Omnivore

June 10, 2016 – Marrow madness

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Beebamom

Jon and I love going to the store together. On one of our first trips he saw these marrow bones in the butcher’s case. He decided that for our last dinner before they left we should make marrow bones.

Okay, I find a pretty simple looking recipe and we go back to the store at the end of the week to buy the bones. We explain to the butcher how we want them cut. He asks us what kind of dog we have. We burst out laughing explaining that the bones are for us. He admits that he has never sold the bones to people before. They ring up as pet bones.

Pet bones

Roasted marrow bones with parsley, onions, and garlic and a crusty piece of bread

Pretty tasty and not very expensive!

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June 5 & 6, 2016 – Meat and more meat

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Beebamom

Jon and the kids are here in Utah for a week and this means a week full of meat and more meat. I will probably end up gaining weight from this but feeding them a bunch of vegetarian meals is not going to make them happy.

On the day they arrived we had Zayde burgers. These are just grilled hamburgers but everyone says they are the best. In all the hoopla surrounding their first dinner I forgot to take a picture.

On June 5th we had grilled lamb chops with couscous and sautéed kale. Nathan ate a lot of lamb! I cannot imagine how much he will eat as a teenager.

Grilled lamb chops with couscous and kale

The next night we had Jon’s comfort meal – meatballs with noodles and gravy and snow peas.

Meatballs with noodles and gravy, snow peas

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged couscous, Grilling, kale, lamb chops, meatballs, noodles, snow peas | Leave a comment

June 3, 2016 – Grilled everything

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Beebamom

Today we bought a new gadget to use on our grill. It is just a piece of perforated steel but the holes are a good size for letting vegetables get grill marks but not fall through.

Potatoes and cauliflower ready for the grill

I cooked the potatoes a little in the microwave first and tossed both vegetables in some oil before grilling them. Along with a flank steak, this was a great meal.

Grilled flank steak, new potatoes, and cauliflower

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cauliflower, flank steak, Grilling, new potatoes | Leave a comment

June 1, 2016 – Farfalle with carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions in peanut sauce

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Beebamom

Farfalle and vegetables in peanut sauce

We really stretched the pasta tonight by adding a bunch of vegetables. I sautéed the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and carrots while the pasta cooked. John toasted some sesame seeds and chopped up some green onions. Right before the farfalle was done I added some pasta water to my pan and started the broccoli. This way the broccoli retained its color and texture. Add the farfalle to the vegetables, as much peanut sauce as you like, and some more pasta water for a good consistency.

Posted in Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged broccoli, carrots, farfalle, green onions, mushrooms, Onions, pasta, sesame seeds, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian | Leave a comment

May 31, 2016 – Grilled chicken thighs with zucchini and couscous

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Beebamom

Grilled chicken with zucchini and couscous

Now that it is heating up here in Utah, it is time for more outdoor cooking. John cooked the chicken thighs on the grill painting them with barbecue sauce on the last turn. This way the skin gets crispy and the sauce caramelized without the whole thing catching on fire. In the mean time I sautéed onions, mushroom, and garlic. I added a little liquid and the zucchini for the last five minutes. The couscous was cooked with some green onions and dressed with olive oil.

Happy summertime cooking!

Posted in Poultry, Vegetables | Tagged chicken, chicken thighs, couscous, mushrooms, Onions, zucchini | Leave a comment

May 30, 2016 – Fish tacos with black beans

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Beebamom

Fish tacos

Since my last post we ate dinner out with some friends and then traveled to Utah over the weekend. Yesterday we had the iconic burger in celebration of Memorial Day. Today, on the actual holiday we made fish tacos. Nothing like a little multi-culturalism to mark the importance of fighting for our freedoms.

We got some very tasty cod that John cooked to perfection. I made a side of black beans and also salsa topping and crema. During this scary election year, on Memorial Day take time to remember what America is all about.

Posted in Fish | Tagged black beans, cod, fish tacos, Tacos | Leave a comment

May 25, 2016 – Pad Thai with shrimp

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Beebamom

Pad Thai with shrimp

I first made this Food & Wine “Quick Pad Thai” in April. I wish I had jotted down some improvement notes then! Except for making the sauce, everything you do amounts to chopping things up. I added julienned carrots and pea pods this time for some vegetable heft. I could have used more sauce, an easy combination of fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar. I also added a drop or two of sesame oil. The sauce is really a matter of taste -you need to balance the sugar against the fish sauce. For me, less sugar and more fish sauce. This time I have made my notes and I will know exactly what to do next time!

Posted in Shellfish | Tagged carrots, fish sauce, limes, Pad Thai, pea pods, shallots | Leave a comment

May 24, 2016 – Chicken Tuesday

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Beebamom

Pan-roasted chicken with rutabagas and broccoli

Tonight we had the chicken that was postponed from yesterday. This morning I insured we would be having this dinner by making the rutabagas and prepping the broccoli. I sliced off the peel of the rutabagas and chopped them into smallish pieces. After adding a tablespoon of water and some salt to the dish, I microwaved them in a covered dish for 15 minutes. I used a plunge blender to mash them with a teaspoon of butter. So good!!

Tonight I told John that every component of our dinner wanted to be the star of the dish. It was all very yummy!

Posted in Poultry | Tagged broccoli, chicken, rutabagas | Leave a comment

May 23, 2016 – Meatless Monday

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Beebamom

Have you tried Meatless Monday? Meatless Monday in the U.S. was started in 2003 and is spreading worldwide. It’s good for you and good for the planet. Most of all it is just a tasty alternative to your meat-centric lifestyle.

It doesn’t have to be Monday. Choose any day of the week. Around our house we are used to having Chicken Monday and, having trouble changing our reflex chicken on Monday, has led to a lot of Meatless Tuesdays.

This past Monday we got a late start on dinner so Chicken Monday got postponed. Our dinner consisted of a hummus appetizer and a main course of penne with broccoli, mushrooms, and onions with a topping of olive oil.

note: to make this dish vegan omit the grated Parmesan cheese. Some toasted breadcrumbs would be a great crunchy topping!

Posted in Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged broccoli, Meatless Monday, mushrooms, Olive oil, penne, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian | Leave a comment

May 22, 2016 – Low-salt diets may not be beneficial for all, study suggests: Salt reduction only important in some people with high blood pressure

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Beebamom

A new study by McMaster University suggests that salt is not the villain we thought it was

A large worldwide study has found that, contrary to popular thought, low-salt diets may not be beneficial and may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to average salt consumption. The study suggests that the only people who need to worry about reducing sodium in their diet are those with hypertension (high blood pressure) and have high salt consumption.

Source: Low-salt diets may not be beneficial for all, study suggests: Salt reduction only important in some people with high blood pressure

From Beebamom: As much as I am a fan of this study I think even if you don’t have high blood pressure moderation is the best course.

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