsoi, green garlic, and turnips. The share was supposed to also have kale, but I think maybe we got extra lettuce instead. Tatsoi is a new one for me. It’s an Asian green that is pretty similar to kale, so I will probably use it in the same way. The bok choi and turnips will be the most difficult to use – I’m not that fond of either.

My original idea for this blog was to track what I receive each week in my CSA delivery and what I end up cooking from it. But I will also talk about cooking in general and vegetable gardening and local restaurants and … well, whatever else seems to make sense.