Oh no, the chicken did not thaw!! Chicken parmesan is definitely not happening tonight. Quickly we came up with a Plan B. I had used some cannellini beans in my lunch salad so they were at the ready, the refrigerator yielded a few mushrooms and some broccoli, and I had pasta in the pantry. So out of bits and pieces we cobbled together quite a tasty dinner.
Fusilli with mushrooms, broccoli, and cannellini beans
This dinner turned out to be quite delicious and filling. Plus it was really quick to make. Using the carba-nada pasta made my WW points pretty low for 3 ounces so I felt pretty good about my vegan pasta dish.I put a drizzle of olive oil on top and John added the oil as well as a snow storm of parmesan cheese on his.
Salmon rice bowl with cabbage, cucumber, and avocado
Salmon rice bowl has become one of the most requested dinners at our house. The hardest part is getting the salmon cooked enough without making it dried out. John does a 20 minute brine first in a quart of water and 2 tablespoons of salt. After patting the salmon dry he puts it in a pan with a layer of sea salt (to act like ball bearings), and cooks it over a low flame mostly on the skin side. He turns it over when it still looks pretty raw for the last two minutes. It turns out barely cooked but still warmed through with no albumin seeping out.
My job is to make the vegetables and dressing. I cut the cucumber on a mandolin and use a package of cabbage slaw. The avocados are simply sliced up but the timing of what day to make the salmon bowls all depends on when the avocado is ripe. If you have a hard one place it in a paper bag with an apple at room temperature and it should ripen in a couple of days.
Here is the recipe for the dressing. I double the amounts listed here to insure there is plenty for everyone.
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped scallions 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from one 2-inch piece)
All that is left to do is to assemble your bowls. I usually set up all the ingredients on the counter so everyone can help themselves. Put some rice in your bowl, add the salmon, then the vegetables, and lastly the dressing over it all. A shake of furikake gives a tasty crunch sprinkled on top.
After a totally indulgent birthday dinner on Wednesday, it was good to come home and make a delicious, healthy vegan/vegetarian lentil and kale dish over cauliflower or regular rice. (Vegan preparation omit the yogurt on top.) Here is the recipe I use.
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 (or not) and rice, greens,warm pita or nan bread.
The way I serve it is to put down a layer of warmed cauliflower or white rice followed by a layer of raw kale leaves (put the stems into the lentil mixture to cook), and then the gingery lentils with a topping of optional Greek yogurt and sriracha.
Having gotten a tip from a WW forum member that Carba Nada pasta was lower in PP points and a reduced carb product, I decided to try it. I bought it at a local store and it was $6.99 for 12 ounces! That’s a lot but I love pasta. We cooked it up and it turned out to be really good. It is a wheat product product so not gluten free but look at these numbers, for a 2 oz. pre-cooked serving size 17g net carbs, 170 calories and a whopping 15g protein, 8g. fiber.
Well, of course I was not going to eat just 2 ounces. My serving size was 3 ounces and as a WW member it only cost me 4 PP. Put that together with a lot of kale and mushrooms and it works out to almost nothing!
I found the product in a 6-pack on Amazon for $23.99, so about $4 per 12 ounces. That’s still expensive but much more doable. They also have a fettuccine product. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I will be adding fusilli to my soups and salads after my order arrives on Saturday!
Originally sesame salmon bowls were on the menu for Monday but the avocado is not ripe yet so we will make that dinner later on in the week.
Breaded mahi mahi with crispy new potatoes and salsa slaw
We splurged on a little olive oil tonight to get the crispy texture on the potatoes and fish. John’s method for the mahi mahi is to slather the fish with a combo of light mayo and yellow mustard and then roll the pieces in seasoned breadcrumbs. The fish was fried in a tablespoon of olive oil and some olive oil spray. The exterior came out a little dark but the fish was moist and not overcooked.
While John was working on the fish I steamed some new potatoes. When they were cooked through I cut them in half, seasoned them, and then toasted the cut side in a little olive oil and spray. The family gave them high marks.
I also made some tartar sauce. It is a mixture of half light mayo and half nonfat plain Greek yogurt. I also added a bit if yellow mustard, grated onion, garlic powder, lemon juice, sweet relish, and capers.
Finally I made my invention, salsa slaw. Using salsa cuts down on the amount of mayonnaise you have to use. First I made a mixture once again of half yogurt and half light mayo and then added fresh salsa. I mixed that with a bag of shredded cabbage. It needed a little salt and some more zing so a squirt of sriracha took care of that.
Our daughter liked the meal but commented that mahi mahi is not as delicious as Chilean sea bass. I pointed out that it is at least half as expensive and is a good substitute in dishes where the fish is breaded like fish tacos or the faux fish stick dinner tonight.
Sunday night was the last night of Hanukkah so we fired up our electric wok with plenty of oil and made potato latkes. Actually John did all this and I just devoured the crispy potato pancakes. We and our daughter each had four and it was plenty for dinner. There are only two things that we deep fry, potato latkes and scallops. Having something fried is such a guilty pleasure. I am thinking about getting an air fryer so we can enjoy more crispy food.
Potato latkes with sour cream
Potato latkes
5 medium russet potatoes (about 2.5–3 lbs total)
1/2 medium onion
1 egg
1 Tbsp table salt (technically 1/2 tsp salt per potato, but we rounded up)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp flour or matzoh meal
1 tsp baking soda
Lots of vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup olive oil for frying
kosher salt
sour cream or applesauce to serve
Important tools are an electric fryer and a food processor with coarse shredding disc.
Wash and dry potatoes; leave skin on. Shred potatoes in food processor. Shred onion in food processor.
Mix potato, egg, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil and flour (or matzoh meal) in large bowl. Add baking soda and stir to combine.
Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil and however much vegetable oil you need in your frying vessel. Heat oil mixture to 375 degrees F. While the oil is heating, occasionally press down on the potato mixture and drain the resulting liquid into another bowl (to discard later).
Take a blob of potato mixture and press out liquid to make a 3-inch disk. Slide carefully into hot oil. Make a batch of 6. Fry until golden brown and delicious (this is an eyeball estimation), turning them occasionally in the oil to cook both sides. Remove to a rack on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt, then move the sheet to a 275 degree oven while you fry the rest of them.
Let oil temperature recover between batches.
This should make 3 batches of 6 latkes each. Serve with sour cream or applesauce. (But really sour cream is the way to go!)
My birthday is on Wednesday of this week. Like all birthdays in our household my birthday has a food component. Usually our daughter makes me some sort of wonderful baked good like Swedish tea ring or pretzel rolls. This year since I am still struggling with post-cruise weight I have asked her not to make me anything. I am happy with a card and a hug. John and I, however, will be going up to Wine Country to have dinner in a favorite restaurant.
Back in the day when the only things that were free on Weight Watchers were non-starchy vegetables, I used to make this soup with only chicken broth and vegetables. We affectionately called it null soup. Although not very exciting, it was a good way to take up space when I was hungry.
Today’s WW allows many more free foods and my soup now contains chicken broth, non-starchy vegetables, chickpeas, and shredded chicken breast. The addition of chicken and chickpeas makes my soup so much tastier and heartier. Vegetables soup is now a destination meal rather than just “I have to eat something” kind of dish.
So good and so easy! John defrosted some shrimp and seasoned them with salt, chili powder, Old Bay, garlic powder, and cumin. They were sautéed in olive oil spray. In the meantime I got the toppings together- shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime, diced onions, salsa, and a crema made from Greek 0% yogurt, salt, and cumin. I also whipped up spicy black beans which consisted of two cans of black beans, a can of Rotel original, onions, cumin, cilantro stems, red pepper flakes, and salt. I added a squirt of sriracha to give them a sweet spice. John heated the corn tortillas over an open flame.
Any kind of tacos are always a hit at our house. These days of healthy eating I usually have fish or shrimp as the protein but chicken as well as a lean beef like flank steak would also be great. No leftovers tonight!
For about 12 years of my adult life I lived in New England. Chowder is a big thing there. We used to occasionally go to Durgin Park in Boston where a bowl of clam chowder and a dessert of Indian Pudding with vanilla ice cream were transcendent.
Lightened New England clan chowder
With the exception of cleaning and cutting up the leeks, the rest of making this soup is pretty simple. No doubt I have posted this recipe on my blog several times. Onions, celery, potatoes, leeks, chop, chop, chop. Sauté until limp. Add clam juice and liquid from canned clams and simmer until potatoes are tender. Deglaze with white wine. Add minimal cream and chopped canned clams. Stir and serve with toasted crouton.
I have to admit I went a little overboard tonight. A cup of wine in the soup meant the bottle still contained a couple of glasses up for grabs,. Also I ate way too many slices of baguette. Mea culpa, I am only human.
Omnivore 