Simple Eating

This isn't a particularly fancy dinner. It's a pretty funny first post, really, for a food blog. But it was a goooood dinner, as I recall. And perfect for an easy summer evening. Plus, it followed a couple of my favorite food philosophies, including local and seasonal eating. But, that's not why I picked it. I picked it for this face.

This one.

You see, Lydia put this plate together herself. She treated her meal as art, and then ate all of it. And I have to admit, my kid's not much of a salad eater. But when the planets align, and she gets excited about the spirit of a meal, she dives in. And that willingness is how I know that what I'm doing - well, it's working. And that's why this is our first Mindful Bellyful blog together. Lydia was mindful of this meal, and where the ingredients came from, and everything it took to put this simple dinner together, and she dove right in.

So, what do we have here?

Turkey Reuben with a salad of summer greens and avocado, and some oven baked fries. Which yes, are purple. We'll get to that.
The olives and ketchup? That's all Lydia. You should, of course, garnish as you see fit. *wink*

Do you ever make Reubens for dinner? They're pretty easy. We like them with turkey instead of pastrami, simply because our kids like turkey, and we can get some pretty good nitrate free turkey around here.

Apply in this order:

Bread, mustard, cheese, turkey, sauerkraut, tomato, cheese, mustard, bread.

On either a griddle or a panini press, grill sandwiches until cheese melts.

Oh, and I find it helps to warm the 'kraut a bit first, so the sandwich warms up more quickly.

The salad is just the mixed field greens with a simple vinaigrette, and some avocado for creaminess, and healthy fats, and because I can't even begin to tell you how much I love avocado. And there may be some goat cheese in there, too. Yum.

And now, those purple potatoes. They came from our weekly farm share in the middle of the summer. And they made the most beautiful home fries ever. Just cut them into wedges, coat with olive oil and sea salt, and bake in the oven at 425 degrees until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside - about 25 minutes.

When they were done, they looked like jewels, I kid you not. The variation in the coloring - the striping? Gorgeous. We had a total of kids around the table that night, and the purple potatoes were gone quicker than an ice cube in Phoenix in August. So I don't have any other pictures of them. But don't they sparkle next to those ketchup "rubies"?

Keep an eye out for heirloom potatoes at your local store or farm stand. The colors and flavors are amazing.

The recipes will get more complex, and the photos more detailed. For now, though, I'm just going to keep thinking about that beautiful, proud face.

Full belly. Happy heart.