Monday Night Dinner: Beet Red

NOTE: Monday Night Dinners have temporarily shifted to Wednesday nights, because I’m taking a Hip Hop class on Mondays. I know, I know. No, you will not see me on SYTYCD, because I do not TICD. Not at all. But it’s fun.

So last night’s dinner extravaganza was Chickpea burgers & beets and a Super Salad! It seemed like a tasty, nutritious meal to make after work that wouldn’t take too long. I was wrong. We didn’t eat until 8:30. It took me 2 hours to prepare everything! I have come to the conclusion that not only am I unskilled in the kitchen, but painfully slow. (But at least I did read the recipes ahead this time to see if anything needed marinating overnight—something I usually find out as I’m going...)

I suppose I should have prepared some of this meal the night before, but that would require me to get my act in gear the day before I need to get my act in gear. I’ll work on it. But in the meantime, since that’s not likely to happen, I might have to stick with simpler, one-pot meals...

The kitchen quickly looked like a compost heap; pepper seeds and stems and onion skins everywhere.

Substitution notes: could not find edamame beans, so I left them out. Also couldn’t find a pomegranate, so used blueberries.

When there is more than one dish to prepare, I have a hard time figuring out which one to focus on, and inevitably, one of them gets neglected. I tried to do most of my prep before turning on the stove, which is one reason why this meal took me so long to prepare. Usually there’s a period of simmering during which I can get working on the next part, but I couldn’t find a good way to stagger my preparation.

When I’m feeling a little overwhelmed in the kitchen, I am often impulsive. Which is why you would have seen me, with blood red hands, peeling the cooked beets by hand. I’ve never peeled cooked beets before, and assumed I would have been able to use the carrot peeler. Nope, too soft. Am I supposed to use gloves? It just seemed quickest and easiest to do it by hand. I knew beets stained, but wow! My hands remained red even after washing the dishes. However, now I am inspired to try some interesting craft projects with beet ink!

Mark kindly offered to help, but I have to do this by myself. If I can’t handle preparing one dinner a week, then what does that say about me? No, I just have to learn what I’m good at, and expand from there. As simple as this meal seemed at the outset, it was just a little too ambitious for me. I probably should have just done the Burgers and the Beet Salad, and left the Super Salad for another time.

In the end, belly almost beyond hunger, the table was set, and the dishes laid. I plopped, ungraciously and exhausted into my chair. It was satisfying to see the vegetables of my labour—in all their pretty colours—complete, and ready at the same time! And even more satisfying that it all tasted good! The beets with the orange was lovely! The chickpea burgers were tasty and filling, and the salad was indeed super. I even put some of the spicy tahini dressing on the burgers. Delicious!