Chickpea salad. 4/24/19

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Beebamom

Chickpea salad with lemon parsley vinaigrette

Note: This is either a vegan or vegetarian entree salad. Omit feta for the vegan rendition.

Doesn’t this look good! Summertime in a dish. And a cool dinner is what I need tonight because it is unseasonably hot today. In the 90’s, yikes! This dish is chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, green onions, olives, shallots, avocados, and some chopped up pepperoncini for a little zing.  It is dressed with a lemon-parsley vinaigrette. I garnished mine with some feta.

After eating some of the salad, I scooped the rest up in a whole wheat pita. Salad or sandwich, it’s up to you.

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Shrimp and brown rice. 4/23/19

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Beebamom

Yesterday I made a 9”x 9” glass oven-proof dish of brown rice using the oven method. It’s not as fast as using the Instant Pot but it turns out great rice every time. See end of post for instructions. I used the brown rice in yesterday’s “It’s All About the Sides” , our daughter used some in her dinner, I am using the brown rice in tonight’s dinner, and I still have a bit left over for lunch today. So one recipe’s worth can serve multiple uses.

Shrimp in a Pernod cream sauce with brunoise of vegetables over brown rice

With the exception of the chopping up, making the shrimp in a Pernod cream sauce is pretty quick and easy.  My portion had six shrimp, 1/2 cup rice, and maybe 1/4 cup of sauce and John had about the same and we have at least one portion left over. Someone will be eating a yummy lunch later this week!

Brown rice, oven method

Heat oven to 375F. Using a Pam-type spray, lube up a 9” x 9” oven-proof dish. To the dish add 1 1/2 cups brown rice, 2 1/3 cups boiling water, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for one hour. Remove from oven, fluff up, and then recover and let sit for five minutes.

Posted in French, pescatarian, Recipes, rice, Shellfish, Vegetables | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

It’s all about the sides. 4/22/19

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Beebamom

I am really pleased with this dinner, chicken and brown rice with chunky tomato vinaigrette and cucumber-avocado salad. Not only is it delicious but it is so versatile. We served it with some rotisserie chicken that we picked up from the grocery store but this would be great with fish, shellfish, white beans, or tofu. Or you could omit the rice and dress some pasta with the chunky tomato vinaigrette and serve the cucumber-avocado salad on the side.

Chicken and brown rice served with a chunky tomato vinaigrette and cucumber-avocado salad.

The tomato vinaigrette is simply seeded diced tomatoes, slivered shallot, chopped basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar. It benefits from being seasoned well with salt and pepper.

The cucumber salad became cucumber-avocado salad when I ran into some $.50 avocados at the store. (one of the pleasures of living in California is inexpensive and great produce.) I also added a little mint, a sprinkling of feta (which you would omit in a vegan rendition), and some finishing oil.

So whether you are an omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan, chunky tomato vinaigrette and cucumber-avocado salad will make deliciously colorful and summery additions to your dinner.

Posted in Mediterranean, Poultry, rice, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekly menu 4/22-27/19

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Beebamom

This week I am trying a more a Mediterranean take on our dinners. In Spain we learned that the local people tend to eat vegetables, whole grains, fish and shellfish, and the occasional chicken or rabbit. Red meats are mostly infrequent, saved for special occasions. So this week my menu has one chicken, two seafood,  two vegan,  and one special occasion lamb meal. 

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White bean and cabbage soup/stew. 4/20/19

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Beebamom

White bean and cabbage soup/stew

For reasons relating to jet lag we still have not made it to the grocery store for a general re-stock shop. I am running out of dinners to make using what is left in the pantry and fridge. Luckily I have two carrots, an onion, garlic, some very bendy celery, and a small head of cabbage still remaining. I combine these with some stock (vegetable or chicken), a can of white beans, and optional Parmesan rinds. Sauté the veg then add the beans, cabbage, rinds, and stock. Simmer for twenty minutes or so. I dress up the top with parsley and a good olive oil. It’s a combination that can be vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore.

How you dole it out makes it either a stew or a soup. I like one bowl of stew heavy on the vegetables and light on the broth. John prefers two bowlsful of a much soupier mixture.

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

Spring menu. 4/19/19

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Beebamom

If I had remembered to take a picture of our dinner last night it would have looked something like this.

