More dinner ideas

Just wanted to update with a few new things we've tried for dinner for anyone else out there Ultrametabolizing...

My first great find is polenta. YUM! I have yet to make it from scratch, although I do possess the corn grits in my cupboard. But... QFC sells premade italian herbed polenta (with nothing scary in it) in the produce section, just slice and cook. The other night we did soup (Amy's organic) and polenta - I sliced it and pan fried it in a little olive oil drizzled with marina and topped with shredded mozzarella, but if you're avoiding dairy, it's good with just the marinara also. I did a cheaters "thin" marinara for this - just a can of organic tomoto paste with basil, oregano, ground pepper, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. I'm also really excited that perhaps I could do a very large polenta round and make "pizza" for myself...

Since I tried a "gluten free pizza crust" mix the other night. Um, not so good. Much better than the one I made from scratch a few weeks ago. This one was by Namaste, and admittedly, I bought it because it reminded me of Lost... not the best reason to pick up food. It was just really dense and crunchy. I think polenta will be a better bet.

Another win was tofu "cutlets" with garlic aioli and veggies. The girls LOVED this since dips are a big favorite. The aioli was a snap and really, mayo, not that bad for you. It's just eggs and vinegar (if you get one without high fructose corn syrup - so no Best Foods). Anyway, mix up 1 1/2 cups mayo with 2 tbsp lemon juice, one large minced garlic clove and a pinch of salt and wow those veggies go down fast! The "cutlets" were just sticks of extra-firm pressed tofu that I rolled in gluten free flour mixed with Mrs. Dash. I was going to do an herb blend when I saw that in my cupboard and thought "Great!" I baked at 400 for 30 minutes or so and they were warm and firm with a cruchy outside. I might try freezing and thawing the tofu once to make it meatier next time.

That's all for now! I've slipped a little on my plan and need to get back at it. (Read: Jelly beans have invaded my pantry!)