Opus2Cafe

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Leonids
tentative menu
11/9/15 thru 11/13/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Chipotle Tomato Vegetable Soup, Ginger Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Chevre and Fig Hero
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, Spicy Soba Noodle Salad, Hummus Wraps, Spicy Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup, One of Our Green Salads, Hummus Wraps. Baked Cavatappi and Aged Cheddar
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Acorn Squash with Roasted Garlic Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pear and Pepper Jack Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Thai Coconut Curry Soup with Rice Noodles, Caesar Salads, Hummus Wraps,

Music Menu

Call Me Al

The low down on this weeks menu - been batting 100 lately and why should that stop?

Sunday, November 1, 2015

The Rut
Tentative menu
11/2/15 thru 11/6/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper and Coconut Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Masala Root Soup, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Hummus Wraps, Quesadillas
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Moroccan Potato Bean Soup, A Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Baked Chèvre Caprese Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Onion Cheese Bisque, Raw Kale Salad with French Lentils and a Sweet Apricot Vinaigrette, Hummus Wraps, Quiche
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato-Chipotle-Fresh Sage Soup, Andean Quinoa Salad, Hummus Wraps, Fajita Bowl

Music Menu

Love Songs of Course

The low down on this weeks menu - going with the simple, comfort type menu items this week, nothing the least bit exotic. Green salad will probably be Red and Green.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Whistlin' Past The Graveyard
tentative menu
10/26/15 thru 10/30/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, French White Bean and Cabbage Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps, Spicy Cheese Stuffed Naan or Not Very Spicy Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Chinese Velvet Corn Soup, Massaged Kale and Chickpea Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pear and Pepper Jack Panini
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Sherried Carrot Soup, Some Sort of Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Arugula Calzones
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup, Spicy Cold Soba Salad, Hummus Wraps, Soft Tacos with Chipotle Lime Red Quinoa and Fire Roasted Vegetables
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Madras Curried Tomato Soup, Asian Succotash Salad, Hummus Wraps, Panini

Music Menu

I Scare Myself

The low down on this weeks tentative menu - ok, to be honest, I wrote up this week's menu and left my notes somewhere, it's getting late, I can't find them and I can't really remember whatever it was I had in mind. It was a particularly tempting menu as I recall. This one is a guesstimate, and will certainly change if I ever find the original.

There has been some grumbling over the spiciness of the cheese stuffed naan lately (really). The vocal minority wins out, and we shall try to make some not so spicy cheese stuffed naans on Monday. I'll see how that goes.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Shooting Stars O'er The Erie Canal
tentative menu
10/19/15 thru 10/23/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Cuban Black Beans and Rice Soup, Ginger Noodles, Hummus Wraps - Plain or Sriracha, Quiche
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Pumpkin Asiago Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps - Plain or Sriracha, Black Bean Chimichangas
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, A Green Salad, Hummus Wraps - Plain or Sriracha, Baked Chevre Caprese Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Curried Spinach Soup, Jicama and Grape Salad, Hummus Wraps - Plain or Sriracha, Roasted Chickpea and Cauliflower Tostadas
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Hungarian Potato Soup, Caesar Salads, Hummus Wraps - Plain or Sriracha, Panini

Music Menu

Stiffs and Sax Riffs

The low down on this weeks menu - quiche filling? Not decided yet. Chimichangas/burritos? Hoping for a nice shipment of jicama, but who can predict?

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Yay or Nay?
tentative menu
10/12/15 thru 10/14/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda Soup*, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps Plain or Sriracha+^, Spicy Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Tues. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Sweet Potato with Chipotles and Fresh Sage Soup,*+^, Carrot and Fresh Dill Salad, Hummus Wraps Plain or Sriracha+^, Falafel Sandwich
Wed. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Southwestern Corn Chowder*, A Green Salad*, Hummus Wraps Plain or Sriracha+^, Chevre and Fig Hero

Music Menu

Beyond Cool

Jane and Frank - where are they now?

The low down on this weeks menu - ok, perhaps we're repeating things a bit too often here. Just stop me if you've heard this one. Use it up before break.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Mashups
tentative menu
10/5/15 thru 10/9/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Cream of Tomato Soup*, French Lentil Salad*, Hummus Wraps+^, Cheddar and Apple Panini
Tues. Vegetarian Chili,*+^, Potato and Cheddar Soup*, Peanut Noodles+^, Hummus Wraps+^, Chèvre Hero
Wed. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Curried Pumpkin Soup, A Green Salad*, Hummus Wraps+^, Pizzettes
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Mushroom Barley Soup, Greek Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps+^, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Fri. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Red Lentil Mulligatawny Soup*+^, Farro Salad, Hummus Wraps*^, Swiss Melt

Music Menu

Redheads singing The Blues

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Turkey Season
Tentative menu
9/28/15 thru 10/2/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili *+^ West African Peanut Soup*+^, Ginger Noodles+^, Hummus Wraps, +^, Roasted Vegetable Wrap with Chipotle Spread +
Tues. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Masala Root Soup*+^, Polish Soba Salad+^, Hummus Wraps+^, Baked Caprese Hero
Wed. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Thai Coconut Curry Soup *+^, A Green Salad*^, Hummus Wraps+^, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili*+^, French White Bean and Cabbage Soup*+^, Hummus Wraps+^, Artichoke Hero
Fri. Vegetarian Chili*+^, Herbed Carrot Soup*+^, Roasted Chickpea and Kale Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette*+^, Hummus Wraps+^, Curried Couscous Wrap+^

Music Menu

Dukes of September

The low down on this week's menu - due to the high volume of questions, notations are being made indicating gluten free (*), dairy free (+), and vegan (^), menu items. I hope this helps. Sometimes we can leave dairy out of something that would ordinarily have it if you ask. So ask.

