Category Archives: Meal Items

Daily meal items.

Calamari Steak and Roasted Asparagus

I started with roasted asparagus I put them on parchment paper, pammed them, and added salt and pepper. I cooked them at 425 for about 10-15 minutes. These were really thin so you may need more time for thicker ones. Of course, I find the thin ones to be the best.

I wasn’t really sure how to do the calamari steak but I decided to pat it dry and season it with McCormick Chicken Seasoning, salt and pepper. I then did it on a hot grill pan for a minute per side. A lot of recipes said to score it but it looked like it was already scored with lots of little cuts so I skipped that.

The calamari steak was a bit strange. Surprisingly, I don’t think I overcooked it, but it still had a strange texture. Not like rubber bands, but chewy and springy. Okay, a bit like rubber bands. I would do it again but I want to read up more on how to make it and try something different. The asparagus was very good and I was easily able to eat a whole pound of it!

Seasoned Cod; Asparagus; Thai Coconut Rice; Candied Tomatoes

The fish and the asparagus was the easiest and most regular part of this meal. We roasted asparagus in the oven. I am not sure how long. Meredith did it. And for the fish, we just sprinkled it with Penzy’s Singapore seasoning and microwaved it for 3:30. Of course, the fish popped a bit and made a mess but it was simple enough. Not amazing but we were in a hurry since everything else in the meal took so long.

Meredith did most of the work on this so I do not know all the details. She followed the recipe below but I’ll let her comment on the changes I forget. We improvised a way to steam it with a frying screen. So it was a rather loose seal. And we kept having to refill the water. We used red thai rice. We thought it would be sticky but it wasn’t really. We also strained off a bunch of coconut milk stuff after it was added since it was too much. We used champaign magos which were really good.

Meredith had found this recipe but i was put in charge of making it. I halved the recipe since it seemed like it would just make way too much and that was an insane amount of sugar. We also used grape tomatoes (and more than 24) instead of cherry tomatoes. But, on the note of cherries, we also dipped them in the candy coating.

I followed the (halved) recipe pretty closely but I forgot that the temperature jumps very quickly at the end. I pulled it off the burner around 315 instead of 305. We thought it tasted burned but actually, according to Exploratorium it should have just been into the caramelization. Maybe I used too high of a temp throughout and it got a burned taste from that. Either way, they weren’t incredible. Certainly an interesting idea but once you get past the crunch, it is just tomatoey. It was also stressful as we didn’t realize it was truly candy making until we committed to it. The mess was pretty bad too and I thought there was no way we would ever get that pan clean, but it turns out that soaking candy stuff in hot, soapy water is sufficient

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Buffalo Cauliflower and Zucchini plus Cod

I made buffalo cauliflower but I also did a zucchini and a few pieces of jalapeno. It was pretty good though I don’t think it was incredible. I had made a batch of batter (but with extra water) and I ended up making another half batch. I basically winged it with adding Franks RedHot, garlic powder and ranch powder. I like how the batter hardens around it and pools a bit. I used Smart Balance (melted) instead of oil to make the sauce. Maybe I made too much sauce so it didn’t crisp up nicely.

The zucchini worked pretty well and I would definitely do it again. The pepper was okay. I want to look into other batter recipes that may work better.

I also had miso-soy cod from Trader Joes. It was very good and easy enough to make in the microwave.

Broccoli Beef

Another copy of the first time. It may be a copy, but it is also becoming one of my favorite meals. It is really easy and rather healthy. I would be interested in making a vegan version sometime with seitan and vegan oyster sauce

Carrot (and regular) Pasta with Zucchini Fritters

I made a mixture of carrot “pasta” and regular. The carrot pasta was inspired by this Kitchn Post, but I didn’t really follow anything specific. I used a vegetable peeler to slice down 4-5 carrots (after discarding the outside). Then, I put four cloves of minced garlic into about 1 tbsp of olive oil and a heaping scoop of Smart Balance (already hot). I also added a heaping pinch of crushed red pepper. After that went for about 30 seconds, I added the carrots and then one serving (2oz dry) of mostly cooked pasta. I mixed it all and added a bit of the pasta water. I also added garlic powder, salt and pepper. When I put it into the bowl, I added some cheese.

It came out very good. Much more bulk than just the pasta and a good amount of flavor. I liked it very much and I would definitely do it again. I may also find a way to get more of the carrot out of it. I still had a good amount of carrot left. Using thicker carrots would work much better but they didn’t have them at the supermarket.

I also made zucchini fritters with with no major changes. I did let them cook a bit more to crisp them up.

Open-Face Falafel Patties with Za’atar spread

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I wanted to make falafel (with the changes I noted on 2013-05-12) but I wanted enough for a lunch a day later. So instead of eating it all, I made them more into patties, then I served them open face on multi-grain, low-fat english muffins. I made a za’atar dip with za’atar, greek yogurt and garlic powder. I also served them with a thin slice of tomato.

They were extremely good as always these days. Nice crisp to them with lots of flavor. I liked them served this like too. I think I would use tzatziki instead of za’atar dip in the future if I didn’t have to make it myself. Either way, I would also add a thin slice of cucumber.