Sliced grilled lamb with chimichurri sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus with chopped egg

The difference is that John sous vide two racks of lamb instead of boneless leg of lamb. He set the water temperature at 136F and they cooked to a lovely rosy pink. They were in the water bath for about three hours. He then did a quick grill. Unfortunately the grill flared up and the beautiful double chops came out somewhat black. They were still nice and pink inside but lost some of their visual appeal. We served them with a chimichurri sauce.

I made mashed potatoes and asparagus with crumbled egg just as shown in the picture. We had this for company. Why is it we can make dinner for ourselves and it goes without a hitch but when we try it for company invariably something goes wrong!

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Mediterranean vegan spaghetti. 4/18/19

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Beebamom

We got back from our trip yesterday and I am ready to get cooking again! John and I each gained about 4 lbs. eating our way across the Atlantic, Spain, and France. We are going to work on this weight gain by adopting a more Mediterranean diet mindset.  Tonight’s dinner is whole wheat spaghetti with a quick sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, onions, capers, and olives. I garnish mine with chopped parsley and toasted breadcrumbs while John also adds Parmesan cheese and a finishing olive oil.

Ingredients and garnishes for our sauce

San Marzano tomatoes

After toasting some garlic slices and breadcrumbs along with chopping up some parsley I set those aside for the finished dish. In the time that it takes John to bring the water to a boil and cook the pasta, I make the sauce. It is just a quick sauté of garlic, onions, and pepper flakes, then add the tomatoes, olives, and capers. Don’t add salt to the sauce! The capers and olives take care of the needed salt. I adjust the flavor with a pinch of sugar. Be sure to save a cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce before you toss the drained spaghetti into the sauce.

Spaghetti and sauce cooking on the stove simultaneously

This great vegan dinner is my adaptation of a NY Times Cooking recipe. It is quick, easy, inexpensive, and totally delicious!

Vegan Mediterranean spaghetti

 

Posted in Easy, Healthy tips, Italian, Mediterranean, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slivered pears in a salad. 4/16/19

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Beebamom

We are coming home tomorrow and I will be so glad to get back in the kitchen! I have picked up a few ideas while away that I will be hoping to incorporate into my cooking.

One idea is generally to follow a more Mediterranean diet. We were regaled with health statistics by our Spanish guide who credited the Med diet for a great increase in longevity in Spain.  He said the keys are eating fish and shellfish, lots of vegetables, cooking and dressing with olive oil, and keeping meats to chicken and rabbit. Sounds good to me!

I had a carpaccio (really more like salted, cured meat)with arugula and shaved Parmesan that also had finely sliced pear in it. While the meat was a little overwhelming, I can imagine this salad as arugula, Parmesan, and pear. The juicy, sweet pear really added another dimension to my dish.

Carpaccio with arugula, Parmesan, and pear

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Porchetta. 4/7/19

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Beebamom

I have been a little derelict with posting to my Omnivore site while we have been on vacation. This is partly due to the fact that I am busy writing my travel/personal blog every day and partly because I am lazy. Sorry.

Anyway, for lunch today they had porchetta and it reminded me of the feeble attempt that we made just before Christmas, 2017. A porchetta is a pork loin book cut so it is a large rectangular, thin piece of meat. It is rubbed with a garlic/fennel mixture, rolled up and tied. We cooked our low and slow. This is what it looked when sliced.

Our attempt at porchetta. I kind of hid it behind the vegetables

So it did not come so great. It was a little dry and it had been hard to roll up so there wasn’t any pretty spiral. No wonder John was awe struck when he saw the beautiful porchetta made by the chefs on the ship. He definitely has porchetta envy.

John’s beautiful photo of the porchetta on the ship

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I don’t like sweet! 3/31/19

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Beebamom

Oh, there are so many desserts here on this cruise ship. There are myriad chocolate choices, glazed this and that, and oozing pastries. What is a sweet hater to do? Although I know that John likes the occasional sweet, he is a sweetie and shares a cheese plate with me after dinner. Mmm, cheeses. Some soft, some hard, some mild and others intense. The cheese plate is served with a small basket of baguette slices, a handful of grapes, some dried fruit, a unsweetened fig jam, and the random nut or two.  This is my kind of dessert!

Cheese and fruit plate

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