Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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posts/2013/07
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Beef with Brussel Sprouts (as opposed to Broccoli) -- back to top
I had this idea when I was at Costco. I decided to give it a shot making one of my favorite dishes,broccolibeef, but with brussel sprouts instead of broccoli. I didn't want to boil the brussel sprouts so I used the oven.
Even though (as I said here), I was tired of doing the brussel sprouts at the extremely high temp, I used it for this since I wanted them not too mushy but cooked. And I knew they would cook more in the sauce. So I did them for 15 minutes at that insane heat
I had used 1.5 times the normal amount of sauce since I thought I had so much vegetables but it turns out that two pounds of brussel sprouts takes much less space than two points of broccoli so I had too much sauce. It was okay though, it cooked down nicely enough. Just a bit more thick than usual. I also added crushed red pepper in both sauces but it wasn't too spicy.
All in all, this was an interesting approach. I wouldn't rush to do it again, but I am glad I tried something new
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6242, 2013-07-02_203800
Seared Salmon and Fish "Bacon" -- back to top
This was my standard seared salmon with just salt and pepper. Meredith was getting in late so I had this ready as a fast and easy meal. It was good as usual. Maybe it was the salmon, or the cooking time but it had an almost buttery texture and taste.
I also tried pan frying the remaining salmon skin to make the "bacon of the sea." Once you get past the idea that you were eating fried fish skin, it was pretty good. Still, most of it went to the dog who liked it more than us.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6246, 2013-07-03_133549
Meredith made scones. I helped a bit, but it was really all her. She followed the idea of the recipe but used sliced cherries and chocolate instead of those fillings.
Also, Meredith cooked it all together (but sliced), then then sliced it. That meant it needed more time. And, we then cut it and baked them a bit more.
Lavender Blackberry Scones (from Joy The Baker)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6248, 2013-07-04_134016
Horchata and Horchata Bites -- back to top
Meredith and I made horchata from the recipe below (tripled). However, we felt like that was too much sugar (3 cups!) so we only did two and figured we could add splenda later if we had to (but we didn't). We also dissolved the sugar in when the water was hot. We used a mixture of thai black rice, and a few others (giving it all a dark color). We added the almonds and let it soak overnight.
The immersion blender was struggling to get through it all so we added some more water and blended it all. We strained it and saved the leftover almond meal.
Here is the real cool thing we did. We took the almond/rice meal, added a bunch of flour (over a cup), about 2 Tbsp baking powder, and 2 beaten eggs. We added flour until it was a nice mixture. We then laid it out on a baking sheet (lined entirely with Non-Stick aluminum foil) and baked it at 350 until it felt done. Basically, entirely by feel. Note that the color comes from the thai rice. There is no coco powder, etc.
The flavor of those bars were really interesting. They didn't taste too sweet at first (almost like it needed more) but then they had a really nice finish and after taste. The rice, being not really cooked, gave it a nice bite and the almond added some good taste. Of course, this is the kind of thing I could NEVER do again. We just played it by ear too much!
The horchata was also good. I liked the flavor and it was better than what I have had in restaurants. Still, it seems like you can buy rice milk and almond milk then infuse cinnamon and sugar for the same basic idea
Horchata De Almendra (From Chef Bud)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6252, 2013-07-04_144005
Pizza and Oysters on the Half Shell -- back to top
Meredith and I had Wes and Rebecca over and we did a make your own pizza with oysters on the half shell as an appetizer. We bought 2 dozen (though they gave us more) and it was a nice sized appetizer. We all took turns shucking them and did a pretty good job with most. We served them with the regular stuff: tabasco, cocktail sauce, other hot sauces, lemon slices, etc.
For the pizza, we had frozen, leftover Trader Joes dough from a party. We defrosted that along with the leftover cheese. The sauce and all of the toppings were purchased though. The dough is a bit strange. It stretches really, really well but it doesn't really rise at all before the oven. Also, I cooked it at 400 instead of 350. Each pizza was made from half a 16oz dough ball.
Everyone got to make two pizzas however I only took pictures of the first. (and most saved the second for later)
They are:
Justin's first (Pictured lower left):
Justin's Second:
Meredith's First (Picture, top left). Tex-Mex style
Meredith's Second
Wes's First (Pictured, bottom right)
Wes's Second:
Rebecca's First (Pictured, top right)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6257, 2013-07-06_134033
Grilled Chicken and Salt & Vinegar Potatoes -- back to top
I made grilled chicken and salt and vinegar potatoes. For the chicken, I marinated chicken breasts (cut in half) in Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and then cooked it on the grill. Nothing special. I did overcook them a bit, but I still enjoyed them. The sauce caramelized nicely.
I was originally going to make salt and vinegar butternut squash but my squash had gone bad so I used potatoes. I made lots of changes to the recipe. I used white potatoes instead of waxy, and I used apple cider vinegar since white wine vinegar was expensive. I assumed I could let it boil for less time since the potatoes were different so I only have them 3 minutes at a low boil and then turned off the heat. They were lacking a bit of the vinegar flavor so next time, I'll use a longer boil and maybe white vinegar instead. Since I suck at using a charcoal grill, some were more cooked than others. I had to move them to the center where it was noticeably hotter
I had two pieces of chicken for dinner and I ate the third for lunch on a multi-grain english muffin
Grilled Salt and Vinegar potatoes (From Serious Eats)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6261, 2013-07-07_202205
Reuben(ish) Cupcakes -- back to top
I made reuben cupcakes using the usual cupcake idea (375 for 18-20, though I'd use less time next time). I made the filling by taking a bunch of sauerkraut, 1/2 lbs of sliced lean corned beef and cooking them in the pan for a while. I added a small julienned zucchini (for filling and bulking it up). I then added two Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedges and about 4 tbsp of Lite Thousand Island dressing. Finally, I added some crushed caraway seeds to get a bit of rye-like flavor. I topped the second layer with a quarter of a lite swiss cheese slice.
They worked pretty well. The bottom layer didn't stick too well since it didn't have much cheese but that wasn't too big of a deal. The flavor was pretty good. Definitely had the reuben flavor. Nice crunch as usual. I liked the addition of the caraway seed to help it seem like rye.
I was a bit disappointed by the nutrition numbers when I calculated them out. It made 12 so 2.5 each. I had 7 for dinner and 5 for lunch.
Item
Quantity
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
2 oz corned beef*
4
70
3.00
3.00
11.00
0.00
2.10
8.41
Lite Swiss
3
70
4.00
0.00
6.00
0.00
1.58
4.73
Lite 1K island dressing
2
70
5.00
7.00
0.00
0.00
2.05
4.09
24 wonton wrappers
3
160
0.50
31.00
6.00
1.00
3.96
11.89
Cheese Wedges
2
35
1.50
1.00
2.00
0.00
0.68
1.35
Total
1180.00
38.50
121.00
84.00
3.00
30.48
30.48
*I have trouble with the Weight Watchers values because of the amount of fat they assume for lean corned beef. I could tell there was little fat. So I used nutritional information from here
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6271, 2013-07-08_194449
Zucchini Pasta with a Fried Egg and Roasted Okra -- back to top
The zucchini was the same ideas as what I had done on 2013-04-16.I started with a lot of zucchini julienned (I wish I had weighed them first but there were 5 small to medium ones) with some finely chopped mushrooms. I then added a can of washed garbanzo beans. I added 1 Tbsp of olive oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, then some salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced onion. After I mixed it all together, I added some parmesan cheese. I finally topped it with an (accidentally overcooked) egg.
The okra was inspired bythis recipe. I followed the suggestions and roasted them whole and at 425. Maybe it was because they were whole, or maybe it was something else, but they took a very long time to get any type of crisp to them. Probably over 30 minutes. And, they really weren't that good. I guess I would try it again (maybe cut up though) but I am in no hurry. (Pictured is the whole thing but I took half for lunch)
Points Plus (for two large servings)
Olive Oil...3
Garbanzo beans...10
Eggs...8
Parm Cheese...4-5 (guesstimated)
--------------------------------------
26 for the whole thing, or 13 each night. Not bad for a lot of food.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6287, 2013-07-09_214041
Falafel and Za'atar dip -- back to top
Pretty standard falafel. I used a lot of fresh garlic as well as powdered. I am not sure if the is why, but it was exceptionally good tonight. They did seem to flatten quite a bit. Maybe I over pulsed it in the food processor. The Za'atar dip was pretty standard: 1 serving (8 oz) yogurt plus a good amount of za'atar, garlic powder, and salt.
Points were 14 for the falafel plus 3 for the za'atar dip so 17. A bit high but I guess not awful.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6294, 2013-07-10_210652
Sandwiches and Roasted Asparagus -- back to top
This was a pretty simple and straight forward meal. I made asparagus the usual way and saved half for lunch. I also made sandwiches with turkey pastrami on multi-grain english muffins. Half of them had cackalacky,jalapeños and lite provolone The other two had whole-grain mustard, sweet & spicy pickles and also provolone cheese.
They were pretty good. Nothing special. Easy though
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6299, 2013-07-11_202533
Spicy Pumpkin-Oat Breakfast Bars -- back to top
Meredith had mentioned a while ago that she thinks you could replace the banana with pumpkin in the 5(ish)-ingredient oat-banana bars. So, I used that as the basis for the recipe. I really just kind of made it up as I went. I added the pumpkin then I added oatmeal until it was the right consistency. Actually, I had to stop when I did since I ran out of oatmeal but I think it was actually the right amount. I then just threw things in from around the kitchen. I also had some nuts in the freezer so they went in too. Finally, I decided to really do it differently and add cayenne!
Comments before trying them: (ie, while they are baking). I could probably have used a bit more oatmeal next time. We'll see how they come out. The dried fruit really ratcheted up the points. I could cut that next time. Also, these have a lot of fiber. I made them for breakfast before a bike ride, but I may want to reconsider that much fiber before a long ride.
Comments on the thing itself: As I expected, it could probably have used more oatmeal. It was a bit mushy. Alternatively, maybe it needed longer than the 35 minutes I gave it. The flavor was very good. You could really taste the toasted nuts and the seasonings. Actually, the cayenne only gave it a spicy(ish) after-taste and not too much right on the tongue.
_Future Change: _More oatmeal (maybe 2 cups). Longer cook time. A bit of baking powder. Different fruits. More (or less) cayenne depending on what I want. More pumpkin pie spice
Spicy Pumpkin-Oat Breakfast Bars (by Justin Winokur)
Note: This is how I did it today. See above for comments:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Chop and toast the almonds in a dry pan until they are fragrant. Careful not to burn. Chop fruit into small pieces. Combine everything and mix well. A mixer with a beater attachment makes this very easy and gives a good, homogenous mix.
Spread into a pan and bake for 30-35 minutes
Makes 2-4 servings
Item
Quantity
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Oatmeal (1/2c)
3.5
150
2.50
28.00
5.00
4.00
3.82
13.37
Pumpkin
3.5
50
0.00
10.00
1.00
4.00
0.86
3.00
Almonds (1oz)
1.5
160
14.00
6.00
6.00
3.00
4.56
6.84
Mixed Fruit (40g)
1.25
110
0.00
26.00
1.00
3.00
2.67
3.34
Dried Figs
1.6
110
0.00
26.00
1.00
5.00
2.51
4.02
Total
1253.50
29.75
216.10
32.85
44.25
30.58
Per Serving
4
313.38
7.44
54.03
8.21
11.06
7.64
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6301, 2013-07-13_161925
Roasted Vegetables with Sausage -- back to top
I made my pretty standard roasted veggies but I used some different things, and I cooked it at a higher temp (425) but for less time (20 min, then 10-15 more). The didn't do any potatoes but instead did a giant celery root. I actually made enough that I saved a bunch for lunch the next day. The other veggies were jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, carrots, parsnips, turnips and onion.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6312, 2013-07-13_201903
Cackalacky Cod and Asparagus -- back to top
Pretty simple and quick meal. I roasted asparagus as per usual for 15 minutes at 425. I also put the fish in the same oven coated with cackalackysauce. That may have been a bit too long at that heat since the fish was over cooked. Fine, but overcooked. The asparagus was good.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6321, 2013-07-16_203140
Taco Cupcakes (with beans too) -- back to top
I made pretty standard taco cupcakes (375 for 15-18 min). I didn't have any peppers or anything so I added a can of great northern beans. I added zucchini as usual, but I had to cut it up more manually since I set the mandoline incorrectly. I also added some pickled jalapeños. I didn't make too many other changes. It did make a lot of filling so I made the mini wontons (and the bigger one) pictured.
They were pretty good. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
The points are calculated below but they are especially high today because (a) I used beans (added 10) and I made those extra things with the wrappers. With all of that, I still had extra filling. So, high but not too, too bad. Maybe a bit higher than I'd like
Item
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Taco powder
6.00
20
0.00
4.00
0.00
0.00
0.43
2.61
Beans
3.50
110
0.00
20.00
7.00
7.00
2.25
7.88
Lf cheese
2.00
80
5.00
2.00
7.00
0.00
2.14
4.29
Beef
0.67
16.00
10.66
Wrappers
3.75
160
0.50
31.00
6.00
1.00
3.96
14.86
Total
1265.00
11.88
214.25
61.00
28.25
40.29
Per Serving
2
632.50
5.94
107.13
30.50
14.13
20.14
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6324, 2013-07-17_201322
Balsamic Broccoli Chicken -- back to top
It came out very good. I was a bit worried that I didn't have enough sauce but I kept stirring and really let it keep cooking all mixed it. That cause more liquid to come out of broccoli and I was able to get enough liquid.
As I note in the recipe, the dressing was thicker than last time. Also, it was less sweet than the Trader Joes ones but I think I liked this more. Saves calories and lets me control the sweetness more.
I don't think I would make any changes for next time. I just need to remember that more liquid will come out as it heats in the pan all mixed.
Note: This recipe is now in the Recipe Book
Balsamic broccoli chicken
Mix together:
Take out
Add everything back together and add
Set aside. Cut up
Steam the broccoli for 4 minutes or until mostly done. Possibly in batches
Meanwhile. cut
Into strips. Coat with flour as needed. Add just enough canola oil to the pan to coat most of it and then also use pan. When hot (set to about 8/10) add the chicken. Let it cook until mostly done. Add the broccoli and the sauce. Stir and let the broccoli cook more. Keep stirring as more liquid from the broccoli mixes. Reduce the heat to 4-5 and let it keep cooking down. Keep stirring until everything is well coated and most of the sauce is thick and mixed well.
Notes: As noted above, this was much thicker dressing but I liked it. It is also worth noting that there aren't any chemicals, etc in it. It's all pretty natural
Item
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
Pro
fib
per
tot
Ff dressing
6.0
15
0.0
3.0
0.0
0.0
0.33
1.95
Flour coating
0.8
110
0.0
23.0
3.0
0.0
2.77
2.08
Canola (mixed and for pan)
2.0
120
14.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
3.60
7.20
Corn starch
1.5
30
0.0
7.0
0.0
0.0
0.76
1.14
Chicken
0.7
16.00
10.67
Total
457.50
28.00
45.75
2.25
0.00
23.04
Per Serving
2.0
228.75
14.00
22.88
1.13
0.00
11.52
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6327, 2013-07-18_202253
Zucchini Pasta with Poached Eggs -- back to top
I tried to make something like I did on 2013-07-09 but without the chick peas. I also (attempted) to use poached eggs. I messed up with the eggs and I overcooked them so they weren't very good. I also made the stuff and it was fine that night. However, the next day for lunch, it was actually pretty bad. I ended up not eating it. Maybe I'll do this again but I would be more careful with the flavors and letting all of the liquid out.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6333, 2013-07-21_204533
Chicken Hash with Radishes, Celery Root and Potato (Topped with "fried" eggs) -- back to top
I made chicken hash basically using the recipe below with a few changes (some on purpose, some by accident). Instead of 22oz of potatoes, I used a mix of 6 1/8 oz Daikon Radish, 7 5/8 oz celery and 8 oz yukon gold potato. I let the celery root cook longer in the water than the rest of the things. Instead of 1 lbs on chicken, I used 1/2 lbs chicken breast and a tiny chicken thigh (~0.15 lbs).
I also forgot to use paprika and turmeric. I just used the za'atar, salt and pepper for the spices. However, where I really messed up is I added the chicken, broth and everything when I added the potatoes so they didn't get the extra time to brown under a drier heat. Instead they cooked with everything. That basically meant that it was a bit mushy with less crisp bits, etc. I also cooked the eggs entirely sans oil.
Overall, I liked it a lot. The only thing I really didn't like was that the celery root was still very stringy and often fibrous. I ended up spitting a lot of those chunks out. The potato and the daikon radish sere largely indistinguishable! I would definitely do it again and I'd look into additional potato alternatives. The harissa added some spice, though less than I expected when I tasted it alone.
