Baked tilapia with collards and corn 7/30/22

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Beebamom

Baked tilapia with collards and corn

Easy dinner tonight. John seasoned the fish with salt, garlic, paprika, and Old Bay then baked it in a 400F oven for 12 minutes. To make the collards and corn, first I sautéed sliced garlic until it was golden and then set it aside. Then I put the collard greens which had been stemmed, cut into a chiffonade, and then rinsed into a sprayed pan. I added a cup of frozen corn, a half teaspoon of butter, salt, a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and a sprinkle of sugar. The chard has plenty of water clinging to it so none additional is needed but adjust with more water if your pan is drying out. Cook for about 8-10 minutes. Garnish the greens with the sautéed garlic.

A squeeze of lemon is all that is needed to finish the plate. I tried eating slowly and mindfully so that I could better judge when I was full. I still ate everything but I think it was more satisfying.

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Healthy tips, Methods, pescatarian, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vegan curried lentils with zucchini, kale, and carrots 7/29/22

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Beebamom
Curried lentils with zucchini, kale, and carrots over white rice/cauliflower rice mix

I found this recipe for curried green lentils in an email that Food and Wine sent me. (https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/green-lentil-curry) It sounded good to me but then I read the reviews and many people found the dish lacking in flavor so I decided to try to fix it. John and I discussed it and we came to the conclusion that it needed double the spices (except for cayenne), and the addition of some curry powder, and that the spices needed to be bloomed in some oil first. After that we would cook the whole thing together in vegetable stock instead of water. Green beans sounded ugh to me so we put in zucchini instead. We added the vegetables after the lentils had been cooking for 15 minutes and then the kale and cilantro 5 minutes later. We finish the dish off with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lime and served it over a combination of white rice and cauliflower rice.

So how did it turn out? It still needs some work. I think we need to up the curry powder and cumin seeds and maybe add a can of Rotel. I guess I would like it to taste like chana dal made with lentils instead of chickpeas.

Posted in Indian, Legumes, Methods, Recipes, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 2 Comments

Salmon bowl 7/28/22

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Beebamom
Salmon bowl with cabbage, cucumbers, jalapeños, edamame, and avocado

Salmon or shrimp bowls are a frequent choice for dinner at our house. This is an especially good dish during hot weather since the only cooked components are the salmon which cooks on low on the stovetop and cauliflower rice that is heated up in the microwave. (Or you can use regular rice.)

I set the cold components on the counter and let everyone fix their bowls as they like. The dressing which is not on my bowl yet in the picture is a combination of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup neutral oil, and finely chopped garlic clove, thumb of ginger, and 2 scallions. I use my mini food processor on the last three ingredients. You can also add a pinch of sugar or sweetner according to your taste. This is not an emulsified dressing. We also like to sprinkle on furikake as a garnish.


Cold components of our salmon bowls

Next time I make this (probably next week!) I am going to try replacing the salmon or shrimp with tofu. I think tofu would be a great vehicle for the dressing and I can add another plant based meal to my weekly menu!

Posted in Asian, Easy, Fish, Methods, pescatarian, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vegan! Fusilli and kale with mushrooms 7/27/22

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Beebamom

Fusilli and kale with mushrooms

Absolutely the best way to eat pasta when you are dieting is to make a little pasta and a lot of vegetables. If you are like me you want to have a large bowl of pasta but cannot expend all those calories. By adding a lot of mushrooms and kale your bowl feels like you are not scrimping. Sauté the mushrooms, onions, and garlic with some red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt. Right before you are going to toss the cooked pasta in with the vegetables add the kale. Use some reserved pasta water and olive oil to make a sauce that the kale will wilt in. Pasta Wednesday is my favorite dinner every week!

Posted in American, Easy, Healthy tips, Italian, Kitchen tips, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Seared scallops, new potatoes, green beans 7/26/22

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Beebamom
Seared scallops and steamed new potatoes and green beans

This is a simple but delicious dinner. The potatoes start first in a steamer basket over boiling water. They take 15 to 20 minutes. When they are done I put them in a covered bowl to keep warm and after adding more water to the steamer pot I add the green beans. In the meantime John heats our cast iron pan with a little neutral oil. In the time it takes to steam the beans the scallops are seared with a small dollop of butter at the end of cooking. I add a spritz of butter spray and some chopped chives and tarragon to the beans. A slice of lemon is all that is needed to complete our plates.

