of veggies and nerds

most nerds won't voluntarily eat veggies (corn chips and jalapeno poppers do not count), however it is important to incorporate veggies into your nerd's diet, at any cost. if you simply steam some greens and plop them on his or her plate, they will remain on his or her plate. if you take some time to prepare them well, and with love, you'll have your nerd asking for seconds.

tonight's meal is a practice in sneaking veggies into my nerd (he happens to like veggies, especially corn, so this isn't too difficult for me).

on the menu:

open faced grilled cheese, cool avocado and cucumber soup, and steamed corn on the cob.

cool avocado and cucumber soup:

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
2.5 c buttermilk
3 tbs chopped red onion
1 tsp lemon juice
3 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
salt & pepper to taste

topping:

1/2 tomato peeled, seeded and chopped (to make peeling easier, drop tomato into boiling water for about 30-45 seconds, then peel with fingers under cold water)

fresh basil & spinach chiffonade 

creme fraiche (which i didn't have time to make, so we used sour cream instead)

combine all ingredients (except topping) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. refrigerate for several hours or overnight. add toppings just before serving.

open face grilled cheese:
set oven to broil

sliced sourdough
sliced cheese of your choice
sliced tomato, peeled
butter

lightly butter the bottom of each slice of bread and arrange evenly on a baking sheet. on each slice place cheese, then add a slice of tomato. salt and pepper to taste. broil until cheese starts to brown (about 5 minutes).











i was absolutely positive the cool avocado and cucumber soup was going to be delicious...

i didn't care for it, but my nerd seemed to be enjoying it. when i asked him if he'd like me to make it again, he said "uh.... not any time soon," with a guilty little smile on his face. perhaps next time i'll add a bit of dill and serve it as a dip with garlic crostini.