May 16, 2016 – Creative leftovers

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Beebamom

I am visiting my best friend who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. She is going to be fine but the chemo is taking its toll on her energy and spirit. So this week I am just going with the flow and eating whatever she wants to eat and drinking lots of tea.

Last night we went to Carrabas Italian Grill. I ordered linguine with clam sauce which was quite tasty although they did serve me a clam which hadn’t opened. My dinner companions ate so quickly that I was not even half way done when they were finished. On Monday I ate the leftovers for dinner.

Leftover linguine with clam sauce plus snow peas and carrots served with crunchy raw vegetables

Leftover linguine with clam sauce plus snow peas and carrots served with crunchy raw vegetables

In order to make a satisfying dinner I quickly sautéed some carrots and snow peas and added them to the warmed leftover pasta. Some raw cucumbers and radishes added crunch.

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May 15, 2016 – what not to order at the airport for breakfast

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Beebamom

Let’s just say that there were not a lot of places to sit down and eat breakfast in the C Concourse in Atlanta.  I have a bunch of time to kill before my next flight and I wanted a place where I could sit and while away a little time. Plus I really did not want some breakfast sandwich. And on the other end of the spectrum I did not want chicken and waffles. So I ended up with this –

Too much of a good thing!

Too much of a good thing!

I said to myself that I would not eat it all. And I didn’t but those little potatoes were tastier than you might have expected. At least I shall be able to appear in control when I eat lunch!

 

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Mother’s Day, 2016 – Pretzel rolls

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Beebamom
Pretzel rolls

Pretzel rolls

I would be remiss if I did not post my daughter’s fabulous pretzel rolls that she makes for me every Mother’s Day. I also had a cup of her lovely peach tea that she gets from a fancy tea place in San Francisco.

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May 13, 2016 – Penne with broccoli and carrots in peanut sauce

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Beebamom
Penne, broccoli, and carrots in peanut sauce

Penne, broccoli, and carrots in peanut sauce

How is it that I haven’t written about a proper meal since Cinco de Mayo? Here is what the last week was like. We had take-out Chinese food one night. It was Mother’s Day weekend and we had bagels and lox with the kids and grand kids. Then we had a dinner party on Monday which was great except I forgot to take pictures. This was followed by three days of John being at a conference and not home for dinner. Did I mention one night we just ate tater tots? So mea culpa for last week and probably next week as well as I am off to visit my best friend who is undergoing chemo-therapy.

However, today I am posting my old standby dinner, penne plus some kind of vegetables in peanut sauce.  Always a winner!

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May 5, 2016 – Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Beebamom
Fish tacos and black beans

Fish tacos and black beans

It is possible to eat reasonably on Cinco de Mayo. Tonight we made fish tacos and spicy black beans. I doctored up some canned black beans with onions, garlic, cilantro, and some store-bought fresh salsa. John cooked the cod and warmed through the corn tortillas. Our toppings were shredded cabbage, cilantro, green onions, salsa, and a crema made with yogurt, cumin, and some salt. Rather than a margarita I had a non-alcoholic beer. We enjoyed our Mexican dinner and didn’t blow the bank calorie-wise.

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May 4, 2016 – Shrimp and grits with broccolini

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Beebamom
Shrimp and grits with broccolini

Shrimp and grits with broccolini

We don’t actually call this polenta grits since we lived in the South but are not natives of the South. This is a very tasty dish but John and I need to come to some sort of understanding about spiciness. He asked me to put a chile in the broccolini and I did. But he also put black pepper in the polenta and spicy paprika on the shrimp. So this dinner tasted like various shades of hot to me – spicy hot from the chile and the paprika and burning hot from the black pepper. He thought it was great while I kept sneezing and clearing my throat as I ate.

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May 3, 2016 – Lentil Stew

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Beebamom
Lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions

Lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions

What could be more comforting than a big pot of lentil stew! I debated whether I should call this soup or stew but decided it was thick enough for stew. I actually made this the day before because I wanted to use some of the lentils with my leftover farro yesterday. First I made a mirepoix of celery, onions, and carrots cut up quite small.  I sautéed them along with the mushrooms.  Then added water, or vegetable stock, or chicken stock depending on your nutritional lifestyle. When the lentils were cooked through I added a large chop of carrots and celery and cooked them briefly. You want them with a little crunch. Topped the stew with chopped parsley, green onions, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Note: Non-vegans/vegetarians might enjoy some sort of firm, cooked sausage in this.

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May 2, 2016 – Lamb chop with farro and green beans

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Beebamom
Lamb chop with farro and green beans

Lamb chop with farro and green beans

As you can see I am still trying to keep my meat portions small. The real star of the show was the leftover farro which I mixed with lentils. Mmmm, so good!

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April 29, 2016 – Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Beebamom
Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

This penne dish is fast becoming a favorite go-to dinner. By the time you heat the water to boiling and cook the pasta, all the vegetables are ready. The only think that needs to be timed more precisely than the cooking of the penne is when to put the asparagus into the already cooked mushrooms and onions. I leave the tips out until the last second because they will pretty much be cooked enough by being with the just cooked penne. Add the peanut sauce. Be sure to save some pasta water to thin out the sauce!

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April 29, 2016 – Bagel breakfast!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Beebamom
Combo bagels from Bagel Street Cafe

Combo bagels from Bagel Street Cafe

I know it seems like we never eat out unless we are on vacation. That is pretty much true with the exception of an occasional lunch. It is so hard to not be tempted by the dark side when you eat at a restaurant. But today in order to make up for this splurge we walked the 2 1/2 mile round trip to Bagel Street Cafe in order to compensate. It was definitely worth it!

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