A few nights ago during dinner, my husband mentioned that I was upping my cooking game, lately. Of course, he qualified this statement, by saying, “Your meals are always good.”
It was black bean burgers that evening – something I had prepared before, so I wondered what it was I had been doing differently.
I thought back to earlier in the week, when I had heard a similar sentiment. It was the night I served Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Mint and Onions alongside sausage dogs. Typically, it would prepare frozen waffle fries to serve alongside the dogs, but on that particular night I wanted something a bit healthier – and fresh – as a side dish.
I realized that maybe I was doing something differently. It wasn’t necessarily the quality of the results, rather I think it was more about ‘what’ I was preparing. With our oldest off in college, I have had the opportunity to prepare ‘different’ offerings. When he is here, I walk the tightrope of trying to accommodate his request for meat, and the rest of the family’s request for a bit less meat. To do that, I found myself in limbo – trying to find recipes in which meat was not the centerpiece of the meal, while giving him the impression that there was meat on the table to satisfy his cravings, and giving the rest of us options to eat less meat.
It’s been almost 2 months since he’s been away at college, and I think I’m getting into the groove of preparing new recipes that are either fully meatless, or use less meat. And I realized that we’ve all been pretty much satisfied.
That’s not to say we never eat any meat, but in lesser quantities, or fewer times a week. And when I do prepare a meal with a meat protein, I find myself being a bit more creative with it (serving it differently than I had done in the past). Last evening I served up a lemongrass beef and instead of skewing the meat and serving with a starch and a side of vegetables, I decided to slice the meat and marinate, then cook up quickly in a wok, and plate it up in lettuce cups filled with rice, fresh cucumbers, scallions and cherry tomatoes.
Sometimes it takes a change in our lives to look at things differently. This time around, it took my son leaving for college for me to get a new perspective on mealtime. I hope he enjoys our latest mealtime offerings when he comes home for Thanksgiving break!
Here is the Black-Eyed Pea Salad recipe:
- 1 lb black-eyed peas, or 4, 15-ounce cans, drained
- 3 green onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup mint, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 cup greens, such as spinach, baby kale, or sweet dandelion, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, optional
dill, optional for garnish
If using dried black-eyed peas, cook in preferred method until peas are tender. If using canned beans, drain then heat on the stove over medium heat.
While the black-eyed peas are still hot and steaming, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with dill, if using.
Serve warm or cold.
