Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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Vegetarian Bean Fajitas, Fiber One Fried Onion Rings and Spinach -- back to top
The fajitas were just onions, peppers, mushrooms and kidney beans with fajita seasoning. I would like to make my own seasoning sometime but this worked well enough. We added the red kidney beans right at the end so they didn't get too smashed. The beans were there to be a source of protein and some substance. We made the onions rings inspired by the Hungry Girl Recipe I copied below. We really just winged it but it was helpful to have the recipe. They were pretty easy with two people so you that I did not get my hand full of egg. Finally, we made sautéd spinach because it was getting old and we wanted to use it.
Fiber One Onion Rings (from Hungry Girl)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 823, 2010-12-23_113425
We made lentil soup following the same recipe as last time(in the comments). We did make a few changes including using three (instead of two) stalks of celery and carrots to make up for the fact that we were about 1/4 cup short on the lentils. Also we put a good amount of beef Better Than Bouillon in to give it a beef base. We used chicken last time. Finally, we used apple cider vinegar instead of plain white. Because we had to be somewhere, we let it simmer on the stover for a very long time which probably increased all of the flavors.
it was very good though I think I liked it more the last time (but that was almost exactly a year ago so who knows). I don't know why the color is so different from the two pictures. Note that we used regular brown lentils for both. The nutritional information is very different for different lentil types (at least that is what I remember last time I looked).
Other than the simmer time, this is an extremely easy meal. And it is enough for a meal without anything else! We will probably do this again soon!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1441, 2011-10-06_161857
Pasta with Chickpeas and Arugula -- back to top
I used the recipe below to make this. I didn't have good mozzarella cheese so I just used grated, 2%. I also used toscano for the top. The arugula I used was a bit old and possibly pushing its lifetime. It worked pretty well. The dominant flavor was the balsamic vinegar but I still liked it. The chickpeas gave it some real protein too. Also, I used whole wheat penne (and less) instead of shells
I was in a hurry to I forgot to take a picture of my dinner serving, and then took a picture of the lunch version.
Pasta Shells With Chickpeas And Arugula (from Serious Eats)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1965, 2012-05-14_213902
Zucchini and Wheat berry mix -- back to top
This idea was inspired by something Meredith made and a few recipes, including this one. Basically, I started with a bit less than a cup of dry wheat berries. Supposedly, you are supposed to soak them overnight, but I googled how to cook them without soaking. Maybe they would have been less chewy had I soaked them, but I like the chewiness. Then, I used the mandoline to finely slice two zucchinis. I was supposed to salt and drain them but I forgot. I then mixed the wheat berries and zucchini. I added a bit of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I mixed a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and a really small amount of olive oil with some more seasonings. I mixed them up and added it. After that was all mixed, I added 4 oz of TJ's light feta crumbled.
It came out really, really good! I wish I knew exactly how much of everything I added so I could do it exactly again! There was a nice chewiness with good texture. Maybe a bit too wet from not draining the zucchini but not too bad. And pretty low points.
Points Plus
~1 cup dry wheat berries...16
4 oz feta...4
2 tsp olive oil...2
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22 for 2 meals.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2164, 2012-08-01_140756
Spaghetti Squash and sauce -- back to top
I made spaghetti squash with tomato sauce. I wanted something pretty easy and really low in points. I made a tomato sauce the pretty normal way with onions and a bunch of seasonings, just like last time. The only thing I did differently was no oil and I put a can of chick peas giving the only real points in the meal at around 10. Maybe add 2 for whatever incidentals.
I thought I took a photo but I couldn't find it.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2175, 2012-08-05_202952
Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta -- back to top
First, the brussel sprouts. It was a while ago that I made them so I had to refresh my memory of how I was doing it. I followed a Serious Eats recipe. I'll reiterate it here for future reference. I heated the oven to 500_with_ the pans. Then I put the halved sprouts on the hot pan. Some people recommended flipping it to cut side down but I decided to leave it as is. I had already tossed them with a bit of olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Anyway, I put them on the pan and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating half way. One thing about doing it this way is you really have to watch the leaves that broke off since they will burn.
For the shakshuka, I followed the recipe pretty closely. with an extra serrano and a very large jalapeńo. I also skipped the parsley and used a mix of regular and hot paprika instead of the smoked. For both the paprika and the crushed red pepper, I used a lot extra. I also threw in some garlic powder. I didn't make any more changes that I can recall except messing with the times as needed. I was worried that the eggs were overdone but they were perfect. Since I wasn't doing bread, I wanted slightly harder (somewhere between runny and medium) and that is exactly what they were. I used lite feta instead normal. Oh, and I used 6 eggs. It made a lot but it was enough for 2 meals. (Despite what the recipe says)
I didn't really taste the fennel but it was my first time cooking with it and I liked it. I smelled it a lot while cooking. I wonder if I can do anything to add more of its flavor. I am sure I did taste it in there, but maybe not very strongly.
Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta (From A Sweet Spoonful)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2796, 2012-10-28_202002
Meredith had bought all of the stuff to make borscht but wasn't able to use it before galavanting across the world and gave it to me. I decided to let the ingredients fulfill their original purpose and make it.
I followed the recipe except I only used one potato (since Meredith only bought one). Instead of brown sugar, I used 2 splenda packets. I do not know what I did before, but the 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar was very good. I also used fresh mushrooms (and an extra cup of water). I skipped the lemon juice. And used parsley as the green. Finally, I used FF greek yogurt for sour cream. Oh, and I added sriracha at the end (but not too much)
I do not remember what it usually taste like since it has been so long since I made it, but this was very, very good. Sweet and flavorful. I wasn't sure if it would be enough food but it made quite a bit and was very filling (plus the protein in the greek yogurt)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2847, 2012-11-28_201510
Black Bean Empanadas and Edamame -- back to top
I am writing this a bit after the fact so I do not recall everything. I made the standard empanada dough. I do not think I followed all of the timing on the recipe, but it came out okay. I again steamed the beans for a bit like last time which made them easy to mash. I do not recall if I put Dave's Insanity in, but I think I did. I remember them being very spicy.
They were good but not all too notable but it was good. I always forget how much of a pain-in-the-ass it was to make empanadas but it was good.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2887, 2012-12-10_212710
Spaghetti Squash and Tomato Sauce -- back to top
I made spaghetti squash with leftover tomato sauce from the party. I defrosted some, plus some of the non-frozen leftovers. After doing the spaghetti squash the normal way (cut in half, deseed, spray with pam, sprinkle with salt+pepper, then 12 min in the microwave). I also defrosted some frozen chicken sausage. The chicken sausage was way overcooked by the time it was in, but that didn't matter much. I also added a bunch of ricotta and sprinkled cheese.
Point-wise I can only really guess since I do not know the tomato sauce. It was homemade so I know there wasn't much oil (4 tbsp olive oil + butter in the whole thing, 24 points). I'll figure I had about 3 points of that (1/8th). I also do not have measurements for the amount of the cheese . Figure 2 tbsp of low fat cheese. And maybe 2.5 servings of ricotta (guessing here).
Points plus:
Sausage (2 1/2 links)...5
LF Parm Cheese...1
Full Fat Ricotta...6
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12 for the two HUGE servings
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3112, 2013-01-30_195329
Dirty Brown Rice and Kale Chips -- back to top
I made dirty (brown) rice in celebration of Mardi Gras this week. I followed this post for pressure cooking the rice (I used 1/2 cup dry rice) with chicken broth. While it was cooking, I sautéed an onion (using the technique where you use a dry pan and add water to deglaze/cool it). I then added sliced gimme lean (half a thing). Once the rice was done, I put sliced carrots and celery in the pressure cooker (since I forgot to add it earlier and let it cook so I needed to cook it faster). I also added lots of Emril's Essence to the vegetables, the rice and the whole combination when it was all done. It was very good but a bit salty. Maybe too much essence.
I also made kale chips using the notes from here except I went with them for only 18-19 minutes. They were extremely good. Also a bit salty, but a nice crisp, and lots of flavor. Kind of reminded me of the seaweed crisps I like to take for lunch but with a bit more mellow flavor.
Points plus for the rice:
1/2 cup dry brown rice...8.5
1/2 thing (3.5 servings) gimme lean...4
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Figure 13 points
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3151, 2013-02-11_200456
Lentils and Roasted Cabbage -- back to top
There wasn't too much (if any) innovation in this meal. I did the lentils like last time except I kept them vegan by using Osem for the broth. I also skipped the vinegar all together. They were pretty good, though I am getting a bit tired of this "recipe." I should look for others
And the normal roasted cabbage. Again, I sliced on 3/16". I quartered them, cut out the stem and then slices with the top going into the blade first (the usual way). I couldn't find a big head so I used two little ones (one here, pictures, and one for lunch made as a separate batch)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3168, 2013-02-18_075758
Seitan Stir-fry -- back to top
I made a very good seitan stir fry. I used the following:
It came out very good. It also made quite a bit but I enjoyed it. Lots of salt though.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3203, 2013-02-27_201826
Butternut squash, seitan hash -- back to top
I kind of threw this together. I cut up most of a butternut squash into small pieces and then I kept tossing them in a medium-high temp cast iron pan. I just used pam as the oil. I kept tossing them, covering them some of the time and letting them cook down. I added lots of rosemary and some salt. As they got more finished, I put a thing of seitan into the mix. Finally, I cracked eggs into the pan and put it in the oven. I alternated between the oven at 450 and the broiler. I think I may have gone just a but too long as the yolks were more set than I would have liked, but not too bad.
The stuff was very good. I would definitely do it again. Other than cutting the squash, it wasn't too hard and made a nice, low(ish) point breakfast. I am not sure if you have to start counting the squash at a certain point or not.
Also, on Emily's suggestion, I tried roasted the squash skin. I ended up burning most of it, but the unburned pieces were surprisingly good. I expected them to be chewy and gross but they weren't
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3211, 2013-03-01_191300
Spaghetti Squash with Italian Chicken Sausage -- back to top
I was going to eat out when I remember I had a spaghetti squash I haven't eaten. I bought a pack of Italian chicken sausage at Target (2.2 points plus/link and 5 links/package). I also bought Classico Tomato Basil sauce (1 point plus/serving, 5 for the whole thing. Lowest one available). I halved the raw squash, deseeded it, lammed it, added salt and pepper, and microwaved it for 13 minutes. Pretty standard. I sliced the sausage into pieces and did it in the pan for a while. It was cooking too much on the bottom and not enough all around so I threw it in the broiler. Once the squash was done, I microwaved the sauce. Once it was all done, I mixed it all together with some parm cheese. It made two very large servings! It was also extremely good. I do not know if it was the sauce; the sausage or the mix, but I liked it a lot and very low points! ( (2.2+1)*5+(some for the cheese)=~18 total). So 9 points for each meal!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3393, 2013-04-08_210542
Falafel and Za'atar Dip -- back to top
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!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 5782, 2013-05-06_141633
Open-Face Falafel Patties with Za'atar spread -- back to top
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
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14.2 or 14
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 5798, 2013-05-11_225440
[Almost] Vegan Broccoli and Chicken in a Balsamic sauce -- back to top
This was another attempt at making a mostly broccoli meal in a sauce (see first attempt). I was trying to recreate the sauce that is on a pasta dish at a restaurant I like. The dish and description is as follows: (Bocci restaurant, Menu)
