Last Three Memorable Meals

Carmen:
After we left Seattle we had a killer six days to complete our tour. We drove from Seattle to just south of Bozeman (680miles), then the next day from Bozeman to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (444 miles) and then from St. Paul to Madison to Cincinnati (Over the week an average of 7 hours a day of driving time, mostly by Andy).

At one point Avik said that now you know what it must be like to have cabin fever, he then grabbed his computer to find a video he downloaded that is a spoof on "The Shining".

In the end it was the food that made our time bearable and broke up the monotony.

Here are the last three homemade meals we had together on the road: (Thanks to the PCC Natural Food Market in Seattle for supplying us with four days of groceries.)

Montana Car Lunch:
Cucumber Salad with Blue Cheese Tomato Sandwiches



four cucumbers
dill
olive oil
balsalmic vinegar

ciabatta

blue cheese
four roma tomatoes

Dice cucumbers, toss with 1/4 chopped dill, 2 tsps olive oil and a teaspoon of balsalmic vinegar. I kept the dill in a glass filled with water over night. The cool temperatures up in the Montana mountains kept it nice and perky.

Slice bread lengthwise and layers hunks of blue cheese and slices of tomatoes. A nice light lunch in the hot Montana sun.

Montana Campsite Dinner:
Thai Rice Noodles with Curry Coconut Milk and Golden Tofu



Thai rice noodles, enough for 3 people, soaked in hot water for five minutes then rinsed with cold water
1 can unsweetened coconut milk

3 green onions, chopped
1 inch ginger slice, diced
1 eggplant, sliced
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms
3 jalapenos

1 tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin
1tsp corriander, ground
1 tsp, mustard seeds
3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 lb tofu, cubed and fried in olive oil

Fry tofu first and then remove to a plate.

Fry the dried spices and hot peppers in olive oil. Add vegetables and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes. Add water if the veggies start to stick. Add coconut milk and turmeric then the soy sauce. Bring the stew up to a boil then remove from the heat. Season with salt as needed. Add tofu on the top and eat.


North Dakota Car Lunch:

Mixed Salad Beans Topped with Guacamole and
Herbed Couscous



Herbed couscous mix ( I think we had casbah brand)

1 can organic salad bean mix (kidneys, garbanzos, and great northerns)

fresh basil, chopped
fresh dill, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 avocados
1 tsp salt

juice from 3/4 of a lemon (save the other 1/4 for the guacamole)

1/8 cup olive oil

Combine olive oil and and 3/4 cup lemon juice with herbs, beans, and tomatoes. Add salt to taste.

Mash very ripe avocados in a bowl. Season with lemon and salt.

At a gas station, fill a thermos with hot water from the tap on the coffee machine.

Pour about 1 1/2 cups water on over the couscous.

Before eating, spoon guacamole over the bean salad.