Classic chicken dinner. 10/15/20

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Beebamom

Sous vide chicken breast with chicken/mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and broccoli

In these roiling times preparing a classic, comforting dinner for you and your family soothes your soul. So tonight we decide to make sous vide chicken breast with tarragon, mashed potatoes with chicken/mushroom gravy, and broccoli. We also pass up watching the town halls by the presidential candidates and opt for reading about it tomorrow. We voted this week so our preference is locked in.

John cooked our chicken breast with some tarragon leaves at 159F in the immersion circulator. He also made the gravy using a packet of powdered chicken gravy, some sautéed mushrooms, and the cooking juice from the chicken breast. I made the mashed potatoes using 1 tablespoon of light faux butter and 1/4 cup of low fat milk. I cooked the broccoli in a little water and added light faux butter as the water evaporated and the broccoli was just cooked through.

Sitting down to our comforting meal which was still well within my diet regimen was delicious, filling, and soothing. Not watching the town halls had a good effect as well. Are there any undecided voters left? Make sure your voice is heard, VOTE!

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Penne with zucchini and mushrooms. 10/14/20

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Beebamom

Whole grain penne with mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, and fresh oregano

On Wednesday we were supposed to have chicken but we forgot to put the chicken in its sous vide bath so we opted for pasta. I salted the zucchini and let it sit for a half an hour to lose some water. I sautéed the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and zucchini while John cooked the penne. We added the pasta to the vegetables along with 1/3 cup pasta water. I garnished my bowlful with fresh oregano leaves and some good olive oil.

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Red lentils, rice, and crispy kale. 10/13/20

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Beebamom

Red lentils, rice, and crispy kale

The red lentil part of tonight’s dinner is also called Afghani dal. Here is the recipe for it. It is easy, quick cooking and tastes wonderful. Red lentils are actually coral colored and turn yellow when you cook them. You can make the dish the consistency you want by increasing or decreasing the amount of liquid you put in. I will probably save some and dilute it for Saturday’s LFD ( Lunch/Leftovers For Dinner). It will qualify as both a lunch and a leftover.

John requested that I include him in the rice and cauliflower rice combo even though he is no longer trying to lose weight. He likes the flavor and is aware of the lower glycemic load. So healthier for him and easier for me, a win-win situation!

Finally, here is my scoop on crispy kale. To make it I tossed a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a dash of garlic in a zip loc bag and shook it around with the kale pieces (no thick stems!) to get everything coated. It cooked on a sheet pan at 500F for about four minutes. These were only bite-sized leaf pieces and I was afraid they would burn if I left them in any longer but only the frilly part came out crispy. Maybe 5 minutes is the better time. The kale came out too, too salty even for me and bitter. The bitter was okay but the too much salt was really bad. If I make it again I will cut the Kosher salt down to 1/2 teaspoon.

All in all eaten together it was a pretty good dinner. But my fingers are puffy this morning from all the salt!

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

Salmon with tarragon sauce. 10/12/20

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Beebamom

Sockeye salmon with tarragon sauce, riced cauliflower, and broccoli

Today I had to be extra careful calorie-wise because John was making me a Negroni Sbagliato for our before-sies. That is a combination of 1.5 oz. Campari, 1.5 oz. sweet vermouth, 3 oz. sparkling wine, 2 olives, and orange peel. I discovered that Campari is loaded with calories so all day long I was cutting a little off breakfast, lunch, and snacking to make room for my drink.  I am only 2.5 lbs. away from my goal and I do not want to blow it now!

So after our lovely cocktail and pretzel time we tucked into John’s delicious pan-seared salmon with a tarragon sauce that I made. The tarragon sauce is a combo of light mayo, fat free Greek yogurt, tarragon, parsley, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and a dash of water to thin it out. It tastes good with the salmon but also on tonight’s broccoli and riced cauliflower.

What were we celebrating? Maybe just getting to another Monday with our whole family still healthy! That is worth a celebration.

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Breakfast For Dinner (BFD) 10/11/20

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Beebamom

My love affair with soft scrambled eggs goes back to a trip several years ago to Vienne, France. Michelin-starred Chef Henriroux at La Pyramide Hotel likes to come down to the kitchen some mornings and make breakfast. His eggs cook low and slow with constant agitation producing creamy small curds.

Actual soft scrambled eggs by Chef Henriroux

Of course I am not patient enough to cook the eggs so slowly or to whisk constantly. Every time, though, when I scramble an egg, I always think about those beautiful scrambled eggs.

Tonight’s not perfect scrambled eggs are joined on the plate with a tarragon, cucumber, onion, and tomato salad and a piece of rye toast (unbuttered).