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New Dish of the Week Profile -Acorn Squash with Roasted Garlic Soup - so o.k., this isn't very new to us here, but it hasn't been profiled yet. Do we have any curious cooks in the house? Both the squash and the garlic are roasted. The shallots and celery are sauteed. The spinach is tossed in raw. Dry sherry and whatever extra dribs and drabs of milk we have are added towards the end. Seasonings are exactly what you'd expect. Mom approved. nutritional info per 8 oz. serving, based on the assumption that I'm going to find mainly skim milk dribs and 1% drabs -cal. 197, fat - 8.7g, carbs - 27g, pro - 4.3g, choles. - 22mg, sodium - 135mg

Here's the Opus 2 recipe for clumping granola - melt 1/2 c butter, stir in 1/4 c honey and a splash of vanilla, set aside. In a large bowl, mix 4 c rolled oats with 1/2 c sunflower seeds and 2 cups almonds (whole or sliced). Toss butter/honey mix with oat mix. Add a bit of water if it seems too crumbly. Spread granola out on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Press firmly. Seriously. Cover with foil and bake at 250 degrees for about 70 minutes, or until you can smell the granola. Remove the foil and continue baking until desired shade of medium brown, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan, and when totally cool, break up into clumps. Mix in some dried cranberries or raisins. Some times we add wheat germ and/or pepitas,

Wild Grape Pie
We at O2 spent a pleasant day making a wild grape pie. Here's the recipe.
Harvest at least 2 pounds worth of wild grapes. Wash and dry them carefully. Measure out 6 cups worth, and gently peel them. Put the skins in a bowl, the pulp and seeds into a saucepan. This will take a couple of hours if you have help, but it'll be a fun couple of hours.
Bring the saucepan of pulp to a full, rolling boil, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Strain the seeds away from the pulp, discarding the seeds. Mix the pulp in with the skins, and between 1 and 3 tablespoons of tapioca. Place this mix of skins and rapidly thickening pulp into a refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours. While this is chilling, make a pie dough recipe of your choosing. We are fond of a basic pate brisee, heavy on the butter.
When the pie dough has relaxed sufficiently, roll it out and fit it into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Remove the grape filling from refrigeration, and stir into it about a cup's worth of sugar. Scrape this filling into the bottom crust, top with a full or latticed top crust. Bake as any fruit pie, making sure you have a pan underneath it in your oven. Enjoy cool.

O2 Onion Cheese Bisque.
really.
Cook up a big bunch of onions in butter over a low flame. When they are just starting to caramelize, stir in some flour. Cook off the raw flour taste, and add in milk. Lots of milk. We use an assortment of fat levels. Add in some grated cheese. We use an assortment of types. Stir, taste, season. Add in some vegetarian worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Partially puree with your wand of chaos.
nutritional facts based on 2% milk and medium sharp cheddar - calories for a 12 oz serving - 315.4, fat - 21.2 g, carbs - 19.1 g, protein - 13.5 g

Dear Charlotte [crispy];
Thank you for being such a loyal customer. I hope that this will help.
1. Acorn Squash, Roasted Garlic and Spinach Soup -
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2 acorn squash in half, scoop seeds out. Roast squash, cut side down for about 45 minutes, until it feels tender. Roast 4 heads of garlic at the same time. In a pot, saute 2 onions in butter until starting to brown. Add 4 cups of water or vegetable broth and 2/3 c dry sherry. Add in the flesh from the squash and the roasted garlic. Puree. Add in 1 bunch of clean, chopped spinach. Heat and add salt, pepper, a little bit of fresh nutmeg, and 2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream.

2. Chinese Velvet Corn Soup
In a splash of oil, saute 4 cups of diced onions. Cook until caramelized, then add 6 cups of corn kernels and 8 cups of water. Cook a bit, then add 1 teaspoon of szechuan peppercorns, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1/2 cup dry sherry, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 teaspoons sugar, a good dollop of sambal oeleek, and some chopped chives. Remove about a third of the soup and with an immersion blender, coarsely puree what's left in the pot. Add the unpureed soup back. Dissolve 1/2 c of cornstarch in about 1/3 cup of cold water. Pour this into the hot - but not boiling- soup. Taste for and add salt.

3. Chipotle Sweet Potato and Fresh Sage
4. Masala Root Soup
5. Onion Cheese Bisque
6. Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
7. Roasted Cauliflower Soup
8. Roasted Red Pepper and Coconut Soup
9. Sherried Carrot Soup
10. West African Peanut Soup.
Let me know if something really important to you is missing.

Pesky Wild Violet Invasion
It's that time of the year again, wild violets marring the new lawn. Spraying is so politically incorrect.
'Violets contain rutin, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help strengthen capillary walls'. Eat them.
Clean violets carefully. Dry thoroughly.
Beat a couple of egg whites, then strain into a small bowl.
Work with one violet at a time.
Using a clean paintbrush, paint egg white on all surfaces of the violet. Don't get excessive, egg shouldn't be dripping.
Immediately sprinkle superfine sugar over all coated surfaces.
Place violet on a wax paper covered wire rack to dry.
Repeat process.
Flowers are extremely perishable and should generally be served fresh. Candied flowers like these wild violets will last up to a year. Do not store in the refrigerator.
Today's important [p.c.] disclaimer here;
Introduce flowers slowly to your diet to avoid any potential upset or allergic reaction, especially important if you have allergies to pollen.
Next week - dandelion jelly.

Opus2Cafe

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Sunday, September 27, 2015

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