Salmon salade Niçoise. 3/8/22

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Beebamom
Salmon salade Niçoise

In addition to the salmon we had French green beans that were blanched, a hard boiled egg, kale, olives, and cherry tomatoes. I made a mustard sauce to dress the salad. It is about equal parts, horseradish mustard, whole grain mustard, plain yogurt, Skinny Girl buttermilk dressing, and a splash of water to thin it out.

I also has some new potatoes that I boiled but, in a Chopped-like moment, I neglected to get them on the plate and no one noticed. John and I ate them afterward for a potato dessert. ( For readers from other countries, Chopped is an American TV program where contestant chefs try to make a dish out of four disparate ingredients. Forgetting to get an ingredient on the plate is a common, usually eliminating, mistake.)

Posted in Easy, Eggs, Fish, French, Methods, pescatarian, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rotisserie chicken with gravy and sheet pan sprouts and squash. 3/7/22

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Beebamom
Pulled rotisserie chicken breast with gravy and sheet pan roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash

I am actually a little embarrassed to post this dinner since I took every shortcut imaginable to prepare it! The chicken comes from a pre-pulled pack of Costco rotisserie chicken. The gravy was made from a packet of McCormack’s powdered chicken gravy mix (just add water!) The butternut squash was already peeled and chunked from Trader Joe’s. I did have to cut up the Brussels sprouts.

The vegetables were shaken together with some olive oil and salt in a plastic bag and then put on an aluminum foil lined sheet pan that was sprayed with olive oil spray. The vegetables cooked for about 20 minutes in a 425F oven. John made up the gravy and then gently heated the chicken through.

There is no question that you pay more for the convenience. But a quick, tasty, and easy dinner with little clean-up can be worth sometimes. Plus it is much cheaper than take-out or dining out!

Posted in American, Easy, Kitchen tips, Methods, Poultry, Sheet pan, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment

Weekly Menu. March 7 – 13, 2022

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Beebamom

No posts over the weekend due to eating leftovers on Saturday and going out to dinner with the whole family in celebration of our granddaughter’s 16th birthday

Kind of quiet food week coming up. I decided I always eat too much when I make a giant pot of food. It always turns into a giant bowl of food for me. So I am having more portioned entrees this week. We are going on a cruise next month and I need to have some wiggle room weight-wise!

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Lentils with turkey sausage. 3/4/22

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Beebamom
Lentils with turkey sausage, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions over kale

We used to make this dish as lentils, turkey sausage, and carrots but decided to up the vegetable ante to include celery, mushrooms, and kale to make it more nutritious and filling. I start my lentil stew by sautéing the turkey sausage in a little olive oil and then removing the slightly browned pieces and adding the mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the oil which is now flavored by the sausage. Once they are cooked I add the lentils and the rest of the vegetables with chicken stock to cover. Towards the end of cooking I add the turkey sausage back in. Along with salt I used chipotle powder, smoked paprika, and sriracha to season and spice things up. I was aiming for a spicy, smoky outcome.

The lentils need about 20-30 minutes to become tender. I served it over raw kale but it would be good over rice or even just as is.

Posted in American, Easy, Healthy tips, Legumes, Methods, Poultry, stew, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Chilean sea bass, green beans, new potatoes. 3/3/22

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Beebamom
Roasted Chilean sea bay with steamed new potatoes and sautéed green beans

We buy frozen Chilean sea bass from Costco. Unfortunately when we got to the end of the bag there were three equal sized pieces, one thicker piece, and one oddly shaped piece with thick and thin parts. Since our daughter always opts in for Chilean sea bass, we had to apportion these five pieces among three people. We ended up getting three pieces each of differing sizes. Luckily Chilean sea bass is very forgiving when you cook it so even the thinner pieces tasted great.

John roasted the fish with just a little oil, seasoning, and thyme. I steamed the potatoes and kept them warm while I used the same pan to sauté the green beans. I am not a big fan of big green beans. I much prefer the thinner French ones but these were okay. (Actually I really wanted to “French” them with a little tool I have but John likes these big, stringier ones.)

Here’s a way to cut down on potato carbs. I shook 18 new potatoes out of their bag. They were assorted sizes. We each got 6. I took the smallest 6 potatoes and left the rest for John and our daughter. Although the 18 potatoes weighed 15 oz., my portion of 6 weighed in at around 4 ounces. Mind games!

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Healthy tips, pescatarian, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fusilli with broccoli and mushrooms. 3/2/22

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Beebamom
Fusilli with broccoli and mushrooms

Is it a bowl of pasta or a bowl of vegetables? I would say it is about 50/50. By using a lot of mushrooms and broccoli in my pasta bowl, I created a satisfying dinner using less than 3 ounces of pasta.

While the salted water was coming to a boil, I sauteed the mushrooms, onions, and garlic in 2 teaspoons of olive oil. I seasoned the vegetables with salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes. While the pasta was cooking I added the stem pieces of broccoli and a little pasta water. When the pasta was almost al dente I added the florets. Then the drained pasta along with a half cup of the pasta water went into the sauce and cooked together for a couple of minutes. A little olive oil on top and dinner was ready.

Posted in Easy, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Lamb chops with fennel, leek, potato braise. 3/1/22

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled lamb chops with a fennel, leek, potato braise

These lamb chops are part of the pack we bought at Costco for Valentine’s Day. Once again John did a super job grilling them. I am pretty happy with the vegetable side dish I concocted as well. After thinly slicing a leek, a fennel bulb, and some new potatoes I sautéed them in a little olive oil first and then braised them in chicken stock. They were seasoned with salt, pepper, chile flakes, and thyme. It took about 25 minutes to cook the whole dinner and we enjoyed a bottle of Merlot with it.

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Moroccan chickpeas with greens. 2/28/22

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Beebamom
Moroccan chickpeas with greens over rice

This vegan dinner entree is a delicious combination of spices, vegetables, and preserved lemon. There is a bunch of chopping up to do but the cooking is mostly hands off. To make it simpler I used a can of drained chickpeas rather than soaking and cooking them. Here is a link to how I adapted the recipe from February 9, 2022. https://dininglite.blog/2022/02/10/moroccan-chickpeas-with-chard-turnips-carrots-and-fennel-2-9-221/

Posted in Legumes, North African, rice, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu February 28 – March 6, 2022

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Beebamom

We are starting off this week with Moroccan chickpeas which got pushed from last week due to laziness on the part of the cook. We are also having the rest of the lamb chops from our Costco sized pack that we bought for Valentine’s Day. I am looking forward to everything on this week’s menu!

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BFD (Breakfast For Dinner) 2/27/22

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Beebamom
BFD Soft scrambled eggs, veggie patty, rye toast, salad

Nothing fancy this Sunday, just a straight-forward breakfast with the addition of a small salad. Alternating bites and combinations keeps the eating experience interesting and knowing that every Sunday is a minimal work in the kitchen day makes me happy. BTW John ate an omelette for at least the 100th Sunday in a row (excluding vacations and holidays.)

Posted in American, Breakfast For Dinner (BFD), Easy, Eggs, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment