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Fiber One Fried Zucchini -- back to top
From Hungry Girl email on July 23, 2010
Original Images:
(2015-09-23 Update: Moved to HERE)
Please don't sue me.
Modifications
See:
August 7, 2010
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 67, 2010-07-28_181725
Thai-Style Scallops -- back to top
These were made from this recipe on Weight watchers.com. They were ok. Not great. I thought the sauce was a bit too salty and generally not amazing. Using a non-stick pan was much nicer for scallops. It is good to know for next time I make them.
We also had steamed broccoli
Thai-Style Sea Scallops (From Weight watchers)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 178, 2010-08-09_194405
Recipe: Baked Whole Wheat Samosa -- back to top
The recipe from here is below. Note that I needed to add a bit more water to the dough. I also used non-fat greek yogurt. I also used pam instead of oil.
Because I halved it, I had to initially mix the dough by hand (literally, used my hands). Then I used the dough hook to knead it. The hook did not go deep enough to mix it. Also, I needed to thread the hook a bit to get it to grab.
Also, for half the recipe, here is the points
Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour...440/2/16 (cal/fat/fiber)
Greek Yogurt...133/0/0
Filling
1/4 lb potato...3 points
1/2 cup peas...1 point
So, the crust has 570 cal with 2 grams of fat and 16 grams of fiber. You split it into 6 so that is one point per serving.
The filling is 4 points and you split it into 6 so just say one point each to account for anything else.
Baked Whole-Wheat Samosas (from Heart and Stroke Foundation)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 215, 2010-08-17_184456
Chicken Vindaloo and Whole Wheat Baked Samosas -- back to top
The chicken vindaloo comes from this recipe (epicurious). I followed some of the commenters and sautéed the onions first. I also did not have cayenne pepper so I used sriracha sauce. Also, I initially measured out the said amount of seasonings and then I just added more. Not very specific but it did not have enough flavor. Finally, I sautéed the chicken a bit first to make sure it was fully cooked.
The samosas were highly successful. See the post with the recipe. It makes 6 but only 4 are shown. Meredith experimented with a different folding on one.
~8 oz boneless skinless chicken...6
4 oz potatoes...3
other assorted...1
Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour...440/2/16
Greek Yogurt...133/0/0
Filling
1/4 lb potato...3 points
1/2 cup peas...1 point
So, the crust has 570 cal with 2 grams of fat and 16 grams of fiber. You split it into 6 so that is one point per serving.
The filling is 4 points and you split it into 6 so just say one point each to account for anything else.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 211, 2010-08-17_213700
Chicken Saltimbocca over Spinach and Maryland Crab Soup -- back to top
The chicken saltimbocca was made roughly from Gina's Recipe except we made some modifications and made it smaller. We used tenderloins (the usual) and did not end up using any butter at the end. Also, we used much more fresh sage. The taste was very strong from the sage. I need to get better at controlling the heat of the pan. After the chicken was done (and slightly burned), the wine deglaze made the entire apartment fill with wine steam. Still, it was very good. Also, we forgot the salt and pepper but it was fine. Also, we used German prosciutto because it was much leaner and lower calories.
The soup was very roughly inspired by this but I really just used it for the ingredient list. I used a can (I think ~14 oz) diced tomatoes and then I filled the can with water and added that. I then used the immersion blender lightly to thicken it. I still left it very chunky. I then added a cubed yukon gold potato, asparagus (was going to go bad), frozen corn and frozen spinach. After simmering for a while, I added ~2/3 lb crab. I bought claw meat. While it looked less nice than whatever we got before, it was more flavorful. Also, I put some Old Bay in (of course!). And some Sriracha for a little bite. One nice thing is that since we were making it, we did not skimp on the crab like some restaurants.
The soup ended up a bit salty but very good. It was really thick. After dinner, I added almost 2.5 cups more water and some sodium free beef and chicken broth. That should stretch it a lot more.
Chicken Saltimbocca (per person):
Chicken...~4.5
Prosciutto...1.5
Soup (entire thing, over 6 servings)
Potato...~2
Corn+Peas...1
Crab....6
Chicken Saltimbocca (From Gina's Skinny Taste)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 422, 2010-09-19_214216
Lentil Soup and Roasted Root Vegetables -- back to top
This meal was a "meat-free" meal. But, it wasn't really because we used chicken bouillon. But, it could have been! And there was no meat dish.
The soup was incredible! I roughly followed this but I ended up adding water to thicken. I also immersion blended some of it as per Alton Brown's suggestion. I do not totally understand their calorie count but I did not use oil so that would reduce it. See below for points. Also, we used frozen spinach mixed in at the beginning. It was fine. And we threw some parsnips in too.
The root vegetables were potatoes (same mix as the other day), carrots, parsnips, and turnips. I think they were under seasoned a bit and needed salt but they were still good. The purple potatoes really added to the color of the dish.
The calories in the soup were almost entirely from the lentils. We used about 2.25 cups and it is 160/0/6 for each 1/4 cup. So, total it had 1440/0/54. That is a lot but we made 10 cups. It was at least 6-8 servings so each serving was 240/0/9 or 4 points/servings.
Veggies are harder to count but figure they are all as bad as potato (they aren't) so even it out to 6 points/pound. It was probably 3 pounds which made 4-6 servings so 3/serving
Lentil Soup (from AllRecipes)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 532, 2010-10-07_214821
Asian Lettuce Wraps and "Fried" Zucchini -- back to top
Meredith had found the recipe for the wraps a while ago but I was able to find it again here. They were good though we didn't look at the recipe before making it and thought it said 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Knowing that would be a lot of calories, we used only one. It turns out it was 2 teaspoons. Oh well, that would have only been one less point in the whole thing.
The wraps were really good and really easy. The noodles (we used Chinese Vermicelli, which are the same thing) were kind of cool. I liked the spice from the sriracha. The points were a bit high because of the oil and everything else. See below
The zucchini was the normal but I do not think we cooked them long enough. Also, we sliced them pretty thin (second thinnest on my mandolin). Even though I like them thin, I think we will do thicker next time. Less breading time and maybe a bit more substantial. They were still good though.
Points:
Lettuce Wraps (served two):
noodles...4
Chicken...8-9
sesame oil...4
------------------
~8/person. A bit high
Zucchini is about 1 per person.
Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps (from My Recipes)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 588, 2010-10-20_223550
Sea Scallops alla Caprese and Purple Smashed Potatoes -- back to top
This was a very good meal. Meredith found the scallops recipe a while ago and we just tried it. You use scallops instead of cheese. We used regular tomatoes and didn't use as much oil in searing the scallops. We also used yellow onions cooked on the pan but without pam. They were good but I am not sure if it really burned the pan. Also, instead of lemon, we used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar which also makes more sense because it is caprese.
The potatoes were a mix of Yukon gold, red bliss and purple majesty. We boiled them and then mashed with Greek yogurt, Smart Balance butter(ish). We also roasted garlic in the toaster and used garlic and onion powder. With a bit of salt and pepper, they were very good.
Points (per person):
Scallops (1/2 lb)...4
Potatoes+Stuff...5
Pretty low and a lot of food!
Sea Scallops alla Caprese (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 592, 2010-10-21_205010
Recipe: Moussaka -- back to top
Originally from here but we made some changes.
Changes
Points (from 2010-09-10): 30 for the entire thing!
_2010-12-17 note: _We more than doubled the seasonings and it needed it!
2011-10-10 note: Updated the changes to most recent. See the post for 2011-10-10
(This recipe is now in my Recipe Book)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 607, 2010-10-28_211943
Greek Night: Chicken, Tzatziki, and Avgolemono (Lemon Egg Soup) -- back to top
This was a very good meal. Meredith made Tzatziki. I do not know the exact recipe but she spooned out the seeds and went to great lenths to dry the cucumber. This helped a lot! Also, instead of lemon juice, she used white vinegar
The soup was based off of the recipe below. It was strange. I used egg beaters instead of egg. I may have beaten it a bit too much because we had a lot of egg foam that I skimmed off to get to the soup. I also went a bit (but not much) light on the lemon juice. Also, I used Israeli couscous instead of orzo and I used much less.
Finally, the chicken had lemon juice sprinkled on it with some sage, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. It was good and fit the theme.
The whole wheat pita was from Wegmans.
2010-12-27 update: Changed to say "sage", not "sake". Fixed thyme.
--------------------------------------------------------
I am trying something new. I will copy/paste in the recipes as well as linking to them this way if the site goes now, I will still have it.
Avgolemono (from Martha Stewart)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 742, 2010-12-05_203620
Filipino Adobo Chicken, Vegetables and Leftover Soups -- back to top
We roughly made the chicken from the recipe below. When we cooked it though, we did not need to let it simmer as long. After it simmered for a bit, I took the chicken out, turned up the heat, added some corn starch and reduced the sauce.
Overall, it was pretty good. The soy sauce was the main flavor making it not too different from other recipes. Most notably, it was a bit like teriyaki. Still, we enjoyed it. We also had leftover soup and some frozen vegetables
Points: Chicken...3
-----------------------------
Filipino Adobo Chicken (from Gina's)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 746, 2010-12-06_175001
Green Tea (Matcha) Scones -- back to top
The picture did not come out well. Anyway, continuing Meredith's scone craving, we made green tea (Matcha) scones. We actually made two batches because I screwed up the first. We followed the same recipe with the same changes as last time from the recipe below. We halved it and added a tsp of matcha. It was a bit clumpy but it eventually mixed. The problem was I forgot to put in the smart balance. Well, apparently that makes a big difference. The dough seemed really dry and small. We baked it because we had nothing to lose and made another batch.
We did the second batch the same way except I remembered the smart balance (used two knives to cut it and mix it well). Also, since I had issues with the matcha clumping, I used a bit more and sifted it. That wastes some and matcha isn't cheap, except that our is (and doesn't taste as good). Still, it was worth it. This batch came out much better!
They were okay. Still a bit dry but you could taste the matcha! See the previous time for points.
Low Fat Pomegranate Scones (From Gina's Skinny Taste)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 753, 2010-12-08_092830
Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta with Fat Free Vodka Sauce and a Stuffed Zucchini -- back to top
This was a very good meal. Sadly, we assumed it would not be as bad as the points ended up being but it is hard to say because the vodka in the sauce cooks down a lot. Oh well, it was worth it.
We made pasta from the recipe below (halved. I think we used that recipe before. As before, it needed more water but I was careful with how much I put it in. I gave it a good amount of time kneading in the mixer and the resting helped. I also made sure everything was very, very well floured when it came to rolling and waiting to go into the water. The pasta came out very good. It had a nice texture, consistency and flavor. I also added some garlic powder and pepper (but very little of both) to the dough. It made two very big servings. The pasta was 9 points Plus per person. A lot but worth it. Also, we had some chicken on it for protein.
The sauce recipe is also pictured below. Meredith had handwritten it a long time ago so I took a photo. The major changes here were we used fat free evaporated milk instead of cream and used smart balance instead of butter and only used half of what it called for. It was very good and didn't really taste fat free.
Finally, we made a stuffed zucchini thing. I cannot post the recipe because it was from Meredith's Italian book...in Italian. It had feta (we used lite), mozzarella (we used fat free), garlic, onions, dill and some other stuff. The recipe called for nuts which we skipped. Meredith may bullet point the recipe. In that case, I will include it later.
Points+Recipes after the break...
Points Plus:
Pasta:
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour...8
3/4 cup regular flour...8
egg...0.6
olive oil...~1
-------------------------
~9 per serving+2 for chicken.
Sauce:
Skim Evaporated Milk...8*0.62=~5
1.5 Tbsp Smart Balance=1.5*1.29=~2
Vodka...~8 (who knows because a lot does cook out)
---------------------------------
figure 7 each because who knows about with the vodka
Zucchini:
2 oz lite feta...4
Mozz...1
bread crumbs...1
----------------------
3 each
Okay, this meal was a lot but it was very good and worth it every once in a while.
Meredith's Vodka Sauce
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the cream. In a small bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in the vodka. Stir into cream mixture and add basil plus crushed red pepper. Season with 1 tsp salt. Cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon; about 5 minutes
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 762, 2010-12-08_212506
Green Chili Chicken and Pureed Cauliflower -- back to top
The chicken was from the recipe below. We had made it a while ago and it was good but this time, the chicken was kind of flavorless. I think it had to do with doing a quick defrost. Also, we may have over cooked it. We will try it again because we know it has been good in the past.
The cauliflower was...different. I steamed cauliflower and garlic for a long time and then, on the suggestion of a bunch of sites, used the food processor to puree it with some seasonings. I added Molly McButter, cheddar powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, etc. It was okay tasting but using the food processor was a mistake. It over puréed it. Next time, we will just mash it with a fork like we do for potatoes. It was like eating baby food. Still, I liked that it was essentially zero points. (some for the cheese I put in it as well)
Recipe and Points after break.
Points plus:
Chicken...3
cheese...2
Cauliflower...0
Cheese...1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smothered Green Chile Pepper Chicken (from CookingLight)
The mild spiciness of canned green chiles marries well with the creaminess of the melted mozzarella cheese. Fresh lime juice adds a bright note. Serve with Corn-Filled Mini-Muffins (a start-with-a-mix recipe) for an easy weeknight meal.
Skinless, boneless chicken thighs (8)
Fresh lime juice
Taco seasoning (reduced-sodium)
Canned whole green chiles (2 to 3 cans)
Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Prep: 4 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
[My Note: It doesn't really say what to do but we sprinkle lime juice and taco seasoning, Then lay the pepper over it and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake.]
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 767, 2010-12-12_222336
Ice Cream Bread -- back to top
We tried to make ice cream bread off of the recipe below. It was really not very good. I thought it tasted a lot like really bad scones. And it was a good amount of points for only six pieces.
I do not know the exact points but it was about 8 for the flour and 6 for the ice cream. So about 2.5 per piece. Not worth it!
Ice Cream Bread ( FromA Taste of Home)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 788, 2010-12-17_123158
We made these for Meredith's work party so there was no attempt to lower the calories. We tried one and they were very good. The main recipe is below but we made some changes.
The biggest change was we used creme-de-menthe in the butter cream instead of peppermint. The cookies came out very dense but they have a really nice chocolate flavor. We had to refrigerated everything in the middle of putting it together because everything was getting too soft.
I am not going to try to do the points. It isn't worth it.
Candy Cane Cookies (from Kitchen daily)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 807, 2010-12-21_111557
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ravioli -- back to top
This was Emily's idea and it worked pretty well. We made the same pasta recipe as last time but we cut it in 1/3. Also for some reason, it did not need any more water. I used 1/3 cup egg whites for the 1/3 of 4 eggs and it seemed to be enough liquid. Odd that this time was fine but it worked.
The filling was somewhat haphazard. Emily and I read a bunch of recipes and just set out to do it. We mixed mostly pumpkin with skim ricotta and then added some nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and splenda. The filling was good but it tasted a bit like pumpkin pie. I think next time, I will look for a more savory pumpkin filling. I think it came out to what we were aiming for but I want to try it differently.
Overall, it was pretty successful and not really too hard. Last time Meredith and I made pasta, we halved the recipe and had more than enough noodles. Since we were stuffing them, we made less pasta. I felt like it made a lot less but it was enough.
When assembling, we folded it over making it a bit more like a dumpling with pasta but it was easier to assemble because the pasta sheets were not all uniform.
Points plus are not too bad. Last time, I calculated 18 for 1/2 recipe so 2/3*18=12 or 6 each. The filling was rather low with just skim ricotta. Really not bad! And, unlike most stuffed pasta meals, we got a lot!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 805, 2010-12-22_105619
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)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 823, 2010-12-23_113425
Empanada/Samosa Dough -- back to top
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 841, 2011-01-03_210904
Mexican Taco Stew and Roasted Potatoes -- back to top
Meredith found some good recipes on the Whole Foods Blog so we decided to give one a try (and we plan to do another one on Wed). The recipe is copied below.
We basically followed the recipe for the stew but added a jalapeno pepper, used hot salsa, used extra garlic, and used 93% lean beef instead of 85%. Also, we let it simmer for longer than stated. The points were rather low but I did not calculate them exactly. It made 3-4 servings easily.
Since we were cutting time a bit closer on the potatoes, we cubed them and then microwaved them for a bit to soften them. We seasoned them with the classic, parsley (dried), sage (dried), rosemary (dried) and thyme (fresh). I also added some salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Baked them on 400 for about 30 minutes.
See 2011-12-01 for Points plus
Mexican Taco Stew Recipe (from Whole Foods)
2014-01-07 Note: This has been added to My Recipe Book
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 853, 2011-01-03_225222
Peruvian Chicken and Roasted Beets -- back to top
The chicken was from the recipe below off of the Whole Food Blog. We halved it and made a few changes. We halved it and used 5 chicken tenders. ALso, I do not know what the exact type of paprika we used but it is the normal, innocuous kind. Also, I used olive oil. Since we did not have white wine vinegar, I used half white wine and half apple cider vinegar.
Since it is boneless, skinless, lean chicken, I did not bother basting it. Plus, all of the chicken was under a rather hefty layer of onion and peppers. A note for the future, to coat the chicken with the paste, I put them all in a bowel and used my hand. Same with the onions.
It was okay. Certainly not incredible. I felt like the seasoning was a bit strong on the outside but the chicken could have used some kind of marinading. The onions and peppers on top were really good!
The Beets were pretty easy. I was crunched for time so I cut off the stem and base, then I microwaved them for 3.5 minutes. I then sprayed them with olive oil pam and put them in aluminum foil and baked it with the chicken at 425.
They were not cooked enough but we ate to eat them anyway. Also, peeling them was not as easy as many sites say. I cooked one of them more in the microwave but it had already been peeled. It developed a secondary skin in the microwave. Still, they were good
There are some points from the olive oil but it is relatively small. So the points really are only from the chicken.Beets are zero
Points plus:
Chicken (~3-4 oz)...4
Peruvian Chicken (Recipe from Whole Foods)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 861, 2011-01-05_225425
Sweet and Sour Chicken, Stuffed Zucchini and Mashed Potatoes -- back to top
This is old and I meant to post it a while ago. We made sweet and sour chicken based on the sauce below. I doubled it but I didn't really need to. The sauce was just okay. I think I will look into sauce recipes that do not have soy-sauce as it is too overpowering in flavor. It was also spicy. I added some corn-starch to thicken but it didn't make too much difference. Also, when I doubled it, I replaced half of the brown sugar with splenda. We baked the chicken in the sauce
The zucchini was the same as last time again cutting the nuts and using low fat everything. It was good but not as good. I am not sure why. Still, I think it is pretty low in points.
Finally, the mashed potatoes were pretty standard. They were healthy because we did not use butter or sour-cream; just potato. I liked them dipped in the extra sweet and sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 884, 2011-01-14_095821
Chicken Cacciatore and Butternut Squash -- back to top
The Chicken Caccatore was really good and pretty easy. We followed the recipe below but used about 10 oz. of chicken breasts and some extra carrots. Also, we skipped the olive oil and used olive oil pam. The chicken was a bit overcooked but not too bad. This was better than our crock-pot version. For once, I do not think we changed the seasonings much if at all. We also didn't have fresh parsley. We meant to used dried but forgot all together. Finally, after simmering for 45 min, we boosted the heat and let it boil off some liquid uncovered.
The butternut squash was just seasoned with rosemary, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. The crushed red pepper added a really nice spice that was different but really good.
Chicken Cacciatore (from Real Simple))
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 888, 2011-01-17_100623
Chicken Pot-Pie Soup -- back to top
We made the soup based on the recipe below from Gina's. We made a few changes to lower the points. Most notably, we used only about 8 oz of chicken and cut the potatoes. This brings the points down a lot which is good because it was just for two.
Overall, it was just okay. Not the most flavorful. I do not know what it was missing. I looked at other chicken pot-pie recipes and they tended to have the same ingredients so I do not know. I took leftovers for lunch and it was better for lunch than dinner.
Chicken Pot Pie Soup (From Gina's)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 893, 2011-01-18_090350
Grilled Shrimp, Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup), and Vegetables -- back to top
The shrimp were cooked on the griddler with each skewer having a different seasoning. They were Old Bay, then Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute, and McCormick Caribbean Jerk Seasoning. They old bay was the best and the other two were okay but not great. Still, the shrimp were good and rather filling. Shrimp is great because you can eat a half-pound for very few points. It is high in cholesterol so we do not do it often. I think this may be the first time I did not over-cook the shrimp too!
The soup was more interesting. It is based on the recipe below but with some changes. We replaced half of the smoked, hot paprika with regular and we put bread in at the end. We had french bread from something else so, even though it was higher in points, it was really good. Putting the bread in at the end make it not be as soupy but we liked that more. Also, we skipped the egg all together. Finally, we used half low sodium Better Than Bouillon and half the sodium free powder. Even with half the paprika replaced, it had a nice spice.
The vegetables were just frozen ones.
Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup) (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 895, 2011-01-19_090656
Sloppy Joes and Brussel Sprouts -- back to top
We made sloppy joes just like last time from that recipe. I am copying it below. I halved it but replaced the brown sugar with splenda. I also added some balsamic vinaigrette but a bit too much. Also, because it was 1/2 pound of beef for 4 sloppy joes, it was not too sloppy.
The brussel sprouts were just roasted with salt and pepper.
Sloppy Joes Recipe (from AllRecipies)
(2014-01-08 Note, This recipe is now inMy Recipe Book)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 902, 2011-01-20_083732
Breakfast Burrito with Homemade Tortilla -- back to top
Meredith and I wanted to have breakfast burritos but sadly, we found that we were out of tortillas so we did what you are supposed to do, we made our own.
Meredith had seen a recipe and we used it. It is below but we made a few changes by using half whole wheat and using almond milk. We had to add a bit extra water because of using whole wheat flour. As some of the people commented, this is not really a real tortilla because of the leavening. It did make it rise a bit and was harder to fold. I will look into other recipes in the future.
For the filling we made it with ham, egg and Tabasco.
Whole Wheat Tortilla (from Homesick Texan)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 926, 2011-01-30_081254
Borscht (and Gimme Lean) -- back to top
We made Borscht based on the recipe below (halved). It was pretty good. I think we followed the recipe pretty closely except we used real mushrooms and used beef broth. Also, we used the beet greens the other night so we added some dry parsley. Although it was not overly flavorful, it was a nice flavor. Sweet but with a savory touch. Oh, we also used more beets
We also had gimme lean even though it didn't really go but it still sounded good.
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 944, 2011-02-02_221642
Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Béchamel -- back to top
This casserole was very, very good. It is based on the recipe below but we made a few changes. First of all, we did not have chard so we used kale. We were a bit nervous about this change since kale can get chewy, but it was okay. The other major change was that we used barilla no-bake noodles. Next time, I want to make the pasta ourselves too.
We used skim milk and fat free cheese. They both worked well except the cheese stuck to the cover a bit and messed up the top pasta layer while baking.
We will definitely do this again. Not only was it really low in points, but it was so good. The lemon added a nice flavor to the butternut squash and it had a good creaminess. It wasn't too difficult but it was time consuming.
Served 6 to 8 is a big understatement but then again, it is really healthy. We used much less lasagna noodles than they did. I wonder if it is the difference in the shape of the dish.
Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Béchamel (from Thekitchn)
(2014-02-23 Note: This is now part ofmy recipe book)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 949, 2011-02-07_160632
Chicken Carbonara -- back to top
We made the Chicken Carbonara from the Hungry Girl recipe below. We doubled it since their's is only one serving. We also made a few changes but not many. First of all, we only had enough egg beaters for half so the other half was skim milk. The other major change was we used turkey bacon. Since the turkey bacon is raw, we added it with the chicken. Finally, I let the mushrooms cook a bit first to get the crispiness.
Overall, I thought it was just okay. There was not an over-powering flavor but it wasn't too bad. I think that may be because turkey bacon is less flavorful. I do not know how much the egg substitution mattered though. Also, I have mixed feelings about shirataki noodles. They have a strange texture but they are so low in calories, it is hard to argue. I wouldn't rush to do this again but if we did, I think we should use real bacon.
Chicken Carbonara (From HungryGirl)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 956, 2011-02-09_134907
This was pretty good. We were inspired by the recipe below but made a few changes. While we had the same amount of liquid, we used much less seafood. We used a bag of the Trader Joe's mix and then some pieces of tilapia. As such, we added the mix abut 15 minutes into cooking and the tilapia at about 20 or so.
The tilapia was a bit fishy but it may just not have been good tilapia. Otherwise, it was good. I do not know if it was the wine or the anise, or what, but it smelled really good. Also we used canned whole tomatoes and cut them up.
We also used 1/2 beef and 1/2 chicken instead of fish. And, we only had 1 cup of white wine so we went low on that.
Cioppino (From Giada De Laurentiis via The Food Network)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 959, 2011-02-10_070503
Valentine's Day Dinner: Beet Sandwiches, Beef Bourguignon, Patatas Bravas, Zabaglione -- back to top
We were faced with a dilemma for Valentine s Day. We didn't want to go out but we cook all the time so what makes it special. So, we decided to go a bit all out. We made a three course meal and cares less about calories, etc (though, the main course was not too bad).
The idea for these was based on this Epicurious post but we based a filling from the recipe below. We quartered the cheese and halved the spices, except for garlic.We just minced it all together. Also, we skipped the walnut oil
Most notably with that is we made out own mascarpone cheese. I do not remember the recipe for the cheese but it is heavy cream that is cooked then you add an acid. We used lemon juice. After sitting overnight draining, it thickened. Also we made a balsamic vinegar reduction. Again, I do not remember the recipe but you basically just reduce vinegar. Also, we did not use pine nuts
I should note that the cheese is not at all good for you, but we didn't need to use too much. We used 1/4 cup and had a lot of leftover.
The sandwiches were good. The beets did not have a huge amount of flavor but they looked really cool. The cupids arrow plate designs were Meredith. They looked good.
The beef was based on Ina Garten's recipe below. We followed it pretty closely except we halved it. Also, we used reduced fat, thick sliced, bacon instead of what they called for. And we used the more expensive, but more tender and less fatty sirloin steak. The only other change is we did not have the pearl onions. Also, we cooked it longer.
This was very, very good. It had a lot of flavor and we really enjoyed it. It took some time but was not overly difficult. We will definitely do this again. We bought really cheap red wine for it but it worked fine. One problem with putting the whole pan in the oven is when I took it back on the stove, I forgot it was in the oven, OUCH!
If we want to make it healthier, we may try turkey bacon. The thing is, surprisingly, turkey bacon and the reduced fat stuff have comparable nutrition information. But, based on the amount of fat left in the pan, I do not buy it. Oh well, it was worth it and not too bad.
The patatas bravas were just like last time. I again just threw it together. One interesting thing is I tasted the sauce and it didn't seem right. Meredith tried it and instantly identified that it needed the red wine vinegar. So, in the future, I need to make sure I remember that one.
We made the zabaglione based off the recipe below but used kaluha instead of Grand Marnier. It was pretty good itself. We didn't want to make too much because it was all egg yolk but it was enough. We also served it cold so as to not melt the bowl.
The real star was the chocolate bowl. Meredith had originally wanted to make these as a surprise (and kicked me out of the apartment to do so) I ended up helping when she wasn't sure if it would work. I do not know where the recipe is from but it basically entails chocolate covering an air-filled water balloon. The thing to be careful about it not using the chocolate when it is too hot because it will pop the balloon. From our own experience, when that happens, it shoots chocolate everywhere. For better or for worse, we found that they chocolate stayed melted to pretty low temperatures.
Actually, we think that our problem may have been that we used too high quality of chocolate. It was too soft. It melted easily and was very sticky. Still it worked well enough well. The center of the bowl had a hole but on top of the plate, it was okay. I do not know if the hole was from removing the deflated balloon, which was not easy, or just there. Also, with the high quality chocolate, it was so rich that eating the bowl was a bit much. Next time, we will use junkier chocolate.
We served it with blackberries and a dark chocolate heart (also fashioned by us).
Mascarpone Filling (From The Gilded Fork)
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Beef Bourguignon (From Ina Garten via The Food Network)
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Zabaglione (from Bon Appetit)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 983, 2011-02-13_201944
Pasta e Lenticchie -- back to top
We basically followed the recipe below on this one with only a few changes. I do not know the exact type of lentils we used but we used the ones with the lowest nutritional information. A few other changes were: Chopped the celery very fine and kept it, used some canned tomatoes (about half a can), used less pasta (about 4 oz) and it was whole wheat, skipped the parsley (forgot it), added chicken Better Than Bouillon to the water.
It was pretty good. I think it needs more tomatoes next time to help enhance the flavor. Other than that, I do not know what else we could add. It was not as good as our lentil soup last time.
Pasta e Lenticchie (From Mario Batali via The Food Network)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 996, 2011-02-17_093416
Torta Salata ai Funghi and Baked Artichoke Hearts -- back to top
This was roughly based on the recipe below but we made some major changes to make it healthy. First of all, we used almond milk instead of cream/milk. We also cut the butter and used Smart Balance (less of it too). Finally, we did it without a pie bottom and used Pillsbury reduced Fat crescents as a toping. We used lite Jarlsberg on top.
Honestly, it wasn't incredible. It just lacked some flavor. I do not think the missing flavor was butter but I do not know what it was. It just didn't taste like a "pot-pie". Oh well.
The artichokes were the canned ones we rinsed really well and topped with garlic, seasonings and a tad of bread crumbs. They were still rather salty
Point wise was okay. The mushroom stuff had very little points itself. The pillsbury was almost exactly 2.5 per sheet and there were 4 on the topping so it wasn't awful.
Torta Salata ai Funghi [Savory Mushroom Pie] (from Fresh mushrooms)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 999, 2011-02-17_221147
Sautéed Cod over Homemade Beet Pasta with roasted Beets and Potatoes -- back to top
This was a good meal largely inspired by this blog post but with some serious changes. The thing is that their pasta recipe calls for 7 egg yolks though we would have halved it anyway. And it just doesn't sound healthy at all. We made the concession of just using white flour but that was too much egg. So we used egg beaters. Also, even though we had beets (which we roasted later), we did not have time to roast them first so we used canned and then puréed them. Well, still, it all came together strangely. I had to play with the dough a lot to get it the right moistness but it was a very, very streachy dough. After letting it rest for about 35 minutes we started rolling and cutting.
This dough was okay to roll but it did not want to be cut. We had to manually tear the cuts apart. And it was still very, very streachy. I also thought it would all stick but thankfully, in the boiling water, it came apart. I used a lot of salt in the water which did add a nice flavor to the pasta. It ended up fine and tasted good.
We basically followed their lead on the cod but it came out a bit salty. Also, despite our best efforts, it stuck to the pan a little bit. It was thankfully not over cooked but it was salty. Meredith liked it more than I did. Also, we used chives as a garnish/side.
Meredith found a few recipes and made a white wine sauce sans cream/milk, etc. It was okay but very thin. I like the shallot and leak scraps in it. I though they were good even if the sauce was thin.
Finally, we combined the beets we were going to use with some purple majesty potatoes and roasted them with olive oil, garlic and seasonings. It was funny because they were very hard to tell apart until you were in a different light. They were also good.
I had an interesting observation when making this. I have noticed that every time I have made pasta (not including ravioli), the seemingly straight strands twist a lot after coming out of the water. If you look back, this is fairly evident from the pictures. Today, while eating, I remember reading a thing about different dough kneading techniques and one of the things they said about using the stand mixer (my preferred method), was that it creates twisted gluten strands. I wonder if that is what was happening in the pasta and the twists cause them to curl in the heat of the water. Of course, I could imagine the twists counter acting each other but maybe a trend prevails. Just a thought. Maybe next time I will just use the food processor and compare. In that case, it is fully kneaded in like 3 minutes which seems too fast but we will see.
Local copy of recipe copied from comments
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1006, 2011-02-19_222259
Moroccan Spinach and Chickpeas -- back to top
We saw this recipe a while ago and it sounded easy and fast. The only major changes was we used really light whole wheat bread instead of what they suggest. We found bread with great nutritional information that was still okay. The bread flavor was strong so that may have affected it. We also used a bit more so I added a tad more vinegar.
I liked that this recipe was really low in points and healthy. Plus totally vegetarian. We will probably make it again. Also, despite being "Moroccan", it was rather light on the spices which was interesting. Sadly, we had to use pre-made tomato sauce but next time, we will try to make our own.
Moroccan Spinach and Chickpeas (from SeriousEats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1015, 2011-02-21_081007
Mexican Braised Beef -- back to top
This is based on the recipe below.I actually do not know much about it because Meredith did all of it because I was stuck on campus until around 10:00pm that night.
It was a bit dry and flavorless but we both really liked the idea of it so we may try again with more seasonings.
Mexican Braised Beef (from Thekitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1018, 2011-02-21_233107
Mulligatawny, Curried Cauliflower and Samosa -- back to top
This was a pretty successful meal on the whole. I will go through the item.
The samosa were our normal dough, again done with almond milk. The filling was also pretty standard except that we were running low on curry powder and wanted to save it for the soup so we used garam masala,turmeric,coriander, mustard seed, cumin,paprika, etc (I do not remember them all) and made something close enough. As usual, we served them with mint-chutney and tamarind sauce mix.
The cauliflower was really good and roughly based on the recipe below. Like the samosa, we were trying to save on the curry powder so we did a similar spice mix. I basically followed the first part of the directions but did some of the roasting at a lower temperature for when it was sharing the oven with the samosa. I really liked it and we will do this again. I wonder how it would be with broccoli.Cauliflower is a bit expensive (actually, it was the single most expensive part of the meal), so other things may be better.
Finally, the soup was based on the recipe below but we made a major change. We used So Delicious coconut milk instead of half and half. We used the lowest calorie one with 50 calories and 5 grams of fat per cup. Also, we used splenda (and less equivalent). Finally, we added garam asala and used (much) less fat/butter. It was pretty good though not the best mulligatawny ever. It was also a pretty easy recipe. We didn't really taste the coconut but it was creamy. Half and half would have just been too many calories. Also, the apple was a bit strange but not really bad.
Now, the biggest question is how do I get rid of the tumeric stains I have everyone on my hands.
Overall, this ended up being a pretty healthy meal because of our changes. We will do it again!
Curried Cauliflower (from Summer Tomato)
(This recipe is now in my Recipe Book)
Easy Mulligatawny (from The Pioneer Woman)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1022, 2011-02-25_113210
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (with Shirataki) and Steamed Asparagus -- back to top
I was really excited about making this but it was disappointing. I basically followed the recipe below but without pine nuts and I replaced the half and half with non-fat evaporated milk and some whole wheat flour to thicken it. Also, we added Thai basil (we didn't have regular basil)
To roast the peppers, rather than just put them under the broiler, I slided them in half first. This was great because I did not have to rotate them and it was easy to later peel them.
Anyway, the peppers were good (I had a taste) but the whole sauce did not have much flavor. I do not know if it was the milk or not but the only real flavor was the Thai basil. Also, of note is that Thai basil does taste different.
In the future, if I am replacing cream or milk, I am going to use almond milk. The evaporated milk just isn't as good. Also, I may have used a bit too much flour because it was really thick.
Also, we had it with Shirataki noodles instead of pasta.
With the noodles, this meal was very low in points. And we had steamed asparagus on the side.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (From The Pioneer Woman)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1040, 2011-03-01_175617
This was based on a recipe Meredith and I made a lot last year. It seemed to be missing a bit of flavor but it wasn't bad. Also, the roasted poblanos did not come out very good. I forgot the cranberries/raisins.
I feel like it used to have a lot more flavor but I may be remembering it differently. It does not have a huge amount of different seasonings.
I do not know what exactly when wrong with the peppers. I think I may have roasted them for too long and possibly, I let them steam for too long.
Also, it is supposed to be served in the peppers but that has never worked before so we didn't even try. Also, the "cream" sauce was made with fat free greek yogurt. We did have some leftover pecans but not much.
Oh, also we used extra lean beef instead of lamb.
Chile Relleno with Pecan Cream Sauce (from Thekitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1048, 2011-03-04_075528
Pizza -- back to top
We tried making pizza again but in an attempt to finally get it right, we used a different pizza recipe with all white flour. The dough stuck to the hook so I kneaded it by hand. Either way, it was much nicer dough but we still had problems. We tried to just stretch it and not use a rolling pin but both of outstretched un-evenly and we had a hole.
We both ended up using the rolling pin which was hard because the dough was very springy and kept springing back. Also, the shape of my pizza came out really bad.Because I was doing it on the back of a cast iron pan, the strange shape made it fall over on the edges. Oh well.
We used low fat mozzarella cheese. They were out of the fat free cheese but the low fat wasn't awful nutritionally and it was really good. I also made the pizza sauce. It was canned tomato which I immersion blended mostly. I then added some tomato paste, and a bunch of dried oregano and basil. I also added garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Meredith's pizza was just cheese, sauce and arugula. We first cooked the pizza then added the arugula and threw it back in the oven for a minute. My pizza was cheese, sauce, brussel sprouts, sliced tomato, and lean ham.
The toppings on mine were good but I was not happy that so much slid off. Meredith's pizza was also good. The arugula adds a nice and unique flavor.
The dough recipe is below.
Pizza Dough (from AllRecipes)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1051, 2011-03-06_075549
Chicken Korma and Chick Pea Thing -- back to top
We made chicken korma off the recipe below but with a bunch of changes. They included
The Korma good, not great. It had some flavor but also a strange texture. Possibly caused by the yogurt (which may have curdled)
We also made the chick pea thing but didn't really follow any specific recipe. it was just chickpeas with some tomatoes and a bunch of spices. I also put some Sriracha in which made it very spicy. This was pretty good but not incredible.
Chicken Korma (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1061, 2011-03-07_091622
We made shrimp gumbo in honor of Mardi Gras. We used the recipe below as a base only. A lot of the comments suggested adding different things so we followed some of them. We also used less shrimp (because there were only two of us). We also added the shrimp at the very end giving it just enough time to cook. When we added the shrimp, we also added some brown rice.
Some of the other additions include some chili powder (as per a review), crushed red pepper,cayenne powder, garlic and onion powders. I didn't think of it until I was eating a lot of it, but I added some Emril Essence. That was a nice flavor addition.
We let it simmer for a while. It was really good. I do not know what the dominant flavor came from but my guess is the okra. I was a bit surprised that it smelled so much like gumbo I remembered. Either way, it was very good and there was a lot for leftovers. My biggest complaint would be that it is salty. Healthy, but salty.
I did something really interesting. I made the roux with olivio instead of oil. Even if we used olive oil, this cut the fat by about 18 grams (14/tablespoon of olive oil vs 5 and it calls for 2 Tbsp).
Shrimp Gumbo (From AllRecipies)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1065, 2011-03-09_090255
Asparagus and Poached Eggs over Pasta -- back to top
We followed the recipe below from Gina's Skinny Taste. We basically followed it except we used whole wheat pasta (though still multi-colored) Also, we steamed the asparagus separately.
This was our first time poaching eggs (we used real eggs) and it worked pretty well. We may have let it cook a bit too long but we didn't want a runny white. We also didn't have a cheese slicer so we used a vegetable peeler.
The meal was not amazing but it was very fast and very easy. Always a nice combination.
Low in points too. Eggs are 2 I think. We weighed out the pasta and used about 3 oz each (1.5 "servings"). We also only used two eggs
Asparagus and Poached Eggs over Pasta (From Gina's Skinny Taste)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1102, 2011-04-01_154557
Black-eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Sautéed Bananas -- back to top
We made this based off of the recipe below from Whole Foods. The only real change that I remember is that we used pam instead of oil for the main course and we use Olivio instead of butter for the bananas. I do not know if that had an affect, but the bananas we not crispy. Still, they were very good.
I liked how this meal had so few points. It was really just the beans and the fats used (olivio). It was pretty good. It was a while ago, but I think the biggest thing we need to do next time is to mix the ginger better. It was not uniform.
Black-eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Sautéed Bananas (From Whole Foods)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1108, 2011-04-01_235557
Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas and Frozen Veggies -- back to top
Meredith made this because I was home late and it takes some time. Pictured is the leftover made into a burger form for lunch (I forgot to photograph it).
Meredith followed the recipe below but I think she said she added garlic. She also used thyme instead of parsley (strange but good) and used sun-dried tomatoes not in oil. She said it took a while to prep but it probably could have been sped up with some more multitasking and two people.
It smelled really good as it baked. As for taste, it was slightly bland but not overly so. I added spray butter and that really brought out a lot of flavors. It kind of reminded me of stuffing, which given the ingredients, makes sense.
It was moldable and we made it into burgers for lunch. We ate about half for dinner (I was hungry, it could have been more) and used about a quarter for two sandwiches so it seems to be about a dinner and two lunches. Not bad.
Also, not that it is a big deal, but for the frozen vegetable side, I actually used the steamer basket. It was easier and only slightly slower than the microwave
Addendum: Meredith told me her changes
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1120, 2011-04-06_121553
Falafel, Tzatziki, Pickled Cabbage and Green Beans -- back to top
We had quite a variety here. I will start with the Falafel which is from the recipe below. We basically followed it as stated except we used dried cilantro, more red pepper, and I added some additional garlic and onion powder. I used flat leaf parsley but that shouldn't make a difference. Also, I let them cook a bit longer with the last few minutes at a higher temp to try to make them crispier. The falafel was really good. It was not the best I have ever had but considering it was baked and actually surprisingly healthy, I can't really complain.
The Tzatziki was also from the recipe below. Meredith made it and she said she basically followed the recipe except she used non-fat greek yogurt and no Ouzo. Also, we let the food processor grate the cucumber for us. De-seeding it was important as it really makes a difference in having a thicker finished product. We both really liked the recipe and we will use it again. Oh, and we used dried dill.
Meredith did the lightly pickled cabbage. I do not know what recipe she used. I thought it needed to be a bit more pickled but that is personal preference. I will post the recipe or at least a link when I get it. Or, it may be in the comments.
Finally, the green beans. I wanted to avoid salt so I used Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute. I think I may have let he seasonings blacked just a bit too much.
We used whole wheat pita bread. Next time, I want to make it myself.
Baked Falafel (From ChowVegan)
(This recipe is now in my Recipe Book with the latest updates)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1136, 2011-04-13_155524
Black Bean Tacos -- back to top
These were based on the recipe below. The slaw did not come out great but Meredith liked it on them. Also, Meredith made guacamole which was really good. She doesn't follow a recipe. She just plays with it until it works (a true Texan). There was really barely enough for 4 tacos and it definitely does not serve four. However, it is rather healthy with just beans and tortillas (we used flour instead of corn though)
Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw (from SmittenKitchen)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1175, 2011-05-10_123126
Meredith made avocado mousse from the recipe below. I do not know if there were any changes other than using Splenda for the sugar (or nectar). Also, we halved it. It was very, very good. The texture from the avocado along with the strong chocolate taste from the coco combined to make this really good. The problem is that avocados are not low in points at all. They have a lot of fat, albeit healthy fats, making this still quite a special treat and not a healthy alternative.
Raw Avocado Cacao Mousse (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1211, 2011-05-30_172256
After eating a lot of Donner Kabob in Germany, which is like Shawarma but in bread, I wanted to try it. I used the recipe below (halved) with fat free greek yogurt, extra garlic, and italian parsley (inspired by a different recipe). We found "thin" sliced lean beef at the grocery store so we used that. We cooked it in the broiler to more closely mimic being cooked by radiant heat when you get it for real. It marinated overnight.
I do not know what was the central cause but the beef was really tough. I may have overcooked it and it was probably not the highest quality. Also, it was not really thin sliced which may have added to it. We ended up having to cut it into pieces to put into the (whole wheat) pita. Even then, it wasn't great. It certain smelled good and I am not giving up on the shawarma idea but maybe with chicken next time since we can pound it really thin.
Meredith made fat free tzatziki to go with it which was very good. I do not know exactly what she did but I think she followed the same recipe from 2011-04-13.
Shawarma (from whats4eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1238, 2011-06-29_113837
Jicaletas, Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tacos with Asparagus Salsa -- back to top
This was an interesting meal. Everything we made was the first time we tried it.
First, the Jicaletas. The recipe is below. These are a traditional mexican street food. We did not have the type of chili powder it called for so we just used regular chili powder. Maybe we didn't do it properly, but neither Meredith nor I were overly impressed. I think it was my first time eating jicima. It had a texture not unlike water chestnuts. We may play with this but no hurry.
The roasted asparagus tacos were really good. We basically followed the recipe as stated. We used a caribbean tofu on it which we put in with the cherries. We picked that one simply because it was a firm variety. The thing was, the asparagus got very mushy and springy. I do not know how to really avoid this, but next time we make it, we will chop them first so you do not pull them all out. We meant to top them with some cheese but forgot.
Finally, we made the asparagus salsa as suggested. We really followed this one recipe pretty closely. We added a bit more salt to taste. It was not the most flavorful thing but it wasn't bad. It was a nice addition to the tacos. Maybe next time we will use hotter peppers to give it some zing.
This meal was big and fairly low in calories!
Jicaletas (From The Kitchn)
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Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tacos (From The Kitchn))
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Asparagus Salsa (From The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1266, 2011-07-10_121513
Empanadas and Patatas Bravas -- back to top
We made empanadas using the normal dough recipe (internal link so not included). The filling was similar to the past but I did some things differently. It was 1/2 an onion, some zucchini, ajalapeopepper, a hot banana pepper, and beans. Then, on top of that, I added some salt, pepper, habanero tabasco, a bit of peanut oil (very little), and a tad of white vinegar for some bite. Also, with the addition of some salt in the dough (updated that page), everything was very, very tasty.
The patatas bravas were also similar to previous attempts. I based the sauce on the recipe used previously which I am also copying below. I pureed the tomatoes mostly (leaving a few chunks) _before_adding it. I forgot the bouillon but it wasn't missed. It probably could/should have simmered a bit more. While I followed their sauce, I did the potatoes the easy way. I just roasted them untouched at 400 for about 45+ minutes. Actually, I added some paprika to them as well for the roast (in addition to the normal salt+pepper). Also, despite making the amount of sauce for 4 lbs, we used fewer potatoes. I didn't weigh it but it was a reasonable amount for two people. (maybe a bit too much)
Patatas Bravas Sauce (from Taste book)
(2014-01-07 Note: Added to "My Recipe Book”)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1288, 2011-07-19_152019
Bruschetta, Beef Bourguignon, Broccoli Rabe, Brown-rice pudding -- back to top
We had friends over for dinner and Meredith and I decided on a B theme.
First, the bruschetta. Meredith made two types from the recipes below. They were Mediterranean and Zucchini Ricotta. For both, we used fat free ricotta and we used a garlic parmesan baguette toasted. Also light on the olive oil. They were both very, very good. We will definitely make them again! Oh, and we skipped the olives (Yuk!!!)
The main course was beef bourguignon with the same recipe. We started it the night before and stopped right before adding the wine. We refrigerated it overnight and then we simply warmed it up and kept going from where we left off. It was good though I think I liked it the first time more. It was less thick than previously. I do not imagine it had to do with breaking up the cooking but maybe. It was still flavorful and good.
The broccoli rabe was basically made with a recipe by Mario Batali. It simply involved sautéing garlic and crushed red pepper then adding the broccoli rabe and letting it cook for 20-25 minutes. First of all, I put too much pepper in. It was HOT. Also, maybe it was the cooking time or the method but it tasted a bit dead. It didn't have the nice bite and bitterness of just normally sautéed broccoli rabe (which may be a good thing to some people but I like the bitterness). Next time I will just do it like spinach.
Finally, the rice pudding. I do not have the recipe but Meredith said she followed a very basic fat free recipe. It called for honey but we replaces about 1/2 (Meredith- please confirm) with Splenda. Then she added her touches includes slivered almonds, raisins and cardamom. I liked it very much event though I am actually not a huge raisins-in-pudding fan. The cardamom was a nice touch giving it an indian flavor.
Mediterranean Bruschetta (From Food Network)
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Zucchini-Ricotta Salata Bruschetta (From Food Network)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1313, 2011-07-28_114522
Stuffed Poblanos and Tomato-Zucchini Tian -- back to top
The main meal was the stuffed poblanos which we did about a year ago. Meredith did most of this so I do not know exactly, but I think we followed the same recipe except a lot less tomato sauce as we stated lasted time. They were very good except they needed more salt. I am copying the recipe below since I didn't last time.
The side dish was called Tomato-Zucchini Tian. We followed the recipe (copied below) except we didn't have eggplant so we skipped that part. We also didn't really have Herbs de Provence so we looked it up and just sprinkled the top (haphazardly) with
It was very, very good. I really liked it all cooked together. Maybe it was just us, but this also needed more salt. I also used yellow squash intermixed with tomatoes. While the dish was great, what was not great was dropping the soapy dish while cleaning it and shattering the ceramic (sad!!!)
Stuffed Poblanos (from Shutterbean)
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Tomato-Zucchini Tian (From Lanas Cooking)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1326, 2011-08-02_141250
We made beef koftas based on the recipe below. Basically, we just subbed extra lean ground beef (around 0.75 lbs) for the 1lbs of turkey. We used ground cumin and coriander so we skipped the toasting of the spices. We did use fresh mint but dried dill.Finally, I screwed up and put too much salt into the beef. I didn't read the "divided" part. Thankfully, I thought it was too much so I didn't do all of it. Also, I just used grill-pam with the cast iron pan instead of oil to cook the beef.
They were salty but really good. I do not know if is was the salt but they were surprisingly moist despite using such lean beef. We liked the flavor quite a bit and we will do them again. But, less salt!
Meredith made her own tzatziki but I do not know her recipe. She also added some fresh mint since we had it. I didn't really taste the difference with the mint but Meredith said she liked it less.
Recipe moved to My Recipe Book
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1344, 2011-08-11_144433
Black-eyed Peas and Tomatoes and Stuffed Zucchini -- back to top
First, the black eyed peas stuff. We followed the same recipe as last time. Except I went overboard with the cayenne. I think I started with more than double the recipe and sprinkled more in. I also sprinkled dried ginger in addition to the real ginger I grated into it. Surprisingly, it was still not _too_spicy though it did have some kick. Overall, it was really tasty. We let it simmer for a while. Also, to make the crushed tomatoes, I sparingly used the immersion blender on diced tomatoes so that there were still some chunks. Again, I used smart balance on the bananas.
Meredith made the stuffed zucchini again (first time) from the recipe out of her Italian cookbook. She translated it below. These were also very good. The filling had a nice flavor to it and it makes zucchini, which is already delicious, even more interesting. She skipped the nuts and used fat free feta, as well as egg beaters.
Stuffed Zucchini (From Meredith's italian book, translated by her from Italian)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1376, 2011-08-30_150011
Salmon and Summer Squash Soup -- back to top
The salmon was made with a foil-packet using lemon, rosemary and other seasonings. It was good, moist and basically, exactly what you would expect. Not overly exciting but good and easy.
The soup was based on the recipe below. On first pass, it was absolutely flavorless. With the addition of a lot more seasonings, we got some more flavor to it just didn't live up to expectation. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising seeing as summer squash just doesn't have a ton of flavor anyway. Oh well.
Simple Summer Squash Soup (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1388, 2011-09-06_120022
Koftas and Chickpea Stew -- back to top
We did the koftas without any tzatziki or bread. We just ate them with a fork and knife. We followed the same recipe as last time except we didn't use too much salt. The mint was wintergreen I think and maybe I used more since they were mintier than before. I still really liked them. It is just not an expected flavor inside of beef.
The stew was based on the recipe below. It was a bit disappointing. Not too many flavors came out. I think one thing was the pot with everything but the eggplant was too crowded so we didn't get the flavors to develop as well. Also, we went lighter on the sauce since were using the leftovers from the pizza and it was all we had.After reading about Harissa, we used Sriracha instead. We actually had and used fresh parsley and cilantro. No hurry to make this again!
Chickpea Stew With Eggplants, Tomatoes, And Peppers (From Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1391, 2011-09-08_120546
Green Chili Chicken and Brussel Sprouts -- back to top
The chicken was the same, more or less, as what we have done before but I can't find it. So, the recipe is below (had to find it in an email from a long time ago). I think we followed the recipe pretty closely. Because we were doing the brussel sprouts, and the timing was off, we ended up taking the chicken out around 20 minutes. However, the temp was fine and we are still alive so I guess it was fully cooked.
The brussel spouts were pretty standard. We halved most and quartered some. The only real key difference was we turned them all over so the flat side was down and got crispy. Also, we let all the leaves that fell off stay ont he pan and they got really crispy. It was t 400 for about 30-40 minutes but that may have been a bit too much.
Smothered Green Chile Pepper Chicken (from My Recipes)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1400, 2011-09-13_090617
Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers -- back to top
This was inspired largely by the Gina's recipe below. The major changes were we used pre-cooked chicken sausage and I also added artichoke hearts. I also definitely used more rosemary than she called for. It made a lot but I was trying to use up potatoes before they went bad.
It was pretty good. I think maybe a bit too starchy alone for a meal. Not many veggies and a lot of potato. It may be better as a side in the future.
Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers (from Gina's Skinny Taste)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1478, 2011-10-24_135614
Grain Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash -- back to top
We've been talking about doing a grain salad/mixture for awhile now, and tonight we finally did. We based it loosely on a recipe from a blog post Justin had sent me awhile ago, however it was different enough that I'm not going to bother linking that recipe. Its actually pretty simple to make.
Ingredients:
Dressing
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place squash on a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, cook quinoa in the broth according to package directions. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, and add remaining ingredients. Add the cooked quinoa, the chard and onions to the bowl, tossing to coat with the dressing. Once the squash is done, scoop the stuffing into the center of the squash and serve.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1519, 2011-11-07_104529
Chile Verde and Sweet Potatoes -- back to top
We made Chile Verde from the recipe below from Serious Eats. We made a few changes including using 1.5 Poblanos (and cutting them before roasting), more garlic while roasting, ~3/4 lbs of lean beef instead of pork and added garlic and onion powder. We also browned the onions and then directly added the meat which is what we usually do (since we use such lean beef, this works better). Also, instead of using a blender, I mixed the ingredients to be blended with the chicken stock and used the immersion blender. It was much faster and easier. We had to broil everything for almost twice as long as it called for. I do not know why. Maybe our broiler is less intense. Oh, and we forgot oregano. We also let it simmer for almost an hour.
The chile was very good but also a bit strange. Meredith and I quickly noticed a sweetness but we are not really sure where it came from. Maybe the tomatillos or the poblanos. Not really sure. I did like it though. And it was certainly different.
