John marinated and then grilled a couple of portobello mushrooms for our dinner. I made my light cole slaw using non-fat Greek yogurt, light mayo, yellow mustard, cider vinegar, celery seed, and salt. In addition I made a cannellini bean, edamame, cherry tomato salad – colors of the Italian flag!
Portobello burger with salads
It is Sunday so it must be breakfast for dinner! In addition to a salad I made myself kind of an omelet taco. I sautéed up some onions and mushrooms, added a crumbled veg patty, and then put the eggs in the pan. The corn tortilla was toasted over an open flame. Although I made the eggs more like a scramble they ended up looking omelet-y once l put them in the tortilla. A little sriracha on top gave it some zing!
Omelet taco and salad
Tomorrow night – grilled portobello mushroom, cole slaw, and a new salad that is reminiscent of the Italian flag!
This week I am hoping to do a little better with following both my menu and my diet. I realize that I need to be more stringent in regards to my diet as I have put on a couple of pounds this week and I certainly do not want to undo all the hard work I have put in.
We are entering our fifth week of sheltering in place. We do not accomplish much although I have become an expert napper. In addition to following the menu plan I also want to have another clean the house day and a project day. I have not decided on what my project will be. Could be make another mask, work on my garden, or put some time in entering pictures in another blog I have. I need to have a purpose this week.
Also for your enjoyment, a look at our daughter’s garden before she pulls out all the self-seeding poppies and plants her vegetables.
Irises and poppies
I have too many containers in my refrigerator! Being only two people and making all these dinners generates a lot of leftovers. For the past two nights we have been re-eating a prior meal and making an unlikely combo out of several earlier meals.
On Thursday we finished up the kale soup I made the week before. It seemed saltier and spicier than the first time we ate it. I probably should have added a little more stock to it,
Kale soup with a piece of matzoh
Last night I took the basmati rice from Monday’s shrimp biryani, added some sautéed mushrooms and spinach plus the leftover lamb from Wednesday, and made a sort of lamb and mushroom biryani. As a side we had the leftover rutabagas from the classic chicken dinner with some mashed potatoes from the lamb dinner. It was a weird combination but the sweetness from the rutabaga was good with the spiciness of the rice. And seriously who doesn’t love a two starch meal?!
Lamb and mushroom biryani with rutabaga/potato mash
I think I will get John to eat the rest of the rice for lunch and I am planning on using the rest of the mashed potatoes as a creamy thickener in a vegetable soup. Waste not, want not!
We had a delicious Passover dinner with a rack of lamb that John sous vide and then finished on the grill, buttery mashed potatoes, and asparagus. It was a very springtime menu. We threw the diet out the window for one night and just enjoyed our dinner. Celebrating once in a while will not make you overweight. Celebrating every day will!
Lamb with mashed potatoes and asparagus
Puttanesca sauce saved in the freezer from around three weeks ago made for an easy vegan dinner paired with whole grain penne and a tossed salad.
Whole grain penne with puttanesca sauce and a salad
The original recipe I had for Shrimp Biryani called for the shrimp and the rice being cooked in the Instant Pot. You were supposed to use U-10 shrimp which are too pricy for our weeknight meal but apparently able to hold up and not get over cooked during the 3 minute pressurization. So we cooked our smaller shrimp in a frying pan and the rice in the Instant Pot. The rice has lots of different spices including turmeric, which is supposed to be healthy for you, onions, chiles, and tomatoes. John used part of the spices to saute with the shrimp while I put the rest of the spices in the Instant Pot and sauteed them along with onion, garlic, and a super chile before adding the soaked rice and closing up the Pot. After the 3 minutes are up you immediately release the pressure and then let the rice hang out for 5 minutes under a tea towel.
Shrimp biryani, basmati rice and snow peas with zucchini
When I mentioned to John that there was nothing new on the menu this week he said that it had been so long since we have had hamburgers that it was like something new. Okay, he has a point there. So this week we have 3 vegetarian dishes, 2 meat dishes, 1 chicken, and 1 shellfish. I hope it gives you some ideas on what to cook whether you are just starting your quarantine or have been at it like we have for four weeks. Stay home and stay healthy
On Sunday for our Breakfast for Dinner meal I tried to change things up a bit. Instead of my usual scrambled eggs and veggie breakfast patty, I tried an omelet that was supposed to look like a pancake with a bunch of things on it. My toppings were a chopped up veggie patty, onion, garlic, spinach, and tomatoes. It came out fine but I actually like my plain scramble better.
Open-faced omelet
Instead of having the usual scallops, potatoes, and collard greens, I expanded the veg and cut out the starch. I know that as I approach my goal weight-wise it becomes more difficult to lose weight so I have to cut calories where I can (without giving up my beloved popcorn!) The vegetable turned out pretty well. I chopped up the collard stems and added them to the pan first with onions, the frozen corn, and chunkier pieces of carrots. After about 5 minutes I put in the collard leaf chiffonade and the thin slices of carrot. The dish was seasoned with some garlic powder, salt, a dash of sugar and vinegar, plus light butter. I made a bed of the colorful vegetable melange for the yummy seared scallops to sit on. Such a good meal!
Seared scallops with collard greens, corn, onions, and carrots
Omnivore 