We're going to end September a little differently. Instead of posting recipes, I'm going to share a little set of lunch adventures I had recently in hopes to inspire and delight your culinary senses. We're in that period of transition between summer and fall and the eating is fine and meals can really make themselves without much fuss from us. Whether you are tossing together tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella and sopping up the juices with a bit of crusty bread or looking to the garden to round out a beautiful bowl of brothy noodles, making beautiful, delicious, nutritious food is downright easy this time of the year!
As I mentioned earlier this week, a recent trip to the Asian grocery store had me returning home with full bags of goodies and all kinds of ideas in my head. Among the inspiration were a couple cute bowls I picked up. Using the different shapes as inspiration, I grabbed some of my ingredients along with fresh produce from the store, garden, and CSA box and started making some lovely lunches. My first bowl was inspired by a bunch of fresh oyster mushrooms and baby bok choy. I lightly sautéed both in toasted sesame oil first.
I made a spicy miso broth with red miso paste and chili crisp and used that hot broth to soften thick rice noodles. I spooned that into a pretty cherry blossom bowl and added chopped green onions and coarse shredded carrots to the sautéed mushrooms and bok choy. What a fantastic bowl of warmth with just a bit of a reminder of the growing season still happening around us!
My second inspired lunch had thin wheat noodles softened in a ginger-chicken broth comprised of a cup of my homemade chicken stock mixed with a couple of teaspoons of freshly grated ginger from my CSA box. Atop that, I arranged freshly sliced green onions, halved cherry tomatoes in multiple colors, a generous spoon of chili crisp, and a sprinkling of fried shallots. The last two ingredients were tucked into my bags from the Asian grocery store. This all got served in a pretty orange bowl that reveals a playful kitty as the soup went away. Orange is my favorite color and the soup was just perfect for a sunny day with a hint of chill in the air. Now look around you and find your inspiration for fun cooking and using blends of fresh and fancy ingredients to make your meals special!