Point-wise, it came out the same as just eating the whole thing but this is more interesting and makes more.

Made two servings. Here is the points for one (4 open-face things)
2x Multi-grain low fat english muffins…5.8
1/2 can chick peas…4.8
1/8 cup flour…1.4
1/2 tsp olive oil…0.6
4oz (1/2 serving) FF Greek Yogurt…1.6
—————————————————
14.2 or 14

Open-Face Seasoned Hamburgers on Eggplant

My original plan was to make taco cupcakes but for various reasons, I didn’t end up cooking until 9:00pm. So I came up with this. I made a bunch of small burger patties from extra lean ground beef with lots of stuff mixed in. I do not remember everything, but there was: garlic powder; salt and pepper; crushed red pepper; 21 seasoning salute; and probably other things I am forgetting. I did them on the grill pan.

While they were grilling, I thickly sliced two graffiti eggplans, pammed them and then sprinkled them with salt (key ingredient with eggplants; though better if you can let it sit for a bit). I then broiled them for 5-6 minutes/side.

I used a bit of low sugar ketchup and some hoagie spread, then I put the seasoned burgers on top.

They came out very good though extra messy. I assume the liquid coming off of them was the eggplant since I used such lean beef and the patties dried out a bit. Still, I liked how fast and easy the meal was. It was also very healthy at just 5 or 6 points for the beef (1/3 lbs extra lean) and maybe one for the pam + low sugar ketchup.

Shakshuka and Stir-Fried Broccoli

I threw together shakshuka from the following:

Big head (crown?) of broccoli
Half an onion
Half a shallot
Two sliced jalapeños (with the seeds)
Half a bell pepper
Big thing of mushrooms
celery
1 28 oz can and 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
Lots of seasoning

I did the onions and shallots first, then added the peppers, then the rest. I let it cook for about 30 minutes or more and then poached eggs inside of it. I topped it with grated parm cheese. It came out very good. Lots of flavor. And the broccoli was nice and covered with the tomatoes. I probably could have cooked it a bit longer, but it was fine. It did have a nice spice to it, my guess is it was the jalapeño seeds.

I also tried to make something with the rest of the broccoli. I had the dipping sauce from tuna tataki (from 2013-05-02). I strained it to remove any chunks of stuff, including some old tuna that was there. I added some (actually, too much) corn starch. I then steamed broccoli a bit then added the sauce. As I said, it was too much corn stach and the whole thing thickened too much. That wasn’t so bad, except that the sauce was extremely salt and way too lemony. It may work well for a tuna dipping but it pretty much failed for coating/stir-frying broccoli. I ate a few pieces and threw out the rest.

Falafel and Za’atar Dip

I basically did my normal falafel but I went heavy on the spices and added garlic powder and lots of za’atar. I also really let it cook for a long time (25 min/side). I do not know which change made the difference, but they came out exceptionally well! Lots of flavor, lots of crunch, etc. They even tasted like they were fried. I think making smaller balls helps that since there is just so much more surface area. Plus, then you get 20 little falafel which is more than enough food!

I also made za’atar-garlic dip. I just mixed a lot of za’atar and garlic powder in fat free greek yoghurt. It gave the meal some more protein and it tasted pretty good!

Tuna Tataki

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This was a very, very special meal that had a lot of requirements. I needed to make something that was very fast and/or could be prepared earlier; I needed something Meredith loved; and I needed something that felt special. I ended up going with tuna tataki (link to earlier post). I prepped the sauce earlier and we just did the tuna when we were ready. It came out okay. We were distracted and talking on the phone while making it and I forgot to coat the tuna with some of the sauce fist. Still, it was pretty good (even though the presentation kinda failed).

I also purchased a red-velvet cupcake; a fruit tart; and a salted carmel tart for dessert. We just ate the cupcake and saved the others

Corned Beef with Poached Eggs

I wanted to do something with corned beef but I was tired of just doing reuben things. I warmed/fried a bit of corned beef on the pan, put it on top of a whole grain english muffin and then topped it with a poached egg. I poached the eggs using the trick from Serious Eats where you strain away the very wet part of the egg. I forgot to use the strainer though to put the egg in the water. Still, it worked really well for one (closer in the pic) and pretty well for the other. I did cheat a bit with a tad of vinegar in the water.

The corned beef was from Whole Foods and didn’t have any nitrates. I liked the idea of healthier corned beef and it was pretty good flavor wise but a bit too salty. Oh well.

I also had (too much) steamed sugar snap peas. I didn’t calculate the points, but it wasn’t too bad. 3 eggs (6) (only two pictured), 2 low-fat, whole grain english muffins (6) and 1/4 lbs corned beef (~4)

Mahi Mahi and Kale Chips

I wanted to make a very light meal. I cooked mahi-mahi in the oven at 400 for about 25 minutes. I think that was too long. It got kinda dried out and lost flavor. I’ll do less next time. And I made kale chips. The interesting thing with them was that I still had leftover kale so I tried microwaving them on parchment paper. It seemed to work. I got kale chips from the microwave as well.

Extremely low points. It was about 8 oz of fish (raw) for 4 points and nothing (or just a bit) for the kale.

Lentil Sloppy Joes and Asparagus

I made lentil sloppy joes like last time. I used 2/3 cups of lentils with a 2:1 water:lentil ratio, though I added more water as they cooked. The lentils seemed to cook down rather quickly and almost turned mushy.

I also used mostly low-sugar ketchup to reduce the points. I served them on low-fat, whole grain english muffins. I do not know why but they were pretty mediocre. Maybe a bit too mushy, maybe it was the different ketchup, maybe the seasonings.

I also had asparagus

Beef with Broccoli and Wonton Soup

This was an exact copy of the last/first time I did this. I used the recipe on that page except that I used “Beef Top Round London Broil” which I liked even more. There wasn’t a big layer of fat and I was very easily able to cut off what was left. I sliced it thinner too. I froze it for 25 minutes and then very carefully sliced it as thin as I could.

It would very well. The whole meal was very good though the soup was a but less flavorful than usual.

Salmon Burgers and Curry-Roasted Cauliflower

I wanted something pretty hands off and fast since I was also cooking for a friend. I made the regular curry-roasted cauliflower. I think I should have split it into two pans. Even after removing the foil, I feel like it may have steamed a bit too much. They were kinda soft.

I also made salmon burgers (from Costco) in the grill pan. I used light, whole-grain english muffins as bread. As a side note, I am no longer planning on buying Arnold’s Sandwich Thins. The english muffins have very similar nutritional specs but are a lot more flavorful, and bigger. I like the extra crunch form the nooks and crannies. I put out all kinds of toppings for the burgers. I went with hoagie spread and BBQ sauce.

Falafel and Broccoli

I made falafel (modifications are noted on that recipe page), again using rye flour for regular since I had it. They came out pretty good though a bit wet despite over 40 minutes cooking. It also seemed to make more than last time, but I think I am wrong.

I also roasted broccoli. I just put it in for the entire time the falafel was in (40 min at 375). They came out fine with the lower and slower roast.

Roasted Vegetables and Sausage

Standard roasted veggies with the addition of celery (since I had it) and something else (I don’t recall. I’ll come back and add it if I remember).

Pretty good though the celery was a bit strange. It is also very wet which I think impacted everything else.

Edit: zucchini!!!

Zucchini+Pasta with a Fried egg and Roasted Curry Caulflower

I based this loosely on this recipe. Basically, I thinly sliced zucchini into little pieces using the mandolin. I then added a tad of olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Then I added 1 serving of Whole Wheat Plus pasta. I added a bunch of grated ricotta salata. I mixed it all together and microwaved it to warm it up. After it was done, I added two “fried” eggs. (probably over-medium. No oil, just doen in the pan). I added more salt and pepper plus more cheese. It was really good. The egg flavor mixed well with the salt and pepper (and cheese).

I also made curried cauliflower. It was very good but way toooooooo salty. The salt shaker broke open a bit and poured in. Still, it was very good. Crispy as always and really good.

I didn’t calculate the points, but it must be low. Just the pasta, a bit of oil, the eggs and the cheese.

Mushroom + Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

I made Mushroom + Quinoa stuffed mushrooms. First, the filling. I started with sautéing half an onion using dry sherry to deglaze the pan. I then added a lot of finely chopped mushrooms. That included both the stems of the caps I stuffed and an additional pack of mushrooms. Basically, a lot. I kept adding sherry and letting it cook away. I then added cooked quinoa (started as 1/2 cup dry, Osem in the water). Finally, I added lots of garlic powder and TJ’s 21 seasoning salute.

For the mushroom caps, I pealed away the outer layer and then spread laughing cow into the inside. I cooked it for 25 minutes at 350 (see 2011-01-10). These mushrooms were a bit small making it difficult. And annoying to peel. I wonder if there is an easier way.

Anyway, they came out pretty good. They were small and not the most filling thing, but the laughing cow trick really gives it a lot of flavor. And the topping got nice a crispy, though a lot fell off the caps.

The points were 9 for the 1/2 cup dry quinoa, 3 for 5 wedges of Laughing cow, plus some for the sherry. It made two meals worth including extra filling. Even if you count the sherry as, say, 5, it is 17 for two meals. Not bad.

Beef with Broccoli and Wonton Soup

I made broccoli beef based on the recipe below. I note my changes there as well.

Major changes: brisket for hanger steak. Used 0.6lbs. They were out of hanger and this was very lean so I figured I’d use it. I also steamed the broccoli. And went heavy on the marinade ingredients. Added siracha to both marinade and sauce

Next time: Cut the beef even thinner. I’d use brisket again, but I’d trim the small fat layer on the bottom since it didn’t cook off enough and made it hard to eat.

Thoughts: I liked the recipe a lot and it didn’t need many changes. I was actually surprised that the sauce was enough to coat everything but it did. It made enough for a light-to-medium dinner and lunch. Plus, it’s really healthy since I steamed instead of boiled the broccoli.

I also had TJ’s wonton soup. The points were low with about 10 for the beef (it was lean), plus the small amount for everything else.

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