Jerk chicken. 2/6/19

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Beebamom

John wants to try making Jamaican-style jerk chicken. I find a no-fuss recipe on the NYTimes cooking site and with much fuss he makes the chicken. The fuss has to do with grinding up a whole bunch of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, etc., etc. and marinating the chicken over night. Finally he bakes it and then broils it to crisp up the skin.

Jerk chicken with rice and snow peas

In the meantime I make some rice and snow peas.

John eats our dinner with gusto and I do not like it at all. The chicken skin is flabby and, to me, the most prominent taste is black pepper, my most disliked flavor. I give some of my chicken to John and enjoy the rice and snow peas.

Posted in Poultry, rice, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Relief from cabin fever. 2/5/19

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Beebamom

I know that those of you who have suffered through the polar vortex will find our Northern Californian mewling wimpish but it has been cold (for here) and rainy for four days! And much like when we lived in much colder Massachusetts when there is a break in the weather, we fire up the grill! Hamburgers on the grill taste especially good in the middle of winter.

Grilled hamburger with a sweet and sour celery seed broccoli salad

John prepares the 80/20 ground beef with salt and a pinch of baking soda which helps to keep the meat juicy. Minimal handling keeps the ground beef from turning into meatloaf and tapered edges gives you some extra crispy bits.

I made a simple dressing of oil, vinegar, sugar (or sugar substitute), salt, dry mustard, celery seed, lemon juice, and grated onion. The dressing sat on the broccoli florets and peeled stem pieces for an hour or so before serving.

A reminder of warmer, sunnier days always lifts my spirits!

 

 

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

Vegan Italian dinner. 2/4/19

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Beebamom

I had to revamp my weekly menu plan due to bad weather which kept us away from the grocery store yesterday. Luckily I always have the ingredients in my pantry for my Italian vegan dinner, whole wheat linguine in a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, onions, and capers garnished with toasted breadcrumbs.

Whole wheat linguine with tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, and breadcrumbs

This dinner is so quick and easy. While the water is coming to a boil I toast some garlic slices and then use that garlic flavored oil to toast the panko breadcrumbs. I set both of those aside for garnishing and after adding a bit more olive oil to the pan I toss in some chopped onions. At this point the pasta goes into the boiling water. When the onions are translucent in goes a can of petite diced tomatoes, some capers, olives, pepper flakes, and maybe some fresh or dried herb. When the pasta is al dente toss it into the sauce along with some pasta water if needed. Stir it around and serve it up with the toasted breadcrumbs and garlic.

John also likes to add some finishing oil and Parmesan cheese but I think that is gilding the lily.

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

Weekly menu update. 2/4/19

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Beebamom

Due to the fact that it has been raining cats and dogs here for the past few days (this is extreme weather for Californians) and we have not been out to the grocery store, the menu has been revamped for the week starting today.

Posted in Weekly menu | Leave a comment

Creamy no-cream Vegan celery soup. 2/3/2019

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Beebamom

Since we are having take-out tonight and I will not be cooking, I am discussing what I had for lunch instead.  Going to my trusty freezer I find a container of celery soup. This recipe is so easy and makes quite a bit of soup, certainly enough for freezing leftovers. The soup comes out really creamy with a subtle celery flavor. It is low in calories and quite filling. Today I garnish the soup with fresh thyme and a crumbled Triscuit.

Easy celery soup

Chop an onion, a whole head of celery, one waxy potato, and 2 cloves of garlic.  Cook them in the two tablespoons of olive oil with seasoning until the onion is translucent. Add 3 cups of stock and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup herbs (optional), and blend or food process until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a celery leaf or herb garnish.

Did you notice my new microwave bowl holder? One of my friends made it and gave it to me this week. Since it uses 100% cotton materials it is microwave safe. I snuggled my bowl in it and microwaved the soup for two minutes, stirring occasionally. No burnt fingers when I removed it from the microwave!

 

Posted in Easy, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pork, sauerkraut, and apples. 2/2/19

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Beebamom

Tonight we take a little trip to Germany via our dinner. John and I have been fussing around with these boneless pork ribs that we have trying to get a Vietnamese dish to come out right. No luck so far. So I thought, let’s change it up and go in a different direction, east rather than west, to Germany.

Boneless pork ribs with caraway sauerkraut and apples

The boneless pork ribs are simply seasoned, seared and go in the Instant Pot with a bunch of onions (also browned first.) Twenty minutes under high pressure and a natural cool down leaves the pork cooked through and very tender. I warm up some sauerkraut seasoned with caraway seeds. I cook a piece of chopped up bacon and put it aside while I brown some onions in the bacon fat. Finally the apples go in with a little butter and I cook them until they start to brown and garnish my apple concoction with the bacon bits.

Success! The dinner, especially the apples, is really good. We need to work on the seasoning for the pork but this dinner is a keeper.  (Except maybe smaller portions because there is no way I can eat so much pork!)

Posted in German, Instant Pot, Pork, Vegetables | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Shrimp tacos and black beans. 2/1/19

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Beebamom

What a good way to kick off February with shrimp tacos and black beans! This dinner is easy to make and healthy to eat. John sautés some shrimp and toasts tortillas over an open flame while I get together the condiments and warm the rinsed, canned black beans mixed with a half can of Rotel, some chipotle powder, and ground cumin. Our taco assemblage includes the shrimp, cilantro, green onions, fresh salsa, shredded cabbage, and a crema made of plain yogurt, salt, and cumin. Use the grocery store to make this simpler-canned beans, packaged shredded cabbage, and store bought fresh salsa make dinner easy!

Shrimp tacos and black beans

Posted in Easy, Kitchen tips, Legumes, Mexican, pescatarian, Shellfish, Vegetables | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Big lunch, light dinner. 1/31/19

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Beebamom

One of the pitfalls centered around going out to lunch is that lunch turns out to be much higher in calories than my usual lunch. In order to compensate for it I skipped breakfast and planned for a much lighter dinner than usual.

John and I eat lunch at Zeni’s, our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. Even though we end up with copious leftovers, we still ate a lot!

Veggie platter, yebeg tibs (sizzling lamb), and injera

From the upper left clockwise: injera/tomato salad, split peas, greens, sizzling lamb, spicy lentils, and potato/carrot/cabbage combo. Fresh salad in center and a basket of injera to use as a utensil for scooping up delicious bits from the platter. This is soooooo delicious!

For dinner John made an omelet for himself and I ate a small portion of leftover spaghetti. We are saving our leftovers from Zeni’s for future lunches.

Posted in Dining out, Eggs, Healthy tips, Lamb, leftovers, Legumes, Pasta, Vegetables | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu January 30-February 5, 2019

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Beebamom

Posted in Weekly menu | Leave a comment

Food from the freezer. 1/30/19

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Beebamom

We get home today around noon from St. George, UT.  During the time we were away we sold our car and completed the sale of our house. It was not a pleasant undertaking but it is done and we are glad.

So now we can plan menus and cook and eat reasonably again! Today is not a good day to make something brand new since we are tired and there is a lot of unpacking to do. Thank goodness for food that I have frozen extras of. The last time I made pasta sauce I made enough for several meals so that is what we eat tonight. It is all gone now but it certainly has come in handy. Next time I make pasta sauce I will make plenty of extra so I can freeze future dinners again.

Thick spaghetti with meat sauce

I will be posting the next several days menu later tonight.

Posted in Beef, Italian, Kitchen tips, Pasta, Vegetables | Tagged , | Leave a comment