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Chickpeas with ditalini and vegetables 1/7/23
Here’s a big pot of goodness burbling away on my stove top. The main components are chickpeas, some sort of small pasta, and vegetable or chicken stock. After that, use what you have vegetable-wise. I used onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots, celery, and a whole bag of spinach! Along with two cups of broth I added two cups of water, and a can of Rotel spicy tomatoes. If you do not like spiciness you can use regular diced tomatoes. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer until the pasta is cooked through.
Garnish with sliced green onions, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese (optional.)
Posted in American, Easy, Kitchen tips, Legumes, Methods, Pasta, soup, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners
Tagged chickpeas
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Shrimp and grits with broccoli. 1/6/22
Tonight John cooked up the rest of our smaller frozen shrimp that we had purchased for Christmas Eve. I took the time to cut each one in half to slow down my eating. By doing that, when John asked if I would like to split the rest of what was left after our first platefuls I was actually full! We make our polenta (grits) at a ratio of 5.5 parts water to 1 part polenta. So in this case .5 cup of polenta to 2.75 cups of water. We also added a tablespoon of butter. The polenta comes out really creamy and is a good base for the sautéed shrimp and like a sauce for the steamed broccoli.
A really good satisfying dinner!
Posted in American, Easy, Healthy tips, Kitchen tips, Methods, Shellfish, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners
Tagged grits, polenta, shrimp
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Chicken and gravy with squash and green beans 1/5/23
Using rotisserie chicken, packet gravy, and an Instant Pot for the butternut squash makes this dinner a snap. I set the Instant Pot on high for 15 minutes and the butternut squash came out with a texture that was easy to mash. The chicken heated up on low in the gravy and all that was left to do was to sauté the green beans in a quarter cup of water and a pat of butter.
I always love this homey dinner. After the first filling of plates I managed to say “No thank you” when John asked if I would like seconds. My first instinct is to share everything equally. I need to practice remembering that he is a foot taller than I am and can consume and burn calories better.
Posted in American, Easy, Instant Pot, Methods, Poultry, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners
Tagged chicken
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Fettucine and zoodles with mushrooms and broccolini 1/4/23
Two vegan dinners in a row! It is such a pleasure not to be eating in an unhealthy manner. John was in charge of cooking the pasta and I was in charge of cutting up vegetables, zoodling the zucchini, and turning the pasta water and olive oil into a sauce. It all goes pretty quickly. By the time the pasta is ready the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and broccolini are cooked. The zoodles go into the vegetable pan and then the pasta. The zoodles are too delicate to be cooked very long. They will turn into mush. I mix everything around for a couple of minutes and adding some olive oil and pasta water. And dinner is served!
This is a delicious, healthy, and filling dinner. It is one I would be happy to eat at least once a week!
Posted in American, Easy, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners
Tagged healthy lifestyle, zoodles
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Vegan Afghani style lentils with rice and kale 1/3/23
Quick-cooking red lentils form the base for this dinner entree. It is spiced up with garlic, onion, ginger, cumin seed, turmeric, and cayenne. First you cook up the spices in a little oil, then add the garlic, onion, and ginger sautéing until the onion softens. Lastly you put in the vegetable stock and lentils. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes and it is done.
I served mine over raw kale and a mix of riced cauliflower and white rice. The red on top is a teaspoon of sriracha to spice it up further. Honestly the Afghani dal was spicy enough without it. John, who was manning the pot, makes sure our dishes have plenty of heat!
Posted in Afghan, Easy, Legumes, Methods, rice, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners
Tagged Lentls
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Chilean sea bass, farro mix, broccoli. 1/2/23
I am starting off the new year with one of the best “diet” dinners in our repertoire, Chilean sea bass with delicious sides. John roasted the sea bass in a 400F oven for 13 minutes. It was flavored with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, Old Bay, and tarragon. It turned out super luscious. While John and our daughter finished up the leftover mashed potatoes from New Year’s Eve, I made a combo of half farro and half cauliflower rice seasoned with soy sauce. Broccoli is often our go-to vegetable. I cooked it in a splash of water and a pat of butter.
I am happy to stay on this diet!
Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Grains, pescatarian, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners
Tagged Chilean sea bass
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Weekly Menu. January 2-8, 2023
Happy New Year! After eating our lasagna dinner on January 1, I will have consumed everything that is not on my healthy-eating lifestyle plan during December. I do not regret it but now it is time to switch gears. This week’s menu consists of four plant-based meals, two seafood meals, and one chicken meal. No doubt I will feel very good about myself next Sunday.
Posted in Weekly menu
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Polenta with meatballs and tomato sauce, vegetables. 12/30/22
In an effort to make room in the refrigerator we decided to have a leftover dinner rather than the fish we had intended. We will eat the fish tomorrow for lunch. This is an amalgam of the polenta we had left over from the lamb chop dinner, some residual tomato sauce from our pasta meal and the vegetables from the sheet pan Brussels sprouts and eggplant. It was easy, tasty, and efficient. We really do not like throwing out leftovers so this was an excellent way to use them!
Sheet pan eggplant, sprouts, and tomato over farro. 12/29/22
Getting all the vegetables done at the same time was the most difficult part of this dish. I started the eggplant first and put the sprouts and the tomato in the oven after 15 minutes. Then I cooked it for another 15 minutes. As it turned out I should have started the Brussels sprouts a little sooner since they were still a little hard. I baked the farro in the oven for an hour earlier in the day and John mixed up the peanut butter powder with yogurt, lemon, soy sauce, sesame oil and a splash of water. I added a little sugar to mine. A garnish of black sesame seeds gives some crunch and color contrast.
Omnivore 