Tilapia with vegetables. 6/24/22

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Beebamom
Roasted tilapia with kale, zucchini, fennel, onion, and eggplant with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce

We were supposed to have this dinner on Thursday but shortly before 5 o’clock we were put on advisory to be ready to evacuate due to a wildfire on the ridge behind our house. So we spent an anxious few hours waiting to see what would happen. Many thanks to all the fire fighters and coordinators from our town, county, and state for putting together a response that stopped the fire before it got totally out of control. Anyway, we never got around to making this dish and settled for some scrambled eggs later in the evening.

I constructed my low bowl with raw kale on the bottom, a terrific melange of sauteed onions, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, and fennel next, a perfectly roasted piece of tilapia (thanks to John) on the vegetables, and a spicy, sweet tomato sauce on top.

The sauce was made by combining a can of Original Ro tel with a couple of tablespoons of ketchup, a squirt of sriracha, a half teaspoon of both sugar and fish sauce, and the juice from half of a lemon. I plunge blended it to get a smooth sauce. It went well with both the fish and the vegetables.

I think that our tilapia dinner was a pleasure to behold with its bright colors and delicious to eat!

Posted in American, Fish, pescatarian, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fettuccine and zoodles with broccoli and mushrooms. 6/22/22

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Beebamom
Fettuccine and zoodles with broccoli and mushrooms

Wow, what a giant bowl of food! I cut down my pasta portion but added a bunch of zoodles. There are a lot of vegetables in this as well and a little bit of oil. This is the perfect vegan meal for me. Here’s how I made it.

First I sauteed mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a teaspoon of oil. John was heating the salted pasta water to boiling while I was doing this. The pasta that we are using by Carba-Nada cooks really quickly so I need to have the mushrooms, etc. cooked by the time he puts the pasta in. When he adds the fettuccine to the boiling water, I add the cut up broccoli and a half cup of the pasta water. I cover it and let it cook for about 3 minutes at which point the pasta is done. He adds the the fettuccine to my mixture and I add the zoodles, fresh basil and oregano, another half cup of pasta water, and stir it all around. Done.

I topped my bowl with a drizzle of good olive oil and a couple of twists of black pepper. This was amazingly delicious and filling!

Posted in American, Easy, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | 1 Comment

Shrimp bowl 6/21/22

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Beebamom
Shrimp over cauliflower rice with edamame, cabbage, cucumbers, jalapeño, and avocado with soy vinaigrette

Temperatures today soared to 100+F so we needed a dinner which would not heat up the kitchen. The components of this shrimp bowl are mostly raw. The cauliflower rice can be heated up in the microwave and the shrimp are a fast stove top cook.

The soy vinaigrette is especially delicious. Mix together 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 3T white vinegar, 2T vegetable oil, 2T chopped green onions, 2T minced ginger, and 1/4t toasted sesame oil. You may want to consider putting in a dash of some sort of sweetener. We like plenty of the dressing so we make a double portion.

I set up bowls of the ingredients and let each person assemble their own bowl. This dish is such a hit around here that we usually make it either with salmon or shrimp once a week. You could probably make your bowl with chicken, pork, or beef as well. I am thinking of trying it with tofu too!

Posted in Asian, Easy, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, pescatarian, Recipes, Shellfish, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Burger with cole slaw and cauliflower 6/20/22

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled hamburger and cauliflower with cole slaw

If you are thinking, “wow, that looks a lot like last Monday’s dinner”, you would be mostly correct. Significant differences, though, abound. The topping on my burger has changed from cheese to a mix of mayo and sriracha and the cole slaw features fennel along with cabbage. So, different, you see?

Mad props to John who cooked the burgers to a perfect rare/medium rare. Our daughter rated them the best cooking job on a burger ever! That is high praise from someone who usually makes her own dinner rather than eat ours.

I had an excellent weight loss the first week of this low carb diet so I guess I will try it for another week. I do crave something crunchy, though. I tried fooling myself with celery dipped in pub cheese last night but it is definitely not as satisfying as popcorn or chips. Sigh.

