Comfort Meals Comfort

Summer time in San Francisco means that the fog rolls in come evening. There are bouts when the sun might peak through during the day, but overall it is a somber and chilly weather. This hasn't been helping my overall faculty in the passing week. Needless to say, I have been kinda bummed out these days and when I find I am down I like to make nice wholesome meals for myself. By the literal act of feeding myself, it reminds me that I am taking care to take care of me. I wanted to prepare a meal that was both nourishing and comforting. This week I made a hamburger beef stew and a vegan pasta salad. I looked up some recipes to get ideas. Usually I am very particular and meticulous about following directions, but ultimately made them to my own specifications. It was a nice change to cut loose and have a bit of fun. By doing this I discovered unexpected, but pleasant surprises within each of the dishes. For instance, by adding a turnip I noticed it really brought a light, crisp sweetness to the overall flavor in the stew. The pinto beans in the pasta salad created a complex texture by contrasting the smoothness of macaroni with the coarseness of beans. The dishes are well balanced between being hearty and light. Which I found to be the perfect compliment to the inevitable cold, misty nights of the Summers that are San Francisco.

Beef Stew ingredients:
1 pd. Hamburger Meat
3 Tomatoes
3 Carrots
4 small Red Potatoes
1 Turnip
2 cups of Water
1 Onion
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup of corn
1/2 cup of peas
Herbs, Salt, Red Chili Peppers to taste

Vegan Pasta Salad:
2 cups of Elbow macaroni
1 can of Pinto Beans
2 Tomatoes
1 small Eggplant
1 Carrot
1 Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 a bunch of Kale
Terriyaki Sauce