Scrambled eggs, tarragon tomato and cucumber salad, and rye toast

My mother would always say, I will never make you kids eat cereal for dinner (although we were secretly wishing for just that). But here in my adult life I am serving breakfast for dinner once a week.

Posted in American, Easy, Eggs, Kitchen tips, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. October 12 – October 18, 2020

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Beebamom

And so another week passes by. John and I discuss the menu for the week every Sunday and make a shopping list for Monday. Since we are not eating out at all or even buying take-out, our total food bills are pretty low. We try to use everything we buy and rarely have to throw anything out. When you plan ahead your budget is happy!

John chose the first dinners of the week and I came up with ideas for the rest of our dinners. We finish off on the weekend with Breakfast for Dinner and Saturday with our new theme Lunch/Leftovers for Dinner. The dinners this week are cozy, comfort favorites. I shall have to look for something new and exciting later in the month.

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Introducing Saturday’s LFD. 10/10/20

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Beebamom

Saturday’s LFD (Lunch or Leftovers For Dinner)  is the companion to Sunday’s BFD (Breakfast For Dinner.) For me, these two dinners are a wind down from a busy cooking week and the perfect solution for these pandemic times when you need to use up the leftovers from the week or just need a couple of stress-free meals.

Tonight’s meal turns Tuesday’s dinner into Saturday’s soup and includes a link to an almost fool-proof way to peel hard boiled eggs!

Split chickpeas and spinach soup with egg salad pita

Our double batch of Chana dal from Tuesday has been a go-to for John at lunch  this week. With just a little left, I turned it into a soup for two with the addition of vegetable broth (or you could use chicken stock), spinach, and cherry tomatoes. It made an outstanding soup!

As an accompaniment I took a lone egg out of a former 18 pack and hard boiled it. I often do this when there are only one or two eggs left and I want to make room in the fridge by clearing out the large container. Hard boiled eggs are often hit or miss especially when it comes to peeling them. Here is a link to an almost fool-proof way to get the shell off by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Problem solved!

My egg salad consisted of one mashed up hard boiled egg, a tablespoon of light mayonnaise, diced celery, onion, and some tarragon that our daughter brought home from her garden. Sometimes I make it fancier with capers or pickles but tonight it is all about ease.

Look for LFD as an on-going part of our weekly menu!

Posted in American, Easy, Eggs, leftovers, Legumes, soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Peanuts, Black Pepper, and Lime 10/9/20

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Beebamom

Shrimp with black pepper, peanuts, and lime served with broccoli and rice/cauliflower rice mix

John made shrimp from a recipe in the most recent Cook’s Illustrated magazine. (It is also on their paywall website.) It involved a new cooking technique where the shrimp are briefly salted and then right before cooking they have a sprinkling of sugar. The oiled up shrimp are put into an un-oiled cold pan and cooked over heat on one side. Off the heat the shrimp are turned over to finish cooking. You get a nice brown on the shrimp without overcooking.

To me, the final dish was too black peppery but otherwise was great. I made some broccoli and my rice and cauliflower rice mix. Since I was low on rice I asked John if I could mix the cauliflower rice in his portion too. Later he said he did not even notice the cauliflower rice. This is a great way to cut rice calories and lighten the glycemic load.

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Pasta with mushrooms and broccolini. 10/8/20

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Beebamom

Orecchiette with mushrooms and broccolini

This is an easy and delicious dinner that can be on your table in 30 minutes. Sauté the mushrooms, onions, and stem ends of the broccolini while the pasta water heats up. Add garlic. Put the pasta in the boiling water. When there is 5 minutes left on the pasta add the broccolini tops to the vegetable mixture and a little of the hot pasta water. Cover. Add the cooked pasta to the vegetables, a teaspoon of olive oil, and a 1/2 cup of the pasta water, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with some good olive oil.

Posted in Easy, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Grilled flank steak. 10/7/20

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Beebamom

Grilled flank steak and half potato with sherries Brussel sprouts

We do not eat much red meat here but when we do flank steak is often our choice. It is a flavorful piece of meat, low fat, and, as long as you cut it across the grain, it is not tough. John did a super job grilling the meat and slicing it beautifully. My portion in the picture above was only 4 oz. but it looks like a lot!

I cooked the potato in the microwave, cut it in half, and then John grilled it. My embarrassing admission, I always eat my baked potato with ketchup. It makes me feel like I am eating French fries!

The Brussel sprouts were cooked in a little water, butter, dry sherry, sugar, and salt. When the water boils away the sprouts get a nice sear on their cut side from the butter left in the pan. The dry sherry gives them a nuttiness, and the little bit of sugar rounds out any bitterness.

Posted in American, Beef, Easy, Grilling, Kitchen tips, omnivore, Vegetables | Tagged , | Leave a comment