Posted in American, Easy, Methods, pescatarian, Shellfish, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vegan chickpea stew over kale 7/27/22

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Beebamom
Chickpeas, ditalini, and assorted vegetables over kale

During our recent vacation I often felt like we were in a vegetable desert. Yes, we could usually get a salad but a dish like our dinner tonight was nowhere to be found. This chickpea stew is so easy to make and cooks in less than half of an hour.

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil and when they are softened add zucchini and garlic. Add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and add a can of Rotel for spiciness plus tomatoes and a can of chickpeas. When it comes to a boil add 1/2 cup of ditalini or other small pasta. Be sure to season well with salt and pepper. Cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.


At this point I usually add some sort of greens but I used too small of a pot so I just put the kale in bottom of the bowl and let it wilt under the heat of the stew. It worked out great.

It makes quite a bit so we have leftovers for lunches. When we heat it up we will stretch it by adding more stock and once again put our greens in the bottom of the bowl. Yum!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Weekly Menu July 25-31, 2022

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Beebamom

Hello! I am back from vacation and looking forward to a week of cooking. We ate out a lot over the past three weeks and I need to eat in a healthier manner. I have had enough fast food and chicken wings to last for a long time.

This week features one vegetarian meal, three vegan meals, two fish, and one beef meal. Friday’s green lentil curry is a new dish for us to make.

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Whole grain penne with broccoli and tuna 7/20/22

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Beebamom

Whole grain penne with tuna and broccoli

Making pasta at home or while traveling is an easy, nutritious dinner. Adding a protein and a vegetable makes your pasta dish satisfying. Garnishing your dish with olive oil and Parmesan cheese makes it special. Tonight in our little self-catering vacation unit we had a lovely, simple meal that was probably better than most of the food we have eaten on our trip.

We bought a little packet of Parmesan rinds about a week ago and it added a bit of luxe to our dinner tonight. I used a grater and a peeler to give us two different grinds of the cheese. We bought the EVOO two weeks ago in Utah and have been using it on salads, sandwiches, and dinners. Spending $10+ on a small bottle of oil really made a difference.

If you are trying to find a way to make dollars stretch on a vacation then look for vacation units that have a kitchen, bring along pantry staples and kitchen tools, and try to stay several days in one place that will allow you to see a number of different sights from a home base.

Posted in Easy, Fish, Italian, Pasta, pescatarian, Vacation cuisine, Vegetables | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Grilled steak, grilled potatoes, salad 7/19/22

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled bone-in ribeye, grilled baked potato, Mediterranean salad

Greetings from the Olympic Peninsula as we begin our homeward trek. Tonight we we are staying at the Quillayute River Resort which has self-catering units. We are so excited to be cooking together again! John does a masterful job grilling our bone-in rib eye steak and I microwave the potatoes and then split them in half so John can finish them on the grill. I also prepare the salad which is pretty easy since we bought a bag of Taylor Farms Mediterranean Salad Kit. This dinner is so much better than almost all the food we have eaten out the whole trip.

John doing the grilling in our idyllic setting
Posted in American, Beef, Easy, Grilling, Salad, Special occasion, Vacation cuisine, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment

Anniversary dinner 7/17/22

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Beebamom

This road trip we are taking through Canada and the Pacific Northwest is in celebration of John and my 50th Anniversary! Yes, by simply cooking together you too can achieve fifty years of wedded bliss! Haha, just kidding, it takes a lot of work, consideration, and compromise to make it through the hard times so you can enjoy the good times.

We chose, Maenam, a contemporary Thai restaurant in Vancouver, for our celebration dinner. We have celebrated with dinner there several times and it does not disappoint. The chef prepared a wonderful tasting menu. After so many fast food or chicken wing dinners, it was a real treat. Here are a few of the items we had.

Steamed mussels with nam jim

Sweet and sour ling cod

Thai salmon salad

I even ate dessert which I almost never do but it was right up my alley, small, not very sweet, and with some texture.

Semifreddo with crispy rice noodles
Posted in Asian, Desserts, Dining out, Fish, pescatarian, Salad, Shellfish, Special occasion, Thai, Vacation cuisine, Vegetables | Leave a comment