Opus2Cafe

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Receeding Snowline
tentative menu
3/30/15 thru 4/3/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper and Coconut Soup, A New Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Spinach and Feta Quiche
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Tortilla Soup, Italian Wedding Farro Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Pistachio Orange Mint Salsa, Mixed Grains and Grapefruit Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Black Bean Soup, Quinoa Salad with Butternut Pepitas and Craisins, Hummus Wraps, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Tostadas
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Ginger Carrot Soup, Smokehouse Chickpeas and Greens Salad, Hummus Wraps,

Music Menu

Bird Songs

The low down on this week's menu - after eating a plenty, we have four new salads this week. Four tries.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

March Madness
tentative menu
3/9/15 thru 3/13/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Mexican Split Pea Soup, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Hummus Wraps, Calzones
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Creamy Herbed Carrot Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Soft Tacos with Roasted Mushrooms - Kale - Chevre
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Tart Apple Salsa, a Salad, Hummus Wraps, Guacamole Panini
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Avocado Hero
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Cream of Tomato Basil Soup, another Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burrito

Music Menu

Searching For Heart

The low down on this week's menu -

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Utica
tentative menu
3/2/15 thru 3/6/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Pumpkin Asiago Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Spicy Melon Salad
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Moroccan Potato Bean Soup, Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Fresh Dill and Pepitas, Hummus Wraps, Cheddar Avocado Panini/or/Baked Caprese Hero
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, French White Bean Soup with Cabbage, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Baked Caprese Hero/or/ Cheddar Avocado Panini
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato with Chipotle and Fresh Sage Soup, French Lentil Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pear and Pepper Jack Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Curried Spinach Soup, Greek Salad, Hummus Wrap, Rustic Vegetable on Focaccia

Music Menu

Polannaise

the most wonderful time of the year

The low down on this week's menu - Lots of fresh herbs this week.

Not too sure about main entree Tuesday/Wednesday, at least not too sure about which item on which day.

Home made focaccia on Friday. Yumm-o.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Stir Crazy
tentative menu
2/23/15 thru 2/27/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Chipotle Tomato Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Chevre and Fig Hero
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Caribbean Sweet Potato Soup, Cold Soba Salad with Kale Avocado and Miso Sesame Dressing, Hummus Wraps, Roasted Vegetable Wraps
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper Smoked Gouda Soup, Farro with Dried Apricot Salad, Hummus Wraps, Avocado Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Chili Cheese Bisque, A Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Chinese Velvet Corn Soup, Andean Quinoa Salad, Hummus Wraps, Swiss Melt

Music Menu

Wintertime Blues

The low down on this week's menu - nothing unusual going on this week. Avocados are ripe and plentiful.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

One Down
tentative menu
2/16/15 thru 2/20/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Acorn Squash - Roasted Garlic and Spinach Soup, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Hummus Wraps, Baked Cavatappi and Aged Cheddar
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, French Canadian Split Pea Soup, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Hummus Wraps, Chipotle Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, Asian Quinoa Salad, Hummus Wraps, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Tostadas with Lime Avocado Crema
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Masala Root Soup, Broccoli Hemp Slaw with Tangy Mustard Dressing, Hummus Wraps, Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Onion Cheese Bisque, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Eggplant Parmesan Hero

Music Menu

Play An Accordion, Go To Jail

The low down on this week's menu - got some newbies joining the roster this week. along with the old guard faves.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

The Owl And The Pussycat
tentative menu
2/ 9/15 thru 2/13/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper Coconut Soup, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pear and Pepper Jack Panini
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup, Ginger Noodle Salad, Hummus Wraps, Calzones
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Mushroom Barley Soup, French Lentil Salad, Hummus Wraps, Avocado Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Thai Coconut Curry Soup, Avocado-Pepitas-Israeli Couscous Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Sherried Carrot Soup, Vietnamese Citrus and Noodle Salad with Fresh Herbs, Hummus Wraps, Antipasto and Chevre Hero

Music Menu

Love Songs, 'Natch

The low down on this week's menu - Calzones will probably be artichoke and asiago.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Ground Hog Day
tentative menu
2/2/15 thru 2/6/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Cream of Tomato Basil Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Cheddar Avocado Tomato Red Onion Pickle Panini
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato Chipotle and Fresh Sage Soup, Hummus Wraps, Baked Chevre Caprese Hero
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Southwestern Corn Chowder, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, French Onion Soup, Soba Noodles with Edamame-Zucchini-Spinach Salad, Hummus Wraps, Sweet Potato and Kale Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Caesar Salads, Hummus Wraps, Philly Cheese Fakes

Music Menu

Trailer Park Tunes

The low down on this week's menu - due to the inclement weather, we've focused on vitamin A this week. You're welcome.

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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, March 29, 2015

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Sunday, February 1, 2015

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