Grasshopper

The sign outside says, "The animals thank you," but it's really my tummy doing the thanking. Grasshopper is an amazing vegan Asian restaurant and one of the few places where there are more than 50 things on the menu that I could eat. I had the eggplant tofu surprise, which was eggplant, tofu (obviously), asparagus, and several kinds of meat substitutes in a black bean sauce. Every component was perfectly done and I kept eating way past the point I should have stopped, promising myself that the next bite would be the last, but then spying just one more that looked too good to pass up. The nice thing is that even though I ate a ton, and each bite was a little miracle, I didn't feel overstuffed and greasy and nauseus at the end, as often happens with heavier food.

The buckwheat noodles with assorted veggies and tofu in a ginger sauce on my friend's plate was equally enticing, although my favorite element was definitely my melt-in-your-mouth eggplant. Bill is going to be happy when he sees the leftovers.

Also try the fresh limeade. Heaven.

New treat

This beautiful, unusual-looking thing is called an oyster mushroom. It was delivered yesterday and I have yet to decide what to do with it, but think it's awfully pretty.

Chard and Cheddar Omelette

One of the great things about my Boston Organics subscription is that is gets me to try foods I normally wouldn't. Tonight I had chard for the first time, and was surprised to descover how tangy and flavorful it was, as well as easy to prepare. I will definately be making the following recipe again.

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces red Swiss chard, stemmed, chopped (about 3 cups packed)
5 large eggs
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 8-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard, cover and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Wipe skillet clean. Whisk eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of egg mixture and cook until eggs are just set in center, tilting pan and lifting edge of omelet with spatula to let uncooked portion flow underneath, about 2 minutes. Scatter half of chard mixture over half of omelet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over chard. Fold omelet over cheese; slide out onto plate. Repeat with remaining butter, egg mixture, chard and cheese.