We also had roasted sweet potatoes. I peeled then par-boiled them and then roasted them at 425 for about 40 minutes. I should flip them next time half. The bottoms got crispy but the rest didn't. Still, they were extremely good! Must have been really good potatoes.
Chile Verde [Quick] (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1563, 2011-11-17_124025
Red Velvet Cake -- back to top
This was for Thanksgiving so there was no attempt at making it any healthier. Anyway, Meredith had been looking at this recipe for a while and when making a cake for thanksgiving came up, she suggested we make this.
It is based on the recipe below. If you read the website, they talk about how classic red velvet cake was called that because of using brown sugar which used to be known as red sugar. Also, there is apparently some acidic reaction that goes on turning it red. This recipe uses that but also adds some red wine (we used red velvet cupcake wine to add to the name).
The cake was incredibly good! It was extremely rich but had a nice chocolatey flavor. The cake was rather dense but a nice texture. The icing, (which is based on a german buttercream) was also flavorful. It was surprisingly not too sweet and also had a really nice flavor.
The reviews were rather positive so I imagine we will keep this recipe in mind if we are asked to make a cake.
The recipe is below:
Red Velvet Cake (from Gilt Taste[Since Removed])
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1579, 2011-11-24_085807
Pumpkin Brownies -- back to top
I made these for my Dad's Thanksgiving dinner but since it had to be parve, I replaced the butter with margarine. Other than that, I followed the recipe (below) pretty exactly. As some of the commenters on the recipe pointed out, the consistency of the split batters were not the same making this very hard to marble. Also, I don't think I did a very good job splitting them. However, we were just a tad short on cocoa powder so I did try to make the chocolate just a bit smaller.
We also didn't do the nuts (allergy considerations) or the chocolate chips (not parve)
The texture to me was more like cake than a brownie. I don't know too much about brownie making/science to know where that change came from. Still, it was quite good. Surprisingly, I thought it tasted like honey cake more than anything else despite there not being any honey.
Pumpkin Brownies (from All Recipes)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1581, 2011-11-24_090131
Corned Beef Hash -- back to top
This was my first attempt at Corned Beef Hash. I based it on the recipe below (half). The biggest things I did differently was cook the potatoes in the microwave first and I bough thick slices of corned beef from the deli. I was curious if it would get moist enough, but this recipe, unlike others, called for some ketchup, hot sauce and chili-sauce (which I interpreted as Sriracha). I didn't have a poblano so I used some jalapeño. I also didn't do the egg as they suggested.
They results were very good. It had a nice texture and turned out to be fairly moist. I could have used more corned beef but it was fine enough.
Corned Beef Hash (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1647, 2011-12-21_104441
Zucchini Latkes (aka Fritters) -- back to top
This idea really came out of nowhere. We only just decided to call them zucchini latkes instead of fritters for chanukah. I read a few different recipes for zucchini fritters and basically settled on the one below.
One thing I did differently was after grating the zucchini, I laid out two layers of paper towel on a baking sheet. I spread the zucchini as flat as possible and topped it with another two layers. I then put another sheet on top and pushed as hard as I could. I put a bunch of pans on it as weight and let it sit. After 10 minutes, I changed the upper layer of towel. I didn't need the zucchini right away so I was able to devote this time to really drying it off; which many recipes insisted was absolutely important.
Anyway, I followed the below recipe except I also added some cayenne pepper,garlic and onion powder, and some dried basil. Also since I was 1.5x the recipe, I eyeballed some extra egg (whites) and I think I added too much. It was a very, very wet batter. It probably didn't help that the salt drew out more moisture. I added more flour to compensate but it was still wet. I spread them really thin and let them bake longer to compensate. They ended up okay but I'll be more careful next time.
Meredith and I both really enjoyed them. They reminded me of fried zucchini and other zucchini fritters I have had. They were basically out only item (we had some extra moussaka sauce from the moussaka we made for 2011-12-22). Next time we will add some other protein source or something.
(This is now in my Recipe Book section)
Zucchini Latkes [Fritters], (From Cooking With My Kid)
Prep Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 25 to 30 mins
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use the large part of the grater to grate zucchini and onion. Place grated veggies in a strainer and press down firmly with a paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible. (Removing moisture is the most important part of this recipe!) Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the egg. In a small bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt and 6 tablespoons of flour. Combine the flour mixture with the zucchini mixture. Add additional flour if it is still too wet. Drop mixture into 3 inch sized circles on a greased baking sheet or use moonpie pan like we did. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn the pancakes over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Fritters should golden brown on on both sides when done. Note: if they seem too moist in the middle, put them back in the oven and crisp them up some more. Some zucchini are more moist than others and need more time in the oven. Makes 16 fritters.
Edit: Originally I had written that a cup had 8 Tbsp, but it should be 16. I corrected it
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1653, 2011-12-21_180817
Seared Salmon, Hasselback Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli and Stuffed Dates -- back to top
I decided to invite some friends for not-christmas dinner. I made salmon, hasselback potatoes and roasted broccoli.
(2014-01-06 Note: I added this technique to My Recipe Book)
I did the salmon on the stove and in the oven. I had read a lot of different recipes for salmon on the stove and there were a few different approaches. I settled on using the cast iron pan and the oven. I seasoned the salmon with salt and pepper, then seared them flesh (not skin) side first for a minute. I flipped them, and then threw them in the oven (preheated at 425) for like 6 minutes. They cooked really nicely and the flesh came off the skin with ease. My only problem was the pan was too hot at first and smoked when I added pam. I wiped it and then I just cooked them without the pam. It didn't stick which was nice. The other thing I did was make sure I started with the fish at room temp. Thankfully and somewhat surprisingly, I didn't overcook the fish!
I also made hasselback potatoes. That is when you slice it 3/4 of the way through and fan it out. I used two wooden spoons as knife blocks. I initially alternated putting garlic and shallots between each slice. Then, I read some more recipes and it sounded like you didn't have to put stuff in each and every slice and they will just open if you wet them first. I basically just kept it as it was except I took out a few shallots and garlic. I sautéd them in olive oil then poured the strained oil on the potatoes for flavor. Next time, I will read the recipe _first_and then try to cook it. I want to do them again, but I will read more recipes first. Oh, I also cut off a bit of the bottom first to give me a flat surface.
I also roasted broccoli as I describe on 2011-12-06. They could have used a bit more time but they were still good. I also served some rosemary and olive oil bread.
Finally, for dessert, I made stuffed dates. They were pretty easy since once I cut out the pit, I used leftover German Butter Cream from the Thanksgiving Red Velvet Cake. I topped them with some powdered sugar. They were good!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1666, 2011-12-25_232456
Whole Wheat Pizza Puffs -- back to top
We made pizza puffs using the recipe below. We basically followed the same idea but used some diced soppressata and a lot (too much?) zucchini.
THey were pretty easy and tasted okay. Not incredible. I think the definitely needed salt and I don't really know what else. Maybe next time we will mix half whole wheat and white flour.
When we make pizza, we tend to roll it really thin so the yeast doesn't do too much, but it still adds flavor which I think this was missing. Also, we didn't have mini-muffin tins so they were bigger.
Pizza Puffs (From Cooking With My Kid)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1670, 2012-01-03_145422
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup -- back to top
We made the soup from the recipe below. Generally, we have trouble with Crock Pot stuff since it takes too long to just do when we get home but not so long as to be doable before we leave for work. However, this worked well because we set it up and then ran (a lot) of errands. We followed the recipe surprisingly closely with the only change being half the chicken, extra adobo sauce, and I chopped a chipotle and put that in too.
The soup was very good. I was especially impressed with how easy it was to shred the chicken. This is definitely something I would do again. We also had a nice amount of leftovers
Meredith made the salsa verde from the recipe in Homesick Texan book (I'll add the page in the comments when I check). She basically followed the recipe except one of the avocados tasted funky so we didn't put it in. While we though it was our best attempt, it wasn't incredible. Too much lime (lemon?) and maybe something else, but I don't know. We toasted some whole wheat tortillas to dip.
We also had bread since I need to carb-load for the next day.
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup (from Gina's Skinny Taste)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1685, 2012-01-07_222602
White Bean Eggplant and Chicken Cacciatore -- back to top
The real star of this meal was the white-bean on eggplant. We had white-bean bruschetta at a restaurant and decided to try to make it ourselves. Except healthier both with ingredients and replace the bread. We made the beans with rinsed white beans, balsamic vinegar, a very little bit of olive oil and quite a bit of basil. We let them marinate for about an hour. We served them on broiled and salted graffiti eggplant. We broiled them for about 8 minutes, then flipped them and did it for another 5 minutes. We tried to get them really roasted.
We also made chicken cacciatore (recipe) with extra vegetables and broccoli. We added too much broccoli and had to add extra tomatoes. I also forgot the thyme and bay . It was definitely okay but not the best cacciatore we have made and certainly not the best overall.
We also had a nice, seedy, bread
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1732, 2012-01-21_124757
Tuna-Noodle-Casserole -- back to top
We made tuna-noodle-casserole with Campbell's recipe below. Of course, we made some very major changes. We used whole wheat pasta and less of it. Then, we added sautéed onions and peppers. Finally, I added sriracha and crushed red pepper. We also skipped the bread crumbs. It was a bit strange and not incredible but it was easy and worth maybe doing again. It also made a lot. We had a good amount leftover for lunch the next day. Of course we used 98% fat free soup.
We also had artichokes and Meredith's usual tzatziki.
Tuna Noodle Casserole (From Campbells)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1756, 2012-01-26_223352
Lighter Lasagna Soup -- back to top
I came across this recipe for lasagna soup from Paula Deen's son and simply had to make it. Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food in my book, and this sounded like a pretty healthy rendition. It was in fact delicious (though a bit anise-y for my preferences), and I imagine it will go into our regular rotation. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I like to sneak in extra veggies when I can. So when I remembered we had a block of frozen spinach, I decided to defrost it and throw it in. Also, we topped it with grated Toscano instead of Kraft fake parm, and we substituted whole wheat penne for lasagna noodles.
Lighter Lasagna Soup (from The Deen Brothers)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1779, 2012-02-01_211630
Valentine's Day Dinner: Bruschetta, Beet Pasta with Beet Greens and Seared Scallops. With Chocolate Mousse (Chantilly) -- back to top
Oh boy, this was an interesting meal. Not so much the food, but more because of the cooking it. Basically nothing went right. Not to ruin it, but, surprisingly, everything turned out okay.
We followed the recipe we used on 2011-07-28. We basically followed the recipe there including using real ricotta salata this time. We made both kinds again. They were both really good. Of course, we burned the toast so we had to scrape it off.
We made the pasta like we did on 2011-02-19 (halved) except this time, we used fresh roasted beets. Again, we used egg beaters instead of egg whites. Since we were using the food processor to grind the beets, we tried using it to knead and make the pasta. I do not know if it was just too wet or what, but it didn't work too well. It was so sticky. I had to quickly clean off a counter a knead it a bunch by hand and add a lot of flour. It had a nice red hue though.
Then, after it rested, I tried to roll it out with the pasta roller. Well, still being sticky, it barely made it through the rollers and it wasn't nice pieces. Then, when I tried to put it in the slicer ones, it wouldn't cut through it. It just mushed it.
So, again, I had to clear off a counter and I rolled it out really flat by hand. Then I coated it with a lot of flour (since it will wash off in the water anyway), rolled it up, then sliced it. I then had to manually unroll each strand. And it made a lot. Oh well. It had a really cool homemade look.
The recipe is on the linked page, but I did the one change I find makes a huge difference with fresh pasta. I added extra (maybe 1.5x) salt in the dough and I added a bunch of salt to the water. It makes a nice difference. I was worried that we would overcook it due to what happened while doing the scallops but they were fine.
We also sautéd the beet greens then reduced white wine. We mixed that with the pasta.
**
**Here is where it got interesting. First we weren't sure if we fully defrosted them but thankfully, they defrosted enough and all of the water came off of them (we think). The real fun came when we tried to cook them. Everything said to seer them and Meredith had read to use olive oil. We preheated the pan, added the oil and it started smoking right away. That was somewhat expected, but what came next was it auto-ignited and almost burned Meredith. It went out then we thought it was fine then it started again. I tried to move the pan onto a trivet off the stove. Well, that put some unburned oil back in the center and it ignited again. This happened one more time when I was finally able to move it to a cool burner. Of course, this happened while I had to take the pasta and of course, the smoke filled apartment set off the fire alarm (which has very hard to remove battery and is then plugged in. Oy.
We ended up using a different pan to cook them. They were still good.
**
**This was really interesting and worked fine. It basically required breaking the two rules of dealing with chocolate: Never heat on direct heat and NEVER let it get wet. Well, with this, you heat 1 cup (240 ml) of water with about 265 grams of 70% or higher dark chocolate over direct heat (we halved this though). Once it is all melted and consistent, you pour it into a metal bowl which itself is in an ice bath. Then you whisk it vigorously until it is a mousse consistency. It actually worked. And it was very, very good. The consistency was perfect and had a strong chocolate flavor (which makes sense since there is nothing else in it but water). The recipe says you can add some sugar but we didn't. Maybe we will next time. Oh, this is sometimes called Chocolate Chantilly
The picture and recipe are below.
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Instant Chocolate Mousse (Chocolate Chantilly) from (Cafefernando)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1809, 2012-02-11_182752
Taco Cupcakes and Zucchini Fritters -- back to top
This was a very successful meal. First, the zucchini fritters. I followed the original recipe with my notes from that day (basil,cayenne, spices). I also used a bit extra baking power. I was nervous about these since last time they stuck. I extra pammed the pan and all. I also tried to make them thin so they would cook more. When I went to flip the first one, it stuck but then I switched to the sharpest, flattest metal spatula I had and I really scraped before flipping. That worked well! I also let them cook a bit longer. The fritters were as good as, if not better, than the first time.
The taco cupcakes were inspired by the recipe at EmilyBiltes but I am not going to copy the recipe since we didn't really follow it for anything but the idea. We had eggroll wrappers but not wonton so we quartered the wrappers. We pammed muffin tins and pressed a layer into the wrapper. Then we added our taco meat stuff, put some grated cheese on it, then pressed another layer into it. The double layering helps hold it all together and kind of join the wrappers. We then topped it again with the taco and then cheese.
The recipe calls for cooking them for 18-20 min at 375. However, since we had the oven at 425 for the fritters, we used that for about 8 minutes. Just until the edges of the wrappers were crisping. While that worked, next time we will do the lower temp for longer. The part of the wrapper not hanging over the edge didn't get as well cooked but we couldn't go longer without burning the outer part.
Meredith made the taco filling so she may be able to clarify, but it was largely inspired by the taco stew without the water. We used sautéd onions, browned extra-lean beef, black beans, taco seasonings and diced yellow squash (since more zucchini would have been redundant).
These were extremely good, even if the wrappers didn't fully crisp. We will definitely make them again. And use the idea with the wrappers to make other meal cupcakes as well.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1850, 2012-02-29_205714
Quinoa Patties and Purple Potatas Bravas -- back to top
We made quinoa from the recipe below. Meredith put it together so she may have more comments, but we basically followed the base of the recipe though we needed a bit more egg. We also used gouda instead of the parmesan. We also used regular flour. Instead of frying it, we baked it like the zucchini fritters. We baked them at 440°F for 15 minutes, then flipped them and baked for another 10. I was prepared to have to really scrape but in the end, they came off nicely. They were really good. I really liked the thin parts that were extra crispy. The flavor was subtle which contrasted with the patatas bravas and its heat. It didn't help that my head/nose was stuffed so the flavors were even harder to discern.
The patatas bravas we more or less based on the standard except I also added some leftover canned sauce. I used a lot of cayenne and all of the called for paprika was hot paprika plus, I added some smoked hot. I also forgot the garlic and vinegar but I added a lot of onion and garlic powder. The sauce was good, but it was rather spicy. Again, being a bit stuffed up, made this strong flavor eclipse the quinoa.
Vegetable Parmesan Quinoa Patties (from Eat Well Meal Plans)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1903, 2012-04-14_091120
Meredith made this so she may have more comments, but we made 4 lbs of Beef Barbacoa. We had it for one dinner and 3 lunches. It was really good and nice having it for all of our meals later in the week. The broth was also really tasty. We also made something like the veggie tian before
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Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef (from Thekitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1916, 2012-04-17_120819
Peanut Noodles, Cabbage, And Chicken Salad -- back to top
This was based on the below recipe except we used the griddler to grill the chicken and then sliced it. We also added some sliced carrot to the cabbage part. Instead of Soba noodles, we used brown rice noodles (and 1/2 pound instead of 3/4). I also think we skipped the scallions but I may be wrong.
It was very good and I really enjoyed the peanut sauce, especially when we mixed it all with the cabbage. It made 4 servings (lunch!) so overall, I do not think the meal was too bad in calories either. We didn't have chicken for the lunch. ALso, we used olive oil and less
Peanut Noodles, Cabbage, And Chicken Salad (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1959, 2012-05-11_124242
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)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1965, 2012-05-14_213902
Mediterranean Chicken Stew with Cinnamon Quinoa -- back to top
This is based on the recipe below. I pressure cooked some chicken breasts and shredded it instead of using rotisserie (obviously, much less chicken). Also, since I pressure cooked it, I used the broth from that instead of chicken broth (well, this is more real chicken broth). I skipped the olive and the lemon juice. Instead of couscous, I used quinoa (and again, less of it). I cooked the quinoa with chicken broth (not from the pressure cooker). I used the orange juice in the quinoa but skipped the lemon in the chicken.
Overall, I liked the meal a lot but there wasn't really any new flavors. It kind of reminded me of most other tomato-like meals. Though, I let it cook to be pretty dry which was different. Again, like yesterday, it had chickpeas which I am getting kind of tired of it now. So, good, but nothing too special.
Mediterranean Chicken Stew with Cinnamon Couscous (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1968, 2012-05-15_214008
Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Zucchini Fritters -- back to top
The meatballs were very good and very tasty. The sauce may have cooked down a bit too much to the point that is was really just goop. But, it was still rather good.
I tried something slightly different with the zucchini. Before I grated them, I grated half an onion. Well, that made onion mush with LOTS OF WATER. I had to drain it as best I could and I still struggled to get all the water out. This may also be why I had so much trouble pressing the water out of the zucchini. Despite spending a day in the fridge with lots of weight on the pans, I had to put in new towels and stand on the pans to really get the water out. I may try my Dad's suggestion next time which is to use dried, minced onions. THey will absorb the water!
I made the meatballs based on the recipe below. The major changes I made was to use extra lean beef (and less, 2/3 lbs), egg beaters, no garlic and finally to bake the meatballs (375 for 25 min). For the sauce, the only change I made was less oil and I replaced half of the brown sugar with Splenda. That saved about 8 points plus. I realized as I was making this that the points would climb so I actually calculated them. The entire meal (half of what I made) was 17 points plus. I guess that isn't awful compared to what I would get if I ate out, but it was a bit more than I think I want (not that I have been budgeting).
Meatballs:
Beef...10.5
Bread crumbs ...2
Egg Beater...0.5
Brown Sugar (halved)...8
Ketchup...7
Fritters
Egg...1
Flour...6
So, the entire meal was 34 but I made dinner and lunch so 17
Sweet and Sour Meatballs (From Food.com)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1973, 2012-05-16_070920
"Magic Dusted" Chicken, and Peas+lentils -- back to top
The main part of this meal was the chicken which I used with magic rub (recipe below). I tried to follow the recipe pretty closely but I had to make some changes. I didn't have kosher salt so I used half as much and just used regular. I also ran out of chili powder so I improvised. Also, I used mostly hot (but not smoked) paprika. The recipe called for doing it with pork but I used pounded out chicken.
On the note of pounded chicken, I found the easiest way to do it. I vacuum sealed the chicken and did it in there. No mess and it worked really well. Plus, I was able to reuse the bag to freeze the other pieces I wasn't using.
The chicken was pretty good. Nothing amazing, Despite cooking it on the hot pan, it didn't quite caramelize as much as I had hoped. I used the thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken, and I think I took it off at the exact right time. It wasn't overcooked or anything. The spices were a bit too heavy on cumin but not all together bad.
I also heated a pre-made peas and lentil thing as a side dish.
Magic Dust (From Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2017, 2012-06-15_214848
Meatloaf and corn -- back to top
I made meatloaf (or more correctly, meat loaflets) based on a few different recipes. I have never made meatloaf so I didn't really know what I was doing. I read a bunch of recipes and decided to base it on the one below but with lots more seasonings.
It is a bit strange since it uses oatmeal instead of bread crumbs. This is easier and saves having to make bread crumbs. Also, it is pretty healthy compared to bread crumbs.
Other than that, I also used some sriracha and a tablespoon of worcestershire (which almost every other recipe except this one calls for. Oh, and I cut it a bit to use only 2/3 lbs of beef.
It was pretty good. I made it into meat loaflets using a cupcake pan. Note to self, that I didn't need to cook it so long since it was smaller. I would do it again!
I also had corn which I just cooked with the husk in the oven for 30 minutes at 350.
Meatloaf ["Super Healthy"] (from A Small Snippet)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2091, 2012-07-04_111835
Ratatouille Tacos -- back to top
I tried to make these based on the recipe below. I more or less followed the recipe except I used one regular eggplant and I didn't have chipotles in adobo so I added a tiny bit of Dave's Insanity hot sauce. I also added a habanero and some hot paprika. So, as you can imagine, it was pretty spicy in the end! Overall it was kind of okay. Nothing amazing but extremely low in points. I did use too much oil for the zucchini so I have to be more careful next time. I made the tortilla taco shells as I have in the past. It made a lot!
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Ratatouille Tacos (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2209, 2012-08-16_100534
Pasta All'Ubriaco and Broiled Zucchini with Yogurt-Dill Sauce -- back to top
First the pasta: I was inspired by this recipe on Serious Eats, but it is basically making pasta with half of the water as red wine. I did that and tossed it in an olive oil, garlic and dried parsley mix. I heated some olive oil with chopped garlic. As it started to sizzle, I added parsley. I eventually added the pasta when it was al dente and a bit of water. I topped it with grated (micro planned) Ricotta Salata since that is all I had. It was very, very good though I honestly do not know if the wine contributed anything but color. Maybe a little bit. I used two (three?) Buck Chuck shiraz so I didn't mind that I poured most of it.
I also made broiled zucchini and broccoli with a yogurt dill sauce from the recipe below. I basically followed it for the zucchini except I got the pan hot before going into the broiler to try to get some more color. I also sprinkled dried dill on it since that appears to be what they did in the picture. I used broccoli too since I didn't have much zucchini. I made the sauce with the ingredients listed (but with fat free greek yogurt) though I kind of just winged it on the amounts of everything. And again, dried dill.
It came out pretty good. Strangely sweet but that wasn't bad. I would definitely make it again. And I had leftover sauce which was good when I dipped it with cucumber.
Broiled Zucchini with Yogurt-Dill Sauce (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2212, 2012-08-17_222115
Spicy Hominy and Kale -- back to top
I followed the recipe below. I did not make many changes except I used serrano peppers (I think) and I used 4 or 5 of them. It didn't make it too spicy but it has a nice kick. I also no oil (or pam) and less cheese. Finally, I used fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream. That had a large affect on the final product. Lower fat the milk, the more easily it curdles. So, this curdles quite a bit from the yogurt. It didn't affect the taste, but gave it a gritty and strange texture. I would make it again and I guess I would have to accept the curdled yogurt because that is the only way to keep the points down. (I didn't calculate them but they were not too bad. Something like 14 for the hominy plus everything else)
I also sautéed kale.
Spicy Hominy (from Dutch Oven Net)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2218, 2012-08-20_222422
Grilled Scallops with Mint Pesto and Tequila Lime Roasted Artichokes -- back to top
Meredith and I made this together. First, the scallops were from the recipe below. We stayed pretty true to it but note that it makes lots of pesto so we aren't eating the whole 1/2 cups of olive oil. We used fresh mint from the farmers market. I used the cast iron grill pan that I let fully warm to medium-high. The scallops all seemed to be well cooked. Even the very large ones. I did cook down the balsamic vinegar too much. It turned into balsamic vinegar taffy. Kind of strange. I'll be more careful next time. When I first saw this recipe, my immediate reaction as that it was calling Meredith's name
We did the artichokes also with the recipe below. We couldn't get baby artichokes so we used small ones and scraped out the choke. Most, but not all, of the leaves were edible but we definitely had to leave some. Meredith also trimmed the stem so that whole part was edible. The only other change I know of was using greek yogurt for mayonnaise. It was still good with that, but a very different taste.
The bread was also from the farmers market.
Grilled Scallops with Mint Pesto and Balsamic Syrup (from Serious Eats)
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Tequila Lime Roasted Artichokes (from Family spice: recipe,post)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2228, 2012-09-02_093133
Pozole and Zucchini Chips -- back to top
I made Pozole with the normal recipe (which I am finally just including pictures of it below). I basically followed it but used canned peppers instead of the serrano. I also, as usual roasted the tomatillos in the broiler along with the poblano. I used fresh cilantro but dried parsley and skipped the spinach. Also, because I was out of regular Better than bouillon I had to use Osem, so this ended up being truly vegetarian. Also, I put everything in the pot except the beans and hominy then used the immersion blender. It made life much easier. (this is what I think we have always done). The final result was very good. I saved a big portion for lunch, but then ate way too much that night. I should have saved some more for another time. Also, after my too-hot experience with the pumpkin soup the other day, I resisted the urge to add Dave's Insanity.
I also made zucchini chips. I was intrigued since the premise of these were low heat for a long time instead of high heat for a little. I sliced them to the smallest setting on the mandoline. I think I will try the next one up next time. Anyway, I baked them based on the recipe below. I think I let them cook a bit too long since they were kind of browned, but still very good. When I use thicker slices, the time may be okay. We will see. They were good.
Pozole (From The HomeSick Texan)
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Oven Dried Zucchini (from The Tasty Bits)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2263, 2012-09-24_134853
Seared Sea Scallops with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans -- back to top
Meredith had pinned this recipe (below) a while back. We chose it since we wanted a fast, easy, and healthy meal. Basically you sauté broccoli rabe, then add beans. Then just make scallops on a hot pan. I was a bit uncertain about the scallops since it didn't seem hot enough and I had to leave them on for a while. However, thankfully they didn't turn out dry and were actually pretty good. All I did was slice a little bit on top, then add salt. Also, since we didn't feel like peeling garlic, we sliced up some roasted garlic and added that.Appropriately we bought the scallops and broccoli rabe at whole foods. Also, we bought 1 pound for two people which was a bit too much. Oh, and no lemon
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Seared Sea Scallops with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans (from Whole Foods)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2317, 2012-10-15_210810
Cauliflower couscous -- back to top
This was inspired by the recipe below. I have to say, it started off very flavorless. I kept adding more seasonings (including curry powder, garam masala, garlic powder, salt and Osem). I tried to keep it kosher for the sake of it. It still never really got a lot of flavor. I finally gave up and decided to just eat it. While half way through, I remembered I bought [lite] feta cheese for a later recipes. The original one called for goat cheese which I ignored. I cut off a bunch of them and putting that in brought out a lot of flavor. Not just the feta itself but a lot of other flavors. Then it was pretty good. I wouldn't rush to make it again any time soon, but I wouldn't write it off. And, it was very low points.
Cauliflower 'Couscous' with Goat Cheese (from The Stone Soup)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2785, 2012-10-24_075709
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)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2796, 2012-10-28_202002
Red Curry Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Fritters -- back to top
The spaghetti squash was based very loosely on the recipe below. Basically, I just used it for tips on how to deal with red-curry paste. I wasn't making soup though, so I didn't really need the majority of it. Anyway, I used about 2 tbsp of red curry paste though I didn't measure so who knows. I followed the instructions on frying it a bit in olive oil. I used 1 cup of (Osem) chicken broth with splenda instead of sugar.
The one thing I need to keep in mind in the future is that it takes a long time for all of the water to cook down. I should plan for that better time wise. Also, maybe a cup of water is too much. With tomato sauce, you are putting it on top but with the curry, both this time and last, it is more about the flavoring.
For the fritters, I followed the standard recipe, again with extra seasonings (paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, TJ's 21 seasoning, etc). However, instead of onion, I used_a lot_ of minced, dried onion. Probably a bit too much as it took over the flavor, but that wasn't a big deal. I did my normal pressing of the zucchini between trays with paper towel, but it was still pretty wet. I ended up letting it cook a bit longer to dry it out more. Also, for the first time ever, I didn't have to scrape it off the tray to flip. I do not know what changed, but I am not complaining.
I just reread the recipe and I used twice the amount of egg. Oh well. I'll be more careful next time.
20-Minute Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken (From Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2805, 2012-10-30_203909
Roasted Cabbage with Parmesan and fake meat thing -- back to top
The main star of this meal was the cabbage. I followed the recipe below and I didn't need to make many changes except I used shredded cabbage. I think the only thing I did was let it cook a bit longer to brown. The cheese was very important as it enhanced the cabbage flavor. Otherwise, I think it may have just been bland. I used real ground parmesan as opposed to the fake stuff. I thought it came out really well. Some of the cabbage was more browned but there was a nice mix of flavor and char. And, as I said, the cheese really came through and brought out the flavor of the rest.
Shredding it was also really easy. I peeled the outer layers and then quartered it. I cut diagonally to remove the core. Then I used the mandolin to slice it along one of the flat edges. Super easy and quick.
I also threw together a protein part. It is basically sautéd onions with some Trader Joes fake beef strips. I added some red wine dijon sauce (used here and here). I do not love the beef strips, but I had them and wanted to use them up.
Roasted Savoy Cabbage with Parmesan (from Daily Unadventurous in Cooking)
(2014-01-08 Note: This recipe was added to My Recipe Book)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2811, 2012-10-31_202604
Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale -- back to top
This was inspired by the recipe below, but I did make a lot of changes. I halved the sausage and used turkey sausage. I also completely skipped the sun dried tomatoes. I halved the broth and wine though I ended up adding more (since I still used a full squash). I also used dino kale. I also combined the squash with everything (including the sausage) in the pan at the end. I also did the squash in the microwave instead of the oven. There was no need for a slotted spoon since the turkey sausage was low in fat, there was no need for a slotted spoon. The basil and the parm cheese really brought it all together. (yes, I used fresh basil, but I skipped all of the mozzarella).
Everything was very good. Lots of food with lots of veggies and really not too many calories. I would be curious how it would be with sun-dried tomatoes (though I still wouldn't use the oil). I'd definitely make it again though.
Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Kale, and Sun-dried Tomatoes (From Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2829, 2012-11-13_082553
Brussels Sprouts Hash with Fried Sage and Soft Cooked Eggs -- back to top
I made this a while ago based on the recipe below. I followed it pretty closely including the oil (since there isn't much else in it). It was interesting to used fried sage leaves but I do not think I really tasted them too much. Honestly, I was disappointed by this. It kind of just steamed the brussel sprouts (which I bough chopped already). Maybe I needed to use a bigger pan so as to have more in contact with it. I think if you cannot get a good char on the sprouts, then you miss so much of the flavor.
Brussels Sprouts Hash with Fried Sage and Soft Cooked Eggs (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2840, 2012-11-15_113403
Carrot Stuff refined -- back to top
I made carrot pudding again. I am trying to work on the recipe. I actually made two batches where one was with half beets, half carrots. I am starting to get a feel for the recipe. The beet one tasted a bit metallic I think I put too much baking powder in so I cut it a lot for the next. I also did half sugar and half splenda. That made the carrot one (and maybe the beet) extra caramelized. I wonder if I could now cut back on the sugar a bit more. Interestingly, the carrot one was much wetter out of the pressure cooker.
Anyway, below is the latest iteration of the recipe. This is what I did for the carrots which were better. The only changes for the beets were I forgot the ginger, did 1 tbsp baking_soda_and obviously half beets.
The texture was still a bit of mush which I do not think I am going to be able to avoid without taking too much time. I do not mind it being mushy, but it is less authentic.
Carrot Pudding
Put the milk and the smart balance in the pressure cooker. Grate the carrots. Mix all the dry ingredients separately then add them to the carrots. Stir and then pressure cook on setting 2 for 15 minutes (that timing starts when the regulator starts venting).
Release the pressure quickly (just with the gauge). Then cook on medium to reduce until it is the desired consistency
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2902, 2012-12-14_201354
Roasted Broccoli Soup and Spicy Shrimp with Garlic (Gambas al Ajillo) -- back to top
I made this with Meredith at her house. We followed the recipes below. For the soup, we stayed pretty true to it except roasted the brocoli for 20 minutes. We also used a cheddar-gouda. The leek was very large that added extra flavoring. I am not sure if you could really taste the cheese. I would definitely make it again, but I'd try to reduce the cheese. We also used a yukon gold potato.
The shrimp was only loosely based on the recipe. We used more butter (instead of oil) than we regularly cook with but still not too much. We used the shrimp from frozen so we had to let it cook and dry out a bit more. We cooked the pepper (which we used a different kind, I just don't recall what kind), the garlic (used 10 cloves), and the crushed red pepper separately since the shrimp was going. We added it all together, added some sriracha, the paprika (we used hot smoked) and the parsley. It was very good. A bit spicy but not in a bad way. Lots of flavor and for one of the first times, I could really taste the garlic. We didn't have the banana ketchup.
We forgot the lemon on both recipes
Gambas al Ajillo (Spicy Shrimp and Garlic) (from Burnt Limpia)
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Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2905, 2012-12-16_203032
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread -- back to top
My mom made banana bread from the recipe below. I do not know what it is based on, but it includes her changes and comments. (Interestingly, it calls for baking soda, not powder, but the results seem right)
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf
This is mixed completely by hand.
Heat oven to 325°F (or 350 on convection).
Grease & flour a 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan (or use baking spray).
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Mix in the oil, bananas, and eggs.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60-80minutes.
Cool the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2942, 2013-01-01_113530
Party! (with home made Bean Dip, Buffalo Cauliflower and Pizza Sauce) -- back to top
Meredith and I hosted a "Belated New Years" party. We originally planned for 11 people, including us, but 4 didn't make it. We would have had too much anyway, but with half the people, and many weren't hungry, we had WAY too much. Still, it ended up being a nice selection and Meredith and I enjoyed the variety. I will come back and edit this list as I remember things. I am also trying to note where we got the different things for future reference
The dinner was make your own pizza. The dough was from Trader Joes with each person getting half of a dough ball. For toppings, we had
Dessert was just cookies purchased at Target. Beer was a 24 mix pack from Costco, a mix of a few things from TJ's and a pack of Blue Moon Abbey Ale. (and there was lots and lots of leftovers)
Meredith made took charge of both the buffalo cauliflower and the bean dip. For the cauliflower we basically had to make a second batch of batter. I do not know why, but one didn't cut it. Also,unfortunately we had to let it sit out after being coated, before going back into the oven, since people hadn't arrived yet. I thought it was very good as is, but Meredith said it is even better when it doesn't sit out. I will definitely make this again for myself. I may also throw a bit of ranch dressing powder into the batter. Overall, it used a cup of flour for the whole thing so it wil have to be the main part of a meal, but it would probably be enough. Oh, and we used white flour instead of rice flour. I do not know what, if any, affect that had.
The bean dip was very good. We used low fat cheese and cream cheese to make it healthier It didn't cook fully in the time so I put it in a bit longer at a higher temp. Everything inside melted nicely but the top got a tad crispy. Meredith was the one who really made it so she may have more comments.
For the pizza sauce, I was inspired by the recipe below, but I didn't totally follow it. First of all, the recipe doesn't say what to do with the onion (though it implies that you take it out). I did approx 4x the recipe. I basically sautéd lots of garlic in a mix of butter and olive oil. I then added a #10 can of peeled San Marizono tomatoes (very cheap at Costco). I used the immersion blender to get rid of most of the chunks. I then let it cook down by a bit less than half. It was okay. Very acidic. I do not know how to fix that. Also, water definitely separated out on some pizzas. I think that means I need more oil, but I am hesitant to add that.
Cheesy Baked Black-Eyed Pea Dip (from The Kitchn)
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Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower (from Day Dream Kitchen)
(2014-01-07 Note: This is now part of My Recipe Book)
New York Style Pizza Sauce (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3101, 2013-01-25_120958
Oysters, Tuna Tataki and Broccoli soup -- back to top
This was Meredith and my 4 year anniversary dinner. We had a big lunch, so we wanted something fancy but light. We started with some North Carolina Oysters. They were very good, or as good as oysters ever are. (I think I like the high-scale and fancy nature of them more than the oysters themselves). It was easier to open them than I remember.
The other part was tuna tataki. We used the recipe that Meredith had used in the past (it is below). We had a big piece of tuna and cut it, though we cut it wrong. We should have cut against the grain so that we could more easily slice it along the grain later. Anyway, it was very good. Meredith said it was on par with Wegmans which is a compliment (though she said it wasn't as good as last time she made it). It is certainly very easy. the sauce (which was very good) was more work than the tuna itself. Just goes to show how super simple it was.
We also made roasted broccoli soup like last time. I used homemade broth from a while ago (but I cannot seem to find the post). I needed to add salt to it,but I added too much. It wasn't so salty you couldn't eat it, but still too much. Luckily, it was really thick so I can add more water later.
(2014-01-07 Note. This was added to My Recipe Book)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3140, 2013-02-08_180553
Emily and I made two ingredient cookies. Basically, you mash up two bananas and a cup of quick oats, then cook them at 350 for 15 minutes. We also added a little bit of Splenda. And we kept having to add some more quick oats since it seemed a bit too wet (and they mentioned that you may need to do that). Also, they warn you about them sticking but I used a silpat and it worked fine.
They were okay. About what you would expect. It just tastes like bananas and oatmeal. Not all that good, but they may serve to be really good on something like a bike ride.
Two Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies (From The Burlap Bag)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3226, 2013-03-02_232222
Miso-Marinated Portobello Carpaccio, Chia-Seed Pudding, and thrown together Banana Bread -- back to top
The main meal here was the mushroom thing based on the recipe below. Meredith had made it a while ago and we decided to do it again. We actually had planned it for the night before but scrapped it for lunch the next day so it had a long marinade. Meredith had found this mixed light-dark miso paste that was very good. We served it on a bed of arugula. It didn't make much but it was extremely flavorful. I would happily make it again, but I would make more. I think Meredith_may_ have used less oil.
Meredith also made chia pudding. I do not recall all of the details but basically chia seeds in vanilla almond or coconut milk and let it pud (yes, it's now a verb) in the fridge. We topped it with chopped pistachios. It is very good and pretty easy. It tasted a bit like tapioca pudding but much easier to make. I also added some splenda to mine to make it sweeter. Oh, and we also used dried fruits.
Finally, we threw together a banana bread. There is absolutely no chance we could make it again or even describe it. We were trying to make a banana filling with mashed banana, splenda, maple and some other syrups. It got way too soupy so we tried to add some corn starch. Still not much success. Finally, we gave up and made it into banana bread. Meredith did it and I do not recall the details but it got very puffy. Whatever Meredith looked up called for some cider vinegar. Of course, when we added the baking soda, it bubbled. So we added some baking powder. It was a bunch of adding this and that until we were satisfied. We divvied it up into mini-muffin tins and these ramekins. They came out a bit tough (probably too much mixing) but they were really good. I was happy with them!
Miso-Marinated Portobello Carpaccio [Vegan] (From SeriousEats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3242, 2013-03-09_175547
5-Ingredient Banana-Oat Bars -- back to top
I made Banana-Oat bars for a long bike ride the next day. I figured I usually have oatmeal with a banana for breakfast so I could just have half of this recipe for breakfast and take the rest for snacks on the ride.
It was based on the recipe below but there is a lot of freedom. I used a bit less than two cups of oats since it is what I had, and it was quick oats (smaller pieces) so they were more dense. I also used about 2 1/4 banana since they were small. I added some almonds (slices; toasted first), chopped dates and some cranberries. I also used a bit of Splenda. Finally, when I pressed it into the pan, I then sprinkled it with pumpkin-pie spice.
I like the bars a lot. It was certainty more interesting than just eating oatmeal and also a lot easier since I could eat while getting ready. I ate half for breakfast (1 cup of oatmeal) and then I had a quarter as a snack at one point on the ride. I liked the dates and the cranberries however I was disappointed with how lost the almond flavor was in there. I would have preferred to use the slivered kind but they didn't have them. I'll probably just skip them in the future so as to not have the calories with no flavor.
Banana-Oat Bars [4 Ingredient] (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3371, 2013-03-29_073409
Blue-Hubbard Squash Croquettes -- back to top
Meredith and I made Blue-Hubbard squash croquettes following the recipe below with a few changes. Note that she directed so I may miss a thing or two:
Changes:
As usual, we used the recipe but didn't exactly measure everything. They came out very good. A bit reminiscent of butter-nut squash falafel more than anything else. The bacon got a bit lost in the mix which was unfortunate since it was so good alone. It was a good way to use up the squash which was kind of lacking in flavor alone.
We also added some asparagus to the pan for the last eight minutes or so
Butternut Squash Croquettes (from Love and Lemons)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 3389, 2013-04-05_101930
Beef with Broccoli and Wonton Soup -- back to top
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 sriracha 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.
(This recipe is now in my Recipe Book [with changes noted])
Beef with Broccoli (Adapted from Serious Eats)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 5740, 2013-04-14_095109
Seasoned Cod; Asparagus; Thai Coconut Rice; Candied Tomatoes -- back to top
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 Penzeys 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 mangos 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 tomato-like. 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
Thai Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice (from The Kitchn)
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Candied Tomatoes (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 5818, 2013-05-19_101420
(Almost Vegan) Broccoli "Beef" with homemade (almost vegan) "Oyster" sauce -- back to top
I made a vegetarian (and extremely almost vegan) Broccoli "Beef".I replaced the beef with seitan strips (and I did still marinate it in the marinade). I bought 2x 8oz boxes (the WestSoy red boxes)
Replacing the oyster sauce was harder. I made a vegetarian (and almost vegan) oyster sauce from the recipe below. Instead of mushroom bouillon cubes, I used Better Than Bullion mushroom base. It has milk derivatives which is why this whole meal wasn't vegan. I used a garlic and black bean sauce instead of just black-bean. And finally, I used turbinado sugar instead of brown. I may have let it cook down a bit too much since it was rather thick but it was enough for what I needed.
Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty closely except doubled. I also used the mushroom base instead of chicken broth. I steamed the broccoli in the microwave. Alton Brown had mentioned that the microwave ruins the nutrients but based on the comments in this The Kitchn article and the linked NYtimes article, I decided it was probably still fine. (and considering I made over two pounds, it was really the only way)
Overall, I liked it very much. The seitan did perfectly well in place of the beef. I cannot say the sauce tasted identical, but it was either pretty close and/or perfectly good on its own.
The whole meal was pretty low point-wise. There were two boxes of seitan as the main points contributor. It made 2 Justin-size meals or one Justin size and two Meredith size (she had leftovers for lunch -- It wasn't that it was_that _much food, it's just that not everyone can eat a pound of broccoli). I would definitely do it vegan (or vegetarian) again.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Vegan Oyster Sauce (from Food.com)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6194, 2013-06-17_215418
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)
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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)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6252, 2013-07-04_144005
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)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6261, 2013-07-07_202205
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
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
American/Belgium IPA Homebrew -- back to top
I am brewing beer. I will update this as I go. See 2013-08-18 Update, See See 2013-09-05 Update
2013-08-08 Brewing:
I am using [this recipe from Bull City Home Brew](<http://bullcityhomebrew.com/recipes.aspx?id=American%20IPA%20>(One%20Gallon).xml)(which I also saved as a PDF). I am following the recipe except I used WYESTStrain: 3787 | Trappist High Gravity. I chose a Belgium strain because I wanted a Belgium yeast for a fruitier beer and I chose_this_ strain because it can handle a bit higher fermentation temp and my apartment is around 78.
Standard Beer recipe style:
Batch Size: 1.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.069
Measured OG: 1.059
FG: 1.012
ABV: 6.2%
IBUs: 55.2 (calculated, not measured)
2.10 lb 2-row American Malt (Rahr) (1.8 SRM) (64.6%)
0.74 lb Munich, Light (Weyermann) (6.0 SRM) (22.8 %)
0.27 lb Carared (Weyermann) (19.5 SRM) (8.4 %)
0.14 lb Caramunich I (Weyermann) (19.5 SRM) (4.2 %)
0.13 oz Columbus (US) Hop Pellets [13.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min 19.6 IBUs
0.20 oz Columbus (US) Hop Pellets [13.10 %] - Boil 30.0 min 22.6 IBUs
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) (Fining)
0.26 oz Cascade (US) Hop Pellets [6.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min 9.2 IBUs
0.13 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Wyeast) (Boil 10.0 mins)
0.26 oz Cascade (US) Hop Pellets [6.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min 3.7 IBUs
0.5 (or 1.0) pkg WYEST Strain: 3787 | Trappist High Gravity
Photo Post (on aseparate post)
These are my WAY OVERLY DETAILED lab notes
Here are transcribed notes I took while I was working. A PDF "scan" is HERE. The transcribed notes are in the regular font. My comments as I am writing are in italics
A few notes. I liked setting a timer for the full boil so I could always tell what was left and I could respond accordingly. Also, pre-measured hop additions were nice.
The biggest question is why the low OG. I have two guesses. It could be the grain being exposed at the end and/or it could be the temperature drop. I will investigate these two issues as well as everything else I mentioned. Not sure how to deal with the temp drop but I could probably use more strike water and less sparge water to keep the grains covered
Ideas for next time (updated2013-08-08_230914)
I have been doing more reading, etc and I have a few things I think I will try next time:
Open the bag in the mashtun with the edges safely secured around the edges (bungee cord? rubber-band?). Keep the lid on lightly. Retie bag before sparge. Need to make sure to remind shop to tie off with a slip-know
Check the mash temperature often (maybe every 15 min?) with hot (but not too hot) water ready to add to bring it up. And stir (if it's too hot, it'll be the equivalent of a mash out)
Also add water to keep grains covered. This should go along well with the previous step.
Alternatively, since there isn't too much volume, I could do a full-volume, no-sparge mash. But from my reading, it_lowers_efficiency.
Also, I should start measuring (calculating) efficiency so I can calibrate
2013-08-18 Update:
**** Around 10:10 pm, I carefully moved the fermenter to the counter and let it sit while I sanitized everything else. The fermenter read 73F. When I opened it up, I saw a lot of stuff floating on the top. I do not know if that is yeast or hops. There looked like there was even more on the bottom. (see photo post)
At round 10:25, I used the auto siphon into the secondary and I did my best to keep it just below the liquid line. I got nervous since I didn't want to incorporate any air into the hose and I didn't want much trub. However, I also started to suck up some of the trub so I clamped it off and pulled the siphon. I then let out the clamp just enough to let most of the rest of the beer pour into the secondary.
I think I had it too low and/or chickened out and clamped way too soon. It looks like I only got about 1/2 a gallon into the secondary! That sucks! There was so much liquid left over. So, for next time, I will be more careful about where the siphon sits. I think I have a bit more room than I realize with the plastic piece on the end of the siphon. (see photos)
I wasn't planning on taking a gravity measurement since I didn't want to lose ~8oz of liquid but since I had so much left, I took a measure and saw 1.010. That is approx. 6.4% ABV. Not bad!
Also, with so much left, I think I will up the batch size a little bit. I still don't like the idea of wasting so much but at the very least, upping the batch size (maybe 1.5 gal or about 2 gal into the boil) will fix that. I'll also ask around about reducing the trub.
Photos: link
...
As I was cleaning up, I was playing with the siphon and realized I missed that there was an additional tip to prevent picking up sediment. I'll use that next time too. Oh well. (I guess this really is a learning experience)
2013-09-05 Update: Bottling
Below are a combination of my notes at the time and comments
_
To sanitize the bottles, I filled a measuring cup with enough sanitizer. I then filled the bottle and swirled. I then poured the bottle back into the measuring cup and, at a certain point, submerged the neck into the sanitizer. I then poured the rest into the cup, shook the bottle, and moved it to the sanitized rack.
OG: 1.059, FG: 1.012 ==> ABV 6.2% (197 calories)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6441, 2013-08-08_210053
Crab, Corn and Tomato Salad -- back to top
We made a crab and corn salad. The salad was made up of the following. It is based on the recipe below too
The dressing was:
We also had roasted broccoli (30 min on ~425).
The corn salad was very, very good. Lots of flavor, especially from the basil. The sweetness of the honey and the corn was a nice contrast to the saltiness of the old bay in the dressing. Also, the canned crab was surprisingly acceptable (it was the nice cans that need to be refrigerated, not the crappy small ones).
Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing (from My recipes / Cooking Light[??])
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6484, 2013-08-17_094927
Banana Bread Dunkelweizen -- back to top
Brew 003
I am brewing a banana bread dunkelweizen. As noted in the recipe, it is inspired by this but I tweaked it to a single hop and a few other things. The recipe is below, followed by pre-brew notes and then my brew notes:
(Brewers Friend Link) (PDF) (XML file saved locally)
Banana Bread Ale | Brewer's Friend
By (from HBT)
Method:
All Grain
Style:
Dunkelweizen
Boil Time:
60 min
Batch Size:
1.25 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size:
1.7 gallons
Efficiency:
70% (brew house)
Boil Gravity:
1.045 (recipe based estimate)
Original Gravity:
1.061
Final Gravity:
1.015
ABV (standard):
5.98%
IBU (tinseth):
22.18
SRM (morey):
15.45
Fermentables
Amount
Fermentable
PPG
L
Bill %
1.5 lb
American - Wheat
38
1.8
51.1%
1 lb
United Kingdom - Munich
37
6
34%
0.25 lb
Flaked Oats
33
2.2
8.5%
1 oz
American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt)
33
1.8
2.1%
1 oz
American - Caramel / Crystal 40L
34
40
2.1%
1 oz
Chocolate (BCHB)
34
414
2.1%
Hops
Amount
Variety
Time
AA
IBU
Type
Use
0.2 oz
East Kent Goldings
Pellet
5.8
Boil
60 min
18.5
0.2 oz
East Kent Goldings
Pellet
5.8
Boil
5 min
3.69
Mash Guidelines
Amount
Description
Type
Temp
Time
4.4 qt
Heat 4.4 qt to 166-167°F
Infusion
154 F
60 min
0 qt
Raise to 170, Mash Out 10 min
Temperature
170 F
10 min
3 qt
Dunk (Batch) Sparge
Sparge
170 F
10 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb
Other Ingredients
Amount
Name
Type
Use
Time
0.13 tsp
Yeast Nutrient
Other
Boil
10 min
Yeast
Wyeast - Weihenstephan Weizen 3068
Attenuation (avg):
75%
Flocculation:
Low
Optimum Temp:
64 - 75 F
Starter:
No
Notes
Original Source: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/banana-bread-ale-90074/ but I doubt their hop numbers. I replaced both with EKGs(used brew365 calculator for mash with minor adjustments)Note: Check the AA% on the hops and adjust as needed pitch only HALF of the yeast pack to keep the banana flavor.
Generated by Brewer's Friend - <http://www.brewersfriend.com/>
Date: 2013-09-08 15:23 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2013-09-08 15:23 UTC
Target is to under pitch by a little to get more banana. I have 1.25 gal at 1.061 (estimated). According to Brewer's Friend, I need 53 billion cells. The yeast was manufactured 2013-08-15 so the above link estimates it has 83 billion. If I pitch half of it, I should be pitching about 41 billion which will under pitch by a little. I'll make sure to aerate well and maybe go a bit over half. I'll see the numbers when I put it into a measuring cup.
I'll update more with brew notes but my mash plan is as follows:
Grains were double milled
I am also going to introduce a whirlpool. I'll get it started after it has cooled by stirring vigorously. I'll then put the (sanitized) lid and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. Then, using the sanitized siphon, I'll move it to the fermenter but first through the colander. Some will go into the test jar first for a hydrometer reading.
(Combined notes taken while brewing with comments around the same time. I'll try to denote added notes with italics)
(I'll keep updating this)
The process seemed to work very well. The new bags worked well (note that they were inside out) and were easy to clean. The whole thing took a bit longer than I'd hope (it's not 5:13) but it was fun and worth it.
Most of the technique (double mill, BAIB, mashout, dunk/batch sparge, etc) seemed to work well. I think I need to work on post-boil technique. Why did my brew-house efficiency come out lower than pre-kettle? Whirlpooling didn't work. I didn't like the time it took and there wasn't much hop matter spared. Maybe it would be better with irish moss? Or with a hoppier brew?
I was unhappy/concerned about the measurement when I bottled the saisonso I decided to try a different measurement. I quickly took the airlock out (which was already bubbling BTW) and weighed it as 11 lbs 1/4 oz or 4997 g. I then weighed a different, empty bucket with lid at 1 lbs 7/8 oz or 478.4g. Therefore, I had 4518.6 grams. The density of water is 1000g/L but the density of this wort is 1072 g/L (OG*density of water). Therefore, there were (4516.6g/1072 g/L)=4.213L=1.113 gal. That is about 4% difference. I guess that's not too bad.
I like using the weight method but I need to be careful because my scale is supposed to max out at 11 lbs. Obviously it went above it there with the weight of the full fermentor, but there may be a loss of accuracy and/or it may just not work well.
(Day 6) It fermented quickly but then seemed to stop bubbling after the first day, maybe even sooner. I gave it a small shake to try to re-ignite anything in there but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.
On2013-09-14, I racked it into a secondary so I could take a measurement (even though a secondary is not needed). At 73F, it read 1.021 which seems high.
However, Brewers Friends says that is 6.56% ABV and is 69.4% attenuation. That may be fine. I will investigate the typical FG of Dunkels and see what I find. I'll update if need be.
I bottled the dunkel. Here are my notes:
I really need to look into the loss of so much. What can I do to prevent it? I drank that 1/2 bottle. It was okay. Definitely tasted like a wheat beer but no detectable banana flavor. May be more pronounced cold. Not sure
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6554, 2013-09-08_171629
Southern Tier Pumking Clone(ish) -- back to top
Meredith and I are brewing a clone (of sorts) of the ST Pumking beer. As noted in the recipe comments, it is a combination of a few different sources. This is beer 004. The recipe is below:
(PDF) (TXT) (XML stored locally)
ST Pumking Clone
By gwdlaw (HBT) and Bull City
Method:
All Grain
Style:
Holiday/Winter Special Spiced Beer
Boil Time:
90 min
Batch Size:
1.375 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size:
2.1 gallons
Efficiency:
70% (brew house)
Boil Gravity:
1.062 (recipe based estimate)
Original Gravity:
1.100
Final Gravity:
1.032
ABV (standard):
8.92%
IBU (tinseth):
32.64
SRM (morey):
24.19
Fermentables
Amount
Fermentable
PPG
L
Bill %
3.5 lb
American - Pale 2-Row
37
1.8
62.9%
0.5 lb
American - Caramel / Crystal 80L
33
80
9%
0.5 lb
American - Victory
34
28
9%
3 oz
Lactose (Milk Sugar) - (late addition)
41
1
3.4%
3 oz
Turbinado
44
10
3.4%
2 oz
Belgian Candi Syrup - Dark
32
80
2.2%
1 oz
Brown Sugar
45
15
1.1%
0.5 lb
pumpkin
1.75
13
9%
Hops
Amount
Variety
Time
AA
IBU
Type
Use
0.16 oz
Magnum
Pellet
15
Boil
60 min
29.83
0.13 oz
Saaz
Pellet
3.5
Boil
15 min
2.81
Mash Guidelines
Amount
Description
Type
Temp
Time
7.5 qt
Strike at 167-168 (7.5qt=1.875gal=30c)
Infusion
154 F
75 min
--
Mash Out
Temperature
170 F
10 min
3.15 qt
3.15qt=12.6 cups
Sparge
170 F
10 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb
Other Ingredients
Amount
Name
Type
Use
Time
0.25 tsp
Irish Moss
Fining
Boil
15 min
0.13 tsp
Yeast Nutrient
Other
Boil
10 min
0.13 tsp
Allspice
Spice
Boil
5 min
0.5 tbsp
Chopped candied ginger
Spice
Boil
5 min
0.75 each
Cinnamon sticks
Spice
Boil
5 min
0.13 tsp
Nutmeg
Spice
Boil
5 min
0.13 tsp
Whole cloves
Spice
Boil
5 min
0.25 tsp
Pumpkin pie spice
Spice
Secondary
--
0.25 tsp
Capella water soluble Graham Cracker Extract (purchased online)
Spice
Secondary
--
1 each
Vanilla Bean vodka solution (see notes for exact quantities)
Spice
Secondary
--
Yeast
Ferments / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05
Attenuation (avg):
72%
Flocculation:
Medium
Optimum Temp:
59 - 75 F
Starter:
No
Notes
Do not trust the FG numbers because of the lactose, etc---------------------------All grains and pumpkin go in the mash. If the pumpkin is in the boil you will most likely lose a gallon of water, and have a tough time straining the pumpkin out.The sugars go in at 60 min except that Lactose that goes at 15.The pumpkin should be cleaned and cut into small cubes and baked for 45 mins at 350, then mashed and coated with honey. Then baked for another 45 mins at 350. Let it cool to 154 and add to mash.For the vanilla bean vodka solution, 1/2 vanilla beans are cut in half. The seeds and goodies are then scraped into 1oz of vodka. Let the vodka sit for two weeks.----------------------Recipe from http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/southern-tier-pumking-clone-191381/index20.html (gwdlaw) and http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/16367/southern-tier-pumking-clone and http://bullcityhomebrew.com/recipes.aspx?id=Pumpkin%20Spiced%20Ale%20(All%20Grain).xml(all over the place)
--------------------
The mash numbers are a rough estimate. Adjust as needed
Generated by Brewer's Friend - <http://www.brewersfriend.com/>
Date: 2013-09-15 16:17 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2013-09-14 10:56 UTC
See HERE
It didn't start to really show some air lock activity for 18 hours. From my reading, that is not too abnormal. Furthermore, it is probably colder with the swamp cooler method
I racked the pumking beer and added the vodka mix. I racked into the gallon jug onto the vodka and also took a sample (before vodka). I got 1.031 (1.032 with temp) which Brewers Friend says is 10.5 ABV. I calculated that the vodka should add 0.3% to that but we'll see based on how much gets into the bottle.
I basically filled the gallon jug. That means I still lost a good amount to yeast/trub. But I do think I did a better job than ever before at getting just about all of the liquid off the yeast!
Also, no graham cracker extract was added.
Here are my notes. Meredith was here for this too.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6611, 2013-09-15_161210
I made Snickerdoodles from the recipe below taken out of one of my Dad's recipe books. I used to make them with the recipe when I was much younger so I decided to use it again.
I followed the recipe pretty closely except I used Wolfram Alpha to convert 3.5 cups flour to 17 ounces and 2 cups sugar to 14 ounces. I also just mixed all of the dry ingredients into the wet slowly at the end.
I made big ones since it was supposed to make 35 to 40 but only made 28. I forgot how much they spread. Some stuck a bit but I was able to separate them. I'll do smaller ones and more batches next time. They tasted pretty good. Some were a bit too cooked but still tasted fine.
They were very good. Nice flavors rich taste. I'd make them again if I have a need to.
Snickerdoodles (from ???)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6715, 2013-09-27_143055
Mexican Night: Lentil Tacos, Home Made Guac, Sweet Potato Fritters, and Roasted Artichokes -- back to top
This was quite the meal. Emily wanted mexican so this is what we came up with. In no particular order:
I had read a few sites on artichokes and decided to simply cut it in half, trim the stem, coat with garlic and small slice of lime. I roasted them for about 40 minutes at about 400. I had to take them out because they were burning.
When we tried to eat them, they were still too undercooked. We couldn't get to the meat of the artichoke. I microwaved them for 5 minutes which helped a bit but not really enough.
I like the idea of using dry heat but it just didn't seem to cook them enough. I will look into steaming them and_then_ roasting. Or, I saw something that used a foil packet. Maybe, I simply need a lower temperature.
Meredith made the dips too. They were both fat-free greek yogurt based. One was honey mustard where she mixed mustard and honey (duh) into the yogurt.The other was tequila-lime (which tasted a bit like margaritas). Both were good though the honey mustard was more popular.
These were based on the recipe below. The idea is that you boil sweet potatoes and then press them (smash them?) flat. However, it became clear pretty early on that they were not smashing well. I do not know if they were too big or if I had done something else wrong, but they weren't really working. So, we microwaved them a bit more and mashed them. Then, we used the seasoning mix (doubled) and coated both sides. We baked them for about 25 minutes at 400.
They came out really good. The sweet potatoes themselves had a lot of flavor and the seasoning mix was spot-on. We will do them again
Meredith made the guac and it was absolutely amazing. She can come back and comment on exactly what she did, but it had some different ingredients than usual. Most notably, I very finely chopped some onion, cilantro and jalapeño peppers. I do not know what other seasonings she used but it was amazing!
I made the taco filling. First, I cooked lentils like I do for the moussakka. I separately sautéd an onion and a whole container of finely chopped mushrooms. I combined them all. I used taco seasoning but I also added garlic powder, pepper and crushed red pepper to the mix. I let it all cook down together.
We served it with chopped onion, cilantro, FF greek yogurt (as sour cream), cheese, low-carb tortillas (gummy. Would not rush to get again) and mini tomatoes.
Everything was very good except the chewy artichokes. The meal was a lot of work but it was fun. There was lots of collaboration and everyone (Emily was there too) working together.
Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes (from The Creek Side Cook)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6763, 2013-10-14_230214
African Peanut Soup, Kale Salad and Pumping Croquettes -- back to top
This was a big and complicated meal. I will try to remember all of the different things. We made food for us and Meredith's room mate. We wanted to make something fancy but we didn't want seafood and we were avoiding dairy. We also had a pumpkin with no plans. So, we made the following: Baby Kale Salad with Pomegranate, African Peanut Soup and Pumpkin Croquettes.
The recipe it is based on is below. The salad was AMAZING. It was my favorite part of the meal. We used a "baby power green" mix that was baby kale, baby chard and baby spinach. It was well chopped. We used a full pomegranate's arils and finally, wild black rice. We also made the dressing. We sautéd the shallots with a lot of added minced garlic in a good bit of olive oil (and then went much lighter on it in the mixing it all). I used the immersion blender to emulsify everything and that worked really well. The dressing had a huge amount of flavor and the garlic was prominent (which was a good thing). We used about the amount of walnuts that it called for but it needed more. Finally, the feta cheese was served on the side.
The texture of the salad along with the pomegranate was perfect. Everything melded nicely and all of the flavors really came together. We will certainly do this again!
We did something likethis before and we followed the general idea but totally different seasonings. Since we were trying to avoid cheese, we went heavy with fresh herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme). We again used bacon (6 thick slices, about 2/5 lbs, half Maple and half Dry rubbed. Cooked in the oven) and used some bacon grease in place of the olive oil. We used about 1/2 cup chickpea flour instead of what it called for since we made extra pumpkin.
To soften the pumpkin, we deseeded it and sliced it into 8 slices. We microwaved them for about 20-25 minutes instead of roasting since we didn't want to take too long. The slices were the right size that between a fork to hold and a spoon to scrape, it was pretty easy to get the meat off. It was a pie pumpkin so it wasn't huge but did have a lot more flavor.
We mixed everything together and formed croquettes. We pressed them into Panko and baked them around 425 for 45 minutes, flipped them and baked for 10 more.
Meredith and her room mate thought they were good. I thought they were a bit too rich and maybe even a bit smokey. They browned nicely enough. I would do them again but I'd first look into alternative flavors than we used.
This recipe is one of Meredith's favorites and she did most of the construction. The soup was very good. You could really taste the different flavors meld. I got hints of carrot soup and tomato soup with a bit of a peanut flavor and a bit of spice.
Her recipe/instructions are as follows: Note that this is just a rough guide. It is pretty forgiving and you can adjust to taste
Sweat the onions with the jalapeno over low heat in a little olive oil until translucent. Add in the carrots and peppers and crank the heat up to medium. Stir in cumin, tumeric, cayenne and powdered ginger. Toss in peanuts and brown a little and add the fresh grated ginger and garlic. Stir until fragrant. Add the broth and tomato paste
Bring to a simmer
Ladle out a cup or so of the warmed broth and stir it into the peanut butter/combine until smooth and creamy, then transfer this back into the soup.Add apple cider vinegar
Use immersion blender to thicken the soup, but you want to keep a chunky texture
To serve:
Place chopped kale in bowls for serving and ladle the hot soup on top to wilt slightly.
scatter some roughly chopped peanuts over the top and serve with sriracha
Pomegranate, Kale and Wild Rice Salad with Walnuts and Feta (from Pinch of Yum)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6870, 2013-11-09_121243
Spaghetti Squash with Seitan and Roasted Sweet Potatoes -- back to top
I made spaghetti squash with seitan and roasted sweet potatoes.
I decided to try something new and bake it. I made it with the pretty standard mix of wheat gluten to water and a bunch of seasonings. I initially just did the kneading by hand but I was having trouble getting it to form really well. So I did it in the food processor for 30 seconds. That probably over did it as it was they very hard to shape (note though that when you make seitan crumbles, I think the key is that you don't knead it and bring it together).
Anyway, I then made three logs of different sizes and I wrapped them really tightly in aluminum foil. I baked them at 375 for 90 minutes. Two of the three exploded while in the oven. One came totally out of the foil and was extremely dried out. The second came out a little and had a crispy spot and a really tough outside but soft inside. Finally, the third also have a tough outside and soft inside but was better than those that exploded out of the foil.
I am not rushing back to make them in the oven again. Though, I do think I will use foil.I've seen other things where they steam it_in_the foil. I wonder if I could still do the pressure cooker steaming with the foil. It is worth experimenting.
Nothing special with the sauce. I sautéd a whole onion. I bought whole peeled tomatoes instead of diced so I try to lightly immersion blend it. Well, I think the end result was crushed tomatoes as it was basically liquid. That was fine because I knew how I would be mixing it all together. Anyway, I added the tomatoes then a tiny bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. I then added some balsamic vinegar. I let it cook down until thicker
Meanwhile, I used the microwave on the squash
I recently read an article on Serious Eats called "Food Lab: How to Roast Fall and Winter Vegetables". I used their technique (and recipe below) for the sweet potatoes. Basically, you let it rest in 160°F water for an hour for the enzymes to convert the starches to sugar. (I put the whole pan in a freezer bag with a trivet). You then roast at 400 for about 50 minutes.
I followed the idea of the recipe pretty closely. I also used a bit of honey on them as they were roasting. I probably could have taken them out a tiny bit sooner, but they were very good. They did have a lot of sweetness! I would definitely try it again. Maybe next time, I'll also have a control group
The Best Roasted Sweet Potatoes (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7028, 2013-12-15_183233
Ultra Crispy Roasted Potatoes (and leftovers) -- back to top
I wanted to try the other methods from the Serious Eats recipe on all vegetables, this time doing it with regular potatoes. The recipe is below but the general idea is to parboil the potatoes with vinegar. The potatoes' starch gets washed away and cooks a bit and the vinegar keeps them from falling apart.
It worked pretty well except that the heat was a bit high since it cooked the parchment paper more than anything else. However, they were very crispy. I would do it again with lower heat.
I also had the leftover spaghetti squash.
Ultra Crispy Roast Potatoes (from Serious Eats)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7034, 2013-12-16_091931
Pecan-Crusted Cod, Braised Leeks, and French Onion Soup -- back to top
Meredith and I made fish, soup and braised leeks.
The fish was cod that we coated in a mixture of pecan meal, salt, pepper, and a bit of panko. We coated it all around and really patted it on. We then baked it for like 12-15 minutes at 350 (ish--with that oven). It came out pretty good. Not the most flavorful but you could really taste the fish. It probably would have been better if we marinated it or did something like that.
We made french onion soup (sans cheese) with lots of really well reduced/caramelized onions, Then, we made the soup with a mixture of beef and chicken broth and white wine (2:2:1 ratio or so). Not much else there. The soup was pretty simple and pretty good though not incredible. I do not know what I could do to make it more rich.
Finally, we did braised leeks. We cut off the greens and then peeled the outer layer. The rest was from the recipe below. Not too special to the recipe but they weren't very good. They were a bit mushy and stringy. I have never had braised leeks or leeks in any real form for that matter so I have little to compare it to.
It was certainly an acceptable meal but at no point was anything all that special. Maybe we will use some of these ideas again but with changes.
Braised Leeks (from Martha Stewart)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7154, 2014-01-18_162124
Green Papaya Salad and Summer Rolls -- back to top
There were kind of two parts to this meal. The first was the papaya salad and the second was trying to roll it in rice papers.
First the salad. We julienne the green papaya at first by a mandoline and then manually which was a pain but I managed. We followed the recipe pretty faithfully except we increased the amount of dressing since we had a lot of papaya. And we used only 1/2 pound shrimp. Finally, we fried all of the scallions both for the dressing and the marinade. We skipped the peanuts but also added thai basil, mint, and cilantro. Meredith also did something like massage the papaya with the dry seasonings to soften it a bit. The salad was really good. A lot of flavor, though less than the one we have had at a restaurant. The herbs added a nice amount of nuance to the dish. I like the green papaya more than ripe since I have had pretty bad luck with papaya in the past.
The second part was trying to make summer rolls out of it with rice paper. The real problem was that these were too small of rice papers for what we tried to do. They just didn't come together well (though I think Meredith had more luck than I had). I think we would have had more luck with larger papers. I definitely want to try and do these again (with veggies and the more regular things inside). But with larger rolls!
Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp (from Splendid Table)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7158, 2014-01-19_162220
Coconut Shrimp, Mussels and Roasted Cabbage -- back to top
This was mine and Meredith's anniversary dinner. We had eaten a large lunch earlier so we didn't want anything too heavy so we went with seafood. We had Filipino (I think) coconut shrimp, mussels in white wine and roasted cabbage + broccoli.
Mussels: I did this so I know more about it. I lightly sautéed a bunch of scallions in some oil. Then, as they were almost finished, I added 4-5 minced garlic cloves. When they were all aromatic, I added about half a bottle of cheap white wine (Three Buck Chuck). Finally, I added a bit of crushed red pepper. I used the steamer insert to steam the mussels. Later, I actually decided to do another few minutes to cook them a bit more (this time without the basket).
They were really good, though I was disappointed by the number of dead ones before and after. The sauce was really, really good with the crusty sour-dough bread we bought.
Shrimp: Meredith did this so I am less completes sure of what she did. I think she followed the recipe below with a few major changes.
When she combined it all, it seemed to curdle but that didn't affect the flavor. I really liked them. You could taste all of the coconut flavor (probably from the flakes). I would make this again in a heartbeat.
(as an aside, it calls for 1 lbs of shrimp for two people!!!)
Cabbage: This was nothing special. Just the normal roasted cabbage but with some (old) broccoli that I had around thrown in. Kind of a let down with the other stuff.
Head-On Coconut Shrimp (from Burnt Lumpia)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7232, 2014-02-08_204217
Homemade Tuna Sushi and Bahn Mi Garden Rolls -- back to top
We took two Vietnamese dishes and combined them. We used Meredith's Mushroom Pate, sliced cucumbers, Meredith's pickled carrots, sliced jalapeños, cilantro and Pan-Seared Tofu.
The Tofu was based on Kenji's Method (from Serious Eats). You use boiling water to get more water out of the tofu. Then you press the tofu and finally, pan-fry/sear it. You do not marinate it but after it is cooked, you can then put it in the sauce. We used a mixture of TJ's Soyaki (aka Soy Vay), sriracha and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The tofu was very good.
The rolls themselves were good. Some were better and more tightly rolled than others but they were all flavorful. The mushroom pate got kind of lost in them which is unfortunate since it's so good. A tip Meredith discovered is to put down on the bottom whatever you want to be most visible.
We made tuna, avocado and cucumber sushi. We found that at The Fresh Market, they will sell you still vacuum and frozen sashimi grade tuna for a really amazing price! You just have to ask for the still-frozen stuff. We used that and it tasted fine. No fishy flavor at all. Very clean but flavorful.
Cutting it was kind-of a nightmare. It wasn't clear which way the grain went and we forgot whether or not you are supposed to cut along it or against it. Still, we managed to get the 7ozpiece sufficiently cut.
More details on the rice below.
We made the sushi rice using Alton Brown's recipe (also below). The recipe worked well enough. Some layer of rice burned on the bottom but we carefully scraped off of it to avoid the burned flavor. Otherwise, the only change was to go a bit light on the salt since we (a) had less rice and (b) were using a different and potentially more fine salt.
It came out very flavorful but way too sticky. As you can see from some of the pictures, we had a lot of trouble getting a thin layer on the nori and did not have a great rice coating. I need to read up on how to spread it and/or look at other recipes. I did really like the flavor though.
We forgot to buy wasabi so we served with sriracha (which we also had out for the rolls). And soy sauce. We also had some peanut sauce from Whole Foods that wasn't very good. I mixed in a bit of sriracha which helped a little but not much.
Sushi Rice (from Alton Brown)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7444, 2014-02-16_120721
Cilantro Egg-Drop Soup -- back to top
NOTE: The dip part of this is now in My Recipe Book
Meredith has been talking about this soup for a while so I finally decided to give it a try. First of all, I am not totally sure what it is supposed to be called so I'll stick with my boring name (but it will always be Meredith's Soup in my book).
Anyway, I followed the recipe below with the following general changes:
As far as following recipes goes, I guess I was pretty close (I even used real garlic when called and actually grated it as best I could)
The soup was incredibly good. Lots of flavor and complexity. It was also pretty hearty as a meal given the egg and the beef. It would actually probably be fine with ground beef in the future and maybe (just maybe!) lentils (not really sure)
I was debating trying to lower the olive oil and I still may try to do so but honestly, I didn't think that 1/8 cups == 2 Tbsp (plus whatever else from the rest) was really_that_ bad.
I would definitely do it again. And I imagine soon enough, I will be adding it to my recipe book once I tweak it to be where I want it.
2014-03-12 Update: A few notes having eaten this for lunch two days later. The first is that I shouldn't have added the croutons for lunch until I was about to eat. They just disintegrated. The second is that it was a bit....for lack of a better word... udgy cold. Too much oil and a strange texture. I'll heat it up next time.
Photos:
The West Lake Hybrid (from Lady and Pups)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7590, 2014-03-10_202529
I had a huge amount of zucchini and I was going out of town so I made zucchini bread. I followed the recipe from Smitten Kitchen (below). I tried to stay relatively true to the recipe except I also used almonds. And I forgot the vanilla.
However, I only had the bigger casserole dish which required me to cook it for a very long time. I didn't actually eat it so I do not know how it came up. I will ask how it came out. I did also make a mini one below and it was pretty good. Probably could have used some vanilla!
Zucchini Bread (from Smitten Kitchen)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7732, 2014-03-30_183542
Lotus Root Chips and Sandwiches for the road -- back to top
Meredith and I made a snack and dinner to go on the road.
The snack was lotus root chips. As you can see, they look really cool. They were also really good. We used the seasonings below. I would absolutely do these again. And, I would consider this seasoning for other chips. Note that this post is very old at this point so I do not remember the details. The mandoline would have been nice for slicing the chips
The sandwiches were an arugula pesto, bacon, tomato and I think oven roasted asparagus (lightly)
Cumin Spiced, Baked Lotus Chips (from Spoon Fork Bacon)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7746, 2014-04-11_075041
Coconut Macaroons and Almond Macarons -- back to top
This was also a long time ago but Meredith and I made Macarons and Macaroons for passover. I do not have the recipe for the macarons but it was from Martha Stewart. We followed them pretty closely for the "mocha" variation. We made a filling with walnut butter, cocoa and some date-based sweetener.
I also wanted to make macaroons since they_can_ be very good. I followed the recipe below from The Kitchn using something of the modification for making them "crispier". They say to increase the coconut to 5 cups from 3. However, all I did was use the whole 14 oz bag. I measured it to be a bit over 4 cups. Note that if you go by the nutritional label's density, the bag should only be 3. However, King Arthur Flour's Conversion Chart seems to agree with my measures. I also toasted the coconut as per the recipe suggestion you can (on a silpat)
I liked them aa lot but next time, I want to beat the eggs a bit more. And more coconut if I have it but that doesn't really matter. Note that I made these at my dads with is convection oven. It should still work fine in a regular one. The picture below show the eggs
Coconut Macaroons
How to Make the Easiest Coconut Macaroons (from The Kitchn)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7751, 2014-04-14_075526
Bahn Mi Sliders and Zucchini noodles with a Peanut-Sesame Sauce -- back to top
We made Bahn Mi sliders and Zucchini Noodles in a Peanut sauce
We used the recipe below (halved) for the sauce but we made a few changes. The most major of which is we used fresh peanuts to make the peanut butter. We kind of just eye balled it but it was probably pretty close. And, to bring it all together, we added the sesame oil while chopping the nuts. We also used two fresh thai chile peppers instead of red pepper flakes which gave it a really good, fresh heat. And we used some extra honey to balance the heat.
The other major change to the sauce was that I screwed up and read that you cooked it. While it was a mistake and it made a bit of a mess, it actually added a nice complexity to the sauce.
We combined the sauce and the noodles on the stove but I think that cooked the zucchini too much making it watery. Next time, we will just lightly roast the zucchini and then combine with the sauce to keep it more together. Also, we had a huge amount of sauce leftover even though_we already halved it_
The sliders were made with mini-kaiser rolls. We used the following:
A few notes. We used some coconut oil to sauté the skirt steak. Well, between using too much of the coconut oil and the rendered fat on the steak, it was very oily. We will use less oil and maybe a different cut of meat next time. Also, you couldn't really taste the marinade. So, more and longer next time. And maybe tweak it to be more "penetrating"
We didn't have white vinegar so we used half rice wine vinegar and half apple cider. Also, the carrots pickled for about 30 hours.
The jalapeños were extremely hot! Probably from leaving the seeds in.
These also came out tasting really good. Lots of fresh ingredients. And they were pretty cute.
Peanut Sesame Noodles (from Smitten Kitchen)
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Daikon and Carrot Pickle (from Viet World Kitchen)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7764, 2014-04-18_200022
Seitan and Broccoli stir-fry -- back to top
I made seitan and then a broccoli and seitan stir-fry.
I didn't take a photo of it but I used the seitan from below to make a broccoli stir fry. I just steamed broccoli, then added the seitan. I then added some teriyaki (not the high-cal one) and some other seasonings.
I read a few different articles online about pressure cooking seitan. Many said that seitan gets spongy from being cooked over a normal simmer temp (which is way lower than a pressure cooker). And to counter this, add some other flour.
So, I played around a bit and came up with the following recipe. Note that the extra 1/4 cups of water was too much. The dough was very wet but this did work very well so I wouldn't make too many changes. Next time, I also want to weigh the things for future reference since I hate going by volume. But anyway,
Dry:
Wet:
Broth (for pressure cooker)
I mixed the dry ingredients together and then separately mixed the wet. I added the wet ingredients (which was minus the extra 1/4 cup water). I then added the extra 1/4 cup since it was too dry. After mixing it all, I ran it in the food processor for 30 seconds and then kneaded it by hand too.
I let it rest for a little bit while I made the broth and started that. I then cut the dough into four equal pieces. I tried something different and rolled half of them in cheese cloth to make them nicely shaped. As you can see from the photo, it worked
I added them to the pressure cooker and cooked for 30 minutes (at_full_pressure) and a natural release.
This was probably the best seitan I have made in a while. I would work off of this recipe in the future
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7767, 2014-04-22_200522
Baba Ganoush (appetizer) and Shakshuka (with fried eggs or hard-boiled eggs) -- back to top
Meredith made baba Ganoush using the recipe at the very bottom. She basically followed it except she skipped burning the eggplant and just roasted it (cut in half, flesh side down). She also added some cumin (surprise) and sumac. Finally, this time she used less tahini (scant 1/4 cup) and added some sesame seeds to make up for it. On the note of tahini, she says that she has experimented and found that you_can_ go as low as a 1/4 of a cup but do not go lower as it looses the needed creaminess.
We made the shakshuka using a lot of leftover veggies as well as some new ones. I do not remember all of the details, but as I recall, the base was
We did it in the cast-iron dutch oven (which I think tends to make things cook really well and results in richer flavors). We started by sautéing the onions in a bit of canola oil. As they cooked I added the rest of the veggies and sautéd for a while. I separately sautéd the garlic in a bit on canola and then combined everything with the tomatoes.
For seasonings, I used the following. I started with measures and then I eventually just added more as I went.
I let it simmer (between setting 2 and 3 on the induction) for probably a good 30-40 minutes.
I have never been happy with eggs poached in the shakshuka (especially the next day). So we topped them at night with fried eggs (with yolks barely set).
For lunch, I hard-"boiled" some eggs. After having trouble peeling them last time, I followed The Food Lab's (newest version) ideas about starting with hot water or steam. The idea is that there is no fool-proof way but starting with the cooking liquid hot tends to do better.
I chose the steamed version which says to heat water on high. Once at a rolling boil, steam eggs for 6 minutes for soft, 12 minutes for hard). If cooling, chill in ice bath immediately (reduced the air-pocket area).
I followed this (except I misread it as 11 minutes). The eggs came off the shell very nicely and the yolks were well set (1 more minute could have been better but not noticeable). This will be my go-to method in the future. And, it is faster to bring water to a boil for steaming than to do the whole pot!
Baba Ganoush (from David Lebovitz)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7839, 2014-05-18_224710
Fish Tacos with Pan Fried Cod -- back to top
Meredith and I made fish tacos for dinner.
We used cod which we pan-fried. I mixed a bunch of cumin, cajun seasoning, cayenne and (not enough) salt into about a cup of flour and tossed with the fish. I then pan fried it in canola oil. One problem is that our stove is just slightly off-level (I need to fix that) so I needed more oil than I would have liked to coat the pan. And, it was, in general, more oil anyway than I like to use in cooking. So next time, we broil it. I was very uncertain on how much to cook the fish but it actually came out pretty good, though it needed salt.
We also topped the tacos with cabbage slaw, avocado and chipped cilantro. The slaw is from the recipe below except that we doubled it (lots of cabbage), used regular onion, used fresh lime juice, and used red cabbage. Also, we let it sit for a long time since we postponed our original meal plan. It was pretty good but I would still look for different recipes for next time. My tacos had greek yogurt too.
For the shells, we used small 6" flour tortillas(78 cal/tortilla). Meredith correctly pointed out that we would likely use the same number of tortillas no matter the size so we bought the small ones. I think they make a whole wheat version so we'll look out for that one. Also, next time, I want to take the time to heat them on the stove instead of the microwave. They come out really good like that
Southwestern Slaw (from The Culinary Institute of America)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7847, 2014-05-21_210531
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Sweet Corn Gazpacho -- back to top
Meredith and I made Asian Lettuce Wraps.. We made a few changes including extra cilantro, a but of plum vinegar and a tiny bit of honey. Actually, we used extra noodles since that is how the sizing of the packages worked. Finally, we used mixer-shredded poached chicken. The lettuce was Boston Bibb lettuce. They were really good. The noodles are a bit strange but I like the texture. And the flavor was really good. I do want to explore some more lettuce wraps fillers just to try something different.
And we made sweet Corn Gazpacho from the recipe below. We actually followed the recipe pretty closely other than using red tomatoes (hence the color) instead of yellow. And we used Osem for broth.
I thought it had something of an earthy flavor. Lots of onion (from the shallots?) and was a bit sharp. But I still enjoyed it. Meredith didn't love it. Uncooked corn worked surprisingly well but I do think some of the harsher flavors could have been toned down if it were cooked.
Sweet Corn Gazpacho (from Spoon Fork Bacon)
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7876, 2014-05-26_221559
Avocado Crab Roll with Soy Sauce "Caviar" and Roasted Shishito Peppers -- back to top
This was quite the meal. We made soy sauce caviar with the recipe and technique below. Essentially, you combine soy sauce and agar agar. Then, once cooler,you drip it into cold oil. This causes the drips to form into small spheres which you can then strain out. Essentially, you end up with solid soy-sauce balls. Note that we halved her recipe (which was halved from its original source) and it still made a ton. Also, when looking at the recipe, do note that you do not consume any of the insane amount of oil. It is just part of the process.
The crab was also inspired by the below recipe but we really just winged it. We used about half a pound of claw meat. We added a good amount of chopped cilantro and chopped shiso. We wanted to use Japanese shiso but Meredith thinks this was the Korean kind. Oh well. We then added some salt, pepper, a_tiny_ bit of oil and some lemon juice. We followed her basic assembly
We also made shishito peppers. I used the same technique as last time except I left them out of the oven between the initial roast and broiling since I mis-estimated timing. I made up for it by broiling them a bit more. The peppers themselves were good but next time, I want to use a better, rockier salt.
I made the "aoili" by doctored_low-fat_ mayo. I used a few small scoops of Trader Joes Low-Fat Mayo. To that, I added 5 (!!!) finely chopped cloves of garlic and some garlic powder. I mixed that in with some salt, pepper and miso. Finally, I added and mixed a tiny bit of olive oil to thin it. This worked well. Lots of garlic flavors and not overly mayonnaise-like. Next time, I would sauté half the garlic to give it a mixed of cooked with the the fresh garlic.
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7948, 2014-07-22_200042
Broccoli Beef over Brown Rice -- back to top
I made broccoli beef but this time, for the first time, I used a wok. I am still learning the wok and how to use it best but this worked pretty well.
We used tri-tip beef. Some sources say it is prized for being lean but it was pretty marbled. And the nutritional information bares that out too (lean beef is about 1 points plus/lbs, this is about 1.5). Still, as I mention below, it was a really good choice.
First of all, we essentially doubled the recipe. I let the wok get really hot, added some oil, and did the beef (forgot both the garlic and the ginger). I probably had too much in there but I kept tossing with a metal spoon until it was pretty fully cooked. I then took it out of the pan and did the broccoli. Despite what the recipe calls for, I started with it raw and added water and tossed it to cook it. Once I thought it was cooked, I added back the beef and the rest of the sauce (which I forgot sriracha in).
I tossed everything and let the sauce cook down. The broccoli was a bit under cooked but I liked it more than the mush I usually get. And there was probably too much sauce for what we had. And I almost certainly crowded the pan.But it was also exceptionally good. I do not know if it was the oyster sauce (need to look up the brand) or the method or what but I was super flavorful. And the beef was really good too. While I didn't like that it was a bit fattier, it was really good.
We also served it with brown rice. I basically followed The Kitchn's method (also below) including a tiny bit of oil and soy sauce. I simmered it by setting the induction stove to 210°F. I checked on it in 25 minutes (10 early) and it was done. I am glad I checked then otherwise it may have overcooked. We used 1 cup dry and split to into four servings
Brown Rice (from The Kitchn)
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The listings are not complete but contain the main things. Also, I think we had_less_ than 1.5 lbs of beef but I do not have the label so I don't know.
Item
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Brown Rice
1
685
5.00
143.00
15.00
6.00
17.70
17.70
Beef (Tri-Tip) 3oz
8
213
11.20
0.00
26.10
0.00
5.27
42.13
Total
2389.00
94.60
143.00
223.80
6.00
59.83
Per Serving
4
597.25
23.65
35.75
55.95
1.50
14.96
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8007, 2014-07-24_190013
Beef Koftas and Spicy Shoestring Jicama Fries -- back to top
We made beef koftas and shoe-string jicama fries.
The koftas were from our regular recipe. We did toast the coriander seeds but only had ground cumin so we tossed it onto the hot pan at the last second. Other than that, we stayed pretty true to the recipe. We used Meredith's mint and we used what the recipe called for though I would have liked a bit more. And for the onions, we used finely chopped red onions. The beef was 90/10 ground beef (5 points plus/4 oz) and we used exactly a pound for four meals.
The other thing was jicama fries. We followed the recipe below from Inspiralized though we went light on the cayenne since Meredith said it was too much last time. We also just used the seasonings as a guide. I added some garlic powder, omitted the onion powder, added some smoked paprika, etc. We cooked them as it said but ended up giving them another 5 minutes to really crisp. Tip for next time: quartering the peeled jicama made it much easier and efficient to spiralize.
The texture was interesting. They felt limp but the natural crisp of jicama gave them a crunch. And they were just really good all around. We will do this again.
Meredith also made tzatziki with cultured almond milk (aka almond yogurt). It beat the soy version hands down
I did not calculate the exact points. The beef was 5. There was probably another 1-2 or so of miscellaneous oil. And I am not sure about the fries.
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Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8024, 2014-07-28_202027
Cauliflower Burrito Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Chicken -- back to top
I made cauliflower burrito bowls again. There were a bunch of components to these so I will break it up into the different parts
I again followed Joy The Baker's idea but I also did it differently to improve it. My recipe is below:
Chop the cauliflower including the stems. Grate (with food processor or box grater) into "rice" (This is as opposed to Joy The Baker's method).
Heat the oil on the stove and add the cauliflower. Keep stirring and cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium until it has softened. Remove from heat and place in a big bowl. Allow to cool slightly
Once the cauliflower has cooled slightly, add the zest of one lime and the juice of both (roll the lime prior to juicing it to loosen the juice). Finely chop the cilantro and add that. You do not want to add it if the cauliflower is too hot since it will diminish the flavors and aroma.
Mix well and salt and pepper to taste.
I used the recipe from Simply Recipesto make the marinade. However, I only used one tbsp of oil. And I heated the lemon-juice with the sugar (I used turbinado) to dissolve.
I also used chicken tenders and about 1.5 lbs instead of two. I let it marinate for 3-4 hours. I broiled it for 5 minutes on each side. It was cooked well (not too dry) but really could have used some browning. Next time, I think I will try it on the stove. It is just hard to do for that many breasts.
There was a lot of flavor to this marinade. The only thing I would change is to add some garlic and maybe some hot pepper
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken (from Simply Recipes)
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The black beans were pretty simple but very good. I started with about a Tbsp of canola oil and sautéd (for 1-2 min) 4 minced cloves of garlic. I added one rinsed can of black beans and tossed to warm them up and infuse the flavor
This was also pretty easy. I thoroughly warmed up the cast iron skillet (set it on a constant temp with the induction for 10 minutes or so). I then added half of an onion and two bell peppers (I meant to do the whole onion but somehow forgot). I had about a tbsp of oil to start but added more. Actually, I accidentally added a lot more but it was really good. I used salt and pepper to taste. I let this go for a long time. The onions got really caramelized and good. I only wished I had more.
I do not know exactly what the points are for the meal but I can make a quick guess. The main things are the chicken, beans, avocado and all of the oil added throughout.
1.5 lbs lean chicken: 24
1 can beans: 8
Oil [guess] (3.6 pp/tbsp x 4 tbsp): 14
Avocado: 8
---------------------------------------------
54total and 13.5 per serving (though I made two larger dinners and smaller lunches). I'd say 16 for dinner and 11for lunch.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8617, 2014-08-05_202844