Posted in American, Beef, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. June 20-26, 2022

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Beebamom
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Sort of eggplant Parmesan with zoodles. 6/18/22

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Beebamom
Sort of eggplant Parmesan with zoodles

I made up this dish while making it. I knew I did not want breaded and fried eggplant and remembered how much we had enjoyed the eggplant cubes that I roasted in the oven for our farro bowls. I decided to roast the cubes and then when they were done I would melt some cheese over the top in the microwave followed by some reheated spaghetti sauce that I had made previously

Since I am currently not eating pasta, I decided to have zoodles (zucchini that has been spiralized.) Previously I had expensively bought the noodles already made from the produce department in the grocery store. But would it be cost effective to buy a spiralizer? Our daughter found a hand held one for sale at Grocery Outlet and since it was only $9 I decided to give it try. As you can see our zoodles came out just like thick spaghetti. I zoodled 2 zucchini which was plenty for the three of us. And it was fun.

So what did I think of our dinner hack? The sort of eggplant Parmesan tasted very like the real deal. And I can see using the Vegetti (the brand of spiralizer) to make a spaghetti substitute which I can sauce in many ways. Win-win!

Posted in American, Italian, Low carb meals, Methods, Sheet pan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Scallops with roasted broccolini and asparagus. 6/17/22

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Beebamom
Pan-seared scallops with roasted broccolini and asparagus

Originally I had planned on making asparagus and a salad. When I went to the grocery store they had a pack of asparagus and broccolini together for $5. I shifted gears and decided that asparagus and broccolini totally went together and all I needed to do was find a way to cook them without dirtying two large skillets. Aha! I’ll roast them in the oven on a sheet pan!

First I pre-heated my oven to 425F. (Luckily it was unseasonably cool today.) Then I put first the broccolini and then the asparagus in a plastic bag along with some olive oil and salt and shook the bag to get everything coated. I put all the vegetables on a foil lined sheet pan and they cooked in 15 minutes.

In the meantime John cooked the scallops in our cast iron frying pan for a few minutes on the first side to give the scallops a nice brown crust and then flipping them over for an additional minute on the other side. Don’t overcook them!

The vegetables and the scallops were delicious! We opened one of our good chardonnays and turned our dinner into a special no-occasion occasion 😊.

Posted in American, Easy, Kitchen tips, Low carb meals, Methods, pescatarian, Sheet pan, Shellfish, Special occasion, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Red lentils with chicken, kale, and cauliflower rice. 6/16/22

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Beebamom
Red lentils with chicken and kale over cauliflower rice

First let me note that John ate this dish vegan by simply removing the chicken. Since I am eating lower carbs I needed to replace some of the lentils with more protein. I have rotisserie chicken in the fridge so chicken was my additional protein.

After sautéing cumin seed, onions, garlic, spices, and ginger in a little oil add the lentils plus some water or stock and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Use rice or cauliflower rice as a base, cover the rice with raw kale, and then ladle on the red lentils. For some extra zing, I garnished with sriracha.

Posted in Afghan, Easy, Indian, Legumes, Low carb meals, Methods, Poultry, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pan-roasted salmon, broccoli, salad. 6/15/22

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Beebamom
Pan-roasted salmon with mustard sauce, steamed broccoli, and tossed salad

My new lower carb way of eating is going quite successfully and I am not feeling deprived hardly at all. Being able to use olive oil more freely has made cooking easier and the results tastier.

John cooked the salmon after a 20 minute brine in a pan over very low heat. He cooked it for 20 minutes on one side and then flipped it over for an additional 2 minutes. The salmon came out perfectly.

I made a mustard sauce to go with the salmon. It consisted of a tablespoon each of Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, mayonnaise and some water to thin it out to sauce consistency. I also put together a tossed salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar and steamed some broccoli.

Our tasty and satisfying dinner combined good-for-us vegetables, oil, and nutritious salmon. I will be featuring more meals like this in the weeks to come.

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Healthy tips, Low carb meals, Methods, pescatarian, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Hamburger with grilled cauliflower and coleslaw. 6/14/22

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled hamburger and cauliflower with cole slaw

A hot day calls for cooking outside. While I made a cool cole slaw indoors, John cooked the burgers and cauliflower on the grill. While John and our daughter had burgers on sesame buns, I had mine without the extra carbs. I loved the grilled cauliflower and the cole slaw worked out well too. I am thinking of more grilled vegetables this summer!

Posted in American, Beef, Easy, Grilling, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment