Friday Food - Meatless - Page 5 of 7 - The Good Plate

Pizza with Red Sauce and Tomatoes

I came home from work and I really wanted pizza. I don't really like commercial pizza because it has so much salt, and it's relatively expensive when you compare it to what you can make at home.

It's easy to make at home. The dough comes together in about 10 minutes, and then you can sit and relax for an hour while it rises. I preheat the oven to about 450 and get all the ingredients for my pizza and have them at hand. I had some leftover pieces of cheese, leftover canned whole tomatoes, leftover pizza sauce, and some leftover garlic butter. All that stuff went into my pizza. The juice from the tomatoes became the best Bloody Mary I have ever had in my life.

I like to make my own red sauce, and I like fresh tomatoes on my pizza. I used to use fresh plum tomatoes, but now I discovered that I like the whole canned San Marzano tomatoes much better.

Grilled shrimp salad is easy to make, even in the winter, or in an apartment without a grill. You can add spices to make it just for you.

Seefood and Bows (Seafood and Farfalle)

That's no misspelling when I made this dish the first time, I wanted to give it a catchy name, hence Seefood and Bows. It's actually Seafood and Farfalle, an Italian bow-shaped pasta.

I use a light lemony dressing over this. What makes the dressing stand out is the
Sunny Paris seasoning blend from Penzey's spices. You will find yourself using this wonderful spice in all kinds of foods. It stars shallots and chives, plus pepper and herbs.

You can use almost any shellfish, but I prefer shrimp and crab. No need to bust the bank, Krab works just fine in this, and you don't need much. If you want to go fancy, you can add lobster or King crab.

Hearty Clam Chowder for a Stormy Winter Night

I have always loved Hearty Clam Chowder, that is good clam chowder. The stuff that comes in the can, even the expensive stuff that comes in a can, just cannot compare to the soup you make yourself. Homemade soup is just richer and tastier.

Ginger Man Shrimp and Pasta

This shrimp and pasta dish is very easy to make, comes together quickly, makes an excellent choice for a weeknight dinner, and would also make a great dinner for guests. You can use raw shrimp, or cooked shrimp you might find on special at the supermarket.

Shrimp And Crab Casserole Bake is a rich casserole that is simple to make, delicious to eat, and doesn't cost a fortune.

Linguine with Kalamata Clam Sauce is a little bit of surf and a little bit of turf. The Kalamata gives this classic dish a delicious punch.

Broiled Ahi Tuna with Blood Orange Balsamic Reduction

Since we didn't make a big Holy Thursday Seder meal this year, I thought it would be nice to make something memorable for Good Friday. Catholics are bound not to eat meat on Good Friday. I was at the market on Thursday picking up some last-minute things, and the butcher brought out two lovely pieces of Ahi tuna. I already had purchased Blood Oranges at the Farmer's market earlier in the day. I also wanted something simple for Friday night because we would be spending a good deal of our day in the church for the Stations of the Cross and The Seven Last Words of Christ.

I have to say I was proud of my son. Our church has the kids from the middle school put on a play, complete with Roman soldiers and a real wooden cross. Spane said to me, "Mom, can we leave, it's really sad." Later, I saw he had a tear in his eye, and I knew that he had finally GOTTEN it. We will be going to Easter Vigil on Saturday night (Sunday according to the liturgical calendar), so we will once more be joyous again.

After all that, I was kind of tired when we got home. I looked on the Internet for tuna and blood oranges, and everything was pan-seared. I wanted it to be broiled, so I went my own way. It was delicious, and I suggest you try it. You can even do the whole thing on the grill, just make sure you have an oven-safe pan for the sauce.

What's on Your Plate

Jalapeno Stuffed Peppers are a practical leftover recipe that uses already cooked rice and pickled jalapeños from a pizza order to make a quick vegetarian dinner. The peppers cook gently in a covered roaster, the filling stays creamy and balanced, and the dish adapts easily to what you already have.

Recipes in this Post

Yoghurt Lentil Soup

I love living in Southern California. It's not too cold, and it's not too hot. It's like somewhere that Goldilocks would like to live. We had a little bit of rain last night, and that gives me and excuse to make soup!

I wanted to make a healthy and hardy soup. It's Friday, and in our house, we don't eat meat on Fridays. We eat vegetarian or fish. Tonight, we're going to have our Yoghurt Lentil Soup with Fish and Chips, so we'll be a little British and a little Armenian. Why not? It's good for you!