Fettuccine with tomato sauce and kale. 4/12/23

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Beebamom
Fettuccine with tomato sauce and kale

When I eat pasta I like to have a big portion. But too much pasta blows my calorie allotment. In tonight’s dinner I solved that in two ways. First I shredded some cabbage to about the same width as the fettuccine and gave it a brief cook in the spaghetti sauce. It retained some of its crunch for a nice textural difference. Second I put my pasta on a big bed of kale. So I increased the volume of my dinner in a healthy, interesting way.

I had never tried the cabbage trick before. Both John and I liked it a lot. The sweetness and slight crunch of the cabbage was a great counterpoint to the acidity of the tomato sauce. I think we will use cabbage in future pasta dishes!

Posted in Easy, Healthy tips, Italian, Kitchen tips, Mediterranean, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Salad and soup. 4/11/23

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Beebamom

Finishing up our weekend leftovers, I added some additional lettuce and cabbage to a bagged salad and John made new matzoh balls for the chicken vegetable soup I made yesterday.

Taylor Farms steakhouse salad with additional cabbage and lettuce

The soup was less successful. It came out kind of murky and the new matzoh balls that John made were dense and dry.

Chicken vegetable soup with matzoh balls. New matzoh ball is the dark smaller one at the top.

We are done with leftovers now. I am glad we did not waste any food but I am ready for something new tomorrow!

Posted in Easy, leftovers, Salad, soup, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Leave a comment

Grilled lamb, potatoes, and asparagus. 4/10/23

Posted on April 11, 2023 by Beebamom
Grilled boneless leg of lamb, mashed potatoes and asparagus

This dinner is actually the leftovers from Saturday. We served the lamb cold on Monday rather than risk overcooking it. The potatoes and asparagus were simply heated carefully in the microwave. I would say that the dinner was almost as good as the original. All the exclamations about not being able to hold mashed potatoes or reheat them without double boilers or slow cookers seemed really not to matter. So no work and a really nice dinner nonetheless.

Posted in American, Lamb, leftovers, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. April 10 – 16, 2023

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Beebamom
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Matzoh ball soup. 4/8/23

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Beebamom
Matzoh ball soup

On Saturday we had our Passover celebration. Not the right day but it was when we could all get together. John and I spent a lot of time making our festive dinner and making our table look inviting to our family.

Table set for Seder

Of course in the hustle of getting everything on the table I forgot to take a picture of the food except for the matzoh ball soup! Our main course was grilled boneless leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, asparagus with sauce Grabiche, and macaroons, homemade, for dessert.

The soup comes from a Manischewitz box but with our own spin. John whips the egg whites to make the matzoh balls fluffy and also adds baking powder and baking soda. I chopped up a bunch of vegetable to add in as well. Everybody seemed pretty pleased with the dinner and I am happy to have leftovers for the beginning of next week.

Now on to Easter today! We are celebrating at our daughter-in-law’s parents’ house. They are having roast ham, scalloped potatoes, and some vegetable along with pies. Celebrating dual holidays is fun and tasty but hard on the waistline!

Now

Posted in American, Grilling, Holidays, Lamb, soup, Special occasion, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | 3 Comments

Light clam chowder with oyster crackers 4/7/23

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Beebamom
Light clam chowder with oyster crackers

How can you make a creamy clam chowder light? I use only 1/4 cup of cream which works out to be about 1 tablespoon per person and I add russet potatoes instead of waxy ones. Russet potatoes break down slightly in the soup giving it a creamier texture.

Here is my updated recipe. It makes 4 servings.

Posted in American, pescatarian, Recipes, Shellfish, soup, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pasta and Brussels sprouts. 4/6/23

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Beebamom
Fusilli with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a light butter sauce

I have never put Brussels sprouts in pasta before. I figured that if I regularly make pasta with broccoli and Brussels sprouts are in the same family, why not?! I sliced each sprout in three pieces through the root end. First I sautéed the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. When the pasta was almost done I added the Brussels sprouts, about one half cup pasta water, and a pat of butter. The lid went on the pot and they cooked for a couple of minutes. Then we drained the fusilli and added it to the vegetables along with a little more reserved pasta water. Stir it around and it’s finished except for a sprinkling of cheese. Delicious!

Posted in Easy, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Healthy shrimp bowl over rice 4/4/23

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Beebamom
Healthy shrimp bowl over rice

This bowl is filled with delicious goodness. Although you cannot see the rice layer, I made a combination of brown, red, and wild rices mixed with riced cauliflower. Healthy and delicious! My bowl is filled with fiber from edamame, cucumber, and cabbage. Plus it includes heart healthy avocado. I chose shrimp tonight as the protein but this dish is equally as good with salmon or tofu.

The dressing for the bowl is basically soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced ginger, scallions, and garlic plus a little sesame oil. Out on our buffet bar I put olive oil for anyone who wants more oil, thinly sliced Fresno chiles, furikake, cilantro, and lime. Everyone enjoys making up their bowl to their own specifications.

Posted in Asian, Healthy tips, Legumes, Methods, pescatarian, rice, Shellfish, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment

Chicken enchiladas with spicy black beans 4/3/23

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Beebamom
Chicken enchiladas with spicy black beans

Today we went to Costco with our main goal of getting a boneless leg of lamb for our Saturday family feast. But who can resist that $4.99 rotisserie chicken?! So we bought one and when we got home I took it apart shredding the chicken I wanted to use for tonight’s chicken enchiladas. I also have some nice pieces of white meat for a dinner or lunch sandwiches and I boiled up the bones for stock. So much value from a $4.99 chicken!

After getting the chicken shredded, making the enchiladas was just a matter of assembly. John briefly warmed the tortillas in the oven. I filled each tortilla with some chicken, a dollop of salsa verde, a little Mexican blend cheese, and some chopped onions. The enchiladas were nestled tightly against each other in an oblong baking dish that had been prepared with a layer of salsa verde.

When all 12 were in the baking dish I covered the top with salsa verde and the remaining onions and cheese. I baked it in the oven at 350F for about 40 minutes until it was bubbly and the cheese was melted. The black beans were merely a can of black beans, a half can of Rotel, and a few shakes of cumin.

This was a fairly easy dinner using rotisserie chicken and canned or jarred products. When the three of us were done with dinner there was not a scrap of food left!

Posted in Easy, Legumes, Methods, Mexican, Poultry, Southwest U.S., Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Easy Sunday night dinner. 4/2/23

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Beebamom

On Sunday night we usually have Breakfast For Dinner (BFD). We each make our own and it is always easy. I started my BFD with a shared Taylor Farms packaged Greek salad.

Greek salad

For the egg portion of my BFD I decided on a fried egg over toast. Here is my method. First I toast a piece of bread. I like rye bread. Then I cut it into 18 pieces. (that is in half and then 3 x 3) I set my plate with the cut toast spread out on it on the burner behind the one that I am going to cook my egg on to keep it warm.

Cut up toast

I cook my seasoned egg over-easy and slide it on to the waiting toast. I usual add a little extra salt on top, break the yolk, and it is ready to eat. I try to have a little egg with each toast square. And that is my easy Sunday night dinner.

Over-easy egg on toast

Posted in American, Breakfast For Dinner (BFD), Easy, Eggs, Kitchen tips, Methods, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment