Delicious scallops! – 5/22/17

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Beebamom

Normally we do not fry anything.  However, we found that these scallops which ended up being too watery to sear properly can be cooked to delicious perfection by frying them. If the only thing you ever eat fried are scallops very occasionally, I say go for it.

Fried scallops with new potatoes and green beans

The scallops were breaded with panko breadcrumbs and fried for three to four minutes or until they were golden brown and delicious. Make sure to get as much liquid out of the scallops as possible by pressing them with paper towels several times. Be sure to season all the components of your dredging station.

So while John cooked the scallops I made steamed new potatoes which I tossed in a little olive oil, onions, and spices. I also steamed the green beans and served them with a mustard vinaigrette. The tartar sauce is a light mayo/mustard combination with a bit of relish, lemon juice, and grated onion.

Our daughter who rarely eats with us because our food is boring, said the scallops were so unbelievably delicious.  Now I think we need to be treated to one of her meals that she cooks!

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“Quick” Vegetarian Pad Thai – 5/20/17

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Beebamom

This pad Thai, adapted from a Food and Wine recipe, may be quick to cook but the prep time is not minimal. There is a lot of chopping and sauce making ahead of time. Here is the original recipe

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/quick-shrimp-pad-thai

I substituted Trader Joe’s Sriracha Baked Tofu for the shrimp and doubled the sauce cutting way back on the sugar and tweaking it as I went along for the right balance of fish sauce ( vegetarian fish sauce is available online or you can find a recipe for it on the internet), sugar, and lime juice. I also added julienned snow peas and carrots for more vegetables.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Since TJ’s did not have any bean sprouts and I did not have any peanuts, those were omitted but they would have given the dish a nice crunch on top. It turned out really tasty and I will definitely make it again. (Plus there is a lot left over for an extra dinner.)

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Semi-lettuce wrap – 5/19/17

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Beebamom

Whether I am at home or dining out I rarely eat two pieces of bread or roll when having a sandwich or burger. Either I take off the top piece and hand-hold by the bottom bread and a lettuce leaf on top or I eat my sandwich with a knife and fork. I have been doing this for so long that when I do eat the whole sandwich it is just too much bread!

Tonight’s burger was almost a lettuce wrap plus we reduced the amount of meat by an ounce in each burger. Gotta say I did not miss it! There are so many little things you can do to take control. Try one of my tips the next time you have a burger or sandwich!

Semi lettuce wrap burger and Italian salad

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Chicken Thursday – 5/18/17

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Beebamom

The braised pork shoulder is finally finished so it seems like the beginning of a week. With that in mind, we prepared Chicken Monday on Thursday.

Sous vide chicken breast with gravy plus mashed potatoes and spinach

John and I shared a boneless, skinless chicken breast that he sous vide with some spices. He also made up a packet of chicken gravy (25 calories for 1/4 cup.)  I mashed up one Russet potato plus a little rutabaga with some sour cream and butter. The spinach was frozen and microwaved. This was a homey although somewhat boring dinner.

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Back on track -Vegan Ditalini with vegetables – 5/17/17

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Beebamom

As I promised to myself I am eating like a rational human being today. I told John to eat the rest of the pork and I would eat something vegetable based. We have plenty of veg hanging around in the refrigerator and after the always enjoyable task of cutting them up, I gave them a quick sauté, mixed the cooked ditalini in, and finish the sauce with some pasta water.

Ditalini with vegetables

The nice thing about this meal is that the leftovers can be easily mixed with some vegetable or chicken broth for lunch tomorrow!

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Firecracker Fusilli – 5/16/17

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Beebamom

We used to have a restaurant nearby called Fuzio’s that served a dish called Firecracker Fusilli. It went out of business here but I see that it is still in San Francisco and Modesto. Anyway, it was a spicy pork and pasta dish and John always used to order it. (I always ordered vegetarian pad Thai.) Yesterday he suggested we try making it with our never ending supply of pork from the pork shoulder we braised.

Firecracker Fusilli

In the recipe it said we were supposed to braise the pork in pineapple juice, soy, cilantro, ginger, and garlic. Since our pork was already braised, I made a sauce using those component ingredients in smaller amounts. You are also supposed to make a pesto out of habanero chiles but we used Fresno chiles. The whole thing is garnished with the pesto, sour cream, cilantro, and green onions. It was delicious.

And with this dish I am done eating the pork and done eating out of control. We are going on an anniversary trip in about a month and I cannot keep up this pace and fit into any of my clothes. I told John to finish the pork tonight and I will go my own route.

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Mother’s Day – 5/14/17

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Beebamom

The family got together for Mother’s Day. Along with flowers I got gifts of food. It’s the way we celebrate. Thank you to my dear family for a lovely day.

Daughter made quiche which was delicous

She also made a Swedish tea ring

Grandkids made tarts

I made fresh fruit in an attempt to have something healthy and son made chicken liver mousse and pimento cheese in foreground

Ah well, there’s always tomorrow to dine lite!

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Pulled pork sandwich – 5/13/17

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Beebamom

Pork shoulder roast was only $.99/lb. How could we pass that up? John cooked it in the slow cooker which meant we were free to go out and do other things – like play tennis! He separated the meat from the fat, bone, and cooking liquid. After an overnight in the refrigerator he seared the meat for some crispines.

I had my dinner sandwich on a soft Kaiser roll with barbecue sauce and cabbage.

Pulled pork sandwich

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A raw deal, sushi – dining out – 5/12/17

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Beebamom

We went out to dinner at a local Japanese restaurant. Sushi and sashimi are the dieter’s friend as you probably know. So it seemed like a good choice. I guess my biggest complaint about the place we went to is that I don’t know so much about the various menu choices and I need time to read through everything so I know what I want. Immediately after sitting down they wanted to take our order. After we sent the waitperson away she came back every two or three minutes wanting to know if we were ready. It made the whole dining experience pretty frantic.

Here is what we ordered –

First we got some edame

Next wakame which is a seaweed salad and very tasty

A little hamachi appetizer sashimi

Finally a roll – this one is John’s, it was called “Hole-In-One”

My roll is in the background. It was called “Big Mac” for no apparent reason except maybe because it had sesame seeds on top? I took some of mine home. It was just too much.

Every once in a while I feel like going out for Japanese food but I did not really find it very satisfying even though I got full before I could finish. I think I am more of a pizza and pasta kind of person.

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N.E.W.Y.W.D. – So I had a burger – 5/11/17

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Beebamom

Yesterday when I was looking at the fact that May 10th was National Shrimp Day, I noticed that May 11th was National Eat What You Want Day. I think I have mentioned that my favorite meat is a burger. So in honor of the day, that’s what I had for dinner. (And a salad)

Burger

May 12th is National Nutty Fudge Day but since I REALLY don’t like sweet things, you can rest assured that Nutty Fudge will not be on my menu!

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