This recipe (with minor changes and notes) is now included in my recipe book
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6337, 2013-07-22_200942
Falafel (from previously frozen dough) -- back to top
I kind of-sort of-made falafel. What was special about this is that I actually made the dough on Sunday, vacuum sealed it and froze it. I then did a rapid defrost in hot water and was able to make them. It worked really, really well. The biggest and only real problem was that it got messy getting the defrosted dough out of the bag. To fix that, next time I will just cut a slit in the bag and either squeeze it all into a bowl or directly onto the pan.
For the dough, I followed the falafel recipe except doubled. I used a very big thing of parsley and as much cilantro as I could cut off.
It is nice to know that I can keep a few things of frozen falafel dough in the freezer and very quickly defrost for this.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6342, 2013-07-23_201630
Broccoli Chicken -- back to top
I made something along the lines of broccoli chicken. I used the normal broccoli beef recipe but skipped marinading. I then just added a can of chicken (12 points plus). I didn't get a chance to buy beef so this was my best option.
It worked out okay. I did mess up the sauce a little bit and the chicken was a bit strange with being shredded and all. Still, it was pretty good.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6344, 2013-07-25_202040
Pumpkin-Oatmeal breakfast bars -- back to top
I again made pumpkin bars. They were inspired by last time but I made a few changes, etc. I discovered a tip on doing the nuts. I had them in the dry pan and when they started to get a bit toasty, I took the pan off the heat and tossed the nuts around. The residual heat kept cooking them and I could control how much they browned.
I skipped all of the dried fruit but I added a bit more nuts.
Adding some baking powder and oil helped make this a bit more fluffy. They still had a bit of a goupy texture, but not too bad.
(This is now in my Recipe Book)
Item
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Oatmeal (1/2c)
4
150
2.50
28.00
5.00
4.00
3.82
15.28
Pumpkin
3.5
50
0.00
10.00
1.00
4.00
0.86
3.00
Almonds (1oz)
2
160
14.00
6.00
6.00
3.00
4.56
9.12
Total
1095.00
38.00
159.00
35.50
36.00
27.40
Per Serving
4
273.75
9.50
39.75
8.88
9.00
6.85
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6347, 2013-07-26_103232
Burgers on Yellow Squash -- back to top
I was originally going to grill but the chimney starter didn't take. so I tried to mix using the cast iron grill pan and the broiler. I started by heating the grill pan while the broiler was heating. I put the yellow squash right into the broiler and I put the hamburgers on the grill pan and then the whole thing in the oven. While that was going, I cooked the zucchini right on the cast iron pan.
The beef did okay like this, though definitely overcooked. The zucchini cooked okay but the squash just wasn't getting there so I moved them to the regular cast iron pan.
So overall, it was all cooked but I wouldn't really call it successful but it was okay.
I did the burgers with salt, pepper, garlic powder and some sriracha. I did the veggies with salt and pepper. I put some ketchup and pepper relish / hoagie spread on the squash between the burger.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6350, 2013-07-28_202049
Sautéed Curry Cauliflower and soup -- back to top
I wasn't overly hungry and I had had a bit of a snack at work before I left so I wanted something light and low points. I made sautéd curry cauliflower. I didn't want to make the normal oven cauliflower things since they take a 450 degree oven for a while and I didn't want to heat the apartment. So instead, I cut a head up into pieces, tossed it with some canola oil, added curry powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cooked it on a hot cast iron pan. I had the pan at level 7/10 and I kept tossing the cauliflower for a bit then letting it sit to get some brown spots. It took more than 20 minutes but it came out pretty well. Not quite as good as the oven roasted but a lot faster and less residual heat.
I also heated a thing of Trader Joes frozen soup
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6352, 2013-07-29_202159
Zucchini Creation -- back to top
I had a lot of zucchini and I needed to do something with it before it went bad. My original plan was to make a filling and "cupcake" it but I decided to just eat the filling. I julienned 3 zucchinis and sautéd it with half an onion, finely chopped mushrooms and seasonings. I then added a can of black beans and finally, two laughing cow wedges. It was okay though I got kind if sick if eating zucchini by the end (made two meals)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6427, 2013-07-31_163048