Gingery red lentils over kale and rice. 12/22/21

Red lentils with ginger and spices over cauliflower/white rice combo and kale

We made a double recipe of this delicious lentil dish on Wednesday. It made enough to amply serve the three of us plus there is plenty leftover for lunches. I served it over a white rice and cauliflower rice 50/50 mix, and a handful of raw kale. The topping is a spoonful of non-fat Greek yogurt and a squirt of sriracha for extra zing. We have been snacking a lot on our appetizers for Christmas Eve so it was a good idea to make something nutritious to get us back on the right track.

Here is the recipe I use for this dish.

Afghani Dal (red lentils with ginger)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 finely chopped medium onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
1 cup red lentils
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Optional yogurt, sriracha

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and let them cook in the pan briefly and then add the lentils and broth, stir and turn the heat up to high. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and adjust salt if needed. Serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt, a drizzle of sriracha, and rice, greens, warm pita or naan.

Posted in Afghan, Easy, Healthy tips, Legumes, Recipes, rice, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fusilli with pesto 12/20/22

Fusilli with pesto

We were supposed to be having chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes and broccoli tonight but I looked up from wrapping presents and it was after 6 PM and that dinner idea was out the window. Pasta with a cube of our frozen pesto came to the rescue! I am enjoying this lower carb and calorie pasta and popping in a cube of frozen, lightened-up pesto is a quick and easy dinner. The pesto tastes like summer on our back patio and although it is a small amount it packs a lot of flavor.

To extend the pesto flavor I add some pasta water to thin it out, grated parmesan in the bottom of the bowl and on top, and a drizzle of olive oil on top. I am so glad I bought an ice cube tray to freeze the pesto in. After the cubes are frozen individually I pop them out and store the pesto cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer. It is a little taste of summer all year long.

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Breakfast for Dinner (BFD) 12/19/21

Scrambled eggs, broccoli with cannellini beans, rye toast

It’s Sunday night and we always have Breakfast for Dinner. We each are on our own and make whatever egg dish and accompaniments that we’d like. John always makes an omelet with green onions, mushrooms, and ham. I try to make something different every week. Tonight’s dish is scrambled eggs, broccoli with cannellini beans, and toast.

I like knowing that every Sunday I will have comforting dinner that is not hard to make and stays within the parameters of the healthy lifestyle I am trying to achieve.

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

Weekly Menu. December 20 – 26, 2021

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Chilean sea bass, new potatoes, green beans. 12/19/21

Roasted Chilean sea bass, new potatoes, and green beans

I have really been struggling with keeping my weight loss in tact. One way to help is by making a delicious, low calorie meal. Chilean sea bass is a real treat. Although it is expensive, it is a lot less expensive than the medical bills and prescriptions that would loom if I gained back the 60 lbs. I have lost.

John roasted the sea bass while I steamed the potatoes and reheated the beans that I had previously blanched and frozen. I do not usually freeze my vegetables because I do not like the texture that freezing creates. I used a teaspoon of butter per person to make them more palatable but they still came out a bit limp.

Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve loom ahead. I need to figure out how I will approach each potential binging situation and have a plan for getting through the holidays without overdoing it. I would like to enjoy myself without the dread and guilt.

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

Easy chicken enchiladas with spicy black beans. 12/17/21

Chicken enchiladas with spicy black beans

These chicken enchiladas are always a hit at our house. I start by shredding some rotisserie chicken. In the oven I warm some corn tortillas so they are pliable. I put some shredded chicken in each tortilla, a sprinkling of feta (queso fresco would be more authentic) and chopped white onion, plus a spoonful of jarred salsa verde. The rolled, stuffed tortillas go into a 9×13 baking dish that has the salsa verde covering the bottom of the dish. The rest of the jar of salsa goes over the top along with cilantro, any leftover feta, and a chopped Serrano chile. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Along with the easy enchiladas I also make easy spicy black beans. In a pot heat two drained and rinsed cans of black beans and one can of original Rotel. Add some of the chopped onion, a teaspoon of cumin, a dash of salt, and some chopped cilantro. Warm through.

Easy, quick, healthy, and tasty!

Posted in American, Easy, Legumes, Mexican, Poultry, Southwest U.S., Vegetables | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Sheet pan turkey sausage with vegetables. 12/16/21

Sheet pan turkey sausage with potatoes, cabbage, green onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots

Sheet pan roasting is as easy as turning your oven to 425F, jostling your vegetables in a zip loc bag with a little olive oil and salt, and spreading them out with the sausage on a sprayed aluminum foil lined sheet pan.

Well, almost that easy! You do have to pay attention to cutting your veggies so they cook at about the same time and maybe start the denser ones before the more delicate veg. I zapped the potatoes for a couple of minutes to make sure they would get done and put them, the carrots, mushrooms, and the cabbage on a separate sheet pan that I started 10 minutes ahead of the one with the green onions, broccoli, and turkey sausage. So 30 minutes for one sheet and 20 minutes for the other.

The best compliment for this dinner was our daughter saying that she could eat another whole plateful!

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

Chana masala (chickpeas with tomatoes and spices) 12/14/21

Chana masala with kale and cauliflower/white rice mix

First time making this recipe and like many first time tries it was good but needs some future tweaks to make it better. The spice mixture and the herb mixture need to be amplified. I think cumin seeds need to be added and the hot spiciness needs amping up as well. The hotness was my own fault. The recipe calls for three Thai chiles which I was afraid (still am) to put in. I opted for a Fresno and a Serrano but maybe I should have added some red pepper flakes.

Here is a link to the Food & Wine recipe. Under the list of ingredients they forgot to include one chopped large onion but they talk about it in the instructions. (A little confusing)

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chana-masala

This dish has potential. It is pretty tasty as is but as I noted, it could use some improvement. It is also fine for people looking for a healthy, vegan/vegetarian dish that fits into the WW program. Although there are four tablespoons of ghee (we used a combo of butter and olive oil), the total amount that the recipe makes is ample for 6 servings which translates down to 2 teaspoons of fat per person. I served my portion over a white rice/cauliflower mix and raw kale. There was plenty to eat!

I will definitely make this again.

Posted in Healthy tips, Indian, Kitchen tips, Legumes, rice, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

Sort of chicken parmesan. 12/13/21

Sort of chicken parmesan with broccoli and fusilli

I think I need to make up a new name for this dish because it has at most a very light sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Plus the cheese on top of the chicken is a half slice of ultra thin cheddar cheese. Cheese, being high in fat and caloric content, does not often appear in our house. The cheese we do have is of the ultra thin variety. It is still real cheese but pared down to an acceptable caloric count. The cheese of my dreams is for guests on holidays.

First John paillarded the chicken breasts, seasoned them with salt, garlic powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning mix, then sauteed them in a pan with olive oil spray. In the meantime I made some tomato sauce out of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and a splash of red wine. It cooked for a half an hour so the tomatoes could lose their tinny taste. We served the chicken with a small amount of Carba Nada fusilli and some broccoli

This was a really tasty dinner! It takes a bit of time and a lot of pots and pans but at the end we were satisfied and happy.

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Weekly Menu December 13 – 19, 2021

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