Operation eat more veggies is in full effect! I managed to eat 2 cups of spinach in my eggs this morning, the veggies in my chili this afternoon, and tonight’s dinner was a virtual cavalcade of vegetables.

It was another one of those days where I had no idea what was going to be for dinner because, well, my mind kept changing every few minutes. At 10 a.m, I emailed my friend saying “I’m having steak and roasted brussels sprouts!” Then, when I talked to Adam after work, it was going to be a burger and salads. Then it was going to be steak and salad, then, I went rogue.

I went to our local produce market and just started grabbing stuff: Chinese eggplant, spaghetti squash, baby portabella mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, ground beef, coconut milk… and I still had no idea what I was going to make. On the very short ride home, I decided it was a burger night, but I wanted a new and unique veggie dish to go along with it. New and unique it was!

First I made burgers with:

• ground beef
• garlic powder
• 1 egg
• parsley flakes
• salt & pepper

Then, I started chopping. The Chinese eggplant got peeled and cut into chunks. The red pepper got diced, the mushrooms got sliced, and the spaghetti squash went into the oven to roast at 325 for an hour. When the squash was done, it got dumped into a bowl. Then the recipe started:

Coconut Garden

1 Chinese eggplant, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

6 mini portabella mushrooms (or half a big one) cut into small pieces

1 red pepper, diced

1 small spaghetti squash, roasted and scooped

1 lb raw baby spinach

1/4 c. coconut milk

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. oil of your choice

S&P to taste

Directions

Heat a large wok, and once hot, add oil. Add the eggplant first and cook a few minutes. When lightly browned, add in the red peppers, then the mushrooms, and allow them to cook until they’ve released their juices. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in squash strings, stir a few times to combine, then lower the heat. Add the coconut milk and curry powder, and stir well. Serve.

I call this Cow and a Garden because, well, I had a burger and a garden full of veggies in a CaliBowl.

I finally got my first anonymous question from my “Ask Me” page! Did you even know it was there? What do you want to know about me? There has to be something…

My first and only question so far:

I love you and Adam together. How did you know he was the one?

Well, Adam and I met in the winter of 2004, and not long after that he had a minor surgery that ended up with complications that left him on disability for almost three months. What does this have to do with anything? I knew that Adam and I had something great going pretty much from day one. He called the morning after our first date, and the rest is history. He had this minor surgery on a Wednesday afternoon, and stayed overnight in the hospital until Thursday. After work Thursday, I headed straight for his house to visit and take care of him (I’d taken Friday off work), and a few hours into me being there, Adam started developing spinal headaches as a side effect from the spinal anesthetic from his surgery. Next thing I knew, I was calling an ambulance to take him to the hospital, and spent the evening in the ER. When he was waiting for the doctor to come in and see him, I looked at him and realized that the worst thing I could imagine was losing him… and that’s when I knew

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

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